Best Ultra Mobile phones in 2024

Ultra Mobile is a flexible phone carrier with several plan sizes, international options, and excellent phone compatibility. The carrier uses T-Mobile LTE and 5G networks, so for best results, you should pick a phone that supports as many of T-Mobile’s bands as possible. Luckily, most of the best Android phones work great on this network and should be a good fit for Ultra Mobile.

You can bring a phone to Ultra Mobile or buy one from the carrier. If you purchase a device from Ultra Mobile, you can get a discount on your first 3-month wireless plan. And the phone can be financed using Affirm or paid for outright. If you’re new to prepaid carriers, it can be a good idea to own your phone, so you can bring it with you if you find a better deal on data down the line.

The best phones for Ultra Mobile

The Google Pixel 8 Pro is one of our favorite Android phones thanks to its well-balanced hardware, excellent cameras, and superb software support. It has a Tensor G3 SoC under the hood which is powerful enough for just about any app you throw at it, including games. It also has 12GB of RAM with up to 1TB of storage.

The cameras are some of the best we’ve used thanks to a large 50MP main, 48MP telephoto, and 48MP ultrawide camera on the exterior and Google’s camera app. The Pixel 8 Pro produces vibrant and sharp images, even in low light. The battery is large at 5050mAh, which should easily make it to the end of the day, and quick 30W charging means you won’t be waiting all day for it to charge.

The Pixel 8 Pro is a good pick for prepaid carriers because it supports most 5G bands being used right now and isn’t reliant on carriers for its software. Google has promised to provide software updates for this phone for seven years, so your phone will be secure as long as you plan to use it.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is Samsung’s biggest and best phone, and it really doesn’t leave anything out. This phone has one of the fastest mobile processors with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, and its screen is beautiful with a 6.8-inch AMOLED panel, 120Hz support, and a high 1440×3120 resolution. It ships with 12GB of RAM as standard and comes in sizes up to 1TB.

There are four exterior cameras starting with the main 200MP shooter. We found that this camera could deliver some very impressive results, though the phone could struggle to keep objects in motion sharp. There’s also a 10MP telephoto camera, a 12MP telephoto camera, and a 12MP ultrawide camera. It has a large 5000mAh battery and 45W charging as well.

Like Google’s phone, Samsung has promised seven years of updates for the S24 Ultra, so you can keep using it for years. This phone also supports all of Ultra Mobile’s 5G bands, so it should get excellent speeds overall. If you’re looking for a phone that can handle all the latest apps and won’t need to be replaced quickly, the S24 Ultra is a good pick.

The Google Pixel 7a is Google’s budget-friendly option, but it still has plenty of power to run the latest Android builds. It runs the Tensor G2 SoC from last year’s flagship with 8GB of RAM. However, it’s only available with 128GB of storage. And the display is a decent 6.1-inch OLED panel with 90Hz support. It’s even IP67-rated for dust and water resistance.

Like all Pixels, the cameras are a highlight with the 64MP main camera and 13MP ultrawide camera producing some nice images. They’re not quite on par with the Pixel 8, but for a budget phone, they look great. Unfortunately, the battery isn’t huge at 4385mAh, and the 18W charging isn’t exactly impressive either.

Luckily, this phone is set to get several years of Pixel updates, so you can use it for a few years before it feels too out of date. This phone also supports most of T-Mobile’s 5G bands and most other carriers’ 5G bands, so it should work great with any of Ultra Mobile’s plans. Just note that the Pixel 8a has now been announced — we haven’t reviewed it yet though, which is why you won’t find it on this list.

The Google Pixel 8 is a powerful and capable phone with a reasonably large 6.2-inch OLED display running at up to 120Hz with 2000 nits of peak brightness. It’s powered by the Tensor G3 SoC, with 8GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage, which is plenty for most people.

Since this is a Pixel, it has a good set of cameras, with the main 50MP camera being shared with the Pixel 8 Pro. The 12MP ultrawide is smaller, but still decent thanks to Google’s camera app. This phone takes excellent images even if it lacks the Pixel 8 Pro’s zoom capability. And the battery comes in at 4575mAh with 27W wired charging supported.

This phone supports T-Mobile’s 5G coverage with support for its low and mid bands. It also will get seven years of Pixel updates, so you can keep using it for years, whether you stick with Ultra Mobile or move on to another carrier.

The OnePlus Open is one of our favorite folding phones thanks to its gorgeous design and relatively few compromises on hardware. OnePlus has included a 6.31-inch AMOLED panel on the outside, and a 7.82-inch folding display on the inside, both of which run at 120Hz. The phone is powered by a slightly aged Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but 16Gb of RAM gives it plenty of performance for most users.

