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Things aren't looking too rosy for the mobile phone industry in 2026. Mobile carriers have delivered so much high-speed 5G that data traffic is soaring, driving up maintenance costs. Meanwhile, device manufacturers are scrambling amid RAMaggedon, the ongoing shortage of internal memory chips driven by demand for AI data centers. Because of that, at least two research firms say 2026 will see the sharpest decline in smartphone shipments since the devices debuted with the launch of the iPhone two decades ago.
“The ongoing memory crunch seems to be getting worse,” says PCMag executive editor Jamie Lendino. “It remains to be seen exactly how much that will affect phone prices, or even availability, as the year wears on, but estimates are that phone prices could go up as much as 14%.”
What does that mean for you? If you live in the US or Canada and are in the market for a new phone, you need to shop judiciously, and buy something that you know will last longer than a year or two. According to a new TechPulse Research Study conducted by our parent company Ziff Davis, 73% of people now keep their devices around for as long as they still work. The days of status-based upgrading are over for many.
For our latest Readers' Choice survey on mobile devices and networks, we polled our US-based readers and consumers in Canada, not just about smartphones, but also about the mobile carriers that provide voice and data, along with the top mobile operating systems. For the US market, we also have results on the top tablet manufacturers to consider.
United States: The Top Mobile Carriers for 2026
The world of cellular phone carriers breaks down into MNOs (mobile network operators), aka mobile carriers, which own their tower infrastructure, and MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators), which utilize said infrastructure. You know the big US-based carriers: AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Each owns several MVNOs, allowing them to market to different audiences. There are also independent MVNOs that license use of the bigger players' towers.
MVNOs have less overhead to manage, so they’re able to offer things the big three can’t, typically better prices and customer service.
Historically, the carrier our readers love the most has been an MVNO that uses AT&T’s towers and wields serious marketing power as AARP's exclusive mobile carrier partner. Consumer Cellular returns to the top of our list this year, after two years of being displaced by Google Fi, which didn’t have enough responses to make the list this time around.
Consumer Cellular sees a jump in overall satisfaction, from 8.7 out of 10 last year to 9.1. It’s also readers' top choice for family plan options (you can add a line for just $15 a month) and for customer support.
(Note: Click the arrows in our interactive charts to view various elements of our survey results.)
Readers hail Consumer Cellular as a real bargain. “When I switched," says one, "my monthly bill went from $198 for one line on Verizon to $124 for four lines on Consumer Cellular.” Another mentions a similar move saving them 65% on cell costs: “When I spoke to AT&T reps regarding the deal offered to me by Consumer Cellular, they could not believe that I would be paying half of my usual AT&T bill for better service, more data, and more options.”
There’s plenty of good to say about Consumer Cellular beyond the savings, too. “Best service and support I have had in over 29 years,” says one respondent. “I highly recommend the company. Support is all US-based and great.”
Mint Mobile (owned by T-Mobile) and Visible (owned by Verizon) are close behind Consumer Cellular. Visible has many of the top ratings in our subcategories, with particularly high marks for fees and call quality; it’s also the most recommended mobile carrier overall on the list.
However, 75% of our survey respondents prefer to stick with a big name. So we also have a Readers’ Choice award to bestow on the major wireless carrier with the highest satisfaction rating. For the sixth time in a row, that's T-Mobile.
“I've been with T-Mobile for years because their coverage is solid and their plan options fit my needs,” says one respondent. Another praises its network performance: “Best data speed I have ever experienced. Some areas when I travel have wireless download speeds of 1 Gigabit, and I reliably get 900 megabits [per second] at my house. Phenomenal!”
Despite a slight decline since last year, T-Mobile remains well ahead of both AT&T and Verizon, which land at the very bottom of the list of all carriers. The only standout scores for AT&T and Verizon are for phone choice.
For more about MVNOs, read our take on the The Best Cheap Phone Plans.
United States: The Top Phone Brands for 2026
In the 16 years we've been surveying readers about phones, several companies have taken the crown as our top phone brand, including Samsung and Apple. This year, Google wins for the second time in a row.
Of the four phone brands that make the cut this year, Google rates highest in 14 measures; its best marks are for reliability, build quality, and photo quality. Google ties with Apple and Samsung for phone design (it’s hard to make a slab of glass and metal stand out to general audiences, it seems) and for the likelihood to recommend.
