I test all the best Android phones every year, and these are the ones you should buy in 2025

From the minute you take it out of the box, the Galaxy S25 Ultra feels like a tool that’s ready to work. Its massive titanium frame protects panels of Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on both the front and back, and it continues to house the S Pen that’s boosted productivity users since the days of the Galaxy Note lineup. Yes, Samsung simplified its built-in stylus a bit this year and took away a few features, but it remains the easiest way to take notes and doodle your way into Sketch to Image on the gorgeous 6.9-inch AMOLED panel.

To me, though, the Galaxy 25 Ultra stands out because of its four rear cameras. Like the previous generation, the start of the show is a huge 200MP sensor that covers much of the short-range zoom until the dual 3x and 5x optical telephoto sensors take over to push to 100x Space Zoom with a bit of help from some Galaxy AI processing. I prefer the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s shots up to about the 10x zoom length, as there’s barely any drop in quality, and the built-in camera filters make it easier to put some personality into your images right off the bat.

The rest of Samsung’s internals keep the Galaxy S25 Ultra well-positioned for the future, even if they come at a cost. Yes, this ultra-tier flagship starts at $1,299 — more than any of our other primary picks — but that’s what you pay for an “Ultra” phone, and for your money, you get an overclocked Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, 12GB of RAM across most configurations, frequently updated Galaxy AI features, and the fastest charging that you’ll currently find on a Samsug phone at 45W. But, with seven years of updates, you can stretch your time with the Galaxy S25 Ultra further than most of its rivals.

In almost every way, the Pixel 9a is just the type of addition the larger Pixel 9 series needed. It carries over most of the great AI-powered features I mentioned falling in love with on the Pixel 9 Pro XL, like access to the Pixel Studio, using Gemini to multitask across apps, and receiving the same regular Pixel Drops as its flagship siblings. It’s a bummer to see Pixel Screenshots wind up on the cutting room floor, but I’ve always found screenshot management in Photos good enough that I don’t mind too much.

Perhaps the one thing that initially surprised me about the Pixel 9a was its updated design. I’d seen leaks and rumors that the camera bar was going away, and I didn’t want to believe it. However, since spending time with Google’s most affordable model, I’ve come around to the benefit of simplicity. Google didn’t just axe its iconic camera bar for fun, but instead found ways to slim the internal components to free up the space to embed its cameras deeper into the body. The result is a phone that doesn’t collect dust around its cameras, but still manages to have the same Google-y personality I love about Pixels.

Along with that refreshed design, Google gave its mid-ranger several other updates to make the $500 price tag feel like even more of a bargain. It carries the same Tensor G4 chipset as its flagship siblings, and has swapped to a wider 48MP primary camera that lets in more light for Google’s brilliant image processing to play with, and it’s all topped off with the largest battery on any Pixel at 5,100mAh. I called it the best $500 phone I’ve ever used, and I’ll stand by that until the Pixel 10a comes around.

The modular design is the most fun I’ve had with a phone since Samsung brought back the flip phone with its Galaxy Z Flip lineup. The design still works the same as it did on the first CMF Phone, having you release the back panel with a series of screws before attaching different accessories like a lanyard, card holder, or a kickstand.

I think the coolest accessory that the team at CMF has cooked up is one that’s out for Moment’s lunch. The Phone 2 Pro supports new external camera lenses, which you can screw on and off the updated 50MP sensors to give them macro and fisheye functionality. It’s perhaps a slightly old-fashioned take on what’s usually done with software or a dedicated sensor, but I like that it means you don’t have to worry about macro mode turning on and off as it senses you nearing a subject. Oh, and have I mentioned that you can give this quirky pick a try for less than $300?

At that price, we usually expect some pretty significant cuts to budget phones, but I think the Phone 2 Pro has managed to avoid most of the pitfalls. Its Dimensity 7300 Pro is up for most tasks, and adding the Essential Key allows the budget pick to tap into the same convenient AI journal that Nothing introduced on its recent Phone 3a duo. The upgraded IP54 rating (up from IP52) is also a nice touch, but it falls slightly behind the IP68 protection that Samsung and Motorola have started adding to their affordable options.

