Ranking: Best smartphones reviewed by Notebookcheck

The 17 Ultra is a high-end flagship with high-quality everything, starting with its build quality. This smartphone's flat LTPO OLED panel has variable refresh rates, modern HDR standards support and fine, accurate colors to offer. Powerful built-in speakers further increasing the model's multimedia prowess.

In terms of technology, the device relies on a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 with plenty of RAM, very fast UFS 4.1 flash storage, and Wi-Fi 7, which means everyday and gaming performance are clearly in the high-end league even with the SoC noticeably throttling if subjected to longer loads. The list of features is very extensive with USB 3.2 and DisplayPort Alt Mode, NFC, UWB, an IR blaster, and optional camera kit all available. eSIM support is reserved for the global version, though.

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra impresses with its very good camera setup.

At its core is a Leica camera system with 1-inch main sensor (Omnivision Light Hunter 1050L), new Leica APO zoom in the 75-100 mm range, additional 200-MP camera and an ultra-wide-angle/macro sensor. These set new standards in terms of dynamic range, telephoto quality and video (including 8K and Dolby Vision), even if color balance in Leica Vibrant mode can be imperfect for brighter tones than expected.

Its battery offers solid endurance, but is smaller compared to the Chinese model and does not charge quite as quickly as some competing models.

The iPhone 17 Pro is a predictable further development of the series, scoring points with numerous improvements such as the new, significantly brighter OLED display with better colors; a larger and more enduring battery; and the powerful new A19 Pro chip with 12 GB of RAM ensuring outstanding system performance and one of the best battery runtimes in the product subcategory.

The iPhone 17 Pro is a powerful premium smartphone.

Its main cameras have seen improvements; in particular, the telephoto one and the new 18-MP Center Stage front camera now offer more versatility and quality in everyday life. The updated visual design features a sturdy, albeit more scratch-sensitive aluminum frame, which underlines the slim look.

In terms of technology, the smartphone offers an extensive set of modern features including Wi-Fi 7, dual eSIM and USB 3.2. Apple still has work to do here; high-res Bluetooth audio codecs are missing, and some new iOS 26 features are not available in the EU.

If you want a larger display and even better battery life, and are not afraid of weight, you should consider the iPhone 17 Pro Max instead.

The S26 Ultra is a very technically-sophisticated high-end smartphone. Its new privacy display is one of the reasons why it stands out; the feature reduces viewing angles of the screen, significantly improving privacy in everyday life. When activated, brightness and colors suffer, though, which is why it is useful for select situations only and is best not kept on permanently.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is a powerful premium smartphone for users who want maximum features, and privacy benefits of the display.

In terms of performance, the device impresses with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy. Modern features such as Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, USB 3.2, 60-watt fast charging and an integrated S Pen come included. Its versatile camera system and long software support also stand out positively. Its 5,000-mAh battery delivers solid runtimes, but is no record breaker.

The F9 Ultra is a powerful high-end smartphone, but it is not an improvement over its predecessor in every respect. One of its greatest strengths is its huge battery, which delivers excellent battery life. The OLED display also impresses with high brightness, natural colors and a refresh rate of up to 185 Hz. However, the advertised 10,000 cd/m² is largely irrelevant in everyday use, and a full-fledged LTPO panel is still missing.

The Poco F9 Ultra remains a strong overall package, but with prices having risen significantly, its many minor compromises carry much more weight.

With the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, Poco uses the same SoC as in the F8 Ultra. Thanks to significantly improved cooling, however, performance remains more stable under sustained load, though surface temperatures can get very high. A real highlight is the sound system tuned in collaboration with Bose, featuring two speakers and an additional subwoofer. The broad codec support, including LE Audio and Auracast, is also welcome.

The new 200-MP main camera is less convincing. It captures plenty of detail in daylight, but its smaller sensor puts it at a disadvantage compared with the F8 Ultra, particularly in low light. Autofocus and live view also show weaknesses in these conditions. Other drawbacks include just four major Android updates, only 1,000 guaranteed battery cycles and missing features such as UWB, a barometer and 6 GHz Wi-Fi. 

The Honor Magic8 Pro strikes us as an almost flawless high-end smartphone featuring a very bright 6.71-inch LTPO OLED display achieving peak HDR values beyond 6,000 cd/m², which is also very evenly illuminated and color-accurate, with low Delta-E values. Powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, it delivers excellent short-term performance in CPU and GPU benchmarks, including ray-tracing-enabled tests, but throttles by around 50 % under continuous loads. Its casing does not get hot at under 45 °C max in return. The Adreno 840 iGPU achieves top results in 3DMark and GFXBench tests, making the device absolutely suitable for gaming.

Honor's Magic8 Pro shines with its strong features and good camera setup.

Tech-wise, the product stands out with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0 including Auracast, USB 3.2 with DisplayPort, ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, 3D face recognition and a freely assignable AI button, although UWB is missing and Wi-Fi speeds lag behind other Wi-Fi 7-enabled flagships. Its triple rear camera offers a main sensor with f/1.6 and CIPA 5.5-grade OIS, periscope zoom with up to 100x magnification, as well as ultra-wide angle/macro shots, delivering detailed, stabilized photos and 4K videos. Images tend to be overly bright, with stronger-than-needed colors with defaults settings, which may turn some off. The EU model's battery, which has been reduced to 6,270 mAh compared to the CN model, is good for just under 27 hours in the Wi-Fi Web surfing test and charges quickly in 36 minutes using a 100-W power adapter.

