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There are only three things promised in this lifetime: death, taxes, and the occasional smartphone upgrade. Our phones are the gateway to information, communication, entertainment, and more, and picking the right one you’ll stay with for years to come can be a great challenge.
That’s where we come in. At The Shortcut, we have a team of experts who have spent a combined 40+ years reporting on smartphones, meeting with the executives and engineers responsible for them, and reviewing them. We’ve spent countless hours testing their cameras, battery life, software, and all the quirks and gimmicks companies have introduced over generations.
Whether you’re looking for something with the latest technologies, something budget-friendly, or something flexible, we’ve got you covered. Below is our comprehensive list of all the best phones you can currently buy, broken down in our signature easy-to-read format.
Price range: $799+
✅ Amazing triple 48MP cameras
✅ Longest battery life ever on an iPhone
✅ Durable design in vibrant colors
✅ Fastest performance in a smartphone
❌ Higher starting prices
❌ Thick and heavy
Apple’s top-of-the-line iPhones for 2025 are some of the best we’ve ever tested. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are the biggest and baddest iPhones yet, complete with aluminum unibody designs that give the devices a substantial feel in the hand. Outfitted with three excellent 48MP rear cameras, bigger batteries (equating to the longest battery life yet in an iPhone), the ultra-fast A19 Pro processor, and a vapor chamber cooling system, these iPhones are impressive, to say the least. If you want the most spec’d-out iPhone experience you can have, the 17 Pro line is worth considering.
Starting prices
iPhone 17 Pro: $1,099
iPhone 17 Pro Max: $1,199
✅ Big, beautiful 6.9-inch display
✅ S Pen is handy for note-taking
✅ Powerful 200MP camera with 100x zoom
✅ Fast performance
❌ No MagSafe support
❌ Thick and heavy
The Galaxy S25 Ultra carries a certain tradition with Samsung’s flagship phones: include everything but the kitchen sink. Case in point, the S25 Ultra has just about every feature you could ask for in a phone. There’s a huge 6.9-inch display that’s bright and colorful, a fast Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor, an impressive 200MP rear camera with 100x zoom, and a big battery. It also carries an S Pen, which makes taking notes and signing documents on the go a breeze. It’s the Swiff army knife of smartphones, which makes it ideal for multitaskers and casual users alike.
Starting price: $1,299
✅ The best AI features on any phone
✅ Brighter displays
✅ Impressive cameras with 100X zoom
✅ Qi2 MagSafe support
❌ Fast charging is limited to the 10 Pro XL
❌ Design may not appeal to you
The Google Pixel has been one of the smartest smartphones you can buy since it came out in 2016, and the latest Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL are another example of that. Loaded to the brim with Gemini AI-powered tools and features, the phones offer one of the most intelligent smartphone experiences you can have. It helps that the hardware around it is pretty great, too. Three excellent cameras sit on the back, brighter displays are on the front, and there’s even Qi2 MagSafe charging support. You also get great performance from the Tensor G5 processor and longer battery life than last year. If you want to be on the cutting edge of AI for smartphones, the latest Pixels are worth picking up.
Starting prices
Pixel 10 Pro: $999
Pixel 10 Pro XL: $1,199
✅ Stylish, durable design
✅ Solid battery life
✅ Better cameras than Galaxy Z Flip 7
✅ Large and versatile cover screen
❌ Limited software upgrade support
❌ Video quality is a let-down
The Motorola Razr Ultra is the best flip-style folding phone we’ve used thus far. It’s all thanks to a excellent combination of premium design and high-end specs that, together, create an experience that matches that of a normal phone with the advantages of a foldable. The design is stylish yet durable, performance is fast, the battery life is shockingly good, and the cover display allows for more functionality than the one on Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 7. Another advantage the Razr has over Samsung’s phone is the camera system, which produces better photos with its dual 50MP rear cameras.