I spent a fair portion of my winter with the Galaxy A16 5G in my pocket, and I came away impressed more often than not. Yes, I have to put it into the context that this is merely a $200 Android phone, but sometimes good enough is all you need. Its display is bright enough in most conditions, its primary camera is flexible enough to cover day-to-day shooting in decent lighting, and its battery life is pretty solid because of the power-sipping processor. However, one thing truly adds a mountain of value to a phone that costs little more than a mole hill.

Yes, it’s Samsung’s downright remarkable commitment to software updates. Despite costing about the same as a premium pair of running shoes, the Galaxy A16 5G is on tap for six years of updates across major Android patches and regular security coverage. That puts this budget option at more updates than either the OnePlus 13 or Motorola Razr Ultra can match, despite both flagships costing at least four times more.

Ultimately, that mix of value and long-term support makes the Galaxy A16 5G great for a few particular groups of people, like kids or grandparents. It makes sense for the former as you won’t have to worry too much about the phone picking up scuffs or scrapes since it doesn’t cost too much to repair or replace, while it makes sense for the latter as One UI probably won’t change too much over the course of its many updates, making it easy for you to lend a hand as the go-to tech support person in your family.

Google’s 6.3-inch flagship packs the same hardware — 50MP primary, 48MP periscope telephoto, and 48MP ultrawide sensors — as the Pixel 9 Pro XL, but the smaller body makes it much easier to pull out of your pocket and grab a photo before you miss the moment. On top of that, the Pixel 9 Pro still supports all of the same AI-powered shooting modes like Add Me, the refreshed Panorama mode, and the ability to edit your shots after the fact with Magic Editor.

Want to see the proof for yourself? You can check out a whole bunch of our camera test samples in this Google Drive.

Of course, to make its compact Pro model run smoothly, Google had to make a cut or two. Thankfully, it didn’t follow the path of Apple’s previous Pros, putting different telephoto sensors on each size, but instead opted for a smaller battery. The Pixel 9 Pro packs a still-solid 4,700mAh battery with 27W wired charging from the same USB-C Pixel charger I’ve mentioned once or twice and 21W wireless charging from the in-house Pixel Stand. Otherwise, though, everything from the combination of aluminum and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 to the top-notch build quality and the still-questionable Temperature Sensor is a perfect match for the full-sized flagship.

More specifically, the Razr Ultra packs an impressive 16GB of RAM in its base configuration with 512GB of storage by default, both of which are more than any of Samsung’s foldables can match. It then pairs them up with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and a 4,700mAh battery that towers over that of most flip phones I’ve reviewed. Not only that, but Motorola’s top-tier flip phone also packs a charging setup worth writing home about. The Razr Ultra ships ready to handle up to 68W wired TurboPower speeds with 30W wireless charging as a backup, at least as long as you have a capable charger. That’s fast enough to run circles around everyone but OnePlus in the US, and makes an already great phone feel even better.

Perhaps what wins the Razr Ultra the most points over Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip lineup is that I still prefer its cover screen experience. There are no hoops to jump through, no extra software to install, and no weird layouts to avoid. Yes, your apps use the entire display by default, meaning they might get cut off by the camera cutouts, but you can quickly fix that with a press of the gesture pill to compact the interface into a smaller square. On top of that, AI companions like Perplexity, Gemini, and Moto AI come optimized for the cover screen, making it easy to ask for help when needed.

While I don’t usually like to put too much stock into the way a phone looks — especially if I’m going to put it into a case — there’s no way around it on the Razr Ultra. Every colorful finish that Motorola offers comes from its close partnership with Pantone, and the different back panels offer more personality than the usual mix of Gorilla Glass can match. I reviewed the Mountain Trail version, which comes with a wooden back and a bronzed aluminum frame, but Motorola’s Scarab finish is an eye-catcher with its deep green color and slightly fuzzy Alcantara back panel. I might be concerned about how it’ll age in the coming years, but I can’t say I’ve seen anyone use materials quite like Motorola.

