Tom's Guide Awards 2025: Our favorite phones of the year
From flagship phones with top of the line specs, camera phones with high-resolution sensors, flip or tablet-style foldables to budget phones that punch above their weight, you have loads of options when it comes to choosing the right smartphone for you.
Our team of experts has tested and reviewed all of the latest smartphones for the Tom's Guide Awards 2025. Below, we highlight our favorite phones from the last 12 months whose design, features and pricing impressed us the most and we believe have earned a spot in your pocket.
Samsung came back hard with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which set the tone for all flagship releases this year. This year's Ultra made a big leap thanks to its mighty Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset that powers many of its new Galaxy AI features. Specifically, it introduced cross app actions with Gemini that allows users to perform complex actions all with voice commands — it's like having a personal assistant that can manage your day-to-day duties.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy is a powerhouse unlike anything out there, proving it's a gaming champ with its incredible performance. But what makes it even better is how it's much more power efficient, resulting in a boost in battery life over its predecessor.
At the same time, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is a productivity powerhouse thanks to its support for Samsung DeX and the S Pen. With the latter, it offers users a desktop PC-like experience when it's connected to an external display. We've tested out this feature and it makes for a decent laptop replacement. Meanwhile, the S Pen gives it that paper meets pen experience that some people prefer.
And finally, the Galaxy S25 Ultra offers an astounding camera experience thanks to the four cameras on the back of the phone. This is a versatile camera system that lets you capture subjects near and far, but it also has a robust set of AI tools that can enhance your photos and videos after the fact — like Audio Eraser and LOG video recording. No other phone can match its performance and features, making it the best phone you can buy for the money.
Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.
While Apple equipped its standard iPhone with plenty of new features and enhancements last fall, the Pro lineup continues to receive the lion's share of the company's attention. And that makes the iPhone 16 Pro — the more affordable of Apple's two Pro iPhones — the top model right now.
Everything the iPhone 16 Pro Max can do, the iPhone 16 Pro can do as well, from showing off the power of Apple's A19 Pro chipset to supporting the new Apple Intelligence features Apple has been rolling out to its phones over the past nine months. And if you've ever looked at the Pro Max model's bigger screen with envy, the iPhone 16 Pro addresses that, thanks to a larger 6.3-inch display than its predecessors.
The cameras on the iPhone 16 Pro get a nice upgrade, too, — one that really stands out when we shot photos with Apple's phone. This version picks up the 5x optical zoom feature introduced with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, while improvements to both the ultrawide and main cameras help the iPhone 16 Pro produce vivid, detailed images.
A new Camera Control button — an addition to every iPhone 16 mode — puts a Visual Intelligence feature that turns the camera into a search tool right at your fingertips. And we appreciate how the new Audio Mix feature can seamlessly remove background noise from the video you've captured.
In short, the best features of the iPhone are very much on display in the iPhone 16 Pro. And while that $999 starting price isn't cheap, it's within reach for anyone who wants the best that Apple has to offer in a phone.
Despite debuting almost a year ago in August 2024, the Pixel 9 Pro has clung onto its status as our favorite Android phone. More powerful and capable devices have appeared since, but the overall value offered by the Pixel 9 Pro is still hard to beat.
Encased in a compact 6.3-inch body that's smaller than almost all other devices in the category, you'll find an incredibly bright Super "Actua" display. But despite the brightness, the Pixel 9 Pro has decent battery life, at least compared to other smaller flagship phones.
The three cameras embedded in the distinctive rear horizontal bar are capable of brilliant photos, and you might have more time to use them thanks to the included free year of Gemini AI Pro (worth $20 a month) with your purchase opening up a huge range of AI features. Abilities like Pixel Screenshots and Gemini Live can prove to be especially useful to keen chatbot fans.
Perfection eludes the Pixel 9 Pro due to its lower-powered Tensor G4 chipset, and the fact it's effectively a price increase over previous pro Pixels, giving you less phone for the same money. But those quibbles aside, it's a deserving recipient of this award. Hope you've got space on your mantlepiece, Google.
Being the best camera phone takes more than just having pixel crunching specs, it needs to have a versatile camera software as well to meet the demands of power users. No other phone meets the criteria that we look for than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra — and with good reason.
