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It's halfway through the year, so Paul is ranking the best smartphones of 2025 so far. Whether it's the all-powerful Galaxy S25 Ultra, the smartest AI-packed Pixel 9 Pro, or the best value pick like the Nothing Phone 3a Pro, Paul shares the top choices today if you're in the market for a new phone. Our team has tested and ranked the best flagship, best budget, best android, and best iPhones to help you decide which one is worth your money. Or simply, if you're curious about how Apple, Samsung, and Google are stacking up so far.
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If you're looking for the best smartphone of early 2025
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I've tested and ranked the top choices to help you decide which one is right for you
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Whether you want the ultimate flagship, a killer budget option, or the best foldable
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here are the top phones you can buy right now. The Galaxy S25 doesn't shake things up in terms of hardware
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but Samsung has gone all in on Galaxy AI, making this one of the smartest phones yet
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Cross-app actions let you trigger multiple tasks at once, like checking an event date, adding it to your calendar
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and texting a friend, all with a single command. Now Brief Screen learns from your habits
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and provides relevant updates, and tools like Circle to Surge and the Now Bar
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make multitasking smoother than ever. Samsung has also refined the hardware. The ultra-wide camera is now 50 megapixels
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improving detail and macro shots, while the Pro Visual Engine enhances image processing
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In our camera test, the S25 Ultra won more rounds than the iPhone 16 Pro Max
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especially with zoom, selfies, and low-light photography. Battery life is also better, lasting over 17 hours in testing, Samsung's longest flagship yet
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The Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, 12GB of RAM, and Qi 2 wireless charging support all help make this Samsung's most advanced phone to date, with meaningful upgrades over last year's model
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At $1299, the S25 Ultra is $100 more than the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Pixel 9 Pro, but Samsung has at least avoided another price increase
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The iPhone 16 Pro Max doesn't hold the overall top spot anymore
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but that's more about Samsung's AI push than any flaws on Apple's side
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This year's 6.9-inch display is bigger while keeping a similar footprint, and the A18 Pro chip delivers top-tier performance
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Apple intelligence is still rolling out, but for right now, its AI features feel more like nice extras than essential tools
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Battery life is where this phone truly shines, though. The iPhone 16 Pro Max lasted 17.5 hours in testing
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longer than any previous iPhone, and even outlasting the S25 Ultra. The 48-megapixel main camera and wider ultrawide lens deliver stronger low-light and macro shots
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while the 5x telephoto lens carries over from last year. While Apple's photo processing continues to set standard for dynamic range
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Samsung's zoom capabilities have pulled ahead this year. At $1,199, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is $100 cheaper than the Galaxy S25 Ultra
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and you still get MagSafe wireless charging at 25 watts, best in-class video recording
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and one of the longest lasting batteries ever in an iPhone It still an absolute powerhouse and if you deep into Apple ecosystem this is the one to get Google has been leading the AI race for years and the
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Pixel 9 Pro makes the case that it's still the smartest AI experience of any phone. Pixel
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Screenshots lets you search within images, Gemini Live takes Google Assistant to the next level with
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real-time conversational abilities, and Call Notes automatically transcribes and summarizes calls. Hardware upgrades include a 6.5-inch brighter display and a larger 4700 mAh battery, which
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finally gives the Pixel solid battery life at over 13.5 hours in testing
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The ultrawide camera now supports macro mode, and Google's photo processing remains top
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tier, producing crisp and detailed shots with excellent HDR. At $999, the Pixel 9 Pro cost the same as last year's model, but with better battery
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life, a brighter screen, and more advanced AI tools, it's one of the most capable Android
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phones that you can buy today. If you want Google's best advice, this is the phone to get
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Google's decision to keep the mid-range phone at the same $499 price point while packing some
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serious upgrades makes the Pixel 9a our best value phone of 2025. The 9a goes bigger in every way
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with a larger 6.3 inch 120 hertz actual display and nearly flushed back body that fits a massive
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5100 milliamp hour battery delivering some of the best endurance of any Pixel phone and comparable
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performance to their flagships with a Tensor G4 processor and 8GB of RAM. There's now a 48-megapixel
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camera that pairs well with a 13-megapixel ultrawide. While the main camera is down from the
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Pixel 8A's 64-megapixel one, it features a wider f1.7 aperture that allows it to capture better
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photos under low-light conditions. The Pixel 9a gets nearly the same AI features found on the more
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expensive Pixel 9 models, with Pixel Studio and Admi photo editing features stealing the show
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The 9A continues to prove how budget phones can rival flagship models, and you can see just how close it comes to beating the twice as expensive iPhone 16 Pro in my other video linked below
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Motorola's foldable flip phones continue to get better each year, and the Motorola Razr Ultra brings some serious upgrades, including a titanium reinforced hinge that improves durability and reduces the screen crease
