The Best Phones in 2025: Our top recommendations

The iPhone 16 Pro Max keeps the signature features of the previous 15 Pro Max model – it has the same titanium material and 5X “tetraprism” camera – but improves in a few important areas.

The screen on the iPhone 16 Pro Max grows extra large to 6.9 inches, and the borders around it are now even slimmer. The new A18 Pro chipset is again faster, but the best improvement might just be the longer battery life.

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2. Best Premium Android Phone: Galaxy S25 Ultra

The Best Phones in 2025: Our top recommendations

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is an iterative upgrade, but it still feels like the best premium Android phone.

The new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset flies through tasks, but the real highlight are the optimizations with One UI 7 and the more pleasing esthetic of the new software. You still have the S Pen on board too, for those who care.

Samsung keeps the four cameras on the back, with two zoom cameras for an industry leading zoom performance. The new 50MP ultra-wide camera captures more detailed photos and macro captures are also crisper. The UI is also improved in subtle ways – switching cameras happens smoother, and you have welcome new controls like a dial for smooth zooming in video. Pros will also be happy to see the option for LOG video recording.

The anti-reflective Gorilla Armor screen, our favorite Galaxy Ultra feature, is back on the S25 Ultra in its second iteration with durability improvements. This makes the S25 Ultra easily the best phone for using outdoors.

We cannot help but notice, though, that the 5,000mAh battery here is smaller than other flagships (the OnePlus 13 come with a 6,000mAh battery).

With 45-watt charging speeds, the S25 Ultra tops up fully in just over an hour, which is decent, but not the fastest around. If you want to learn even more, check out our detailed guide to the best Android phones around, and don’t forget that we have the best current Galaxy S25 series deals too.

Key Galaxy S25 Ultra specs:

Display: 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 1440 x 3120 pixels, 120Hz
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm)
Cameras: 200MP main + 50MP ultra + 10MP 3X Zoom + 50MP 5X, 12MP front-facing
Battery: 5000 mAh, 45W charging
Versions: 12/256GB, 12/512GB, 12GB RAM + 1TB storage

3. Best iPhone for Most People: iPhone 16

While there is no “one size fits all” smartphone, Apple’s iPhone 16e hits the right spot of price and features, and in our opinion it is the best iPhone for most people.

The iPhone 16e has the same powerful A18 chip as the iPhone 16 and it supports Apple Intelligence, so you are not missing out on performance.

But the best thing about the iPhone 16e is that it does 90% of what the iPhone 16 can do at a much lower price of $600.

In fact, it does one important thing better: it lasts longer! The 16e has the best battery life of any 6.1-inch iPhone, so you can expect slightly longer runtime. It lacks a ProMotion display, which is bad, but so does the more expensive iPhone 16.

The two bigger omissions on the iPhone 16e are MagSafe (you have wireless charging, but at slower speeds and without the magnets) and the lack of an ultra-wide camera.

Oh, and the iPhone 16e is only available in one size — small. If you prefer a bigger phone, we would still recommend the iPhone 16 Plus as your best option.

Key iPhone 16e specs:

Display: 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR, 60Hz refresh rate
Processor: Apple A18
Cameras: 48MP main, 12MP front-facing
Battery: unknown battery size, 20W charging
Versions: 8/128GB, 8/256GB, 8/512GB

4. Best Android Phone for Most People: Google Pixel 9

It’s so hard to pick just one in the heated competition among Android phones, but ultimately, we recommend the Google Pixel 9 as the best Android phone for most people (and the best value Google Pixel phone around).

The Pixel 9 comes with a brand new design with flat sides, and it feels more premium than earlier models by the company. The one area where it beats arch-rival Galaxy S25 is battery size. With a 4,700mAh battery on board, the Pixel 9 has a sizable advantage over the 4,000mAh battery on the S25.

There are three major upgrades in the Pixel 9: the phone now comes with 12GB of RAM, great for AI tasks, you get a new ultrasonic fingerprint reader, more reliable than the optical scanner used before, and finally, you get the same main and ultrawide camera as on the Pixel 9 Pro series.

All of that comes at a slightly higher than before price of $800 (but you could probably score a sweet discount if you keep an eye on our best current Pixel 9 deals).

The Pixel 9 also checks all the boxes you would expect at this price point and from Google: a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and seven years of Android OS updates.

On our PhoneArena Battery Score the Pixel 9 is estimated to last nearly seven hours and a half, impressive for a phone of its size, as those typically get an hour less. This score also means the Pixel 9 beats the iPhone 16 on battery life, but it still won’t last more than a day between charges.

