The Best Phones of the Year 2025
The smartphone market continues to be highly competitive, with companies being pushed and pulled by each other to innovate. In this guide we take a look at the best smartphones that released in 2025, analysing what has made each of them stand out and impress.
If one of these phones catches your eye, browse our selection of affordable contract, refurbished and SIM-free devices, available in various styles and storage sizes.
1 – Best overall phone: iPhone 17 Pro Max
Specifications
• Dimensions – 163.4mm x 78mm 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 + 48MP + 48MP
• Front camera – 18MP
• Battery – Up to 37 hours video playback
• Water and dust resistance – IP68
• Connectivity – Wi-Fi 7; Bluetooth 6; 5G
Reasons to buy
• Best-in-class camera array
• Lightning-fast performance
• Distinctive two-tone design that sets it apart from previous models
Things to consider
• Apple Intelligence continues to improve, but other AI feature suites offer more when it comes to productivity
iPhone 17 Pro Max is our choice for the best phone to buy in 2025. With its unique two-tone design, outstanding triple-48MP camera array, and fantastic performance delivered by the A19 Pro CPU, we can’t recommend this phone enough if you’re after the industry’s very best.
The 6.9” Super Retina XDR display is an absolute stunner to look at, combined with a 120Hz refresh rate to ensure everything feels silky-smooth. Any video we watched or game we played never failed to dazzle us, and on the topic of games, there’s an improved vapour chamber to keep the 17 Pro Max cool.
Our favourite addition to iOS is Liquid Glass, which gives each menu a glass-like look and simulates the refraction of light in a realistic way. It’s the kind of unique aesthetic upgrade that Apple are known for; unlike anything else on the market.
2 - Best phone from Google: Pixel 10 Pro XL
Specifications
• Dimensions – 162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5mm
• Weight – 232g
• OS – Android 16
• Display – 6.8” Super Actua OLED
• Resolution – 1344 x 2992
• Processor – Tensor G5
• Storage – 256GB; 512GB; 1TB
• RAM – 16GB
• Rear cameras – 50MP + 48MP + 48MP
• Front camera – 42MP
• Battery – 5200mAh
• Water and dust resistance – IP68
• Connectivity – Wi-Fi 7; Bluetooth 6; 5G
Reasons to buy
• Useful AI features like Magic Cue
• Tensor G5 CPU offers excellent performance
• The Pixelsnap magnetic charger is a new way to recharge on Pixel phones
Things to consider
• Very similar design to the Pixel 9 Pro XL
• No major changes to the camera array
The best offering from Google is the Pixel 10 Pro XL, which upon its arrival had us experimenting with the new AI features like kids on Christmas Day. The 10 Pro XL’s software improvements are undoubtedly the star of the show, particularly when its design is extremely similar to its predecessor.
Our favourite AI feature on the 10 Pro XL is Magic Cue; the ideal answer for finding information between your different apps and sources. We love the fact that Gemini can identify things like appointment dates and reservations if someone is asking if you’re free on that date, all without having to dig out the details yourself. It’s the kind of AI that feels genuinely transformative.
Camera Coach is another brilliant AI feature. When taking a photo, Gemini will suggest ways you can tweak and improve the image on the fly; fantastic if you’re unsure where to start editing.
There’s also Pixelsnap, which is Google’s answer to Apple’s MagSafe technology. With it, you can easily recharge the Pixel 10 Pro XL when on the move; just attach the charger and away you go. It plugs an advantage gap that iPhone’s have long held over Pixel phones.
3 – Best phone from Samsung: Galaxy S25 Ultra
Specifications
• Dimensions – 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2mm
• Weight – 218g
• OS – Android 16
• Display – 6.9” Dynamic AMOLED 2x
• Resolution – 3120 x 1440
• Processor – Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
• Storage – 256GB; 512GB; 1TB
• RAM – 16GB
• Rear cameras – 50MP + 200MP + 50MP + 10MP
• Front camera – 12MP
• Battery – 5000mAh
• Water and dust resistance – IP68
• Connectivity – Wi-Fi 7; Bluetooth 5.3; 5G
Reasons to buy
• Beautiful AMOLED screen
• Deep and useful AI feature suite
• Fantastic camera hardware and software
Things to consider
• The S25 Ultra is on quite the large side, so bear this in mind if portability is important to your smartphone purchase.
At the peak of the Samsung summit is the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which - despite being quite similar to the S24 Ultra in terms of appearance and performance – is the culmination of everything brilliant that the S25 series has to offer.
Galaxy AI’s capabilities were significantly refined coming into the S25 Ultra. We came away very impressed by the improvements made to Galaxy AI, with new features such as the ability to build a travel itinerary from an image. It can even learn when you most commonly turn on things like Bluetooth, so you’re good to go when it’s time to play some music.
