Best smartphones to buy in winter 2025/2026 - 30 phones compared

As the Chinese and the Americans are competing head-on, a Japanese phone found its way to this list of top-rated phones, too.

As a side note, it appears several of these phones will not officially make it to Europe, which is unfortunate but nothing that can't be worked around.

There is a secondary display on this phone's back, which has a big mission. It's supposed to make Xiaomi's 17 Pro special. However, the phone maker itself is probably still on the hunt for use cases to make that second screen truly valuable. Let's hope more apps get to use the feature in the future; as of December 2025, however, it is mainly beneficial for selfie-taking via the more powerful rear camera rather than the front one.

In other departments, the 17 Pro has the best and only the best to offer; in addition to its great rear camera system, a large battery, a bright and vibrant OLED panel, and more are all here to put a grin on the user's face.

Ordering one from China is the only way to get a hold of the Xiaomi for those in the EU. The smartphone is available with an EU-valid warranty from TradingShenzhen.

Apple's iPhone 17 Pro (from 1,299 euros at amazon.de) lands in the second spot. With its Apple-typical high-quality casing, as well as mighty Apple A19 Pro SoC and very good battery life despite what the smaller battery capacity suggests, the phone leaves little to be desired.

It's not all sunshine and roses. Titanium was ditched for aluminum, which seems like a less technologically advanced option, and the iPhone's cameras are not as marvelous as our review editors hoped.

EU-based customers have to be prepared to see some features missing, as Apple is still working on compliance with certain EU directives introduced not so long ago.

Xiaomi's 17 has no secondary screen, but is more compact than its Pro comrades and will probably find its way to Europe eventually. It is currently only available from overseas sellers (e.g. TradingShenzhen).

You get a lot of power here, as well as a well-designed and well-made casing, a huge battery and a bright display. Pronounced CPU/GPU throttling under longer workloads is one more thing prospective buyers have to be ready for.

The Pro Max model is once again the largest iPhone of the latest generation and comes equipped with the best technology the California company has to offer. Its Apple A19 Pro is as fast as many x86 chips and, thanks to its high efficiency, we witnessed very good runtimes in our testing despite the relatively small battery capacity.

In Germany, Apple wants just under 1,400 euros for the smartphone. This sum gets you a great 120-Hz OLED panel, a versatile camera setup including telephoto zoom, 6 or 7 years of feature and security updates, and more.

Google's Pixel phones have not had it easy in recent years, with users displeased about price increases as distinguishing features become scarce.

That said, Pixel 10 Pro prices have fallen significantly since launch. This is a powerful phone with a great camera setup, high-quality casing and 7 years of updates among its key selling points.

The only annoying thing about it is the relatively slow and tight storage. Weak indoor GNSS positioning does not do the product any favors, either.

Sony's 2025 flagship is exceptional in several respects. Its visual design stands out for not trying to mimic any recent iPhone. It has a 3.5-mm audio jack and an infinitely variable camera zoom.

The Xperia 1 VII was initially plagued by software issues. With these now gone, you can now purchase it without hesitation. A lot of features and 6 years of updates come included, but the privilege does come at a steep price.

The Pixel 10 Pro XL is the larger sibling of the 10 Pro. Here, too, you get excellent build quality, a bright OLED display and impressive cameras.

That being said, the phone is not a convincing and substantial enough (as compared to its predecessor) and the in-house SoC underperforms, particularly in the graphics department.

2025's base iPhone, the iPhone 17 is a huge step forward. Above all, Apple is finally offering a refresh rate of 120 Hz on non-Pro models. There is also more storage space now, higher-resolution cameras, more performance and longer battery life for very convincing offer overall.

Worth criticizing first and foremost are its "by design" slow Wi-Fi module as well as even slower USB-C port with no DisplayPort Alt mode support.

The Find X9 Pro can now be easily, and officially, had in the EU.

While this is the last item in today's list, the Oppo phone does not have much to be ashamed of. Its high-quality case has 2 custom action keys, and its LTPO display left us impressed. The huge internal battery delivers multi-day runtimes, and the SoC is very fast.

Heavy performance throttling under prolonged loads is one of the few drawbacks for the reader to be aware of.

For the Editors' Choice Award, we ask our review editors to name phones that managed to strike a chord. Rating matters little here. So does the product category. Anything goes, from rugged outdoor phones with unusual features to exceptionally well-equipped regular phones with an affordable price, to great overall mid-range options.

Not so easy to get in Europe (eBay as well as China-based e-tailers can help), but something very special. The Tecno Slim is a smartphone of an extremely slender profile with a thickness of just under 6 millimeters and a price of around 250 euros.

Nevertheless, its internal battery has a decent battery capacity of over 5,000 mAh and the phone has a bright AMOLED screen.

You shouldn't expect too much on the performance front. Regardless, this unusual phone deserves a mention.

Note: Commercial use of the award graphics may require a license. Further details.

The table above shows all smartphones tested in the period under review with their overall and partial ratings, important specs and benchmark scores. Further results and details can be found in the linked reviews.