Best Android phones 2025: which one is right for you?
From Galaxies to Pixels to Razrs and more, here are our expert recommendations on which Android phone you should buy
The world of Android phones has never been more diverse than it is today. Many manufacturers have introduced futuristic designs to stay competitive, new AI features to improve user experience, doubled down on cameras and battery size, and more. Depending on what you need most from your smartphone, some are better suited for your needs than others, and finding the right one can be a challenge.
Luckily, we’ve got you covered. Here at The Shortcut, we’ve spent countless hours reviewing all of the top Android phones, getting to know all their quirks, best features, and capabilities. Below, we’ve rounded up our list of the best Android smartphones you can buy, while highlighting what makes each of them so great. No matter what your budget is, there’s a phone on this list for you.
Best flagship Android phones
Price range: $799+
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
✅ Big, beautiful 6.9-inch display
✅ S Pen is handy for note-taking
✅ Powerful 200MP camera with 100x zoom
✅ Fast performance
❌ No MagSafe support
❌ Thick and heavy
The Galaxy S25 Ultra carries a certain tradition with Samsung’s flagship phones: include everything but the kitchen sink. Case in point, the S25 Ultra has just about every feature you could ask for in a phone. There’s a huge 6.9-inch display that’s bright and colorful, a fast Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor, an impressive 200MP rear camera with 100x zoom, and a big battery. It also carries an S Pen, which makes taking notes and signing documents on the go a breeze. It’s the Swiff army knife of smartphones, which makes it ideal for multitaskers and casual users alike.
Starting price: $1,299
Google Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL
✅ The best AI features on any phone
✅ Brighter displays
✅ Impressive cameras with 100X zoom
✅ Qi2 MagSafe support
❌ Fast charging is limited to the 10 Pro XL
❌ Design may not appeal to you
The Google Pixel has been one of the smartest smartphones you can buy since it came out in 2016, and the latest Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL are another example of that. Loaded to the brim with Gemini AI-powered tools and features, the phones offer one of the most intelligent smartphone experiences you can have. It helps that the hardware around it is pretty great, too. Three excellent cameras sit on the back, brighter displays are on the front, and there’s even Qi2 MagSafe charging support. You also get great performance from the Tensor G5 processor and longer battery life than last year. If you want to be on the cutting edge of AI for smartphones, the latest Pixels are worth picking up.
Starting prices
Pixel 10 Pro: $999
Pixel 10 Pro XL: $1,199
OnePlus 13
✅ Huge battery with ultra-fast charging
✅ Cameras that keep up with the best
✅ Gorgeous design
✅ Powerful performance
❌ Limited software support
❌ Not available through carriers
The OnePlus 13 is one of the most underrated smartphones on the market. Whether you’ve heard of it before or are just learning about it now, it deserves your attention. Not only is it as fast and powerful as something like the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but it has some of the best battery life that I’ve ever experienced, all thanks to its unique 6,000mAh battery cell. It has a gorgeous design to boot, complete with an IP69 certification for water and dust resistance. We also like the cameras on this phone, including the impressive 120x AI-powered zoom.
Starting price: $999
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
✅ Stunningly thin design
✅ Big, beautiful screens
✅ The most powerful cameras on a folding phone
✅ Reliably fast performance
❌ Battery life isn’t great
❌ It gets warm quickly
❌ No S Pen support
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 got a 5/5 rating in our review. Why? Because it’s one of the most impressive folding phones we’ve ever used. Samsung managed to make the phone so impressively thin that when it’s folded, it’s as thick as a normal phone. That might not sound like much, but it makes a big difference when you aren’t using the gorgeous 8-inch folding display. Speaking of which, the screens here are stunning, and they give you a ton of space to multitask and watch movies. The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy is plenty powerful, the rear 200MP camera takes the best pictures you can get from a folding phone in the United States, and it’ll get updates for seven years down the line.
