The Top 10 Phones Readers Bought In 2025 (no. 1 Surprised All Of Us)

I ever opportunity that niche products person niche audiences, and by nary intends does that connote that nary one's buying them. The Blackview BV7300 is simply a cleanable example, arsenic it's a fund Android telephone pinch a creation that would apt scare distant 95% of users.

But nan phone's bulky exterior, paired pinch a 15,000mAh artillery (roughly 3 times astir Android phones), makes it a useful action for powerfulness users and outdoor travelers. It moreover has a built-in camping light!

Review: I went off-grid pinch this $200 Android phone, and nan nighttime imagination superpowers came successful clutch

Nothing really struck a chord pinch its midrange phones this year, and nan Phone 3a whitethorn beryllium nan champion of nan bunch. It sits comfortably astatine a $380 value point, but its characteristic group would make anyone wonderment why it doesn't costs more.

That database includes a 6.7-inch LTPO OLED show pinch 3,000nits of brightness, a triple camera system, Nothing's ever-polarizing design, and package that's afloat of characteristic and customizability.

Review: I replaced my Pixel 9 Pro pinch this midrange Android telephone - and don't regret it

Impressively, Samsung's A-series of phones consistently performs good successful this competitory smartphone market. While nan A35 5G exemplary was released past year, it gained important traction successful nan lead-up to nan preamble of its successor later successful 2025.

The draw? A large surface and artillery that make each of its different caveats easier to shoulder. This is intelligibly a look for success, arsenic Samsung followed a akin playbook pinch nan A36 5G model, which we now urge complete nan A35 5G owed to its much modernized specifications.

Review: This $399 Samsung Galaxy is nan mid-range telephone astir group should buy

Did you deliberation each telephone connected this database would beryllium inexpensive and value-driven? It's astir to get interesting. The Motorola Razr Ultra was released this spring, and it was met pinch sizeable fanfare. After all, Motorola fundamentally took nan flip-phone shape facet and stuffed it pinch nan champion features and specs 1 tin find.

So overmuch truthful that aft reviewing its competitor, nan Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, I returned to nan Moto for its useful outer display, uniquely textured backmost cover, and useful ultrawide camera. Take advantage of each nan discounts you tin get pinch this device.

Review: Yes, Motorola's $1,300 Razr Ultra competes pinch nan Galaxy Z Flip 7 (and not conscionable successful price)

Deal: The Motorola Razr Ultra is presently 23% disconnected astatine Amazon.

The 2nd Motorola to make this database is nan Moto G Power, which features a caller textured backmost screen this twelvemonth for enhanced grip. It's besides longer-lasting than ever, featuring a 5,000mAh artillery paired pinch a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset, which we recovered to tally reasonably efficiently.

Review: I recovered a $300 Motorola telephone that offers flagship features astatine a fraction of nan price

Deal: The Moto G Power is presently 17% disconnected astatine Amazon.

If there's 1 ultra-slim telephone that's worthy celebrating successful 2025, it's this one. The folks astatine RedMagic someway developed a gaming telephone pinch a adjacent bezel-less display, a 5,860mAh artillery that puts Samsung and Apple to shame, and 512GB of soul storage.

The $699 value is besides rather competitive. Just don't expect to find 1 of these astatine your section bearer shop anytime soon.

Review: I replaced my Pixel 9 Pro pinch this $700 Android telephone for weeks - and didn't regret it

It really shouldn't astonishment anyone that past year's iPhone 16 Pro was 1 of nan astir celebrated products connected ZDNET successful 2025, conscionable for illustration really it shouldn't astonishment anyone erstwhile nan iPhone 17 Pro makes it into adjacent year's list.

This one's alternatively bittersweet, if you deliberation astir it. It's nan past iPhone to characteristic a singular camera bump connected nan rear corner, and Apple appears to beryllium moving distant from titanium and different difficult metals. It's besides nan past Pro iPhone to travel successful black.

Also: Apple iPhone 17 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro: I compared some models, and there's a large difference

What sold much than iPhones? The Moto G 2025. It's not flashy; nan cameras won't moreover hit nan cheapest iPhone that Apple sells, and you can't really count connected Motorola to connection nan champion package support. However, of each nan sub-$200 phones connected nan market, this 1 reigns supreme.

If you're shopping for a kid aliases an older family member, aliases simply want a spare telephone pinch entree to nan aforesaid apps arsenic much costly handsets, see this one.

Also: This $200 Motorola telephone has nary business being this bully for nan price

That's right. The astir celebrated phone, arsenic wished by nan millions of ZDNET readers who interact pinch our reviews, buying guides, and different stories, is simply a $90 Nokia that's conscionable arsenic scary arsenic nan Blackview BV7300 but successful nan other way.

It's each astir minimalism, surviving life distraction-free, and appreciating nan finer things pinch nan Nokia 2780 Flip, and that's a connection that has intelligibly resonated pinch galore of you. Dumb phones are carving retired a way successful our ever-noisy integer world, and this Nokia is astatine nan beforehand of nan pack.

Also: Gen Z is ditching iPhones for $100 'feature phones,' and nan numbers don't lie

Smartphones Reviewed & Compared