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Flagship phones in 2025 made a big mark with brands like Apple and Samsung very much in the reckoning.
The end of 2025 has been surprisingly busy for the phone market with brands like OnePlus, Vivo and Oppo already unveiling their respective 2026 flagships for buyers. Xiaomi is one of the few that is willing to wait for the global launch, along with Samsung and Apple to some extent.
Apple’s premium iPhone 17 Pro Max is an easy pick in the flagship category and the changes made this year gave buyers more reasons to upgrade. We got the first orange iPhone model in the market, with a refined camera setup, improved battery life and a refreshed design. It is still one of the costliest in the market but the Apple factor is undeniable, giving the brand more than one reason to keep hiking the prices.
Samsung’s Ultra in the Galaxy S25 series is also one of our flagship picks, even though the company has made some unwanted changes. The S Pen loses Bluetooth support which makes it less dynamic than before. The cameras are still a strong point and after the One UI 7 debacle in 2024, the brand has managed to get the software house in order. The charging speed is still an issue and the 2026 flagship needs to use a silicon carbon grade battery to upgrade on those fronts.
Pixel 10 series has shown Google’s matured take on flagships and the new Pro models (even the Pro XL) have improved on multiple aspects. The battery life is not a big concern, the cameras are good, and do the job well, and the overall design feels a lot more polished. Yes, the Tensor is still lagging behind the actual flagships but its AI prowess is worth counting on.
The OnePlus 15 has already launched but for 2025 we are talking about the 13 series as the go-to flagship from the brand. This is going to be the last OnePlus phone with the Hasselblad branding in the market and probably also the last to feature a circular camera module. OnePlus offered a competent camera package along with a massive 6,000mAh battery on board. More importantly, the price of the OnePlus 13 was far more acceptable in the market.
And yes, the Vivo X300 Pro is the new addition to our list which became obvious after testing the device and its much awaited camera setup. The X300 Pro is not as powerful as other flagships but mighty close to the levels. It has the ideal ingredients for a flagship device with a flat display and frame for better grip in the hand. The battery life also sees a big jump and the use of OriginOS for the first time outside of China gives it the right software polish. Yes, the price has gone up by a range but that seems unavoidable going into the next year.
