We highlight the top smartphones for business; from the handset with the greatest ‘wow factor’, through to the best all-rounder.
These days many of us rely on our smartphones for work — these handy mobile devices give us access to our emails, websites and much more, so if you’re looking for the very best smartphones for business use, then you’ve come to the right place.
Here, we’ve listed the top business smartphones, which are also excellent mobile phones in their own right when you’re using them for personal use as well. Apple and Samsung, two of the biggest brands when it comes to smartphones, have now released the latest versions of their flagship devices, and they are so good they’ve made our way into this updated list.
Not so long ago there was only one smartphone firm on the lips of any business IT team when it came to company smartphones: BlackBerry, the Canadian company formerly known as Research in Motion (RIM).
A lot has changed since then and BlackBerry’s fortunes have taken a turn for the worse, leaving the door open for rivals to court the enterprise business, and forcing the phone maker to embrace (or some might say begrudgingly adopt) Android at the core of its new flagship handsets.
The rest of the pack is hot on its heels, if not already overtaking, with Apple, Samsung, OnePlus and others all vying for a piece of the lucrative business smartphone pie.
This is great for any potential business buyer, as you now have a wide choice of mobile smartphones to choose from, allowing you to select the best handsets for your company’s requirements, regardless of its size. However, this can also make choosing the right smartphone more difficult, which is why we’ve put together this list of the very best business smartphones — along with the best deals to get these phones for excellent prices.
In no particular order, here are the top smartphone picks for business use and business users.
The best business phone in the world
You’ll be in good hands if you opt to give your employees the Samsung Galaxy S8 Edge, one of TechRadar’s top choices for the best smartphone in the world.
It packs in supreme power, a dazzling 6.2-inch QHD Super AMOLED display and a top notch camera — but it’s not all fun.
The Galaxy S8 Edge also comes with Samsung’s Knox security, which the firm says is just as secure — if not more — as BlackBerry’s DTEK50 and Priv devices. You’ll need deep pockets, but you won’t regret it.
A brilliant performer for the price
The OnePlus 5 is an affordable flagship handset, and offers one of the best Android phone experiences on the market, especially when using it for work.
It features a 1080p 5.5-inch AMOLED display on the front, and inside is the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. You have the choice of either 6GB or 8GB of RAM depending on your needs — for most people 6GB will be more than enough. The battery life could be better, so make sure you have easy access to a charger if your work depends on you always being connected.
There’s still no microSD support on the OnePlus 5, much like previous OnePlus phones, but you do have the choice of either 64GB or 128GB of internal storage.
The true highlight of the OnePlus 5 is the price, though, and this may will be one of the best devices for you on this list if you’re looking to spend as little as possible on a top-of-the-range phone for your business needs.
A great enterprise phone particularly when paired with the Dex dock
Samsung has produced another excellent productivity-focused device with the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, making it one of the best smartphones for business. Thanks to the large Infinity Display you get loads of screen space to work on, without the body being too bulky to carry around, and the S Pen stylus is something not a lot of other phones can offer and the all-round speed is almost breathtaking at times. The new dual camera is really what separates it from the Galaxy S8 duo (if you’re not bothered by the stylus features) and while it’s expensive, it’s certainly worth looking at if you want a brilliant business smartphone.
Apple’s latest and greatest is faster, smarter and water resistant
Apple’s iPhones are always popular options with great build quality, a simple user interface and a wealth of quality business apps at your fingertips.
The iPhone 8 is one of the latest offerings from Apple, and it’s faster, smarter and boasts a water resistant body for the first time. While Apple has also released the more premium iPhone X, its high price tag makes that a difficult smartphone to recommend for businesses. That’s not to say the iPhone 8 is cheap — it’s not — but if you’re kitting out your team with these phones, you’re going to get more for your money.
If your firm is currently rocking iPhone 7 and 7 Plus handsets there’s no need to upgrade, but for those using older devices — especially the 5 variants and below the iPhone 8 offers a far superior experience.
The first BlackBerry handset with Android sauce
When the Priv launched, it took a lot of analysts by surprised because of radical step involving the OS. BlackBerry had finally decided to embrace Android and re-introduce the keyboard (albeit a slide out one) on a flagship handset.
It is, as TechRadar’s John McCann candidly puts it, the mullet of the smartphone world. «It’s still business in the front, but now there’s a party in the back too. It will divide opinion, but this is the best BlackBerry in years,» he added.
The device will appeal to those who wants the security halo associated with BlackBerry with the ubiquity of Google’s Android. Overall, it remains a stunning piece of kit, and probably one bound to become a classic.
For those who yearn for the golden age of BB OS
There are still BlackBerry fans out there and the Canadian company unveiled the Classic to please them all. An old-school QWERTY keyboard, a familiar operating system and user interface, a design that doesn’t age and the enterprise-grade security are all on the feature list of this smartphone.
Sure, Android might well have the upper hand when it comes to market share and the sheer number of applications but BlackBerry provides with yet another attractive alternative when it comes to business smartphones.
It runs BlackBerry OS 10 with a square 720×720 pixel touchscreen display, a touchpad and up to 22-hour battery power.
