AI continued to dominate the marketing pitches of most smartphone brands through 2025 in a year when battery tech got better and the cameras got sharper. We tested dozens of smartphones through 2025 for this column and pick our favourites from the year that will continue to stay in conversations through 2026:
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max: Our favourite iPhone in years. That says it all. Apple shifted the conversation from Apple Intelligence to the hardware and that’s where the 17 Pro and the Pro Max really covered all bases. Battery life was a key gain and the all-new rear cam registered a marked improvement in lowlight and zoom departments. Other hardware highlights include the 6.9-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display (with a peak brightness of 3000 nits) and the A19 Pro Chipset that complements the buttery smooth iOS 26 interface. (Rs 1,49,900 onwards)
OnePlus 15: The latest OnePlus flagship marks a new direction for OnePlus with a design language that gets our nod. OnePlus has prioritised performance over camera performance with a device that more than satisfies your need for speed. The 6.78-inch OLED display (2772 x 1272 pixels) is easily one of the standout features. At the heart of this smartphone is the all-new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset. The 15 becomes one of the best smartphones to combine a 1.5K display with a 165 Hz refresh rate. This immersive display is backed by a humungous 7300 mAh battery (Rs 72,999 onwards)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Our favourite premium foldable smartphone of the year. The Z Fold7 is Samsung’s most improved Z Fold. The device scores with its ultra-slim form factor (it weighs about 10% lighter than its predecessor despite packing the same battery and a larger 8-inch primary display. Samsung offers an evolved foldable experience with proprietary solutions like DeX that allows you to extend your screen by hooking up wirelessly with a smart display for a desktop-type experience (Rs 1,74,999 onwards)
Vivo X300: We’ve always been fans of compact smartphones, it’s why the X300 makes our list. Vivo has kitted the device with an immersive 6.31-inch LTPO AMOLED display (2640 x 1216 pixels) that hits a peak brightness of 4500 nits. Vivo leans on its partnership with Zeiss and the result is a versatile camera that won’t let you down. One of the highlights in the triple rear cam set up is the 200MP (f/1.7) primary lens. The X300 is easily the best smartphone cam in the compact flagship category and shoots sharp portraits that also benefit from an array of Zeiss filters. (Rs 75,999 onwards)
OPPO Find X9: One of the most versatile smartphones of the year, this device finds the perfect balance of form and function. The Find X9 features an immersive 6.59-inch AMOLED display (2760 x 1256 pixels / 460 PPI) with a 120Hz refresh rate that hits a peak brightness of 3600 nits. OPPO packs a massive 7025 mAh battery under the hood and is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chipset. It’s the quad rear camera that is the standout feature and benefits from OPPO’s partnership with Hasselblad and delivers excellent images across lighting scenarios. (Rs 74,999 onwards)
Google Pixel 10: The Pixel 10, part of the trio of flagships (that also include the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL) and demonstrates the power of AI. It shares the same chipset with its pricier siblings and features a significant camera upgrade over last year’s entry-level Pixel 9. Aside from a 48MP primary lens and a 13MP ultra-wide lens, the Pixel 10 also features a telephoto cam with up to 5x of optical zoom. There’s also a 10.5MP selfie shooter in the mix. The all-new Google Tensor G5 chip adds extra wings to this device and drives a heap of AI features that are a clear indication that Google Pixel is pulling ahead of the competition in this zone
(Ashwin Rajagopalan is a lifestyle writer and consumer technology expert. Catch the latest digital and tech updates in this weekly column.)