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The top end Razer Ultra costs $12.99, but gives you a more powerful processor, upgraded camera setup, and a major battery life boost
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The Ultra model also goes back to featuring a main camera and an ultra-wide lens in its rear array
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The ultra lens replaces the telephoto camera that we found on the 2024 edition of the Razer Plus which we feel this year gives you better flexibility especially for capturing big group shots
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With its massive 4700 mAh battery and screen set to its default refresh rate
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the Motorola Razer Ultra lasted about 15 hours and 42 minutes in our battery life test
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the best time that we've recorded with any foldable phone. Its efficiency and power comes from the Snapdragon 8 Elite
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giving you comparable performance to the S25 Ultra and the OnePlus 13
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If you've been on the edge about foldable phones because of concerns with durability, performance, or battery life, the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 puts those issues to bed
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It is one of the priciest foldable flip phones that you can buy today, but it has the hardware to back it up
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The OnePlus 13 is proof that you don't need to spend over $1,000 for a flagship experience
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At $899, it costs $100 more than last year's model, but it still undercuts similarly sized competitors like the S25 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max
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while delivering impressive specs and a gorgeous 6.82-inch OLED display. Its Hasselblad-tuned cameras are OnePlus' best yet
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producing bright and well-balanced photos, strong portrait shots, and impressive low-light performance
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The 6,000 mAh battery is a standout feature, lasting nearly 20 hours in testing, one of the longest battery lives of any flagship phone
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and nearly twice as long as some of the phones on this list. Add to that its ridiculous 80-watt fast charging or 100-watt internationally, and you get a 90% charge in just 30 minutes
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With a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, the OnePlus 13 offers comparable performance to other flagships on this list while offering better battery life for less
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If you want top-tier performance at a lower price, this is the best Android flagship value
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The iPhone 16 keeps much of what makes the Pro models great, but at a more affordable $799
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It shares the same A18 chip and 48-megapixel main camera as the iPhone 16 Pro, making it
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arguably the best-value iPhone you can buy today. Apple upgraded the ultrawide camera with a wider f2.2 aperture, which allows for better
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low-light shots and a new macro mode. While it lacks a telephoto lens, its sensor crop 2x digital zoom still holds up well against
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phones with a dedicated zoom camera. Battery life is solid at over 12 hours, though charging speeds remain capped at 20-watt wired
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At least we still have 25 watt wireless charging with MagSafe. At $799, the iPhone 16 delivers much of the Pro experience
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for $200 less. Unless you need ProMotion or telephoto lenses this is the best balance of price and features in the iPhone lineup For the NothingPhone 3A Pro redefines what budget phones can offer It one of the few
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sub-$500 phones offering a triple camera system, including a telephoto lens with three times
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optical zoom, something rarely seen at this price point. The 5,000 milliamp hour battery lasted over
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14 and a half hours in testing, beating competitors like the Pixel 8a and the iPhone 16e
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50W wired fast charging can get it to about 70% in just 30 minutes, though wireless charging is absent
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Powered by a Snapdragon 7S Gen 3, performance is decent for daily tasks, but more demanding gaming can feel choppy
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If you want a cool-looking feature-rich phone with great battery life and versatile cameras
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the Nothing Phone 3A Pro is an unbeatable deal. The Galaxy S25 brings all of Samsung's latest AI tools to a more compact and affordable flagship
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At $799, it's $500 cheaper than the S25 Ultra, making it the best way for most people
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to experience Samsung's AI features. Samsung kept the same camera setup as the S24, but the updated Pro Visual Engine improves
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photo processing, low light performance, and color accuracy. It's one of the few $799 phones with a dedicated telephoto lens, though its 3x zoom falls short
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of the 5x lenses found on the Pro models from Apple and Google
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Owners of recent Galaxy S models won't find much of a reason to upgrade here on camera performance alone
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The 4000 milliamp hour battery lasted over 15.5 hours in testing, a huge improvement over last year's model
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However, charging remains at 25 watt wired, and while Qi2 wireless charging is available
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you're going to need a supported case to take full advantage of it. With a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, 12 gigabytes of RAM, and Samsung's full AI suite
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The Galaxy S25 is the best Samsung flagship for most people, especially if you prefer a more compact phone without the ultra price tag
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Those are the best phones of early 2025. Whether you're after the best overall, top value, or killer foldable
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If you found this video helpful, drop a comment below and let me know which phone you're thinking of picking up this year
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Or if there's another one that I should cover for the next time. You can find us everywhere at Tom's Guide and you can follow me to see what other cool tech I'm testing
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And until the next one, I'll catch you later
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