ZDNET Picks iPhone 15 and $196 Galaxy S20 Ultra as Best Anti-AI Phones for 2026
Updated
Updated · ZDNet · Aug 4
ZDNET Picks iPhone 15 and $196 Galaxy S20 Ultra as Best Anti-AI Phones for 2026
3 articles · Updated · ZDNet · Aug 4
Summary
ZDNET’s 2026 anti-AI phone list names Apple’s iPhone 15 as the top iOS option and Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Ultra as the leading Android pick for users avoiding built-in AI.
The ranking hinges on whether AI can be disabled or is absent entirely: the iPhone 15 lets users opt out of Apple Intelligence, while the older S20 Ultra does not support Galaxy AI.
Prices span from $60 for the TCL Go Flip 2 feature phone to $398 for the iPhone 15 and $289 for the Pixel 7a, which still supports software AI but allows app removal.
ZDNET says the window for buying non-AI phones is narrowing as Apple, Samsung, Google and Motorola push AI deeper into new devices, increasingly at the hardware level.
That shift matters because hardware-level AI is far harder to remove without risking performance problems, warranty issues or permanent device damage, making older or simpler phones the main alternative.