Meanwhile, in our tests the Pixel 9 camera ranked lower compared to main rival Galaxy S25, so if camera and especially zoom is your priority, you should definitely take a closer look at the rest of the Pixel 9 vs Galaxy S25 differences.

Key Pixel 9 specs:

Display: 6.3-inch AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate
Processor: Google Tensor G4
Cameras: 50MP main + 48MP ultra, 10.5MP front-facing
Battery: 4,700 mAh, 27W charging
Versions: 12/128GB, 12/256GB

5. Best Camera Phone: Galaxy S25 Ultra

The S25 Ultra gets a new 50MP ultra-wide camera with faster aperture

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is taking over as our new best camera phone, taking the place of the outgoing S24 Ultra.

Most of the camera hardware is the same, with the only bigger new addition being the new 50MP ultra-wide camera that now comes with a faster, f/1.9 aperture (upgrade from the 12MP f/2.2 camera on the previous Ultra). The main camera and the two zoom cameras (3X and 5X) remain unchanged.

Check out our full ranking of the best camera phones for all the detail and camera scores for each individual camera.

So what are the key advantages of the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s camera? Well, the combination of two zoom cameras remains a rarity, beating the Pixel and iPhones, so you get cleaner photos across a wider zoom range. The Galaxy also has improved skin tones and still-incredible separation for portrait mode photos too.

Previous camera issues are now largely resolved. For example, older models captured shots with excessive sharpening, which could look really bad when viewed on a larger screen.

In video, we now have less noise thanks to a new Spatio-Temporal Filter, a complex name for a technology that is able to distinguish between moving and still subjects, and reduce the noise for the still ones.

Key Galaxy S25 Ultra Camera specs:

200MP main camera, 23mm lens, f/1.7 aperture
50MP, 13mm, f/1.9 ultra-wide
10MP 3X zoom, f/2.4
50MP 5X zoom, f/3.4
12MP front camera

6. Best Foldable Phone: Pixel 9 Pro Fold

Its big advantage over the Galaxy Fold series is a wider front screen, while the Samsung foldable has a narrow front screen, which is hard to type on and is far less functional.

We also love the extra-large 8-inch main screen and the sleeker design on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. While it’s not quite the thinnest foldable phone in existence, it is the thinnest one you can get in the US and it still feels very well made. It’s a huge improvement from the first Pixel Fold and Google has made a remarkable progress in just one year.

You also get a capable camera system on the 9 Pro Fold, powered by Google’s computational photography, and it’s nice having a 5X telephoto lens here for longer reach.

We also appreciate the clean software, smooth performance and the overall refinement with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

Key Pixel 9 Pro Fold specs:

Displays: 8.0-inch main screen, 2152 x 2076 pixels + 6.3-inch front screen, 1080p
Processor: Tensor G4
Cameras: 48MP main + 48MP ultra + 64MP 3X zoom
Battery: 4800mAh, 67W charging
Versions: 16/256GB, 16/512GB

7. Best Flip Phone: Galaxy Z Flip 6

Samsung used to be the only company making fold and flip phones, but last year it was challenged in a big way and it had to respond.

This year, it has the Galaxy Z Flip 6, which is the flip phone we recommend for most people.

The Flip 6 seems to be one of the best rated phones in terms of build quality and most importantly, the essential hinge element feels a bit more refined on the Flip 6 than on the competition.

Samsung has also addressed users concerns about battery life with a bigger sized battery, it adds a welcome new 50MP main camera, but for all else the Flip 6 design feels very similar to the previous generation.

Key Galaxy Z Flip 6 specs:

Display: 6.7-inch OLED main screen, 3.4-inch front screen, 120Hz refresh rate
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Cameras: 50MP main + 12MP ultra, 10MP front
Battery: 4000mAh, 25W charging
Versions: 12/256GB, 12/512GB

8. Best “Almost Flagship” Phone: Galaxy S24 FE

Samsung’s Galaxy S24 FE is the closest you come to a flagship experience at a mid-range price, and it’s one of the best Samsung phones on a budget. This might not be the best phone to buy in 2025 overall, but it sure is a good cell phone for the price.

Equipped with a top-notch Samsung processor, this affordable phone is almost as fast as the Galaxy S24 Plus, but it has a much lower retail price of $650 (and you can easily find it on sale for around $500).

