Choosing a business mobile phone is different than just choosing a smartphone for everyday use.
You need your phone to handle a variety of tasks and jobs, help you and your employees be more productive, keep up with a busy day working on the go, and to do all these things over a long period of time.
Your smartphone needs to be versatile.
It needs to be robust.
And it needs to be reliable.
Whether you work with iOS, or Android, even the smallest technical deficiency can derail your working day, and disrupt your business.
It’s not easy choosing the best smartphone for business or professional use.
Do you just go with the best smartphone on the consumer market and hope it meets your needs?
Or are some smartphones naturally created to have more of a focus on business requirements?
Here we’ve reviewed the top 5 best smartphones currently on the market that we know are capable of meeting the needs of the most agile businesses.
These are the phones we know are capable of running your business apps, are versatile and promote productivity.
They also hit the mark when it comes to privacy and security – which is a vital part of mobile business.
So, here are the top 5 business mobile phones we’d recommend you look at right now.
Best business mobile phones – quick view
iPhone SE
IPhone 12 Pro
Samsung Galaxy S20 range
Samsung Galaxy A51 5G
Samsung Galaxy A21s
iPhone SE
Best value iPhone on the market
If you or your workforce prefer iPhones and the iOS marketplace, but aren’t keen on the price tag of some of the higher end iPhones on the market, then the iPhone SE is a great alternative.
With a 4.7inch frame it can easily allow you to view and review documents, or carry out simple tasks like reading and managing your emails.
The iOS marketplace means you can add pretty much any business or productivity app to the phone to ensure you can do whatever you need to do during the day.
While the look and feel of the iPhone SE might not be the same as more updated phones (it’s essentially built around the iPhone 8) the internal specs more than match modern smartphones.
It comes built with the A13 bionic chip (the same as found in the newest iPhones) so in terms of speed and performance, the iPhone SE is a good choice for a powerful business smartphone on a budget.
Like all Apple products, the iPhone SE comes with data security built in, so you can be sure your employees’ devices (and the data on those devices) remain secure and safe from threats.
With its current specs, this might not be on the same level as the iPhone 11 or 12, and for particularly heavy smartphone users the battery can become an issue towards the end of the day without charging.
But, if budget is your biggest consideration, then the iPhone SE will certainly hit most of the marks you need.
Key features
64Gb memory
4.7 inch display
IP67 rated
Wireless charging
iPhone 12 Pro
A 5G ready powerhouse
If you’re in the iOS camp and are looking for a powerhouse smartphone that lets your employees do their jobs on the go, then Apple’s latest addition to the market could be what you’re looking for.
With its upgraded A14 bionic chip the iPhone 12 Pro is the fastest ever iPhone to come onto the market.
Your employees will be able to download large files quickly (thanks to the inclusion of 5G), manage multiple apps and multitask their days with ease.
Like all iPhones, having access to the iOS app marketplace means your employees will have access to all the apps and tools they’ll need to complete their jobs on the go.
Plus, despite the huge improvements to the processor and internal tech, the iPhone 12’s battery life hasn’t been impacted too much and can stand up to pretty heavy use for a long period before recharging.
Even that is less of an issue, as the iPhone 12 comes with wireless charging, so you don’t need to worry about finding a spare plug.
If you’re less concerned about employees creating content for your company, then you might see the camera and video capabilities as a bit of overkill – although they’ll make those mobile Zoom calls a lot clearer.
If content creation is a big part of your employees’ jobs, then iPhone 12’s best ever camera will make sure they’re creating crisp, quality content for you.
Key features
128Gb memory now available
Fastest ever processor in an iPhone
Best ever camera
Magsafe wireless charging
Samsung Galaxy S20 range
Possibly the best budget 5G ready business phone
With a 6.2inch display, 5G ready, long battery life and powerful performance, the Samsung Galaxy S20 is possibly the best budget Android business phone on the market right now.
If you want to go more premium, there is the S20 Plus and S20 Ultra which further build on the speed and performance of the base S20.
But if budget is a consideration, the standard S20 smartphone will be enough for your employees to carry out their jobs without issue.
The display makes it easy to view documents, emails or anything else your employees may need to view as they carry out their day jobs, while the internal processors are capable of handling tools and apps you’ll need.
The S20 comes with 4G and 5G, so if you’re able to access 5G you can handle large file downloads with ease.
With a 4,000mAh battery in the standard S20, your employees should be able to get a full day’s work done before they need to look for a recharge.
Depending how important the camera quality is on your work phone, then the Samsung S20’s 64MP camera and Ultra HD video might not be a big draw for you, but you can be sure you’ll capture those office moments in clear quality.
Key features
Dual sim
64MP camera
Ultra HD video
Longest battery life with 20 hours talk time
Samsung Galaxy A51 5G
Good on a budget, but there are better out there
On the face of it, the Samsung Galaxy A51 5G is up there with the premium Samsung smartphones like the S20.
With Android 10 and Samsung’s One UI software built in, it carries almost the same software specs.
And the performance will be able to keep up with the majority of the things your employees need it to do.
They’ll be able to run applications, manage their days and emails and carry out their day-to-day jobs with relative ease using the A51.
But, as you’d expect from a phone aimed at those on more of a budget, the A51 doesn’t stack up to the other premium smartphones like the S20.
Having said that, with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage built in, your employees will be able to download and manage productivity apps and tools using this device without much disruption.
The A51’s battery life should also see your employees’ last until the end of the day after moderate use, and it does come with fast charging for the occasions when they do need a top up during the day.
Ultimately, this is a solid choice for a business mobile phone when you’re concerned about your budget.
The internal specs means your employees will be able to get reliable use out of the A51.
Key features
Four cameras
Fully 5G ready
6.5 inch widescreen infinity display
48MP camera
great value
Samsung Galaxy A21s
Great value. A reliable entry level smartphone for professionals.
The Samsung Galaxy A21s come with a clear 6.5inch infinity-O display, fast charging battery and an Octa-core processor, making it a good all around business phone for a reasonable price.
With 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage as standard (moving up to 512GB) you can be sure your employees can install and use all the apps and tools they’ll need to complete their jobs on the go.
From a security point (an essential consideration when it comes to mobile business) the A21s comes with Samsung Knox, a 24/7, multi-layered security system which guards your phone and data from attack the second you turn the phone on.
It’s built in biometric authentication means you can be sure that if your employee loses their phone, or it’s stolen, the data will remain locked safely away behind the fingerprint scanner or face recognition.
It would be fair of us to say that the A21 isn’t the flashiest business mobile phone you could buy, but it’s a robust, reliable option for a business looking to upgrade to a higher specification phone, without the cost.
That does mean it comes without some of the bells and whistles of the S20 or other iOS equivalents, but you can be sure your employees will be productive, secure and able to access the business tools and apps they need, when they need them.
All in all we’d say the A21 is probably the best value entry level device you could invest in.
Key features
Best value entry level device
32GB memory
48MP camera
We hope you’ve found this honest review of our top 5 recommended business focused smartphones useful.
It’s a big decision to invest in phones for your business, or to invest in upgrading the phones you already have.
If you know what smartphone is right for your business after reading this review, get in touch with us and we can start to work on finding the right tariffs and get you and your business the new phones you need quickly.
If you’re still not sure which is right for you, one of our team will be happy to talk more about your needs and the options available to you.
Still not convinced we’re the right choice as your next business smartphone provider?
Use our price saving calculator and see how we can improve on your current deal and get you the best phones for your business, at a cheaper cost to you.