First of all, its quadruple camera setup means it has all the range covered. Whether you're shooting something far off in the distance, or a super closeup of something, it has you covered. Its 200MP main camera might seem overkill, but the sensor pulled out bright shots under low light conditions, which is evident in our 200 photo shootout with the Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Pixel 9 Pro XL.
Meanwhile, we put its 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and 50MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom against the iPhone 16 Pro Max in a zoom shootout — and Samsung wins the zoom conversation. We've also used its camera to capture professional looking portrait photos that almost look like they're captured by a mirrorless camera.Beyond the performance, the S25 Ultra is the best camera phone due to the amount of modes and features it offers with its camera app. From dedicated manual modes for photos and videos, to its ability to support external audio recording sources, it has the most robust native camera app around.
We don't just think that Google has the best AI features of any phone maker — we know it, after putting the Pixel through a series of tests with the latest iPhones and Galaxy flagships to find out which one excelled at the most tasks. In our AI phone face-off, the latest Google devices came out on top in four of our six tests, and they gave the Galaxy S25 series all that it could handle in the image generation and photo editing tasks, too. That's about as definitive a win as you can get.
All of Google's Pixel 9 phones support the same AI capabilities, meaning the standard Pixel 9 is every bit as capable as the premium Pixel 9 Pro XL when it comes to make the most of Google's AI-friendly Tensor chipset. And since the $799 Pixel 9 costs several hundred dollars less than the Pro XL, it's the phone to turn to when you want the best AI features without breaking the bank.
The Pixel 9 has plenty going for it besides AI, from top-performing cameras to a compact design. But if you're looking for a phone that can translate text into other languages on the fly, summarize recordings and notes and tap into the power of Gemini for performing everyday tasks, the Pixel 9 is just about impossible to beat.
Samsung looked too complacent the last couple of years, as its foldable phones saw heated competition — but it came roaring back with the Galaxy Z Flip 7. This flip-style phone sees bigger upgrades than previous years, including a much larger Flex Window display, longer battery life, multimodal AI features, and the introduction of Samsung DeX.
What also helps is that despite having a larger 4.1-inch Flex Window display and 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x main display, Samsung keeps the same compact form factor and thin construction as before. The new Armor FlexHinge design is stronger and smoother than before, ensuring that it closes and opens with that satisfying snap.
Over on the productivity side, the new multimodal experience of Gemini Live paired with its camera and Flex Window display lets you ask questions about what you're seeing. For example, you can ask it to translate a sign you see in front of you — all by just using voice commands. The Z Flip 7 also gets Samsung DeX support, which is a first for the series and brings that desktop-PC like experience to the phone.
It wouldn't be the best foldable phone either if it couldn't take good photos. While the camera hardware remains unchanged, its new ProVisual Engine does enhance photos to draw out more detail. Meanwhile, its various Flex Modes allow creators to use the camera hands-free — making it the perfect phone for vlogging and selfies.
There are a lot of practical benefits to foldable phones, like the fact you basically have a more portable version of a tablet. The problem is they felt too much like tablets, and lugging around what is effectively two screens in one was kind of a chore. But that's changed, and the ingenious design of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is to thank.
The Z Fold 7 is much thinner and lighter than its predecessor, weighing just 7.5 ounces and measuring a mere 4.2mm (unfolded). To the point where you might actually forget you're holding a foldable at times. It's like Samsung took a bunch of lessons from the Galaxy S25 Edge, and used them to solve some of the issues it's had with past foldables.
Plus it's all been done without sacrificing durability, thanks to stronger display glass, a newly reinforced hinge and a titanium lattice. So this is a phone that looks as good as it gives.
There's an argument that there are a lot of factors to look into when it comes to gauging battery life on a phone. However, when it's all said and done, the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro simply outlasts all the competition.
Asus has always delivered when it comes to battery life, and the latest addition takes that to the next level. When we tested the phone, it achieved a time of 20 hours and 34 minutes on TG's custom battery test while the phone's display was set to an adaptive refresh rate. This impressive battery life is achieved thanks to the massive 5,800 mAh battery alongside the stellar power management afforded by the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip.
The ROG Phone 9 Pro doesn't just have a great battery life, it also recharges quickly thanks to 65W charging support. In our tests, we managed to get the phone back to 74% charge from 0% after only thirty minutes. If we take all of this combined, then it's easy to see why the ROG Phone 9 Pro takes the battery life prize.
