The 5 Best Android Phones Of 2025 Ranked, According To Consumer Reports – BGR

Consumer Reports ranks smartphones based on performance, camera quality, battery life, and more than a dozen other factors, making their list a go-to place for finding the best Android phones released in 2025. Their testing is thorough and reliable, so we took a close look at their list to see what they had to say about the past year’s lineup.

It was a big year for smartphone innovations: Flagship models are shipping with true AI companions that assist with all manner of everyday tasks. Foldables are going beyond “gimmick” phones and finding real use cases that demand bigger screens. Meanwhile, baseline AI features and durability advancements are even finding their way into affordable budget models.

In our roundup of Consumer Reports’ smartphone rankings, we narrowed the list down to one phone per product line. Samsung and Google phones continue to dominate the Android space with high-end flagships, reasonable budget models, and novelty designs. Regardless of what your intended use cases might be, these are 2025’s top five best Android phones for your consideration, according to Consumer Reports’ ratings.

The Google Pixel 9a is a mid-range model released in April 2025. What really sets this phone apart is the fact that it provides AI capabilities on a budget. It’s the first non-flagship phone from Google to include the Gemini Nano AI assistant as a built-in benefit. This makes handy features like Circle to Search and AI-enhanced photography very accessible. 

On the topic of photography, this model upholds the Pixel line’s reputation for including excellent cameras by coming with a 13MP ultrawide camera and a 48MP main camera in its dual rear system. As one might expect, the Pixel 9a’s camera doesn’t rank quite as high as that of a current flagship model, as per Consumer Reports’ rankings. 

However, it scores right alongside high-end flagships from the previous year — an impressive feat for a budget option. Factoring in its respectable battery life and sturdy build, the Pixel 9a is arguably the definitive budget smartphone of 2025.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 is a horizontally-folding smartphone that launched in July 2025. With this model, Samsung is boasting new advancements to the FlexWindow — the screen on the folded phone’s cover. 

As with other recent releases from Samsung, AI tools are also a big selling point here. The idea is that users can conveniently access voice-activated search and other AI assistant tools directly from the 4.1-inch Super AMOLED cover screen while the phone is flexed open on the desk beside you. Pocketability is still the handiest feature of the Flip series, and it’s certainly convenient to access any of the phone’s functions without the added step of unfolding it.

The Flip7 was well-received by Consumer Reports, even ranking right alongside Samsung’s much more expensive Fold7. As foldables continue to inch toward mainstream practicality, the Flip7 can certainly be seen as more than just a novelty. It’s an objectively solid choice for someone who is interested in foldables, but not invested enough to spring for Samsung’s premium Fold models.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is a vertically-folding smartphone that launched in July 2025. Unlike the Flip models, Samsung’s Fold phones open and close like a book and have truly massive interior screens. It’s a smartphone built for both productivity and gaming: The Z Fold7 has a screen large enough to be used like a tiny laptop, with enough real estate to multitask with multiple applications or documents visible on-screen at once. 

Samsung emphasizes the sleekness, but also the toughness, of the 2025 model due to Armor FlexHinge technology that also helps address the dreaded creasing down the middle of the screen. The company also emphasizes that the strength and durability of the hinge itself by 10%, though corroborating that figure with real-world testing will be difficult.  

Consumer Reports has a favorable opinion of the Fold7, but certain factors hold it back from being the best Android phone of the year. Innovations in screen size and foldable convenience did not necessarily outstrip the general appeal of a standard slab phone in this iteration. With a sky-high price tag to also consider, the Fold7 solidifies itself as an excellent phone, but not a must-have one for everybody.

The Google Pixel 10 Pro is a photography-focused smartphone that launched in August 2025. As with other products in Google’s Pixel line, it boasts cutting-edge camera specs: This model includes a 50MP main camera, and a 48MP ultrawide option. Advanced AI features can assist with getting the right shot, and the new 100x zoom opens up entirely new options. 

Top it all off with a next-gen AI-powered performance chip and a guaranteed seven years of updates, and this is a phone you can count on as your partner for a long time to come.

Aside from the standard Google Pixel 10 model, the Pixel 10 Pro has the lowest MSRP of any Android phone released in 2025 to receive a perfect rear camera rating from Consumer Reports. This isn’t to say it’s a budget phone, of course, but it certainly hits a great balance between Pro-level premium features, excellent photography capabilities, and reasonable pricing.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is the premium model in Samsung’s S25 lineup, released in February 2025. This phone helms the charge as Samsung makes its massive push into AI-powered handhelds. The Galaxy S25 series strives to provide a personalized assistant that understands context, optimizes your experience, and provides the exact types of answers you seek via voice-activated search and Circle to Search. 

Performance was also a huge priority in the development of this lineup. In fact, the S25 Ultra contains a customized Snapdragon 8 Elite processor with ProScaler technology that improves image quality by up to 40%.

As of the end of 2025, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra sits at the very top of Consumer Reports’ smartphone rankings. Its camera and photography systems received glowing rankings. Consumer Reports praised its performance, visual display, and physical durability as well. Samsung receives high satisfaction ratings on a consistent basis, making its devices a popular pick for Android users across the board. If you’re looking for the objectively best Android phone of last year, the Samsung Galaxy S25 presents a very compelling option.