Starting price: $1,999
Motorola Razr Ultra (2025)
✅ Stylish, durable design
✅ Solid battery life
✅ Better cameras than Galaxy Z Flip 7
✅ Large and versatile cover screen
❌ Limited software upgrade support
❌ Video quality is a let-down
The Motorola Razr Ultra is the best flip-style folding phone we’ve used thus far. It’s all thanks to a excellent combination of premium design and high-end specs that, together, create an experience that matches that of a normal phone with the advantages of a foldable. The design is stylish yet durable, performance is fast, the battery life is shockingly good, and the cover display allows for more functionality than the one on Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 7. Another advantage the Razr has over Samsung’s phone is the camera system, which produces better photos with its dual 50MP rear cameras.
Starting price: $1,299
Google Pixel 10
✅ Excellent camera quality
✅ The smartest smartphone on the market
✅ All-day battery life
✅ Great performance
❌ Much shorter zoom than the Pros
❌ Only 128GB of storage to start
The standard Pixel 10 is a great go-to for those who need a reliable Android device. Google packs it to the brim with Gemini AI features (just like the Pro phones), making it just as smart and capable of doing things like translating conversations in real time and surfacing relevant information across your phone when you need it. It comes with a gorgeous screen that’s 11% brighter than Pixel 9, the Tensor G5 processor for great performance, and some of the best cameras we’ve tested all year.
Starting price: $799
Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro Edition
✅ 185Hz refresh rate
✅ Unique Mini-LED display on back for mini games
✅ Incredible performance
✅ Internal cooling system
❌ Mediocre cameras
❌ Battery life widely varies
For the gamers out there, the phone we recommend is the ROG Phone 9 Pro Edition from Asus. Between the sleek design and insane spec sheet, it’s clear off the bat that this phone is built for serious mobile gamers. That’s emphasized even further by the second Mini-LED screen on the back, which powers four retro mini games and a bunch of cool effects when you’re using the main display. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, 16GB of RAM, and gobs of storage with an internal cooling system to keep your phone from overheating. Complete with a screen that has a 185Hz refresh rate, there’s no phone from Samsung or Google that’s better for gaming than this one.
Starting price: $1,299
Best mid-range Android phones
Price range: $499 - $799
Google Pixel 9a
✅ Beautiful and bright screen
✅ Reliable cameras
✅ All-day battery life
✅ Seven years of software updates
❌ Generic design
❌ Charging speed is a bit slow
Google has a knack for making some of the best value smartphones on the market. The Pixel 9a is further proof of this: it manages to come with high-end specs and features for a fraction of the price. At $499, this phone comes with a beautiful 6.3-inch OLED display that gets up to 2,700 nits bright, the plenty-capable Tensor G4 processor, a 48MP main camera with a 13MP ultra-wide, and a bunch of AI features powered by Gemini. It’s smart, it’s fast, and it lasts all day on a charge. For its price, it’s quite a compelling package.
Starting price: $499
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE
✅ 6.7-inch AMOLED display
✅ Solid triple camera system
✅ Seven years of software upgrades
✅ All-day battery life
❌ Performance is underwhelming
❌ Boring design
Samsung took the Galaxy S25 and re-worked it a bit to bring the price down, and the result is the reliably-good Galaxy S25 FE. With a 6.7-inch AMOLED screen up front, a triple rear camera on the back, and a big 4,900mAh battery inside, it’s equipped to handle just about anything you need. Plus, it comes with a more durable design and seven years of software updates, so it’s built to last in the long run.
Starting price: $649
OnePlus 13R
✅ Huge battery for multi-day endurance
✅ Fast performance
✅ Triple rear cameras
✅ Big and bright display
❌ No wireless charging
❌ Limited software support
If you need a phone with super-long battery life, look no further than the OnePlus 13R. With a huge 6,000mAh battery inside, this phone runs laps around others on our list and can easily last 2+ days on a full charge. When it’s time to recharge, OnePlus includes its SuperVOOC charging brick in the box to get you back to 100% quickly. The rest of the phone is pretty solid, too: there’s a 6.78-inch OLED screen that reaches a whopping 4,500 nits of brightness, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, a triple rear camera system, and OnePlus’ signature Alert Slider on the side for quickly switching between silent / vibrate / ring.