“I have a Pixel 9 Pro, and I love the speed, design, and ease of use both in hardware and software,” says one respondent.
“Having purchased roughly every third generation of the [budget-friendly] Pixel 'a' series phones up to the present one (9a), I can state it is both a superb bargain and a great performer in its own right,” says another.
“Google’s phones have long been excellent performers,” PCMag's Lendino says. “It’s tough to beat a Pixel phone if you’re looking for the smoothest Android experience and the ability to get operating system and feature updates before anyone else, since both the phone and the OS come from the same source.”
Google trails others for cost (which goes to Motorola—that brand's only top rating), plus tech support and biometrics (both of which go to Apple).
When it comes to AI, Gemini's arrival on Android in the last year has definitely shaken things up. Samsung is the top-rated brand for its personal assistant, thanks to its Gemini implementation, with Google (Gemini's developer) just behind it. But even for those two brands, the scores in this subcategory are among their lowest.
To see which phones currently lead in our lab-testing, read our rundown of The Best Phones for 2026.
United States: The Top Tablet Brands for 2026
Are tablets giant phones or small laptops without a keyboard? We lean toward the former, since the operating systems (see below) are almost identical on iPhones and iPads, and on Android handsets and Android tablets. This year, the winning brand is the same as in our previous eight surveys on tablets: Apple. It places well ahead of this year's other two contenders: Samsung in second and Amazon in third.
Like last year, Apple's iPads sweep all our subcategories except for price, battery life, and repairs. Amazon takes the first subcategory thanks to its incredibly inexpensive Fire tablets, while the latter two go to Samsung. Apple and Samsung also tie on some measures, including hardware quality and touch-screen accuracy.
“After 11 years, [my iPad] still gets the job done,” says one survey taker. Another says their Apple tablet "has been my ‘right arm’ for many years—I don’t know how I would function without it.” Our readers cite a variety of uses for their iPads, including client presentations, classroom teaching, and artistic ventures.
“Apple’s iPads just work, as the saying goes,” Lendino says. “The hardware design is unparalleled, but the same goes for the software and ecosystem. iPad apps work the way you would expect, and that’s because Apple took charge of how they should differ from iPhone apps from the very beginning—something Android has long struggled with.”
For our lab-tested leaders, read The Best Tablets for 2026.
United States: The Top Mobile Operating Systems for 2026
Last year, Apple was our readers' top pick for operating systems for both phones and tablets. But not this year.
On the phone side, Android—which is open source, though it's primarily developed by Google—has better scores than Apple’s iOS for both satisfaction and likelihood to recommend.
Android also has better scores for security, and for app quality and selection. The two OSes are tied for free app selection, gaming, and in-vehicle infotainment (namely Android Auto and Apple CarPlay).
“Android will always be more flexible and have a larger app selection than iOS, which is what I love and continue to support it,” says a survey respondent.
“There is an openness to Android that will always be miles ahead of iOS,” says another. “There are things I've done with Android that I have never been able to do with iOS, including using an old Android phone as a remote camera or running an entire web server from the command line on an Android phone. The horizon is wide open on Android, and you're bound only by imagination. I never recommend any other mobile OS.”
“If you’re willing to tinker around the edges, you can do so many cool things with Android devices,” Lendino says. “And you get access to a beautiful variety of hardware, from cutting-edge foldable phones at the highest end to $200 phones from Samsung and Motorola on the budget end.”
On the tablet side, iPadOS squeaks just ahead of Android. This is Apple’s third win here since we started rating the tablet OSes in 2024. Apple sweeps the board, taking every subcategory outright except security, where it ties with Android.
“One thing that stands out is how stable the [iPad] operating system has been for me,” says a reader. “I use my tablet for a mix of personal tasks and work-related activities. iPadOS handles these tasks without freezing or slowing down, even when I have several apps open at once.”
For our expert's take, read Android vs. iOS: Which Phone OS Really Is the Best?
Canada: The Top Mobile Carriers for 2026
After a year off, we're back to surveying Canadian mobile users. Much like the US, Canada has three major mobile carriers (which also serve as the three major broadband ISPs): Bell, Rogers, and Telus. All three of these carriers also own one or more MVNOs. Meanwhile, a few independent MVNOs are licensing their tower infrastructure.
