You would possibly have already got a good suggestion of which smartphone you wish to be your subsequent one. However there are extra strong choices out there now than ever earlier than, making the choice not as cut-and-dry because it was once. Whereas the choice is a bit simpler if you understand you need an iPhone, there’s even sufficient variation between these new fashions that you’ll have to consider it longer than you anticipated. When you’re an Android particular person, you have got much more choices to select from — together with foldables — and extra inquiries to reply earlier than you spend any cash.
At Engadget, we assessment telephones repeatedly and have examined dozens over time. Whether or not you’ve had your eye on one in every of our present prime picks, one in every of Samsung’s Galaxy S25 telephones, an affordable telephone or one other machine, we’re right here that will help you resolve which is one of the best telephone to purchase this yr.
Android or iOS?
Whenever you’re looking for one of the best smartphone, it turns into clear that every OS has its execs and cons. Apple’s tight-knit ecosystem makes it tremendous straightforward to share knowledge between iPhones, iPads and Macs or seamlessly hand-off telephone calls or music from one machine to a different. On the similar time, you’re successfully locked in, as providers like Apple Messages aren’t out there on different platforms.
As for Android, there’s a a lot wider vary of handsets from firms like Google, Samsung, Sony and extra. Nonetheless, Android telephones don’t get pleasure from that very same size of software program help and sometimes have decrease trade-in values. Briefly, there’s no improper reply. Nonetheless, it would be best to contemplate how your telephone will slot in with the remainder of your gadgets. So until you’re actually fed up with one OS and prepared to study one other, it in all probability doesn’t make numerous sense to change from an iPhone to an Android telephone (or vice versa) – particularly if everybody else in your family is utilizing the identical platform.
Cameras
Since your mobile phone typically pulls double responsibility as your major digicam, determining what sort of photograph instruments you need is essential. These days, virtually each cell phone can take an awesome image in vibrant gentle. However if you’d like a protracted optical zoom, you’ll in all probability must improve to a dearer machine.
Mid-range telephones typically solely have two rear cameras (a major wide-angle lens and a secondary ultra-wide digicam) and may generally wrestle in low-light conditions. Every telephone maker additionally has numerous options that is perhaps a greater match on your model, with Apple providing 4 totally different colour presets on the newest iPhones, whereas Google’s Pixel 9 Professional comes with neat instruments like devoted lengthy publicity and Motion Pan modes.
Will you get mmWave 5G or Wi-Fi 7?
The excellent news is that in 2025, most telephones have no less than Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6e and help for some type of 5G connectivity. Nonetheless, if you’d like the quickest wi-fi speeds doable, it’s going to value you a little bit additional. For instance, on sure networks, mmWave 5G presents as much as gigabit obtain speeds, much less latency and higher bandwidth. However mmWave 5G additionally requires extra refined (and pricier) modems, which suggests help for it’s typically lacking on cheaper gadgets.
On the brilliant facet, mmWave 5G isn’t as extensively out there as different variations of 5G, so relying on the place you reside and what community you’re on, you will not be lacking out on a lot proper now when you purchase a telephone that doesn’t help it. It’s the same scenario for Wi-Fi 7, which is obtainable on some high-end handsets just like the Galaxy S25, however tougher to search out on cheaper gadgets. Wi-Fi 7 additionally requires you to have a suitable router, so until you understand you want it or have a selected use case in thoughts, the dearth of help for mmWave 5G or Wi-Fi 7 shouldn’t be a dealbreaker when in search of a brand new telephone.
Different options to contemplate
As a result of not everybody agrees on what makes one of the best telephone, you need to take into consideration another specs that is perhaps additional essential for you. Cellular players will nearly definitely recognize the 120Hz refresh charges you get on telephones just like the Samsung Galaxy S25 or the Apple iPhone 16 Professional. Alternatively, if lengthy battery life is essential, you’ll in all probability wish to go together with a bigger iPhone or an Android telephone with a battery that’s between 4,000 and 5,000 mAh in measurement. In the meantime, if you end up juggling numerous gadgets, it may be very nice to have a telephone that helps reverse wi-fi charging, which on Samsung telephones even enables you to recharge the corporate’s Galaxy Watches.