Folding phone cameras often struggle to keep up, but OnePlus has done an excellent job with the Open’s three-camera array. It has a main 48MP camera, a 64MP 3x telephoto camera, and a 48MP ultrawide camera, and the results look great. They aren’t as processed as something from Samsung or Google, but look good nonetheless. And the phone is powered by a large 4805mAh power pack with support for 67W charging.

The OnePlus Open works well on the T-Mobile network used by Ultra Mobile, so you should have no trouble getting activated and online. This phone launched with Android 13 but can already be upgraded to Android 14, and it has three more Android updates promised.

The OnePlus 12R is the sort of phone most people should consider thanks to a reasonable price, decent hardware specs, and a premium look and feel. At first glance, it’s hard to tell the device apart from the premium OnePlus 12, but it has a few differences. It has a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with up to 120Hz support. The processor is an older, yet still very quick, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC and either 8GB or 16GB of RAM.

The cameras are nothing special with a main 50MP camera kicking out images that look great with plenty of light, but they struggle a bit more in challenging conditions. Still, for the price, this camera is more than serviceable. There’s also an 8MP ultrawide for wider shots and a 2MP macro camera for close-ups. The battery is also large at 5500mAh and charges very fast at up to 100W, like the OnePlus 12.

This phone works well on the T-Mobile network used by Ultra Mobile with 5G support, so you should get the best speeds available. OnePlus launched this phone with Android 14 and has promised three OS updates with four years of security updates.

The Galaxy A25 5G is a low-end phone, and it performs like one. That being said, it’s well-built, has a long battery life, and a surprisingly nice display. The phone has a 6.5-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz support and 1000 nits of brightness. It’s powered by the underwhelming Exynos 1280 SoC made by Samsung and you will experience a bit of lag using this phone.

The main 50MP camera is decent and can produce some nice images if there’s enough light. Even the selfie camera is solid. The battery should also last a long time, easily till the end of the day, thanks to a 5000mAh pack. It even charges up to 25W if you have the right charger. (Samsung doesn’t include one.)

Thanks to 5G support, this phone works well on T-Mobile’s network and should have no trouble getting usable speeds. Samsung is also planning four software updates for this phone, so there’s a good chance it will remain up-to-date longer than you’ll want to keep using it.

The Moto G Stylus 5G (2023) shows Motorola’s experience building budget phones, with a large 6.6-inch IPS display, solid build quality, and a decent Snapdragon SoC. This phone is powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC with 6GB of RAM, which offers modest, but welcome, improvements over last year’s model. It can even power through some games with medium settings.

The cameras are nothing special with a main 50MP camera that’s starting to look very familiar in budget phones. If you keep your expectations in check, this phone can take some decent pictures and even supports a night mode. The battery is also large at 5,000mAh with charging up to 20W.

When it comes to software, this phone has some nice Stylus features, but a disappointing update schedule. This phone launched with Android 13 and is planned to get an update to Android 14, but after that, it’s only three years of security updates. At least the 5G connection should provide plenty of speed on T-Mobile’s network.

Which should you pick?

While a lot of these phones are available for purchase from Ultra Mobile, you don’t need to buy them from the carrier. Ultra Mobile makes activation easy, so you can buy your own phone unlocked and bring it with you. This is especially useful if you find a carrier with a better plan for you later on and want to switch.

If you’re looking to save, you can still get a great Pixel with the Pixel 7a. It has plenty of power for just about any app you throw at it and strong 5G support on the T-Mobile network used by Ultra Mobile. While it’s not set to get as many updates as the Pixel 8, you still get multiple Android OS updates with years of security updates, so the phone should stay current as long as you realistically want to keep using it.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra, on the other hand, makes very few compromises. It has one of the most sophisticated camera systems ever put into a phone and takes fantastic pictures. The screen is also one of the best, with plenty of real estate to make good use of the included S Pen stylus. It charges fairly quickly, for a Samsung at least, at 45W and has a large 5000mAh battery. With seven years of updates promised, this is a phone that will feel premium for years to come.

The Google Pixel 8 Pro is one of our favorite phones for any carrier, including prepaid carriers like Ultra Mobile. Ultra Mobile has a focus on international features, and the Pixel 8 Pro not only works great on Ultra but works well while traveling abroad as well. It’s nice that Google has committed to seven years of software updates, so you can make the most of your purchase by using it for years without needing to worry about out-of-date software. Overall, the Pixel 8 Pro is the best Android phone to use with Ultra Mobile.