The S24 FE comes with a big, 6.7-inch AMOLED screen with 120Hz fast refresh rate, it’s got three cameras on the back including a capable 3X zoom camera, and the battery capacity at 4,700 mAh is quite good.

In fact, we had to really nit-pick to find the little differences between the S24 FE and the S24 Plus. The S24 FE has less RAM on board (8GB), but that is still enough for Galaxy AI features. It uses an optical fingerprint reader rather than an ultrasonic one, its screen does not get quite as bright, charging is a bit slower and the zoom camera has slightly lower resolution. But that’s about it! And that is why it gets an easy recommendation for those looking to save a buck.

Key Galaxy S24 FE specs:

Display: 6.7-inch AMOLED main screen, 120Hz refresh rate
Processor: Samsung Exynos 2400e
Cameras: 50MP main + 12MP ultra + 8MP 3X zoom, 10MP front
Battery: 4,700 mAh, 25W charging
Versions: 8/128GB, 8/256GB

9. Best Android Phone Under $500: Google Pixel 8a

The Pixel A series has been our go-to recommendation for a budget Android phone under $500, and we are happy to see the Pixel 8a continue that tradition.

Google has not improved all that much on the Pixel 8a compared to the Pixel 7a or previous generations, but it has not broken anything either. And even though it is not one of the newest cell phones around, it is still great.

The Pixel 8a gets a new Tensor G3 chipset, which is still among the fastest in this price range (not the fastest, though – that would be the OnePlus 12R). It also has the familiar Google camera experience, with excellent quality photos from the main camera and very decent video recording.

Other strengths include the clean, cool Android interface and an impressive seven years of software updates.

Of course, we have to mention some of the downsides too: that huge bezel simply doesn’t belong on a modern smartphone and in a perfect world we would love to see a telephoto camera, too.

Key Pixel 8a specs:

Display: 6.1-inch AMOLED, 1080 x 2400 pixels, 60Hz refresh rate
Processor: Google Tensor G3
Cameras: 64MP main + 12MP ultra, 13MP front-facing
Battery: 4492mAh, 18W charging
Versions: 8/128GB, 8/256GB

10. Best Phone for Battery Life: iPhone 16 Pro Max

The iPhone 16 Pro Max is not only one of the best flagship phones of 2025, but it also has one specific advantage. We knew the iPhone 16 Pro Max would have longer battery life when we saw the bigger battery capacity, but it beat our expectations and also scored higher than all other current flagships in our PhoneArena battery score.

The 16 Pro Max improved its scores on all three of our battery tests compared to the previous generation. It scored 22 hours and 39 minutes on our web browsing test, nearly three hours longer than the 15 Pro Max from last year. It also beat its score for video streaming with nearly 10 hours and a half, and finally for gaming it scored a bit more than 12 hours.

Based on these tests, we estimate that you can expect screen time of around 8 hours and a half on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, nearly an hour more than the previous generation, and that is an awesome upgrade.

In our testing, it also beat other rivals like the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Pixel 9 Pro XL and the OnePlus 12. Out of these three, the OnePlus 12 was closest with a screen time of 8 hours and 9 minutes, while the Pixel and the Galaxy scored around the 7 hour mark.

Key iPhone 16 Pro Max battery specs:

Battery: 4,685 mAh
Charging: 27W wired, 25W MagSafe wireless

11. Best Compact iPhone: iPhone 16 Pro

The definition for what goes as a “compact phone” seems to change almost every year as phones get bigger and bigger.

Currently, we classify compact phones as those with a screen size of around 6.3 inches or less, and it certainly helps if the phone is not too wide.

Of course, some people will protest and name something like the iPhone 13 mini, which had a 5.4-inch display, but we have to face the reality… that phone and those like it are simply not available anymore!

So in our current world, we pick the iPhone 16 Pro as the best of the smaller iPhones.

Despite a slightly bigger, 6.3-inch screen, it gets slimmer borders around that display and overall its size is only slightly larger than that of previous generation iPhones which had 6.1-inch displays.

The iPhone 16 Pro is also a powerful thing, equipped with the Apple A18 Pro chip, a triple camera that now gets the same 5X “tetraprism” zoom as the Pro Max, and all the other bells and whistles, such as ProMotion, long software updates and the iOS ecosystem.

Key iPhone 16 Pro specs:

Display: 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR, 120Hz refresh rate
Processor: Apple A18 Pro
Cameras: 48MP main + 48MP ultra + 12MP 5X Zoom, 12MP front-facing
Battery: 3,582 mAh, 20W charging
Versions: 8/128GB, 8/256GB, 8/512GB, 8GB RAM + 1TB storage

12. Best Compact Android Phone: Galaxy S25

It’s more compact than Google’s Pixel phones, with a narrower body that is very easy to grasp even in small hands. It is also much lighter.