Photograph by Cherlynn Low / Engadget
Learn our full iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max assessment
Display screen measurement: 6.3-inch | Storage capability: As much as 1TB | SIM help: Twin eSim | Battery Life: About someday
Similar to final yr, if you’d like one of the best iPhone expertise, you need to get an iPhone 16 Professional or iPhone 16 Professional Max. Not solely is there not a lot of a leap between the 2 relating to digicam array or normal efficiency, however these handsets will get the entire advantages of Apple Intelligence — on prime of the helpful customizations that comes with iOS 18.
The iPhone 16 Professional and 16 Professional Max have barely totally different sizes this time round: 6.3 inches and 6.9 inches, respectively. Apart from that which means you’ll must shell out cash for a brand new case when you improve, it received’t make an excessive amount of of a distinction in common use. The largest {hardware} variations that you simply’ll completely discover are the Digicam Management button and the Fusion Digicam. The previous is a brand new facet button that has contact and stress sensors, making it simpler to not solely launch the Digicam app however management issues like publicity once you’re truly taking images. As we found in our testing for the iPhone 16 Professional assessment, it’ll take a little bit of getting used to at first. However total, the Digicam Management button is a internet constructive that shutterbugs will recognize.
The brand new Fusion Digicam sports activities a sooner quad-pixel sensor, amongst different enhancements, and permits for 4K video at 120 fps in Dolby Imaginative and prescient and “zero shutter lag.” The latter means you’ll be capable to truly seize the second once you press the button, slightly than the second proper after it. The Fusion Digicam additionally helps new options like Photographic Types, that are enjoyable enhancements which might be much more customizable than common filters.
Elsewhere, the brand new A18 Professional chipset supplies wonderful efficiency for each the iPhone 16 Professional and 16 Professional Max, plus help for Apple Intelligence. Whereas in years previous, there would have been a major distinction within the Professional and Professional Max digicam arrays, this yr that hole isn’t as noticeable. The place you will note main beneficial properties with the Professional Max is battery life — it’ll final two days (like its 15 predecessor), whereas the usual 16 Professional has simply full-day battery life. Solely you possibly can resolve if that’s value ponying up the additional $200 for the Max, however regardless, each the Professional and Professional Max handsets provide stellar efficiency, wonderful pictures chops, enhanced customization with iOS 18 and (quickly) the complete host of Apple Intelligence options. — Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor
- Quick digicam with prime quality video seize
- Photographic kinds are efficient and fairly
- Good customizations out there all through
- Comparatively quick battery life
- Digicam Management is not excellent
$999 at Apple
Learn our full Google Pixel 9 Professional and Pixel 9 Professional XL assessment
(Pixel 9 Professional) Display screen measurement: 6.3-inch | Storage capability: As much as 1TB | SIM help: 1x nano SIM, 1x eSim | Battery Life: 24+ hours
Lastly, a smaller Pixel Professional. Google’s Pixel collection has lengthy been among the best Android telephones round, with the Professional mannequin being the superior model. Nevertheless it was at all times a little bit too huge and too cumbersome for these of us who’ve smaller fingers or need our telephones to slot in our pockets. Cue the Pixel 9 Professional, which is the littler model of the Pixel 9 Professional XL. As a substitute of a comparatively massive 6.8-inch display screen like that on its larger sibling, the usual Professional has a 6.3-inch show that’s straightforward to maneuver. No extra worrying about dropping your Pixel Professional simply since you fumbled whereas attempting to succeed in the highest of the display screen!
Higher but, with the Pixel 9 Professional, Google hasn’t sacrificed any key function to get to the smaller measurement, which means you may discover the identical digicam setup and efficiency in each handsets. The one actual variations are the display screen measurement, battery and charging speeds, because the non-XL mannequin recharges at a barely slower charge. However the Pixel 9 Professional can also be a lot longer-lasting than the XL, notching nearly 25 hours on our battery check.
These distinctions apart, the Pixel 9 Professional lineup is our favourite Android telephone due to its top-notch digicam efficiency, intriguing AI options and a normal grown-up vibe. Whereas earlier Pixel flagships had a colourful, blocky design that felt contemporary, this yr’s gadgets really feel strong and refined. And, dare we are saying it, nearly like iPhones. With out the digicam bars, they’d be fairly onerous to inform aside from Apple’s telephones.
