1. At a glance
2. Best overall
3. Easy mode
4. Best hardware
5. Best small phone
6. Best value
Rooting isn't as popular as it used to be, but there's still a vibrant community of modders involved in launching new ROMs. If you're just getting started, or are looking to delve back into the world of modding, the OnePlus 9 Pro is our favorite pick. We've included other top-notch options as well, so you have the best phones for rooting and modding to choose from.
These are the best Android phones for rooting
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At a glance
Best overall
The OnePlus 9 Pro isn't the latest model but it offers great specs and good looks — plus an excellent camera and super-fast Warp Charge Wireless. It might be worth spending just a little more on this one in our opinion. We raved about the phone in our review.
Easy mode
With the Pixel 7a, Google brings flagship-tier cameras to a much more affordable price point. When we tested it, we found that the phone combines decent hardware with an outstanding camera on the back, along with the promise of multiple Android updates. Google also makes it very straightforward to unlock the bootloader and install custom ROMs.
Best hardware
Samsung has a very active modding community, and the Galaxy S23 is a great phone to test custom ROMs if you're willing to go through a bit of a tedious process. With world-class hardware, the S23 offers great bang for the buck.
Best small phone
If you're looking for a mod-friendly device outside North America, Xiaomi 12 has a lot going for it. The phone is smaller than its rivals — making it great for one-handed use — but it doesn't miss out on high-end internals. It also has one of the strongest camera systems you'll find today, and Xiaomi lets you easily unlock the bootloader.
Best value
POCO's X5 of the best budget phones available today. It has reliable hardware, a 48MP camera at the back that takes great photos, and you get a huge 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging as standard. Since the phone runs MIUI, it's a straightforward process to unlock the bootloader.
Best overall
The OnePlus 9 Pro delivered what OnePlus fans have been asking for several years: a camera that is as good as the best phones available today. The partnership with Hasselblad has paid off for the brand, and the 48MP camera takes truly outstanding photos in any lighting scenario. The 50MP lens is one of the best wide-angle shooters you'll find on a phone.
OnePlus also knows a thing or two about offering performance-oriented phones, and that's no different with the 9 Pro. With Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 chipset under the hood, you won't see any slowdowns, even with the most demanding of games. The phone also has 65W wired and 50W wireless charging, and the latter in particular is a standout addition.
But what makes the OnePlus 9 Pro truly great is the overall experience. The 120Hz AMOLED display with LTPO tech is one of the best displays on any phone today, the Snapdragon 888 offers respectable performance, and you get an all-day battery with fast charging.
Easy mode
It's hard to argue with Google's latest A-series Pixel. It completely eliminates the need for the smaller Pixel 7 as you'll find the camera is just as good and the battery life is identical. While it's got a slightly cheaper-feeling plastic back, you're probably going to keep it in a case, anyway.
Google upgraded the camera over the Pixel 6a, representing the biggest camera upgrade — both hardware and in quality — of any A-series phone. Really, unless you need to regularly zoom in more than 5x, there's no reason to even spend the extra money to get the Pixel 7 Pro, either.
The price-to-performance ratio of the 7a is without parallel and the 7a represents the absolute best deal you'll find in the Android world right now. I just wish the battery life were a little bit better because, if that were the case, this would be the perfect phone for the price.
Best hardware
There's no such thing as a perfect phone, but every year, Samsung seems to get close to hitting the mark.
The Galaxy S23 crams a lot of power into a small body, and it manages that power quite well. Performance is stellar and battery life is much improved. There's a lot to like about the Galaxy S23.
The cameras aren't the very best but they're still good and definitely not a deal-breaker. While there's definitely plenty we would like to see in future models, like faster charging and a bolder design, the Galaxy S23 is a step in the right direction and a return to form for Samsung's baby flagship.
If you're rocking the Galaxy S22, it may not be worth upgrading, unless you really need that extra battery life. Otherwise, this is a phone I would recommend to anyone looking for a pocketable flagship. That is if you're not put off by the price tag.
Best small phone
The Xiaomi 12 Pro has a bold design, spectacular AMOLED screen with dynamic scaling, the latest internal hardware with 256GB of storage as standard, and versatile cameras that take outstanding photos in just about any situation.
There's a lot to like on the software side of things as well; the Xiaomi 12 Pro runs MIUI 13 based on Android 12, and the interface is clean, bloat-free, and with plenty of customizability. Xiaomi will deliver three Android OS updates and four years of security updates to the phone, and while that's less than what Samsung is offering, it is on par with the brand's immediate rivals.
And then there's 120W wired and 50W wireless charging, with the Xiaomi 12 Pro managing to outmatch the Find X5 Pro and Galaxy S22+ in this area. The only shortcoming that I can think of is the lack of water resistance; if you don't care about that, the Xiaomi 12 Pro is a great choice for a flagship — provided you're in a country where it's officially available.
Best value
Given the Poco X5's low price, it may be difficult to find any flaws with this device. The main camera sensor takes decent photos in daylight, the AMOLED display is excellent, and the battery life is impressive. To be able to get all this at an affordable price is very welcome if you're penny-pinching.
You'll be disappointed, though, if you're looking for any wireless or reverse charging capabilities, but it comes with the territory. The biggest drawback is that the Poco X5 is living in the shadow of the Poco X4 Pro when you consider bang for the buck.
Root and mod away
The best Android phones already offer an exhaustive array of features out of the box. Still, with the likes of One UI, MIUI, ColorOS, and even OxygenOS offering a skinned interface, you don't get a vanilla Android look anymore. Rooting your phone gives you the ability to do just that, and you get to install frameworks like Xposed, which allows you way more customization options than on a normal phone.
The OnePlus 9 Pro is the best overall option if you want to try custom ROMs, with OnePlus making it as easy as possible to mod its devices.
There is a wide selection of ROMs available for the device, and should you break anything, you won't lose out on the warranty. The hardware on offer from OnePlus gives you a lot of overhead for installing customized modules, and the active community means you'll quickly find information should you run into any issues.
Google's Pixel phones are always a great option because Google provides all the files needed to return the phone to "normal," along with a documented and official method to build a custom ROM. Security concerns mean that newer models are a bit more locked down than they used to be, so it's a wise choice to wait for developers to have time to work through things or to buy last year's model. That's why we recommend the Pixel 7a while it's still available from online retailers.