While Xiaomi's 17 does set new standards for compact smartphones with its huge 7,000-mAh battery and powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the phone is not without its share of weaknesses. The enormous battery capacity ensures runtimes that are well above most rival phones while also upping the phone's weight and size noticeably, which some may not like.

The 17 shines with its gigantic battery, but is heavier as a consequence.

The new processor performs well, however, thermal management issues apparently prevent it, and its integrated graphics unit in particular, from revealing its full potential in longer load scenarios. Rear camera setup impresses with Leica optics and good low-light capabilities, but the photos it produces can sometimes appear oversaturated and over-sharpened in daylight. HyperOS 3 takes heavy inspiration from iOS, which may not appeal to every Android fan, and the Chinese version of the smartphone comes with limitations such as a lack of eSIM support and fewer years of guaranteed software support. Despite its strengths, the Xiaomi 17 therefore is a good but flawed option.

Vivo's X300 Ultra is a smartphone designed to appeal above all to photographers. At its heart is a camera system co-developed with Zeiss, featuring large sensors, a new 200-megapixel main camera and a high-resolution telephoto camera. Thanks to advanced image processing and a new pixel-binning method, it captures detailed images with high light sensitivity, particularly in low-light conditions. Zoom performance is also impressive.

The Vivo X300 Ultra impresses above all as a camera flagship. Those seeking the best possible photo quality will find it one of the most exciting smartphones currently available.

Beyond its cameras, the X300 Ultra offers a high-resolution OLED display with a high refresh rate, a powerful Snapdragon processor, plenty of RAM and a large battery. This makes it one of the fastest Android smartphones on the market in everyday use.

However, the device is not without its weaknesses. Points of criticism include the camera's inaccurate color reproduction, noticeable heat buildup under load and performance throttling during sustained use. The speakers also fall slightly short of the best competitors.

The Galaxy S26 (88.3 %) and S26 Plus (89 %) differ mainly in size, battery capacity and charging speeds, with under-the-hood technology largely identical. The S26 is the more compact offering with a smaller display and is therefore easier to hold, making it particularly suitable for everyday use. The S26 Plus features a significantly larger display better suited for media consumption, gaming or productive work.

Samsung's Galaxy S26+ and S26 are strong options, although the relatively compact form factor of the S26 means a few compromises had to be made.

Battery differences are important to lay out as well: The S26+ has a higher capacity and generally lasts longer, and charges faster. It also sports a higher display resolution and UWB.

In terms of performance, camera and software, however, there are hardly any differences, as both models are based on the same platform and have a comparable triple rear camera.

With the Find X9 Ultra, Oppo reinforces its ambition to offer the year's best camera smartphone. At its heart is an exceptional camera system featuring two 200-megapixel sensors and Hasselblad tuning. The flagship stands out above all for its enormous focal length range, powerful zoom capabilities and image quality that puts even established rivals such as Apple and Samsung under pressure. The new LUMO image processing, in particular, delivers natural, detailed photos in almost any situation.

The Oppo Find X9 Ultra is one of the best smartphones of the year, particularly for photography. 

Beyond the camera, the Find X9 Ultra also offers high-end hardware: a 6.82-inch LTPO OLED display with a 144 Hz refresh rate, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, up to 512 GB of storage, Wi-Fi 7, Android 16 and a large 7,050-mAh battery. Other features include IP69 certification, an ultrafast fingerprint sensor and long-term software update support.

There are some criticisms, however: the display cannot sustain its advertised peak brightness, and automatic brightness adjustment is too conservative. Cooling is a more serious issue: under sustained load, the smartphone gets very warm and throttles its performance significantly. As a result, performance sometimes falls below even that of its predecessor.

The Pixel 10 Pro has a high-quality glass-and-aluminum casing with IP68 certification. Running the show here is a Tensor G5 with 16 GB of RAM, operating smoothly in everyday use but lagging behind the competition in benchmarks. Storage options up to 1 TB are available, but transfer rates are lower than expected for a UFS 4.0 chip.

Google's Pixel 10 Pro impresses with its lovely display, excellent camera and long updates. It's the subpar SoC and storage performance, and PWM display flickering that are dragging it down.

Its 6.3-inch LTPO OLED display resolving at 2,856 × 1,280 achieves a peak brightness of up to 3,200 cd/m² and has a 120-Hz refresh rate, but shows rather low-frequency PWM flickering. The Pixel's key features include Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, UWB, NFC and dual-band GNSS. The latter is not very precise indoors.

The Pixel's 4,870-mAh battery can be topped up at 30 W over USB-C, with wireless charging limited to 15 W. Its triple primary camera with 50, 48 and 48 MP delivers impressive photos, and its ultrasonic fingerprint scanner recognizes fingers quickly. The phone's vibration motor provides precise feedback, a minor but still important detail.