The S25 Ultra also saw enhancements to the camera array; the biggest of which being the move from a 12MP ultrawide camera to a 50MP offering. The result? More detailed photos when taking panoramic shots. We put the AI Audio Eraser feature through its paces, too, which is very effective at reducing background noise and interference.
4 – Best foldable option: Motorola Razr 60 Ultra
Specifications
• Dimensions – 171.48 x 73.99 x 7.29mm (open); 88.12 x 73.99 x 15.69mm (closed)
• Weight – 199g
• OS – Android 15
• Display – 7” AMOLED (main screen); 4” pOLED (cover screen)
• Resolution – 2992 x 1224 (main screen); 1272 x 1080 (cover screen)
• Processor – Snapdragon 8 Elite
• Storage – 512GB; 1TB
• RAM – 16GB
• Rear cameras – 50MP + 50MP
• Front camera – 50MP
• Battery – 4700mAh
• Water and dust resistance – IP48
• Connectivity – Wi-Fi 7; Bluetooth 5.4; 5G
Reasons to buy
• Outstanding battery life
• The Snapdragon 8 Elite CPU is as fast as they come
• The cover screen is stunning
Things to consider
• OS updates can be a bit slow to deliver
• The AI suite isn’t as feature-rich as competitors, but it offers some unique tools to experiment with
If you’re interested in picking up a flip or foldable phone, we strongly recommend the Motorola Razr 60 Ultra. We’ve been praising Motorola for its foldable handsets for a long time now, owing to the consistently excellent devices that are produced by the brand. The Razr 60 Ultra is a superb refinement of what’s come before, and it’s safe to say we were delighted by the improvements made.
We have to mention the 60 Ultra’s battery life, because it rivals the industry’s best phones in this department; often exceeding them, too. Capacity-wise, the 4700mAh is great but not the reason we’re here. The 60 Ultra can be recharged to 100% using a 68W charger in ~30 minutes, which makes for one of the shortest downtimes on any phone. Not even the Galaxy S25 Ultra can compare, as that handset will typically take around 50-60 minutes to reach 100%. The Razr 60 Ultra really is in a league of its own on the battery front.
This phone comes with some interesting AI features that make for a unique experience. Look at the 60 Ultra and say “catch me up” to get AI-generated summaries on any notifications you have, or ask moto AI for a playlist to create the ideal atmosphere for a party. These features really help the Razr 60 Ultra stand out, and we found them to be consistently helpful and easy to use.
5 – Best alternative flagship phone: HONOR Magic 7 Pro
Specifications
• Dimensions – 162.7 x 77.1 x 8.8mm
• Weight – 223g
• OS – Android 15
• Display – 6.8” OLED
• Resolution – 2800 x 1280
• Processor – Snapdragon 8 Elite
• Storage – 512GB; 1TB
• RAM – 12GB
• Rear cameras – 50MP + 50MP + 200MP
• Front camera – 50MP
• Battery – 5270mAh
• Water and dust resistance – IP68
• Connectivity – Wi-Fi 7; Bluetooth 5.4; 5G
Reasons to buy
• Fantastic battery life
• One of the best camera arrays on the market
• Top-tier performance
Things to consider
• HONOR AI is packed with lots of features, but it doesn’t quite have the polish of other AI suites
HONOR isn’t quite the household name like Apple or Google, but don’t let this push its phones under the radar. Our favourite HONOR handset – the Magic 7 Pro – is comparable to many of those industry-leading devices, and gets a place on this list as a result.
The two areas where the Magic 7 Pro absolutely excels are the battery and camera array. You’re going to get tons of time out of the Magic 7 Pro thanks to the 5270mAh battery, which exceeds even that of the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 5000mAh unit. We managed to get around 30 hours of use before the Magic 7 Pro needed a recharge, which is testament to how efficient this phone’s battery performance is.
If you enjoy taking photos, HONOR have produced one of the best smartphones around for capturing those precious moments. You’re getting a 200MP telephoto camera, a 50MP wide option, and a 50MP ultrawide camera; outstanding on their own. When you add in HONOR’s excellent AI photography features like AI Enhanced Portrait and AI Super Zoom, you end up with a suite of tools that would make any level of photographer take note. The AI Super Zoom feature in particular pairs brilliantly well with the 200MP telephoto camera, capturing distant landscapes and subjects with stunning clarity.
Conclusion
These have been our picks for the best phones you can buy in 2025. If you need a hand moving any old data across to your new handset, take a look at our Android to Android and iPhone to iPhone guides.