With phone prices climbing ever upward, it's refreshing to see Google's A Series of Pixel phones bringing a little pricing stability to the market. But even though the Pixel 9a retains the $499 starting price of its predecessor while other phones go up in cost — looking at you, iPhone 16e — Google ushered plenty of other changes with this new model.
It starts with the Tensor G4 chip inside the Pixel 9a, allowing this midrange phone to offer many of the same AI features that makes the Pixel 9 lineup stand out from other devices. (A couple features, like Pixel Screenshots, require a more powerful version of Gemini Nano than the Pixel 9a has.) You're able to tap into Gemini Live, generate images using text prompts and access a full array of smart photo editing tools on a device that costs a fraction of what you'd pay for pricier flagships.
As always, the reason for bargain hunters to turn to the Pixel A device is camera performance. And while the Pixel 9a doesn't feature big camera changes from its predecessor, it still turned in better photos than the iPhone 16e in our camera face-off. The Pixel 9a's support for astrophotography impresses, too.
Google has long proven that a low price on a phone doesn't have to mean big sacrifices on features. The Pixel 9a drives that point home once again.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
21 minutes ago
- Business Insider
Are Semiconductors a 'Sell' After Trump Tariffs?
Trump's 100% tariff on semis and what it means… what McDonald's earnings say about the U.S. consumer… checking in on Jonathan Rose's NioCorp trade… a laundry list of winners VIEW IN BROWSER In yesterday's Digest, we reported on President Trump's plan to unveil new tariffs on semiconductor companies 'within the next week or so.' Well, that 'week or so' turned into about an hour. Shortly after that Digest hit your inbox, Trump confirmed plans for a 100% tariff on imported semiconductors, with one big caveat – companies that manufacture chips in the U.S., or commit to doing so, will be exempt. Apple's CEO Tim Cook stood by Trump during the announcement after Apple pledged an additional $100 billion in U.S. investment (bringing its total domestic commitment to about $600 billion) and received that exemption. So, what does this mean? And what's the investment step? The headline '100% chip tariff' is dramatic. But the actual policy functions more like a policy lever than a full‑blown blockade. This isn't a death knell to the overall AI/semiconductor story or AI profits (which is why the tech sector isn't plummeting as I write Thursday). But neither is it a nothingburger. As to how to respond, here are three guidelines: Prioritize companies investing in U.S. manufacturing – firms such as TSMC, Samsung, Nvidia, and GlobalFoundries are expanding their U.S. operations and are in a good position to benefit from exemptions Maintain your core AI holdings – the new tariffs don't undermine long-term demand for semiconductors. Hold your top-tier AI plays Look past the headlines for long-term opportunity – if more drama and downward volatility is ahead of us, look for favorable entry points on AI/semi leaders selling off in sympathy Bottom line: Though the headlines sound frightening, this is ultimately bullish for well‑positioned AI players. Yesterday, McDonald's beat earnings expectations, but… While Wall Street applauded the numbers, the company's tone was cautious for one main reason… Weakness among low-income consumers. From CEO Chris Kempczinski: Reengaging the low-income consumer is critical, as they typically visit our restaurants more frequently than middle- and high-income consumers. This bifurcated consumer base is why we remain cautious about the overall near-term health of the U.S. consumer. Longtime Digest readers will recognize this 'bifurcated consumer base' and recall the term we've used within this broader conversation: the 'Technochasm.' There's a growing divide today between the 'haves' and 'have nots' – both in the market and in our society. One of the most influential factors driving this growing divide is wealth generated from investments in cutting-edge technology and artificial intelligence, something our experts have coined, 'The Technochasm.' This bifurcation – strength from higher earners, fragility among lower-income households – is becoming a recurring theme in earnings reports across industries. And it's a valuable clue into the true health of the U.S. consumer. This is especially important in the wake of last Friday's jobs report – the weakest in over a year – and Tuesday's ISM data, which caused legendary investor Louis Navellier to say: We are teetering on a recession here, folks, and I don't like to use that R word, but that's what's happening. Can high-income earners spend us out of a recession? I've been a part of some interesting conversations with InvestorPlace analysts that tackle whether higher-income consumers can spend enough to offset the tightening we're seeing from lower-income households. There's some evidence suggesting this has been happening. For example, earlier this year, credit card data