If you want to buy a smartphone for personal use, there’s no denying there are a ton of options to choose from. However, sometimes phones that are made for consumers are not good choices for businesses to give to their employees. Companies may want to have phones that are perhaps more powerful than the average handset, or have some special security features.
The good news is that there are plenty of smartphones that are well suited for business and enterprise use, and some of them come with features specifically made for those needs. Here’s a list of what we think are the current best phones for business use.
Samsung Galaxy S8/S8 Plus
Samsung’s current flagship devices, the 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 and the 6.2-inch Galaxy S8 Plus, are excellent choices for businesses for two reasons. One is that both phones have some extra security features not found on many other phones. That includes an iris scanner that allows owners to launch the phones with their eyes. There are also options to open the phones with a fingerprint scanner, located in the back, and even facial recognition support via the phones’ cameras. Both phones also come with support for Samsung Knox, which the company claims gives owners hardware-based security that is up to military grade levels.
The other big feature is the phones’ support for Samsung DeX, an optional hardware dock that, when connected to a monitor, mouse and keyboard, can turn the Galaxy S8 or S8 Plus into a Windows-like PC desktop experience. For business employees who work at multiple offices, but don’t want to lug a heavy laptop around, this solution could be a solid replacement.
Both of the new Galaxy S8 phones have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor inside, and their large displays can easily handle more than one app running on the screen at a time. While both phones are a bit expensive, their security and features make them the perfect choice for businesses.
Specifications
Samsung Galaxy S8
- 5.8-inch Super AMOLED display with 2960 x 1440 resolution, 570 ppi
- Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or Octa-core Samsung Exynos 8895 processor (depending on region)
- 4 GB of RAM
- 64 GB of on-board storage, microSD expansion up to 256 GB
- 12 MP rear camera, 8 MP front camera
- Non-removable 3,000 mAh battery
- Android 7.0 Nougat
- 148.9 x 68.1 x 8 mm, 155 g
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
- 6.2-inch Super AMOLED display with 2960 x 1440 resolution, 529 ppi
- Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or Octa-core Samsung Exynos 8895 processor (depending on region)
- 4 GB of RAM
- 64 GB of on-board storage, microSD expansion up to 256 GB
- 12 MP rear camera, 8 MP front camera
- Non-removable 3,500 mAh battery
- Android 7.0 Nougat
- 159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm, 173 g
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OnePlus 5
The recently launched OnePlus 5 is the latest phone from China-based OnePlus. It packs in a ton of high-end features that are found on many flagship phones, but offers them at a much more affordable cost. Like the Samsung Galaxy S8, the OnePlus 5 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, but adds more RAM and storage options, with one featuring 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage for $479, and another with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage for $539.
While the OnePlus 5 isn’t quite as security focused as the new Samsung Galaxy phones, it does offer features that businesses will like, such as a fast charge time with its Dash Charge feature. It allows the OnePlus 5 to get up to 50 percent of its total charge in just 30 minutes, which is highly useful for employees on the go who may only have a limited time to charge up their device. Also, its Android 7.1.1 Nougat-based Oxygen OS includes some built-in features such as a new reading mode can can turn its display into a grayscale look, along with the use of a blue light filter. This makes reading text easier, which again could be a huge help for employees who need to read reports and company plans on their phone a lot.
Specifications
- 5.5-inch display with 1,920 x 1,080 resolution
- Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
- 4 or 6 GB of RAM
- 64 GB or 128 GB of storage
- 13 MP rear camera, 20 MP telephoto rear camera, 16 MP front-facing camera
- 3,300 mAh battery
- Android 7.1.1 Nougat, OxygenOS
- Front-mounted fingerprint sensor
- 154.2 x 74.1 x 7.25 mm, 153 grams
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Motorola Moto Z and Moto Z Force
While these are older phones at this point, the Moto Z and Moto Z Force are both interesting choices for businesses because of their support for Moto Mods. These first and third-party accessories connect magnetically to the back of the Moto Z and can offer improvements and new features for the phone. Moto Mods that have already been released include some battery packs that help extend the overall use of the Moto Z on a single charge, which is always helpful for business customers.
Other Moto Mods add-ons include putting in a more advanced camera with a 10x optical zoom made by Hasselblad and a JBL speaker for much improved sound quality. Perhaps the most interesting Moto Mod accessory that’s currently on the market is the projector. When attached to the Moto Z, it can put an image of the phone’s screen on a wall, up to 70 inches. This kind of feature is perfect for an employee who needs to make a quick presentation in a meeting room but doesn’t want to use a bulky standard projector connected to a PC.
