Buying an iPhone is easy: Figure out what the most recent iPhone release number is, decide on which size you want or if you want to pay extra for better cameras, and click "buy." Android, not so much.
Android is a more open ecosystem, since even though Google makes the operating system, plenty of manufacturers are allowed to use it on their phones. That means you have multiple companies all vying for your attention, each with their own quirks and sometimes unusual form factors.
Android has your typical budget, mid-range, and premium releases, sure, but there's also folding phones, flip phones, and even ultra-minimalist "light" phones. Throw in the different options from the likes of Google, Samsung, Motorola, and others, and shopping for a new Android phone can get overwhelming, fast. Luckily for you, I've gone hands-on with the biggest Android phones on the market, and am here to tell you the best Android phones you can buy in 2025, no matter your preference.
Samsung's Galaxy line of phones is a mainstay for a reason, and that's no different with the S25. While it doesn't feature full software support from Google in the way Pixel phones do, it still has key features like Circle-to-Search, and Samsung has its own software offerings, like Galaxy AI and the desktop-like DeX interface. Really, though, the hardware is the real star of the show here. Samsung phones have luxurious, high resolution OLED displays with high frame rates, and crucially, some of the most powerful chips on the market. Samsung also prides itself on offering some of the best phone cameras on the market, although it does save its most powerful lenses for its more premium models. Still, for a good all-around phone, the Galaxy S25 and S25+ are great choices.
If Samsung rules Android hardware, then Google is the king of Android software. As the developer of the Android operating system, that makes sense. Pixel phones benefit from being the first to try out new Google and Android features, including new Gemini releases and camera features, some of which never make their way to the rest of the Android ecosystem. In that way, one could consider these the "smartest smartphones" you can get, at least when it comes to Android.
The downside is that the build can be a little subpar. The Pixel 9 series suffers from a controversial camera bar that juts out of the back of the phone, it has one fewer camera lens than the Galaxy S25, and most notably, the chip is weaker on most tasks. Still, if you're willing to make some sacrifices to your phone's body to boost its brain, this isn't a bad choice.
Premium phones used to have a bit more to offer compared to mid-range or budget phones, but these days, even the cheap stuff is pretty good. I generally thought the Pixel 9 Pro, while good in its own right, wasn't worth it over the Pixel 9. With the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, the situation's a bit different.
Yes, you get the usual screen upgrade here, with more screen space and a higher resolution. And with that larger body, you also get a slight bump to battery life. The chip and RAM loadout are the same as cheaper models, although you can bump up the storage to an increased maximum of 1TB if you'd like. But the real reason to get this phone is the cameras.
With a four-lens setup that maxes out at 200 MP of resolution, the Galaxy S25 Ultra just produces the best raw photo quality you're going to get on any mainstream phone camera, flat out. That well exceeds even Google or Apple's premium options, and if you moonlight as a photographer, this might be the phone for you.
Google's Pixel 9a represents a promising future for Google's smartphones. The company's latest budget model, it actually boasts similar screen specs to the standard Pixel 9, and has the same chip, although with less RAM. It's also a little more lightweight, is rated for a longer battery life, and crucially, finally ditches the camera bar for a small pill that sits in one of the phone's upper corners. Sure, the camera is a little less powerful as a result, but most of Google's camera magic is in post processing, anyway.
And speaking of processing, this has access to all the same software benefits as the standard Pixel 9. Really, if you're willing to put up with slightly less photo quality and a little less memory, this is the Google phone to get, budget or not.
Up until now, I had difficulty finding a modern flip phone that I liked. They always felt too fragile to me, their outer screens were too small, the creases in their OLED screens were too noticeable, and their prices were too high.
But now, the latest iteration of the Motorola Razr has made me a flip-phone believer. Depending on which model you get, you can get a 2025 Razr for as little as $700, which puts it in range of, and sometimes below, other mid-range phones. And while you do sacrifice some camera quality in doing so, you get more portability (while the phone is closed) and a larger, thinner screen (while the phone is open) in return. Plus, performance and battery life are still strong, and best of all, you get a larger external screen than on the other leading flip phone model, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. Plus, because that external screen means you can take selfies with the rear camera setup, that actually makes up for the lower overall camera quality a bit.
The only downside to me is that the external screen being exposed still makes the phone feel a bit too fragile—even though Motorola says it's Gorilla Glass, you'll probably want to be careful with it.
I still don't love most of the folding phones that are on the market. Unlike flip phones, these models open up horizontally, like a book. That means you get wide, tablet-like displays, but they're pretty thick when closed, and their external screens are usually in an uncommon aspect ratio. Apps also don't always know what to do with folding phones, since their screens are wider than some of them expect. And these phones are also usually the most expensive kind you can get, even outpricing non-folding flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Still, if you must have a folding phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is my pick. It's old enough now that you can generally find it cheaper than the competing Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and it benefits from a stronger chip in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which you're going to want to have if you want a tablet-like experience. Its cameras, while weaker than the S25 Ultra, are also overall on par with most non-folding flagships, so you'll be able to capture strong photos with them, and because you can use them for selfies, they do have some extra versatility.
That's it for most of the mainstream options. There are a few other Android picks out there, although I haven't tried them. That said, if you're looking for something off-the-wall, consider these two honorable mentions:
Nothing Phone (3a)— The latest release from Nothing, the trendy phone company started by former OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, the Nothing Phone 3a and 3a Pro focus on a custom Android skin with an eye toward minimalism and retro aesthetics. Add in the light-up back, and this phone is certainly striking, although its specs are a little dated.
Light Phone III— If you spend too much time on your dang phone, the Light Phone III is for you. This small, minimalist brick technically runs Android, although you wouldn't know by looking at its screen. Its text-based interface lets you access your phone calls, SMS texts, alarms, and other basics, but there's no Play Store here, and not even a mobile wallet. It's purposefully restrained, but for some people, that might be a plus.
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