The Best 5G Handsets
5G is widespread nowadays, with plenty of smartphone options to choose from that possess the technology. If you’re unsure which 5G handset is right for you, our experts are here to help you decide.
Explore our picks for the best 5G phones on the market, and consider taking a look through our dedicated 5G range for more inspiration.
1 - Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Specifications
• Dimensions – 77.6 x 162.8 x 8.2mm
• Weight – 218g
• OS – Android 16
• Display – 6.9” Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• Resolution – 3120 x 1440
• Processor – Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
• RAM – 12GB
• Storage – 256GB/512GB/1TB
• Rear cameras – 50MP ultra-wide; 200MP wide; 50MP telephoto 1; 10MP telephoto 2
• Front camera – 12MP
• Battery – 5,000mAh
• Water and dust resistance – IP68
With its stunning 6.9” AMOLED display, powerful camera array, and best-in-class performance chops, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is undoubtedly one of the best 5G phones that money can buy. It’s the pinnacle of the S25 series, and the phone of choice if you want to go all-out with your next handset purchase.
We particularly love the improvements made to the camera array, as the S25 Ultra possesses a more powerful 50MP ultra-wide camera instead of the S24 Ultra’s 12MP option. The S25 Ultra also builds on the excellent AI feature suites of previous handsets, adding functionality like screenshot scanning to create itineraries or recipes based on images in your library.
So, if you’re after a blockbuster 5G phone from Samsung and have some cash to spend, the S25 Ultra is the way to go.
2 - Google Pixel 10 Pro XL
Specifications
• Dimensions – 162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5mm
• Weight – 232g
• OS – Android 16
• Display – 6.7” Super Actua
• Resolution – 2992 x 1344
• Processor – Google Tensor G5
• Storage – 256GB; 512GB; 1TB
• RAM – 16GB
• Rear cameras – 50MP wide; 48MP ultra-wide; 48MP telephoto
• Front camera – 42MP
• Battery – 5,200mAh
• Water and dust resistance – IP68
Out of all the 5G phones on this list, the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL probably comes with the most impactful – and wide- list of improvements. Many of these are under the hood, with Google largely sticking to the same design language as on the preceding 9 Pro XL.
In our review, we remarked on how the 10 Pro XL includes a CPU manufactured by TSMC, which was a significant shift from the norm for Google. In terms of processing speeds, it proved to be a success; we found that the 10 Pro XL ran faster than the previous Pro XL model in a range of tests, including gaming and general multitasking.
AI also plays a large role in why the 10 Pro XL impressed us. Magic Cue in particular was a stand-out, with its ability to look at different sources of information on the device and find what we needed, such as a date in the calendar for a gathering. It’s a massive timesaver being able to do this without having to trawl through our app library.
Lastly, the 10 Pro XL is one of the first Pixel phones to support Pixelsnap magnetic wireless charging: Google’s answer to MagSafe on iPhones. This is something that has been long overdue, and the 10 Pro XL is all the better for it.
3 – Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Specifications
• Dimensions – 163.4 x 78 x 8.75mm
• Weight – 233g
• OS – iOS 26
• Display – 6.9” Super Retina XDR
• Resolution – 2868 x 1320
• Processor – A19 Pro
• Storage – 256GB; 512GB; 1TB; 2TB
• RAM – 12GB
• Rear cameras – 48MP Fusion main; 48MP Fusion ultra-wide; 48MP Fusion telephoto
• Front camera – 18MP
• Battery – Up to 37 hours video playback
• Water and dust resistance – IP68
The iPhone 17 Pro Max took us by surprise when it launched in September 2025. It packed in various powerful features like we’d expect, while simultaneously flipping the script in unexpected ways.
First of all, it introduced a unique two-tone design that really helped set it apart from Pro Max models that came before. It’s a minor thing in the grand scheme of things, but a fairly radical redesign doesn’t come along very often.
Something that will be more apparent – whether you’re gaming or watching 4K videos - is that the 17 Pro Max can run cooler thanks to the upgraded vapour chamber. Given that its suite of AI features require a fair bit of processing power and can bump up the phone’s internal temperature, this is a necessity; however, we were still impressed by how cool the 17 Pro Max felt.
The 17 Pro Max is also the best demonstration of Apple’s Liquid Glass interface, which gives each menu a translucent, glass-like appearance. It looks stunning on any compatible iPhone (any model past the iPhone 11 should be able to run it), but on the 17 Pro Max and its larger display, the visual quality and impact really shines through.
4 – Apple iPhone Air
Specifications
• Dimensions – 156.2 x 74.7 x 5.64mm
• Weight – 165g
• OS – iOS 26
• Display – 6.5” Super Retina XDR
• Resolution – 2736 x 1260
• Processor – A19 Pro
• Storage – 256GB; 512GB; 1TB
• RAM – 12GB
• Rear cameras – 48MP Fusion main
• Front camera – 18MP
• Battery – Up to 27 hours video playback (up to 40 hours with iPhone Air MagSafe battery)
• Water and dust resistance – IP68
Apple’s iPhone Air deserves a mention here, and it’s definitely worth considering if you’re after a 5G handset that is incredibly light. Appropriately named, the iPhone Air only weighs 165g and is a mere 5.64mm in thickness, so we weren’t too hyperbolic in our review to say it’s barely noticeable.
The iPhone Air only comes with one 48MP Fusion camera, so keep this in mind if you value having an array of cameras to use, but we found that any images we captured still looked fantastic. You’re also getting similar processing speeds to the Pro and Pro Max handsets, thanks to the A19 Pro CPU.
All in all, if you don’t care that much about cameras in your next phone purchase, the iPhone Air should be near the top of your list. It packs in a large amount of what make the Pro and Pro Max models so enticing, while serving as one of the most pocket-friendly iPhones ever released.
Conclusion
There you have it: our picks for the best 5G phones on the market. If you want to learn more about 5G technology, we have a wealth of handy guides that cover topics like the differences between 5G and 4G.