The best smartphones we've reviewed in winter 2024/25: 34 tested phones compared

With the update to our new rating system, it has become quite difficult for devices to get a "Very good" rating. Manufacturers therefore have to work harder to focus on performance and other important aspects.

In fact, there are only three devices that can achieve our top rating, and they all come from one manufacturer: Apple. The iPhone 16 Pro Max, the iPhone 16 Pro, and the iPhone 16 are at the top of the list.

The highest rating was given to the iPhone 16 Pro Max — Apple's largest smartphone of this generation, which also has the most features.

And of course, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is also the most expensive of the iPhones with prices of up to €1,949 or $1,599 depending on the memory configuration. In return, you get the fastest processor currently available in a mobile device, great battery life, a good camera, and a very bright and accurate display.

The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max is available from €1,380 euros at Amazon.de and from $1,188 on Amazon US.

The base variant of the iPhone 16 is also quite impressive, especially with its 6.1-inch screen. It is one of the better base variants that Apple has pulled off this year.

You can get into the current generation of Apple smartphones at Amazon.de from €870 and from $830 on Best Buy US, but you don't get all the features that the Pro models have.

For example, you have to make do with a slow USB 2.0 port and a 60 Hz display in 2024. However, the iPhone 16 makes up for these deficiencies with precise GPS positioning, very high performance, and great battery run times.

The iPhone 16 Pro also gets a "Very good" rating. This lightning-fast phone is slightly more compact than its Pro Max cousin but is in no way inferior to it when it comes to the camera unlike what we had seen last year. The smaller Pro also features the new camera control button, which can be used to activate the camera directly and even perform focus and zoom functions.

At the time of publication of this list, you pay €1,100 on Amazon.de or $1,000 at Best Buy US for the iPhone 16 Pro with the smallest 128 GB storage configuration. That's a lot of money, but the phone also has a water and dust-proof casing, a great display, and a guaranteed long software update cycle.