Presumably as a result of it is grown up a lot over time, however the Pixel telephones now value the identical as iPhones. The Pixel 9 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional each begin at $999, and although a few of us have come to think about Google’s handsets because the extra competitively priced possibility, this yr’s mannequin is perhaps adequate to justify a premium value. When you nonetheless need one thing from the Pixel 9 household however do not wish to pay $1,000, the bottom Pixel 9 continues to be a strong handset for most individuals. However because it stands, the Pixel 9 Professional is one of the best Android handset cash should buy. — Cherlynn Low, Managing Editor
- Nice digicam options and improved telephoto digicam
- A yr of Gemini Superior totally free
- Unbelievable battery life
- A good looking, vibrant display screen that’s straightforward to make use of outdoor
- Tensor G4 runs cooler than its predecessor
- Slower charging speeds than the XL
- Not one of the best telephone for gaming
$999 at Google
Cherlynn Low for Engadget
Learn our full iPhone 16e assessment
Display screen measurement: 6.1-inch | Storage capability: As much as 512GB | SIM help: Twin eSim | Battery Life: Greater than 24 hours
The iPhone 16e is nearer in specs to the iPhone 16 than the iPhone SE was to the iPhone 13. And that makes selecting which iPhone to purchase tougher than ever. Must you save $200 and quit a twin digicam, Dynamic Island, Digicam Management and MagSafe? That relies upon largely in your priorities and price range.
Whereas I feel that anybody who can afford the value distinction ought to go for the iPhone 16 over the iPhone 16e, I can’t deny that that is Apple’s greatest entry-level iPhone so far. It has an Motion button, USB-C, a bigger, brighter display screen and an A18 chip that allows Apple Intelligence. My largest issues with it are limitations introduced on by its single rear digicam setup — issues like not having the ability to seize ultrawide pictures or Portrait mode not working if there isn’t a face within the scene. When you’re coming from an iPhone 11 or newer, you need to contemplate whether or not the improved digicam sensor is value giving up an ultrawide digicam for. Whether it is, and when you can dwell with out snapping portraits of objects and faceless gadgets, the iPhone 16e’s digicam shall be satisfying.
There are different elements to contemplate, like whether or not you repeatedly use MagSafe equipment or wi-fi charging. When you do, then the iPhone 16e will frustrate you because it doesn’t work with the magnetic attachment system (you will get a MagSafe case to treatment this) and fees at a slower pace than the iPhone 15 or iPhone 16 (however there’s no repair for this). You’ll be able to contemplate the $699 iPhone 15 for a greater digicam and wi-fi charging expertise, however you’ll be giving up Apple Intelligence and an Motion button. — C.L.
- Stable efficiency
- Lengthy battery life
- Clear, sturdy design
- Vibrant, vibrant display screen
- Just one rear digicam, resulting in many limitations
- Costly in comparison with earlier iPhone SE
- No MagSafe
$599 at Apple
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
Learn our full Google Pixel 9a assessment
Display screen measurement: 6.3-inch | Storage capability: As much as 256GB | SIM help: 1x nano SIM, 1x eSim | Battery Life: As much as 28 hours
The Pixel 9a is not particularly flashy and it does not have any particular options that are not already out there on its dearer siblings. In reality, it truly has slower charging and it is lacking help for a few of Google’s homegrown software program just like the Screenshots app. However for everybody who simply needs a easy telephone with a strong design, a pleasant display screen, wonderful cameras and robust battery life, the Pixel 9a is admittedly onerous to beat. So whereas it isn’t tremendous fancy, the telephone has all of its most essential bases coated (after which some). However most significantly, beginning at simply $499, this telephone appears like an unimaginable deal that punches nicely above its value. — Sam Rutherford, Senior Reporter
- Glossy design
- Superior battery life
- Good show
- Nice cameras
- IP68 score for mud and water resistance
- Charging could possibly be sooner
- No Pixel Screenshot app
- Macro Focus mode is usually a bit finicky
$499 at Amazon
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
Learn our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 assessment
Display screen measurement: 8-inch (principal) 6.5-inch (folded) | Storage capability: As much as 1TB | SIM help: 1x nano SIM, 1x eSim | Battery life: As much as 24 hours
One of many largest points with foldable telephones is the added measurement and weight that usually comes with the inclusion of a versatile show. Samsung has made {that a} factor of the previous on the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which sports activities bigger screens — each inside and outside — whereas being 26 % thinner than earlier than. And as if that wasn’t sufficient, the Z Fold 7 additionally options improved sturdiness, elevated efficiency and a brand new 200MP principal digicam, matching or exceeding what you get from conventional flagship smartphones. The principle downsides are that at $2,000, it is nonetheless removed from inexpensive and for long-time Samsung followers, the lack of S Pen help could also be a dealbreaker. However for individuals who wish to expertise new heights in foldable telephone design, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a masterpiece of contemporary gadget design. — S.R.