The current crop of Moto Mods will also be supported for the next generation versions of Motorola’s Moto Z family, the already announced Moto Z2 Play, which is due for release in July, along with the rumored Moto Z2, which is expected to be officially revealed later this summer. Even more Moto Mods are planned for release over the next several months.
Specifications
Moto Z
- 5.5-inch AMOLED display with Quad HD resolution
- 2.15 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
- 4 GB of RAM
- 32 GB or 64 GB of onboard storage, expandable up to 256 GB
- 13 MP rear camera, 5 MP front camera
- 2,600 mAh battery
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- 153.3 x 75.3 x 5.2 mm, 136 grams
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
- 5.5-inch AMOLED display with Quad HD resolution
- 2.15 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
- 4 GB of RAM
- 32 GB or 64 GB of onboard storage, expandable up to 256 GB
- 21 MP rear camera, 5 MP front camera
- 3,500 mAh battery
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- 155.9 x 75.8 x 7 mm, 163 g
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BlackBerry KEYone
Remember when using the term “CrackBerry” meant that you were addicted to using your BlackBerry phone? While those days have come and gone, the classic BlackBerry name and phone design recently came back in the form of the KEYone. The phone was actually made by TCL Communication, but the influence from BlackBerry is evident in more than just the name and logo.
Many BlackBerry fans, especially business users, will be happy with the QWERTY physical keyboard on the bottom of the KEYone. It’s not in place for nostalgia’s sake; business users will likely prefer a more tactile experience for using the phone’s features compared to the now standard touchscreen. Owners of this phone can use keyboard shortcuts, which require the BlackBerry Launcher, to help launch Android apps instead of touching its display.
Speaking of software, the KEYOne comes pre-loaded with BlackBerry’s own DTEK security app. It is supposed to help monitor any malware issues that might crop up in apps or even in the Android OS. This is, of course, highly important for business users. The phone also includes a productivity tab, to give users faster access to important messages, upcoming calendar tasks, contacts and more. While long time BlackBerry fans will certainly love the KeyONE, this phone would be a great business device choice for anyone else.
Specifications
- 4.5-inch display with 1,620 x 1,080 resolution
- Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 running at 2.0 GHz
- 3 GB of RAM
- 32 GB of storage
- 12 MP rear camera, 8 MP front-facing camera
- 3,505 mAh battery
- Android 7.1.1 Nougat
- 149.3 x 72.5 x 9.4 mm, 180 grams
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Apple iPhone 7/Plus
Okay, as Android fans, we were a bit hesitant to put this one on the list. But let’s face reality, despite our preferences, the iPhone is very common in the workplace, especially in the United States. While Android’s flexibility, in our opinion, makes it a much more adaptable platform for just about any type of business, Apple has a pretty notable presence in the health care industry, education, and beyond.
At least according to Apple (take with grain of salt), 99% of Fortune 500 companies are using iOS on their networks — obviously not necessarily exclusively, but the point is that Apple has a place in business. Apple’s current flagship phones are the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Both come with iOS 10 out of the box and both come with the company’s own quad-core A10 Fusion processor inside with a clock speed of 2.34 GHz, which is supposed to be twice as fast as the chip inside the older iPhone 6 models. Both can be purchased in 32 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB storage options and both also have 2 GB of RAM.
Pricing for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus depends on the carrier, along with the amount of its onboard storage, but the starting prices for the smaller phone begin at $649 up front, or for $32.41 a month for a standard carrier contract. The iPhone 7 Plus has an up front starting price of $769, or a per month payment of $37.41 under contract.
Specs
iPhone 7
- 4.7-inch display with 1,334 x 750 resolution
- 2.34 GHz quad-core A10 Fusion processor
- 2 GB RAM
- 32 GB, 128 GB or 256 GB of onboard storage, non-expandable
- 12 MP rear camera, 7 MP front-facing camera
- 1,960 mAh battery
- iOS 10
- Front-mounted fingerprint sensor
- 5.44 x 2.64 x 0.28 inches, 4.87 ounces
iPhone 7 Plus
- 5.5-inch display with 1,920 x 1,080 resolution
- 2.34 GHz quad-core A10 Fusion processor
- 2 GB RAM
- 32 GB, 128 GB or 256 GB of onboard storage, non-expandable
- Dual 12 MP rear camers, 7 MP front-facing camera
- 2,900 mAh battery
- iOS 10
- Front-mounted fingerprint sensor
- 6.23 x 3.07 x 0.29 inches, 6.63 ounces
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Conclusion
As usual, the smartphone ecosystem changes nearly ever day, so if any new devices pop up that we think would be good for business customers, we will update this list with the latest and greatest. In the meantime, which smartphones on the market do you think should be on this list? Let us know your opinion in the comments!