Starting price: $1,299
✅ Stunningly thin design
✅ Big, beautiful screens
✅ The most powerful cameras on a folding phone
✅ Reliably fast performance
❌ Battery life isn’t great
❌ It gets warm quickly
❌ No S Pen support
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 got a 5/5 rating in our review. Why? Because it’s one of the most impressive folding phones we’ve ever used. Samsung managed to make the phone so impressively thin that when it’s folded, it’s as thick as a normal phone. That might not sound like much, but it makes a big difference when you aren’t using the gorgeous 8-inch folding display. Speaking of which, the screens here are stunning, and they give you a ton of space to multitask and watch movies. The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy is plenty powerful, the rear 200MP camera takes the best pictures you can get from a folding phone in the United States, and it’ll get updates for seven years down the line.
Starting price: $1,999
✅ Bigger, brighter, faster screen
✅ Incredible performance thanks to the A19
✅ Center Stage selfie camera is a game-changer
✅ All-day battery life
❌ Camera zoom quality is disappointing
❌ Limited to 8GB of RAM
Apple’s iPhone 17 is so well-rounded, it’s almost hard to recommend buying anything else. It has a bigger 6.3-inch screen compared to the iPhone 16, but this time, it’s brighter and has a 120Hz refresh rate, which makes it as smooth and silky to use as Apple’s iPhone Pro models. The A19 chip is speedy and responsive, the dual rear cameras capture awesome photos and videos, and the new Center Stage selfie camera will be a game-changer for anyone who takes a lot of selfies. It’s backed up with all-day battery life and a solid starting price, making this the best “default” iPhone ever.
Starting price: $799
✅ Excellent camera quality
✅ The smartest smartphone on the market
✅ All-day battery life
✅ Great performance
❌ Much shorter zoom than the Pros
❌ Only 128GB of storage to start
The standard Pixel 10 is a great go-to for those who need a reliable Android device. Google packs it to the brim with Gemini AI features (just like the Pro phones), making it just as smart and capable of doing things like translating conversations in real time and surfacing relevant information across your phone when you need it. It comes with a gorgeous screen that’s 11% brighter than Pixel 9, the Tensor G5 processor for great performance, and some of the best cameras we’ve tested all year.
Starting price: $799
Price range: $499 - $799
✅ Very similar to the iPhone 17, but cheaper
✅ Same great camera quality
✅ Fast performance
✅ All-day battery life
❌ No 120Hz ProMotion display
❌ Only 128GB of storage available
Last year’s iPhone 16 didn’t stop working just because a new one came out. Apple’s 2024 flagship holds up extremely well for less than $700. You get a beautiful 6.1-inch display with the Dynamic Island, dual rear cameras that produce some killer photos and video, the fast A18 processor, and Camera Control. It also includes Apple Intelligence support, all-day battery life, and five different finishes to pick from. It’s a good phone to buy if you plan on using it for years down the line.
Starting price: $699
✅ Beautiful and bright screen
✅ Reliable cameras
✅ All-day battery life
✅ Seven years of software updates
❌ Generic design
❌ Charging speed is a bit slow
Google has a knack for making some of the best value smartphones on the market. The Pixel 9a is further proof of this: it manages to come with high-end specs and features for a fraction of the price. At $499, this phone comes with a beautiful 6.3-inch OLED display that gets up to 2,700 nits bright, the plenty-capable Tensor G4 processor, a 48MP main camera with a 13MP ultra-wide, and a bunch of AI features powered by Gemini. It’s smart, it’s fast, and it lasts all day on a charge. For its price, it’s quite a compelling package.
Starting price: $499
✅ More durable than previous Razrs
✅ Dual rear cameras
✅ A big cover screen
✅ Regularly on sale
❌ Cameras are underwhelming
❌ Limited software support
The entry-level Motorola Razr is a great option if you want a folding phone but don’t want to break the bank. The phone sports a 6.9-inch folding display and a sizable 3.4-inch cover screen, paired with a design that’s rated IP48 for water and dust resistance. There’s a 50MP camera on the back with a 13MP ultra-wide, a Dimensity 7400X processor, and a big 4,500mAh battery. It checks enough boxes to make it a great value for the price, and the fact that it’s almost always on sale makes the standard Razr even more appealing.