- Exquisitely skinny design
- Sleeker hinge
- Large 200MP principal digicam
- Bigger shows
- Prime-tier efficiency
- Very costly
- No S Pen help
- Mediocre charging speeds
$2,120 at Amazon
Different smartphones we have examined
Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely
Like its predecessor, the S25 Extremely is an extremely versatile telephone. It’s one of many few handsets that include an included stylus and premium options like a beautiful 6.9-inch AMOLED show, titanium body and a 5x telephoto digicam. It additionally has wonderful efficiency and robust battery life. The difficulty is that, except for improved AI, this yr’s telephone doesn’t provide that rather more than the earlier mannequin (or the one earlier than that), and with costs beginning at $1,300, we really feel it must do extra to earn a prime decide spot.
OnePlus 13
Whereas the OnePlus 13 options some primary AI options like Google’s Circle to Search and Gemini assistant, it’s actually simply an old school flagship in all one of the best methods. That’s as a result of as an alternative of specializing in machine studying, OnePlus crammed the telephone with tons of top-notch {hardware}. It sports activities a 6.8-inch OLED show with an unimaginable peak brightness of as much as 4,500 nits. The OP13 additionally presents wonderful efficiency because of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, together with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. There are additionally three 50-MP rear cameras together with one with a 3x telephoto zoom and a large 6,000 mAh battery that’s larger than what you get in virtually all of its opponents.
OnePlus didn’t skimp on the telephone’s design both, because the OP13 nonetheless comes with the corporate’s signature Alert Slider. Plus, when you go for the blue or white variants, you’ll get a sturdy and really touchable vegan leather-based again that helps the telephone stand out amongst all its glass brick rivals. However one of the best half is that beginning at $900, it prices lower than an equal Galaxy S25+ too.
FAQs
How do I do know which smartphone is one of the best for me?
Whereas selecting one of the best smartphone may be difficult, it principally comes all the way down to how you intend on utilizing the machine. The entire greatest telephones out there now get the fundamentals proper — you’ll be capable to make calls, textual content and entry the web with out many hiccups. In case your smartphone is your most used gadget, chances are you’ll wish to contemplate paying for a tool on the upper finish of the value spectrum. That can get you higher total efficiency, higher-quality cameras and a telephone that may final for a few years. When you don’t use your telephone for every part, you could possibly compromise on efficiency and further perks and spend much less on a still-capable handset.
How a lot is a smartphone?
Smartphones vary in value from $300 to over $1,500. The very best price range telephones out there now will normally compromise on total efficiency, design, digicam prowess and further options to maintain prices down. On the flip facet, the costliest telephones can have highly effective processors, triple-camera arrays and even flip or fold designs. Most individuals will discover a telephone that matches their wants someplace in the course of that broad value vary — we’ve discovered that a lot of the greatest smartphones out there proper now value between $500 and $1,000.
What are you able to do on a smartphone?
Smartphones are basically small, moveable computer systems that allow you to do issues like examine e mail, browse social media, comply with map instructions, make contactless funds and extra. That is all on prime of the fundamentals like making telephone calls and texting, which we’ve come to anticipate in all trendy cell telephones. Smartphones have additionally principally changed compact cameras because of their high-quality, built-in shooters, and the truth that most smartphones at this time as simply as moveable, if no more so, as compact cameras.
How lengthy do smartphones final?
Smartphones can final years and persons are holding on to their telephones longer now than ever earlier than. Software program updates and battery life are two of the most important elements that may have an effect on telephone longevity. Apple guarantees 5 years value of software program updates for its newest iPhones, and Google guarantees the identical for its Pixel telephones. Samsung telephones will get 4 years value of Android updates from the time they launch. As for charging speeds and battery life, your telephone can deteriorate over time as you utilize and recharge your telephone regularly.
Current updates
July 2025: Up to date to incorporate the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.
April 2025: Up to date to incorporate the Google Pixel 9a.
February 2025: Up to date to incorporate the iPhone 16e.
January 2025: Up to date to incorporate particulars about Samsung’s newest Galaxy S-series telephones.
September 2024: Up to date to incorporate the newest iPhone 16 fashions and a brand new midrange iPhone prime decide.