Starting price: $599
Nothing Phone (3a) Pro
✅ Solid camera quality
✅ Good battery life with fast charging
✅ Unique design and Glyph lights
✅ Nothing OS is clean and responsive
❌ Not available at carriers
❌ Performance falls behind other mid-rangers
The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is one of the most unique smartphones on the market, not just in the mid-range space but as a whole. Between the transparent backplate and Glyph LED lights, this phone has no problem standing out. It’s backed by a good-looking screen and reliable camera system, that manages to capture some really nice-looking photos. Nothing OS is laid on top of Android with a clean interface and useful AI features like Essential Space, and you get all-day battery life with fast charging.
Starting price: $569.99
Motorola Razr (2025)
✅ More durable than previous Razrs
✅ Dual rear cameras
✅ A big cover screen
✅ Regularly on sale
❌ Cameras are underwhelming
❌ Limited software support
The entry-level Motorola Razr is a great option if you want a folding phone but don’t want to break the bank. The phone sports a 6.9-inch folding display and a sizable 3.4-inch cover screen, paired with a design that’s rated IP48 for water and dust resistance. There’s a 50MP camera on the back with a 13MP ultra-wide, a Dimensity 7400X processor, and a big 4,500mAh battery. It checks enough boxes to make it a great value for the price, and the fact that it’s almost always on sale makes the standard Razr even more appealing.
Starting price: $799
Best budget Android phones
Price range: $50 - $450
Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
✅ Flagship-level display
✅ Durable design
✅ Speedy performance
✅ Large battery that delivers
❌ Cameras are underwhelming
❌ Not a lot of AI features
The Galaxy A36 is one of the most reliable phones you can buy for less than $400. Samsung includes a nice mix of features here, including a bright 6.7-inch AMOLED display that’s on par with many phones that cost twice as much. You also get a triple rear camera system that delivers similar versatility to a flagship, and a big 5,000mAh battery for multi-day endurance. Performance is also solid thanks to the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor. With six years of software upgrades and a durable design to boot, the A36 5G is a good choice for budget shoppers who want something that’ll last.
Starting price: $399.99
Moto G Stylus (2025)
✅ Stylus for taking notes and signing documents
✅ IP68 certification
✅ Nice screen for the price
✅ Speedy performance
❌ Cameras are mediocre
❌ Underwhelming battery life
Smartphones with a built-in stylus are hard to come by nowadays, especially if you don’t want to spend upwards of $1,200. Luckily, Motorola has what you’re looking for with the Moto G Stylus. The phone comes with a big 6.7-inch display that’s quite nice for the price, a snappy Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor, and a built-in stylus for taking notes and signing documents on the go. It also has a triple rear camera system, fast 68W charging, and clean Android software.
Starting price: $399.99
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G
✅ Triple camera system
✅ IP54 rating
✅ Big battery
✅ Six years of software updates
❌ Slow performance
❌ Screen isn’t very bright
For less than $200, we recommend picking up the Galaxy A16 5G. It’s one of Samsung’s most well-rounded budget phones with a big 6.7-inch display, a triple camera system, and a 5,000mAh battery. It’s powered by an Exynos 1300 processor and has 128GB of storage, which should give you plenty of room to store your music, photos, and apps. Samsung also promises to deliver six years’ worth of software updates to it, so you’ll always have the latest features long after you buy it.
Starting price: $199.99
TCL 60 XE NXTPAPER (2025)
✅ Unique frosted display for reading
✅ Triple rear cameras
✅ All-day battery life
✅ Expandable storage
❌ Performance is lackluster
❌ One color choice
TCL is known for making some of the best TVs you can get, but its smartphone division is also full of some notable devices. The 60 XE NXTPAPER (2025) is one of them. Its spotlight feature is a frosted display that can switch between color modes like black and white and sepia, making it look just like using a Kindle for reading books and articles on the go. It also helps extend battery life since you won’t be using the colors all the time. You also get a triple camera system, all-day battery life, expandable storage, and a sleek design.
Starting price: $249.99
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.
Really apreciate the breakdown of flagship vs midrange options. The OnePlus 13's 6000mAh battery sounds like a game changer for people tired of daily charging. Intresting that you recomend the Pixel 9a at $499 when the full Pixel 10 is only $300 more, seems like that extra investmet might be worth it for the better zoom capabilites?