(Credit: Lily Yeh/ alengo, Colorblind Images LLC- Getty Images)
Since the first smartphone debuted, those pocket-sized computers (sometimes barely used as actual phones) have changed everything about our lives, especially how we work. Not long ago, in 2021, a Statista survey found that 64% of people worldwide use their personal phones for business-related purposes.
Our own Business Choice survey asks the same question and found only 37.8% of respondents say the same today. Hopefully, that’s a sign of a better work/life balance for most post-pandemic, or maybe the majority of PCMag readers work for companies who issue mobile devices for work.
Either way, our tech-savvy audience holds strong views on which wireless carriers, what kind of mobile devices (including tablets), and even which mobile operating systems are the best for getting the job done. Our reader recommendations can help you to purchase the best mobile tech for your work life, or better yet, steer management and the IT department to buy the right handsets and tablets to support your productivity.
The Top Mobile Carriers for Work
T-Mobile is a typical standout in our Business Choice and Readers’ Choice surveys for mobile carriers. It’s been our top major carrier for the US more than once, including the last time we polled in 2023. T-Mobile has also frequently provided the backbone for the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that wins. This year, the top scorer for carriers for work is Mint Mobile, once famously co-owned by film star Ryan “Deadpool” Reynolds and now a subsidiary of T-Mobile.
(Note: Click the down, left, and right arrows in our interactive charts to view various elements of our survey results.)
Mint Mobile is the top brand on our list this year, ahead of all others for satisfaction. It scores high across the board—every rating it earns is 9 or better (on a 0 to 10 scale). It keeps ahead of Consumer Cellular—our 2021 winner—whenever the two match up.
T-Mobile wins among the major ISPs. It has an overall satisfaction rating one point higher than AT&T and Verizon. Our readers using T-Mobile on their work phones single out the network’s data speed and reliability. The only category where Verizon is ahead of T-Mobile is for its larger selection of mobile phones.
The Top Phone Brands for Work
Google has led every phone brand for work survey since 2016—seven wins, including this year. Its overall satisfaction score is down from its all-time high of 9.1 when Google still had its Nexus phone line, but the current Pixel phones still wow workers. Google phones earn scores higher than 9 for setup, reliability, ease of use, taking photos and videos, and likelihood to recommend.
Samsung’s second-place finish is thanks to a slightly higher overall satisfaction score than Apple’s, but it does little else to distinguish itself, trailing Google on every other factor.
Apple PCs typically shine for work, but the iPhone can’t top Android-based Google and Samsung devices for overall satisfaction. That said, Apple phones are competitive in some of our subcategories, tying with Google for setup and outperforming all competitors on tech support and repair satisfaction. Those last two are key for an organization that deploys smartphones.
To see which phones currently lead in our lab testing, read The Best Phones for 2025.
The Top Phone Operating Systems for Work
Because Apple’s iPhone is the only device that uses the iOS mobile operating system, it has fewer users than Android—our results tally all the Google, Samsung, Motorola, and other users on that platform. But fragmentation doesn’t hinder Android’s ability to win. This is the fifth time Android has aced our Business Choice survey.
But iOS isn’t sitting idly by. While it has the lower overall satisfaction rating for work, it has most of the high scores in our subcategories, standing out for security, app selection, and reliability. Android beats Apple's OS on free app options, however.
The close scores indicate fierce loyalty from each OS camp in the office (or home office). Android is simply the slightly more satisfying choice.
For our expert view, read Android vs. iOS: Which Phone OS Really Is the Best?
The Top Tablet Brands for Work
The battle for the top business tablet comes down to the two most prominent names in the US market, Apple and Samsung. Each of them earned awards in our last matchup for work tablets in 2023. This year, it's a tight race, with both within a 10th of a point for overall satisfaction. Samsung is the winner.
In the remainder of the subcategories, it’s a toss-up. Samsung leads in cost, battery life, and device size and weight satisfaction. Apple leads in reliability. The two brands are tied for ease of use, tech support, and device display quality.
Our winning pick comes down to that overall satisfaction score. PCMag readers find Samsung Galaxy Tab devices better for work. Samsung also has a better recommendation rating; high praise for a brand is something co-workers can and should consider when requesting a new device.
For our in-depth reviews, read The Best Tablets for 2025.
The Top Tablet Operating Systems for Work
In our years of survey experience, the leading software doesn’t always match the top hardware. That’s the case for this year's tablet-using workforce. Readers like Samsung’s hardware, but they prefer iPadOS from Apple.
Apple’s iPadOS aces almost every subcategory. In the single category where it isn’t in the lead—app selection—it ties with Android (the OS used on Samsung devices). Apple scores 9 or higher for reliability, ease of use, and security.
Android, which is used on Samsung's Galaxy Tab line and other tablet brands, has ample high scores for what it brings to business tablets in most cases, with 8.7 scores for reliability and ease of use. However, it dips quite a bit for tech support and the included apps and utilities in the OS.
The PCMag Readers’ Choice survey for phones and carriers was in the field from Nov. 25, 2024, to Feb. 17, 2025. The tablets survey was in the field from Dec. 6, 2024, to Mar. 3, 2025. For more information on how we conduct surveys, read the survey methodology.