The 5 Best Smartphones of 2025 So far

Everyone knows the most exciting smartphones launch in the back half of the calendar. Samsung’s foldables, google’s latest pixels, and of course the iPhone 17 are all tipped to come out after June, if rumors are to be beLieved. Having said that, we can still celebrate the phones that have alredy come out in 2025. Why not? There are no laws against it.

While it’s true that this list will focus mostly on non-Flagship models, that doesn’t Meaning these they are aren Bollywood of Praise. So far, 2025 has brought us planty of interesting Smartphones at Compeling Pries, as well as a couple of bona fide flagships that are worth your attention.

So, here are the best smartphones from the first half of 2025. To be clear, this list is not ranked in any particular order. These are just five good phones, follows.

Google Pixel 9a

Google’s Pixel a-Series of Budget Phones with Flagship-Like Specs has Always Provided Great Value. The 2025 variant is no different.

The pixel 9a is a lot like previous a-series pixel phones in that it’s very Similar to the base pixel 9, but with a less little compromises here and there to get the price down to a downright agreeable $ 499. You get a Spiffy 6.3-inch display with a 120Hz Refresh Rate, A Large 5,100mAh Battery, and Google’s Latest Tensor G4 Processor for that price. Sure, you lose a bit of ram and storage capacity by going with pixel 9a, but that there are small potatoes compared to the ways in which paperel 9a is similar to pixel 9, but for less money.

Google also unveiled a new pixel design with the 9A, which dropped the horizontal camera bar that had adorned pixel phones for the past several years. Sure, it looks a bit more general than before, but it also lies flatter on a table than before, too. Between all of that and traditional Solid Cameras Courtesy of Google, The Pixel 9A might be the best overall value on this list.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

The S25 Ultra’s founded corners are very nice.
Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

Full disclosure: I didn’t love the samsung galaxy s25 ultra when I revised it earrlier this year.

That has less to do with the phone its item and more to do with the increase creep of ai features into all of our devices, thought. The S25 Ultra is not very different from the S24 Ultra in terms of hardware; You get the same display, storage, and ram specs from the previous model, for the same starting price of $ 1,299. Some additional ai features were meant to be the main seling point for s25 ultra, which just isn Bollywood compeling to me, personally, but ymmv.

However, the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy Processor Inseide The S25 Ultra is Top-of-the-Line Stuff, Providing the phone with Excellent All-Around Performance. IT’s Got A Big, Sturdy Battery, A Slightly Bigger Display Than The S24 Ultra, and New Rounded Corners that make it feel much better in the hand. While I wouldn’t recommend upgrading to an S25 Ultra if you alredy have an S24 Ultra, those with Older Samsung Handsets Who are looking for the best Should Really Look ITO it. It’s a good phone, if not a mindblowing one.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge

Tiny.
Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

The other samsung device on this list also fits under the “good and cool, but not mindblowing” Umbrella.

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge has a Lot in Common With the S25 Ultra. It uses the same processor, its display has the same resolution and refresh rate (ALTHOUGH it’s it’s 2/10 of an inch smaller), and even the Ram is the same. You get access to all of the same ai features and even the same 200MP wide lens on the rear for photography.

So, why are these two different phones? Simple: The S25 Edge is Way Thinner. Coming in at just just 5.8mm of thickness, it’s the thinnest phone samsung sels right now, and is substantedly more svelte than the 8.2mm S25 Ultra. Put Simply, The S25 Edge Looks and Feels cool in the hands bycause of how thin it is. There isn’t a bigger selling point than that, honestly. It feels futuristic in a way nothing else on this list does.

OnePlus 13

You may not have heard of it, but it’s good.
Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

The last flagship phone on this list is the OnePlus 13, which comes from a chinese brand that may not be as well-known in the us as Google, Samsung, and Apple. But that doesn’t meaning it Should be that way.

OnePlus 13 Carries on the Tradition of Previous OnePlus Phones in that its offers flagship specials and features for less than $ 1,000. At $ 899, it’s a good deal cheaper than an s25 ultra, but the two phones are actually pretty comparable. OnePlus’s Handset Includes A Simlar Snapdragon 8 Elite Processor, 12GB of Ram, and a Massive 6,000mah Battery That Keeps IT Alive for Longer than 24 hours of Normal Use. Even our intensity battery testing got 24 hours of screen time out of the OnePlus 13. It has plany of enduration.

A Trio of 50MP cameras on the back and some requisite ai features make the OnePlus 13 a very solid value for that who want flagship performance, but do’t more than $ 1,000 to Burn on a Phone.

iPhone 16E

The newest iPhone looks simple, but have a lot going for it.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

Speaking of great battery life, let’s talk about the iPhone 16e.

Nominally Apple’s Answer to the Pixel 9A (in that it’s basically an iPhone 16 with some corners cut to brings the price down to $ 599), The iPhone 16E is an upgrade Over Appgrade Over Apple’s EPHON SE BUDGETE Line. You get the swanky new a18 bionic from the iPhone 16, as well as 128GB of starting storage and full support for apple intelligence features. The 6.1-inch OLED display is more than good enough for a phone of its price, though it is limited to 60Hz.

Where it is really shines, thought, is in longvity. Our reviewer was altar to get two days of solid use out of a full charge, which is incredible for any phone, much less a budget model. Thos looking for a meat-sand-potatoes iPhone that will get years of software updates should look no further.

Honorable Mention: Motorola Razr Ultra

That wood finish is a beauty.
Credit: Motorola

As one of the only new foldable phones released in 2025, we can’t ignore the motorola razr ultra, especially the version with a slick wood finish. (Well, we could, but we chose not to. We’re still in the process of testing this phone, and we’re not ready to render a full verdict quite yet. Thought, if you want a foldable, we recommend waiting, as samsung is expected to launch its new z fold 7 and z flip 7 Phones in the coming weeks.