What surprised me most about coming to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold a little late in the game is that it doesn’t feel too different from the small Pixel 9 Pro, at least not when closed. As a result, I’m much more willing to pull it out of my pocket for casual tasks like streaming, social media, and updating my Strava activities without feeling like I’m trying to type on a knife’s edge. Then, when I’ve found whatever show I’m desperately trying to keep up with, I’m perfectly comfortable opening the nearly bezelless internal display and only losing a bit of space to letterboxing.

Although it’s a massive leap forward for Google’s foldables overall, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold isn’t without its quirks. Its slim form factor means the Tensor G4 chipset has to work a little harder to vent heat, while the 4,650mAh battery is held back by just 21W wired charging — barely faster than what you get from the Pixel 9a for a third of the cost. Google’s peripheral cameras feel like odd choices, too, with just a 10.8MP telephoto and 10.5MP ultrawide to hold down the newly square camera bump.

And yet, I still feel like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the best tablet-style foldable you can get your hands on. Maybe it’s because many of the Android Authority crew are Pixel fans by nature, but I feel like Google’s approach to Android remains one of the cleanest and easiest to navigate, with the right mix of optimizations for the internal display. You’ll also get the full suite of AI-powered features like Call Screen, Pixel Studio, and Gemini Live, just with far more real estate on which to explore them.

Up first, the cell that keeps the lights on. The OnePlus 13’s 6,000mAh cell is large enough to make all but the most dedicated gaming phones feel inadequate. It’s a full 1,000mAh larger than the battery Samsung tapped for its Galaxy S25 Ultra or Google chose for its Pixel 9 Pro XL, yet the OnePlus 13 is no thicker than either one. It can achieve such a remarkable capacity thanks to its switch from lithium-ion technology to silicon-carbon, a move that we’d love to see the likes of Samsung copy the next time it tries an ultra-thin Edge model.

Better, our objective drain testing showed that the OnePlus 13 can go on and on thanks to its impressive cooling setup and efficient Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. It does experience some pretty extreme throttling here and there, occasionally quitting out benchmarking tests in the name of thermal management, but I’ve always been able to go two days between charges, so I’m not complaining.

And, when you inevitably drain your OnePlus 13, SuperVOOC charging is some of the best in the business. You’ll need to keep the included USB-A charger close at hand since SuperVOOC is a much different standard than USB PD PPS in terms of support, but when you watch the OnePlus 13 fly back to a 50% charge in just 13 minutes, you probably won’t have an issue with it. OnePlus’s latest flagship also supports 50W wireless charging through a brand-new magnetic charger with a built-in fan, though you’ll need a magnetic charger and might have to use a special plastic panel to protect the Arctic Dawn finish should you choose that colorway — it’s a bit of a confusing mess, and the only blot on an otherwise near-perfect package.

Of course, those features aren’t completely unheard of in the flagship Android segment — well, 24GB of RAM is a lot — but its clever gaming tweaks set the ROG Phone 9 Pro apart. It pulls the programmable matrix from the back of the ROG Zephyrus and pairs it with pressure-sensitive triggers dotted around the frame to help you draw some of the controls off the 6.78-inch AMOLED itself. Those features, combined with the improved efficiency of the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, had my colleague Rob Triggs gaming with a smile, pushing the ROG Phone 9 Pro as hard as he wanted to find out where its throttling point lay.

For what might be the first time, though, Rob also declared this to be a gaming phone he might not mind using every day. See, a lot of gaming-specific devices fall into the common trap of being too big, too edgy, and too expensive for casual usage, not to mention the fact that camera hardware almost always comes last. On the ROG Phone 9 Pro, however, you get an updated 50MP LYTIA 700 sensor for the bulk of your photography, and ASUS has reimagined its stabilization for better video shooting. The display is also brighter and smoother than before, topping out at a 185Hz refresh rate and 2,500 nits of brightness, which is more than enough for a bright, sunny day.

Also, if you’re serious about pushing the ROG Phone 9 Pro to its gaming limits (and why wouldn’t you be?), ASUS has several accessories worth checking out. Rob got plenty of mileage out of the detachable controller below, though he also mentioned the external cooling setup as a helpful option when trying to game and charge simultaneously. And, if you’re not set on the customizable LED matrix on the back, you can also check out the ROG Phone 9 to save a couple of bucks.