showed that upper-income households were spending regularly, particularly on experiences like travel, fine dining, and entertainment. Here's CNBC from the spring: Lower-income earners are reining in their transactions to focus on essentials, while the wealthy continue to spend freely on perks including dining out and luxury travel, according to first-quarter results from U.S. credit card lenders… For instance, at Synchrony, which provides store cards for retail brands including Lowe's and T.J. Maxx, spending fell 4% in the first three months of the year… That compares to a 6% spending jump at American Express and a similar rise at JPMorgan Chase, both of which cater to wealthier users with higher credit scores than Synchrony. AmEx said its customers spent 7% more on dining and 11% more on first class and business class airfare than a year earlier. These consumers are benefiting from rising asset values, higher interest income, and – thanks to the AI boom – significant gains in tech-heavy investment portfolios. But we're starting to see signs of fatigue Let's jump to Fortune from last week: More than half (58%) of six-figure earners no longer feel financially successful, according to a recent report from Clarify Capital… More than seven in 10 of these high earners are now being forced to shop at discount grocery chains to save cash. Around 74% also say they're cutting back on dining out, 54% are skimping out on entertainment, 51% are getting thrifty with buying clothes, 49% are scaling back their subscriptions, and 49% are spending less on travel… About 85% of six-figure workers say they feel stressed and anxious due to increased living costs. Fortune goes on to report that the delinquency rate among high-income borrowers has surged 130% over the last two years. As to the investment implications, there are many ways we can take this Let's briefly walk through four options. Invest in the companies at the forefront of the technologies that will continue to explode the Technochasm Clearly, that's AI. But as we've been profiling here in the Digest, the latest evolution is 'Physical AI' (think robots/humanoids). On Monday through Wednesday, we brought you interviews from Louis Navellier, Eric Fry, and Luke Lango detailing this opportunity. And they just released a new portfolio of Physical AI leaders in their AI Revolution Portfolio investment service. Regardless of how you do it, giving your portfolio at least some exposure to cutting-edge AI is imperative. Focus on fundamentally superior companies that are growing their earnings, despite a broader consumer slowdown This has been the cornerstone of Louis' market approach for decades. Earlier this week, in the same Flash Alert market update in which Louis warned of a potential recession, he also congratulated his Growth Investor subscribers on three earnings wins from earlier this week. Here's how those stocks have performed since Tuesday: AXON: +13% KGC: +11% PLTR: +9% As Louis loves to say: 'earnings are working.' Trade companies successfully catering to lower-income Americans Lower-income shoppers are still buying from certain retailers, causing Wall Street to push up prices. Our hypergrowth expert Luke Lango is in one such retailer in Breakout Trader – Dollar Tree (DLTR). After opening the trade in late-April, they're sitting on 31% gains. These lower-income trades aren't necessarily 'hold forever' stocks, but for however long cost-conscious shoppers help drive their prices higher, stick with bullish momentum. Refresh yourself on the valuations of every stock you own If even higher-income consumers are beginning to pull back, earnings are likely to be next. And when earnings fall, eventually, stock prices do too – especially those priced for perfection. So, refamiliarize yourself with the valuation of each stock you hold. Make sure you're comfortable. (If you missed Eric's recent free research report on which expensive AI stocks he's selling today – and which stocks he's recommending to replace them – you can check it out right here.) Coming full circle to McDonald's… Its earnings report is a snapshot of the Technochasm in action. Yes, certain consumers are still spending. But for many – especially at the lower end of the income spectrum – the strain is becoming undeniable. Bottom line: When McDonald's says it's having to 'reengage' its most loyal customers through cheaper meals, we should take notice. That's a macro warning. Checking in on Jonathan Rose's NioCorp trade Back in July, we put a new speculative trade on your radar – NioCorp Developments (NB) – thanks to a heads-up from veteran trader Jonathan Rose. Jonathan had just closed a 700% win on rare earth play MP Materials. And he had recently recommended a trade on NB as another early-stage name riding the same wave: U.S. demand for critical minerals tied to defense, energy, and the AI boom. At the time, we emphasized caution. As with any speculative trade, risk mitigation is key because volatility was likely. To that end, Jonathan had recommended a defined-risk trade. Well, the very next day, NB traded sharpy lower. Jonathan explained that