Just like in 2024, we found that an MVNO owned by a bigger operator is the top choice. Back then, Koodo, owned by Telus, ruled. This year, the top spot goes to Fizz, an MVNO owned by Videotron, an MNO in its home of Quebec. Videotron is increasingly challenging the larger companies, in part thanks to its 2023 acquisition of Freedom Mobile. (It still operates Freedom as a separate brand.)
Fizz has the top overall satisfaction rating and ties with second-place SaskTel, the wireless carrier owned and run by the province of Saskatchewan, for likelihood to recommend. Though Fizz is the big winner, if you live in that central province, know that SaskTel’s scores in almost every subcategory—for call quality and coverage in particular—are among the best on the chart.
(Note: Click the arrows in our interactive charts to view various elements of our survey results.)
Of the 44.8 million mobile subscribers in Canada, almost 90% of them use the big three or one of their “flanker brand” MVNOs. In our survey, the majority is smaller: 55% of respondents use one of the big three. Of those telcos, Telus scores well ahead of the other two, as it has twice before, in 2023 and 2024. It is, once again, our Readers’ Choice award winner for major mobile carriers.
Many respondents mention being with Telus for decades or more. “I have been a customer for 25 years because they treat my family like theirs,” says one reader.
“I have used Telus all my life, and I love the products that they carry,” says another respondent. “They provide me with a high level of quality service. I can always count on being connected at all times. They offer great promotional packages and reward me for my loyalty and treat me like a valued customer.”
If you prefer to stick with a major mobile carrier, Telus is the one to pick.
Curious about how the big three stand out as ISPs? Read the Best Gaming ISPs for Canada.
Canada: The Top Phone Brands for 2026
Samsung and Apple account for 85% of the phones rated in our survey of thousands of Canadians this year, which is no surprise: They’re the best-selling brands in the world. In our survey, it’s a close fight between the two, as their overall satisfaction scores are just a tenth of a point apart, but Samsung takes the win.
Samsung phones have several top scores over Apple and the rest of the competition, including for reliability, display quality, build quality, and photo-taking. Samsung ties with Apple for ease of use and tech support, and with Apple and Motorola for use as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot.
Samsung phones' durability stands out in the comments. “Being someone who is constantly juggling too many things at a time, I really appreciate the overall strength of the Samsung line as I have repeatedly had it slip out of my hands or off a pile of papers,” says one respondent.
“Samsung has long prided itself on its distinctive hardware and software designs,” Lendino says. “It’s leading the foldable market it essentially created, it’s a veteran at producing quality products, and it’s still pushing the extreme edges with its groundbreaking TriFold phone. Everyone else is trying to catch up here.”
Speaking of which, Samsung is the only brand in both the US and Canada surveys with enough foldables in use to earn a score for its fold-up phones (Motorola, Google, and others make foldables; Apple will get there eventually). Americans give Samsung a 9.3 for foldability; Canadians were more reserved, rating the brand a 7.9 in that subcategory.
Apple has a few high scores as well, for biometric security, video shooting, and the digital wallet in particular. It shares the highest rating for phone design with LG, even though LG stopped making phones five years ago.
Motorola, whose phones are traditionally budget-friendly, comes out on top for cost and battery life, and LG wins for repairs (it probably needs a few with such old phones). Still, most of those highs fall below 8.0 out of 10.
Canada: The Top Mobile Operating Systems for 2026
This marks the third time in a row that Android, Google’s phone OS, wins as the best choice for handsets in Canada. This takes into account all Android phone brands, not just Samsung. It's another big win for Google. “Apple has most of its cachet in the US market," explains Lendino, "whereas Android tends to take the lead everywhere else."
“Android has always been my preferred mobile operating system,” says one survey respondent. “It's incredibly open, allowing the user to do whatever they choose to with it. And that's something that is very important, especially nowadays, as companies continue to take away more and more control of the product from the consumer.”
The PCMag Readers’ Choice survey for Phones and Mobile Carriers in the US was in the field from Nov. 25, 2025, to Feb. 18, 2026. The Canada survey was conducted via a panel of users from Feb. 18-23, 2026. For more information on how we conduct surveys, read our methodology.