The best smartphones of 2025 include some surprises

Apple, Samsung, Google and OnePlus have brought their A-games with new phone releases in 2025.

Not every aspect of every new device released by these companies was great. Some of the devices themselves were disappointing. Still, whether you want a mid-range powerhouse or a fabulous foldable, or anything in between, you have plenty of great options in 2025.

Here are the best smartphones launched in the last 12 months.

OnePlus 15

It’s a bit generic, but who cares?
Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

Over the past few years, Chinese company OnePlus has offered excellent flagship phones at competitive prices. If you want to escape the Apple/Google/Samsung ecosystem and opt for something a little different (but arguably just as good, if not better), the OnePlus 15 is a great solution.

There’s nothing particularly distinctive or fancy about the OnePlus 15 – just a reliable, solid Android handset. For $899, you get three good rear cameras, a huge display with a staggering 165Hz refresh rate, and a gargantuan 7,300mAh battery that lasts for exceptionally long periods of time.

The OnePlus 15 is the newest phone on the list and holds up well against the others.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7

It’s just absurd how thin this phone is.
Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

One of the big problems with tablet-style foldable phones (which I personally prefer over flip phones) is: most feel bulky when folded. You can use the outer screen like a normal phone – but on almost all of these devices, the form factor doesn’t make it a very fun thing to do.

This is what makes the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 so remarkable: Samsung has completely solved this problem. It turned out the solution was simply to make the phone extraordinarily thin.

The Fold 7 has the most impressive physical design of any device on this list; you really have to see it to believe it. It’s a great phone in many ways, but the fact that it actually feels like a regular phone when you fold it is a real game-changer. This is by far the best foldable I have ever used.

Motorola Razr Ultra

Samsung’s Z Flip 7 has gotten the most attention among foldable fans, but don’t count out the premium Razr Ultra.

This smartphone has a amazing battery life, and it lasted more than 24 hours in our summary tests. On top of that, it starts with 512GB of storage and comes with a Snapdragon processor, unlike the Z Flip 7.

In short, the Razr Ultra feels more like a flagship phone, while Samsung’s flip phone clearly falls behind the flagship Z Fold 7. Early versions of the foldable Razr had some issues, which we’ve covered in depth. But the 2025 version fixes those bugs and it’s a satisfying flip phone that actually fits in your pocket.

This phone went a long way toward convincing our tech editor that foldables are finally ready for the consumer market; he called him the “unsung hero” of the year.

GooglePixel 10 Pro

Unfortunately, these aren’t the most exciting color options.
Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

I’m an iPhone enthusiast and probably will be for the rest of time, but if I ever had to move to Android, Google’s Pixel line is where I’d go.

Pixel software is always clean and intuitive, and Google tends to favor Pixel phones when it comes to releasing new Android software features first. Then there’s the fact that they have some of the best cameras in the industry.

Most of that has remained true with the Pixel 10 Pro this year. It delivered amazing photos (at least during the day) and some of its new AI features, like Daily Hub, can be useful. Google didn’t make many changes to the Pixel this year, but it didn’t need much.

iPhone 16e

It’s a mix of old and new.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

For years, Apple’s mid-range iPhone was the iPhone SE. They were generally very good devices, and in particular, they appeased people who longed for the physical home button.

Unfortunately, Apple never got into the habit of releasing new SE models every year and the lineup was sent out to pasture.

The good news is that Apple hasn’t completely abandoned mid-range iPhones. The iPhone 16e is the first in what we hope will be an annual lineup of inexpensive iPhones, and while its $599 starting price is a bit high-end for a mid-range device, the phone itself is excellent.

For much less than the price of a flagship iPhone, you get a nice A18 chip for quality performance, exceptional battery life, and all the current Apple Intelligence features you could ask for. Let’s hope Apple maintains its momentum and the iPhone e-series lives up to the next phone on this list.

GooglePixel 9a

Beautiful color.
Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

Google’s Pixel A series has been its budget flagship for years, and the Pixel 9a was no different. Aside from a somewhat boring redesign, this $499 handset is almost as good as the regular Pixel 9.

All the AI ​​features are there, the cameras aren’t bad, the battery lasts a long time, and you can get it in pink. As a budget phone, it doesn’t bring any new features, but the fact that you’re not missing much from the regular Pixel 9 is a great selling point in itself.

iPhone 17 Pro Max

Unfortunately we didn’t get the orange one.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

No, we weren’t going to end this list without talking about the new flagship iPhone of 2025. You can breathe easy.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max is a powerhouse. You can get up to 2TB of built-in storage, it has some of the best smartphone cameras money can buy, and you’ll never have any performance concerns thanks to powerful internal hardware.

Oh, and the battery is also very good; we noted up to 39 hours of battery life when it comes to video playback. It’s not a cheap phone, but if you can afford it, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is worth the investment.