Depends on your budget and location.

Unlimited budget: Sony Xperia 1 V ($1400). Has almost anything you'd want. SD8G2, MicroSD slot, etc.

High budget: Asus Zenfone 9 ($700). Great compact phone with a headphone jack. Alternatively wait for the Zenfone 10 to come out as it's coming out this week.

Or even the Xperia 5 V ($1000), a slightly downgraded version of the 1 V.

Lower budget: Sony Xperia 10 V ($450). Expensive for the specs but you get outstanding battery life, 25-50% more than any other phone on this list. And it's the only budget phone with a telephoto lens.

USA pick: Moto G Stylus 5G (2022). Can be picked up for $250 on Amazon and has excellent all-around specs for the price.

Europe/Asia picks: Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ ($350) if you want good cameras for the price. However the chipset might struggle with MIUI from time to time.

Xiaomi Poco X5 pro ($300). Good all-arounder at this price.

Xiaomi Poco F5 ($400). Best chipset out of all of these budget phones, at nearly flagship levels.

Still rocking my S10 that I believe is the best phone made.

Wireless charging, wireless power sharing, good waterproof rating, headphone port etc.

Holding onto this thing as long as possible. Might price out a battery replacement.. 💪

Best, as far as specs? Gonna be the Asus Zenfone 10 (officially announcing 6/29 but most of the specs have been leaked) and the Sony Xperia 1 V (already available outside the US).

Both will have Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and plenty of memory and storage. The lower models of Xperia (5 and 10) will also have headphone jacks but somewhat lesser specs.

https://www.androidpolice.com/leak-asus-zenfone-10-every-angle/

The Zenphone 9 is a great phone. If you don't mind going for a slightly older phone, then I would recommend the Galaxy A52s.

Pixel 4a (5g version) amazing phone, I pur calyx OS onto it ( you must buy an unlocked version if you wish to run calyx ) I cannot recommend it enough… got to have a headphone jack

Asus Zenfone

I am really happy with my Asus Zenphone 9. The best feature is the long battery life. If i wanted i could use the phone for ~72h, though I usually charge it to 80% and charge the phone every 2 days instead.

The Battery Life was my main buying point, the aux and smaller size were important though too.
It also has an actual gimble for camera stabilisation in the lense instead of the typical stabilization through a sensor, though i guess it is more of a gimmick. I myself don't take that many action shots where this could be useful, so I can't really give any info if it is better than the usual way of stabilization.
Since it is an Asus phone I think it also is pretty powerful and power efficient for mobile gaming if that interests you (I don't care about that).

End of this Month they will also reveal the Zenphone 10, so maybe this might also be a possible phone to check out. I bought mine also directly release last year since I was looking for a new phone around that time. It was bundled with a chromebook that I was able to resell so it was a nice deal in comparison to other comparable phones.

I was using an LG V30 for the past few years. Needed to replace it as the battery wasn't lasting anymore.

Like you a headphone jack is a must. So I got a Sony Xperia 10iii because that's all I could afford. I would ideally like the Xperia 5 but it's way out of my budget.

Still, the 10iii is a great phone and does everything I need it to. It's fast, takes good photos, has a good display and size and great battery life.

If you don't want Sony the only other phone I'm aware of in the premium segment is Asus ZenFone 9 (the 10 is launching next month) which had rave reviews and was even phone of the year I think. It reminds me alot of my V30 in many ways.

If your budget is low like mine, look at the Sony Xperia 10v which just launched. It has better speakers, cameras, OIS, and battery compared to mine.

Or look at Samsung as they tend to have a headphone jack in the budget segment. A54 I think has good reviews.

I'm still clinging on to my samsung s10e and hope to get another year or so out of it....after that I think I'm just gonna bite the bullet and get a dongle dac.

Sony Xperia phones?

Not sure if you can still get a Samsung A52s. That'd be a nice pick if you still can get it. It's what I use and it's one of the few with the trifecta of features I was looking for: 3.5mm jack, memory card slot, and OIS in the main camera.

I own both of these:

• Pixel 5a 5G (although updates end in 1 year)
• Asus Zenfone 9

They're both good!

Wait out - When the Asus Zenfone drop this Thursday. Top tier specs with a great camera.

Xperia if you're into photography at all

Maybe the Xperia 1 V? https://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_1_v-12263.php

I have the 1 IV and I really like it except that it's prone to overheating when using advanced camera features. The V is said to have resolved the heating issue.

The catch is that Sony devices aren't usually subsidized by carriers, so you'd have to be willing to pay full price on Amazon et al.

There would also be an Xperia 5 V release upcoming as well which is a compact version of the flagship with a lower pricetag. The 5 IV had a 3.5mm jack so I would imagine the V will as well. https://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_5_iv-11838.php

I am happy with my refurbushed Samsung A52. If I had to get a new phone right now it would probably be am Asus Zenphone (has a headphone jack).

Low end of the price range is Alcatel, mid shelf prob Pixel or Zen, top shelf is Samsung.

A few days ago there was talk about the Asus Zenfone 10, maybe it's worth taking a look at.

Nokia XR21. Waterproof, drop proof, 4 years of updates, programmable physical buttons.

I have its predecessor and it is a fabulous device.