Starting price: $799
✅ 6.7-inch AMOLED display
✅ Solid triple camera system
✅ Seven years of software upgrades
✅ All-day battery life
❌ Performance is underwhelming
❌ Boring design
Samsung took the Galaxy S25 and re-worked it a bit to bring the price down, and the result is the reliably-good Galaxy S25 FE. With a 6.7-inch AMOLED screen up front, a triple rear camera on the back, and a big 4,900mAh battery inside, it’s equipped to handle just about anything you need. Plus, it comes with a more durable design and seven years of software updates, so it’s built to last in the long run.
Starting price: $649
✅ Huge battery for multi-day endurance
✅ Fast performance
✅ Triple rear cameras
✅ Big and bright display
❌ No wireless charging
❌ Limited software support
If you need a phone with super-long battery life, look no further than the OnePlus 13R. With a huge 6,000mAh battery inside, this phone runs laps around others on our list and can easily last 2+ days on a full charge. When it’s time to recharge, OnePlus includes its SuperVOOC charging brick in the box to get you back to 100% quickly. The rest of the phone is pretty solid, too: there’s a 6.78-inch OLED screen that reaches a whopping 4,500 nits of brightness, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, a triple rear camera system, and OnePlus’ signature Alert Slider on the side for quickly switching between silent / vibrate / ring.
Starting price: $599
Price range: $49 - $499
✅ Flagship-level display
✅ Durable design
✅ Speedy performance
✅ Large battery that delivers
❌ Cameras are underwhelming
❌ Not a lot of AI features
The Galaxy A36 is one of the most reliable phones you can buy for less than $400. Samsung includes a nice mix of features here, including a bright 6.7-inch AMOLED display that’s on par with many phones that cost twice as much. You also get a triple rear camera system that delivers similar versatility to a flagship, and a big 5,000mAh battery for multi-day endurance. Performance is also solid thanks to the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor. With six years of software upgrades and a durable design to boot, the A36 5G is a good choice for budget shoppers who want something that’ll last.
Starting price: $399.99
✅ Stylus for taking notes and signing documents
✅ IP68 certification
✅ Nice screen for the price
✅ Speedy performance
❌ Cameras are mediocre
❌ Underwhelming battery life
Smartphones with a built-in stylus are hard to come by nowadays, especially if you don’t want to spend upwards of $1,200. Luckily, Motorola has what you’re looking for with the Moto G Stylus. The phone comes with a big 6.7-inch display that’s quite nice for the price, a snappy Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor, and a built-in stylus for taking notes and signing documents on the go. It also has a triple rear camera system, fast 68W charging, and clean Android software.
Starting price: $399.99
✅ Very unique design
✅ Good performance
✅ Solid battery life
✅ IP64 rating
❌ Poor camera quality
❌ Limited 5G support
The Nothing Phone (3a) is another solid value that doubles-down on unique design. The phone’s transparent back reveals the “guts” that give it a bold look compared to other budget devices. LED lights sit at the top and can act as status indicators or strobe lights for your music, while a triple rear camera system sits between them. On the front, there’s a nice 6.77-inch AMOLED screen, while a snappy Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor lives inside. You also get great battery life with the 5,000mAh battery, an IP64 rating for water and dust resistance, and clean software. It’s one of the most unique phones you can get, regardless of price.
Starting price: $399
✅ Triple camera system
✅ IP54 rating
✅ Big battery
✅ Six years of software updates
✅ Slow performance
✅ Screen isn’t very bright
For less than $200, we recommend picking up the Galaxy A16 5G. It’s one of Samsung’s most well-rounded budget phones with a big 6.7-inch display, a triple camera system, and a 5,000mAh battery. It’s powered by an Exynos 1300 processor and has 128GB of storage, which should give you plenty of room to store your music, photos, and apps. Samsung also promises to deliver six years’ worth of software updates to it, so you’ll always have the latest features long after you buy it.
Starting price: $199.99
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.
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