the selloff was driven by a capital raise – standard behavior for small-cap names funding their growth. He wasn't concerned for the trade. If you took advantage of that selloff, congrats Fast-forward to today, and NB is soaring, rapidly approaching its pre-capital-raise high. It's up 54% from its late-July low, so if you bought on that weakness, congrats, you're likely sitting on double-digit gains. Better still, even higher prices appear on the way… A major new catalyst for growth On Tuesday, we learned that the U.S. Department of Defense has awarded up to $10 million to NioCorp's Elk Creek Resources unit to support its domestic production of scandium – a rare earth metal critical for advance defense and aerospace systems. This is a big deal. Virtually the entire global scandium supply comes from China, Russia, and Ukraine. The U.S. hasn't mined scandium since 1969 – until now. NioCorp's Elk Creek project is also sitting on high-value niobium and titanium, both essential for hypersonic missiles and other military applications. The company already has binding long-term deals in place for 75% of its planned niobium output, and it just inked its largest scandium deal ever. From CEO Mark Smith: This is a grant, not an investment. It shows strong U.S. government backing and how critical niobium and scandium are for defense. In short, this is no longer just a speculative story; it's becoming big business, with real government backing. We'll repeat ourselves from our July 16 Digest: If you're looking for what could be the market's next major overnight winner, consider yourself in the loop. Before we sign off, a quick 'congratulations' to Jonathan's Advanced Notice subscribers They're on a roll right now. Since March, here are their closed trade results: 18 trades: 14 winners, 4 losers 113.73% average return across all closed positions 169.91% average return across the winning positions 77.8%-win rate Average trade hold period: 36 days As we've said many times, Jonathan is one of the best traders in the biz. To get a better sense for how and why, join him for his free Masters in Trading Live broadcasts at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time every day the market is open. They're a great way to deepen your understanding of trading – and to see firsthand the strategies Jonathan uses to capture triple-digit gains, sometimes in just days.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Tech rally, Apple breakout, crypto & 401(k)s: Market takeaways
Yahoo Finance Markets and Data Editor Jared Blikre goes over the top takeaways from the trading day: the tech sector rally, Apple's (AAPL) key technical breakout, and what a potential Trump executive order could mean for crypto and private equity access in 401(k)s. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Asking for a Trend. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump, 79, Fails to Find People Standing Feet Away From Him: ‘Right Behind You'
President Donald Trump once again appeared to suffer a 'senior moment' as he struggled to keep track of people standing behind him during an Oval Office meeting on Wednesday. The president rolled out the red carpet to welcome Apple CEO Tim Cook to the White House this week, which saw him presented with a 24-karat gold ornament after announcing the tech giant's plans to invest an extra $100 billion into the U.S. economy. Trump was joined at the press conference by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, but as the president stood at the podium to begin his speech he appeared to momentarily forget they were in the room with him. 'I'd like to welcome to the White House one of the great and most esteemed business leaders and geniuses and innovators anywhere in the world, Apple CEO Tim Cook,' said Trump as he began the presentation. 'Thanks as well to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for being here, wherever you may be.' At this point Lutnick, who had been standing directly behind the president the entire time, chirped up and said 'I'm right behind you,' catching Trump off-guard as he quipped 'oh hey fellas, I missed you.' The incident is the second time Trump has appeared to lose track of people in the room in recent weeks, with the president also searching in vain for a congressman standing right behind him while signing a bill last week. While signing the veterans bill into law on July 31, Trump was flanked at the podium by GOP Congressmen Derrick Van Orden and Mike Bost. After speaking for around two minutes while introducing the bill, Trump said: 'I'm thrilled to be joined by the bill's sponsor, Congressman Derrick Van Orden—' before abruptly pausing mid-sentence and asking 'Where's Derrick? Derrick?' Van Orden sheepishly piped up and said 'I'm here Sir,' at which point the president turned around and said: 'Hello Derrick, I didn't see you back there.' He then turned to his right and clocked Bost also standing beside him, adding 'And Mike? How are you Mike? 'These two gentlemen is—are terrific,' he continued. 'They are working together, and they've been working together, Mike, for a long time.'
