Samsung came out with the Galaxy S25 lineup, Google with Pixel 9, and OnePlus with OnePlus 13 in 2025. These are the best Android phones currently on the market with distinctive strengths and weaknesses. Samsung is loved for being fundamentally perfect (but boring), Pixel for its camera and software experience, and OnePlus for its performance.
What else is there to be loved about them? Let’s talk about them in detail.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
When it comes to playing safe, Samsung nails it. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is the best offering from Samsung right now, and it checks all the fundamental boxes of a good phone.
Cameras? Check.
Performance? Check.
Design? Check.
But I call it boring. It doesn’t have any new, flashy innovations for which Samsung was once renowned.
Starting with the performance, it is a beast. It is powered by the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, making it a top-tier device.
I have been using this phone since its launch till March, and it didn’t disappoint. I played heavy multiplayer games while being connected to my high-speed home WiFi from Hawaiian Telcom, and it didn’t break a sweat. Well, credit goes to my super-fast internet as well. There was no lag or drop in the frame rates while playing Call of Duty Mobile on it. The game launcher helped as well in enhancing the game experience on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Apart from gaming, this phone is pretty good for multitasking as well.
Let’s talk about the cameras now. If not the best, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has one of the best cameras among Android phones. The photos look nice, vivid, and sharp. The thing that impressed me the most was its night photography. The pictures deep in the night don’t look overly bright; it’s just like what your eyes see on a dark, starry night. It’s really that good.
Overall, it’s a great phone, but with one compromise, which is their battery charging speeds. Brands like Oppo are offering at least 100W of charging speeds with their flagship phones, while Samsung is stuck with underwhelming 45W.
OnePlus 13
OnePlus 13 is another phone that is adored for its performance.
Seriously, if you do gaming on your phone, get this one. It will knock every other non-gaming out of the park for its gaming performance.
It doesn’t only impress with gaming but also checks most of the boxes while slightly leaving one (more on that coming up). Whether it’s display, software, or battery experience, this phone is nearly perfect.
The display is nice and sharp. Upon my testing, this is the phone that gets the brightest when it comes to sheer brightness. It can peak brightness up to 4500 nits, which is the most in a phone. You can literally watch a movie while soaking sun without a problem. OnePlus 13’s display is that good!
Apart from the display, it has a great battery experience. It offers wireless charging and wired charging out of the box. One of the things I love about the current OnePlus is that the charger comes out of the box, unlike Samsung, Apple, and many other manufacturers. The peak charging is also rated at 100W out of the box, while wireless charging is limited to 50W, which is still pretty impressive.
The one check box that it partially fills? The cameras. Don’t get me wrong; the cameras are perfectly usable, but when compared against the Samsung and Pixel, they lack the quality. When the scene is properly lit, it takes wonderful shots. When the scene is overly or underlit, the camera struggles to maintain the goodness.
All in all, it’s still a great phone with a price cheaper than all.
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL (My Daily Driver)
Last but not least, my daily driver and one of the best Android phones in 2025 is the Google Pixel 9 XL.
This is one of the top phones when it comes to pure software experience. From customization to cool animations, I love most of the things about the Pixel 9 Pro XL.
The best thing? Pixel cameras, undoubtedly. Whether it is pictured in the deep, dark night or harshly lit scenery, Pixel’s post-capture processing makes the worst shot the best. I just love it.
Performance-wise, it is fine too, with 16 gigs of RAM and a Tensor G4 chipset. Though I have felt that it gets hot when put through stress and massive processing.
As for the display, it is one of the biggest and brightest displays on the market. With a 120Hz refresh rate, it feels really smooth to use.
Final Verdict
Let me conclude by giving you my verdict. If you’d ask me which one you should go for if you need the best Android, I would say the OnePlus 13 (if you can compromise on the cameras). It offers the best features at the lowest price. So, get it to get the best bang for your buck.