With a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset on board, it beats the Pixel in terms of performance power too.

And while many compact Android phones only have two cameras, the Galaxy has a third – 3X zoom telephoto camera – that gives you much better results for those zoomed shots.

The downside of the Galaxy S25 remains the battery life. Its 4,000mAh battery is significantly smaller than the 4,700mAh size that the Pixel 9 Pro uses. If battery life is your priority, it would be wiser to conisder the Pixel instead.

Key Galaxy S25 specs:

Display: 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 1080 x 2340 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
Cameras: 50MP main + 10MP ultra + 12MP 3X Zoom, 12MP front-facing
Battery: 4000mAh, 25W charging
Versions: 12/128GB, 12/256GB, 12/512GB

13. Best Phone Under $300: Galaxy A25 5G

What if you want an affordable phone – something really cheap, something under $300?

You have a few options, but the Galaxy A25 5G remains a solid option if you are on a tight budget. It has the reliability that the Samsung brand is known for and a camera quality that surpasses that of rivals.

Of course, there are quite a few compromises you make at this price. We are certainly not in love with the plastic build quality and chunky bezels, but on the plus-side it’s not the slowest phone around. For example, we also reviewed the cheaper, $200 Galaxy A15 5G which we found was just too slow, and that is not the case with the A25 5G.

And compared to others like the Moto G Power, the Galaxy also has a top-notch AMOLED screen with a sharp 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate – not common in this space.

Remember, though, that new budget models are expected to arrive in February and March 2025, so you might also wait up for those releases if you are not in a hurry.

Key Galaxy A25 5G specs:

Display: 6.5-inch AMOLED, 1080 x 2340 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate
Processor: Exynos 1280
Cameras: 50MP main + 5MP ultra, 13MP front-facing
Battery: 5000mAh, 25W charging
Versions: 6/128GB

14. Best Gaming Phone: Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro

Gaming phones are a special category. You need some additional controls, flawless performance and great cooling, excellent sound, and a bigger screen. Oh, and you also want this to be a great phone to daily drive too with a good camera, right?

Well, as hard as this is to pull off, one phone does it best: the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro. The popular Galaxy Ultra series or the iPhone 16 Pro Max have similar power, but they don’t have the added buttons, specialized features and cooling that Asus has.

The ROG Phone 9 Pro also has a more mainstream design than gaming phones of the past, with a cleaner look. But it’s still pretty much the same great gaming phone as before with those additional buttons and exceptional cooling that helps it maintain top-notch performance for longer than an iPhone or a Galaxy.

The other piece of the puzzle is the software. It is tuned to gamers and there are a ton of customization options to make it fit your gaming personality.

Key Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro specs:

Display: 6.8-inch AMOLED, 1080 x 2400 pixels, 185Hz refresh rate
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
Cameras: 50MP main + 13MP ultra + 32MP 3X zoom, 24MP front-facing
Battery: 5,800mAh, 65W charging
Versions: 16/256GB, 24/512GB, 24GB RAM + 1TB storage

15. Fastest Charging Phone: OnePlus 13

Most phones above are great, but they lack in one important area – charging speed.

Among phones sold in the United States, the OnePlus 13 stands as the fastest charging one, far above the competition.

In the US, the OnePlus 13 supports 80W fast charging (100W for models in Europe and the rest of the world). In real life, this means a full 1% to 100% top up takes just around 40 minutes. Say goodbye to overnight charging!

And all of this happens without destroying your battery, as OnePlus has proven protections in place. For example, most of the heat while charging stays in the charger rather than the phone. The OnePlus 13 battery is also rated for more charging cycles than rivals. Specifically, OnePlus claims at least 80% battery capacity will be maintained after 1,600 cycles, while Apple iPhones are expected to reach similar capacity much quicker, in just around 1,000 cycles.

The OnePlus 13 also supports super-fast, 50-watt wireless charging. This is double the speed you get on the latest iPhone 16 series and such speeds make it one of the fastest wireless charging phones.

Key OnePlus 13 specs:

Display: 6.8-inch AMOLED, 1440 x 3168 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
Cameras: 50MP main + 50MP ultra + 50MP 3X Zoom, 32MP front-facing
Battery: 6000mAh, 80W charging
Versions: 12/256GB, 16/512GB

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