The 10 Most Reliable Phones Of 2025, Tested By Our Experts

Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max features a durable yet lightweight titanium design, housing a breathtaking 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR display protected by the latest Ceramic Shield, twice as tough as any other smartphone glass. This device is engineered for the future with Apple Intelligence—a personal intelligence system designed to help you write, create, and manage tasks seamlessly, all while maintaining top-tier privacy protections coming this fall.

Photography enthusiasts will appreciate the new Camera Control system, which streamlines access to zoom and depth-of-field adjustments for perfect shots every time. The powerful 48MP Fusion camera, along with an upgraded Ultra Wide camera, lets you capture ultra-detailed photos and stunning 4K 120fps Dolby Vision videos.

Powered by the new A18 Pro chip, the iPhone delivers impressive speed with a faster Neural Engine, improved CPU/GPU, and enhanced memory bandwidth—perfect for advanced photo editing, video work, and high-end gaming. Battery life also gets a huge boost, offering up to 33 hours of video playback, with versatile charging options including USB-C and MagSafe wireless.

While it comes with a premium price tag, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is a powerhouse packed with cutting-edge features and a durable design, making it a worthy investment for users seeking the very best in smartphone technology.

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra shines with its advanced multitasking capabilities, allowing you to streamline tasks by simply asking once whether it’s searching for a vegan restaurant nearby or messaging a friend, this phone handles it all seamlessly. Start your day with Now Brief, a smart assistant that delivers timely info before you even ask.

Capture memories like never before with the AI Camera featuring Audio Eraser, which records vibrant videos in low light while minimizing background noise for cleaner, more immersive playback. The phone’s portrait mode intelligently enhances every face with natural skin tones and refined textures, perfect for polished, professional-quality photos.

Switching to the Galaxy S25 Ultra is a breeze thanks to Smart Switch, which securely transfers all your data, from photos to apps, in just a few easy steps. While the phone excels in many areas, its charging speed is a bit slower than some competitors, but this doesn’t detract from the overall premium experience and powerful features it offers.

Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max impresses with its stunning 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display featuring ProMotion technology and an Always-On display for quick access to key information. Its durable titanium frame and textured matte glass back offer both elegance and strength, complemented by the versatile new Action button.

Dynamic Island adds a magical, interactive layer to notifications and activities, enhancing usability. Powered by the A17 Pro chip with a 6-core GPU, the device handles everything from everyday tasks to intensive gaming with smooth efficiency. The Pro camera system delivers exceptional versatility with a 48MP main sensor, Ultra Wide, and Telephoto lenses, allowing for super-high-resolution photos (24MP and 48MP) and advanced portrait modes featuring Focus and Depth Control. The telephoto lens also supports up to 10x optical zoom, capturing detailed shots from afar.

Safety features include Emergency SOS via satellite, Crash Detection, and Roadside Assistance, ensuring peace of mind wherever you go. With up to 29 hours of video playback and fast USB-C charging with USB 3 support (up to 20x faster transfers), the iPhone 15 Pro Max is built for both power and convenience. Nevertheless, some users might find the large size a bit bulky, but it’s a fair trade for the expansive display and added features.

Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra offers an impressive suite of features designed to simplify your life and enhance creativity. With “Circle & Search,” you can quickly identify objects, places, or words right from your screen by circling them, perfect for instantly satisfying your curiosity. Real-time voice translations through Live Translate break down language barriers on the fly, while Note Assist helps you organize, summarize, format, and even translate your notes effortlessly.

The camera system is impressive with its 200MP sensor and advanced Nightography mode, allowing you to capture vivid details even in low light. Generative Edit AI tools let you easily move or remove objects and fill empty spaces, turning good photos into stunning works of art. Zoom in for crisp, distant shots without sacrificing quality.

Under the hood, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset delivers seamless multitasking and fast, smooth performance across apps and gaming. One minor drawback is the introduction of push notification ads in the Galaxy Store, which currently cannot be disabled via settings or within the app, may interrupt the user experience.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro, powered by Gemini AI, represents the most advanced Pixel phone to date, combining cutting-edge artificial intelligence with a beautifully refined design. Available in two sizes, the Pixel 9 Pro features a satin matte back and a dual-finish camera bar framed by polished metal, offering both style and durability with resistance to everyday spills and drops.

Its 6.3-inch Super Actua display boasts vivid brightness and up to 120Hz refresh rate, providing smooth gaming, scrolling, and overall responsiveness, even in bright sunlight. Moreover, the triple rear camera system captures high-quality photos and videos like never before. With up to 20x Super Res Zoom Video, 8K Video Boost, and Night Sight Video, you can record sharp, vibrant footage in any lighting. 

The built-in Gemini AI assistant also elevates daily use by providing seamless voice interaction through Gemini Live, following conversations naturally even as topics change. While the Tensor G4 chip offers solid overall performance, some users have noted that it may not be the strongest option for intensive gaming sessions.

The Moto G Stylus is distinguished by its incredibly thin design, contemporary color scheme, and luxurious vegan leather back that is incredibly comfortable to hold. It’s built tough, meeting military-grade standards for water and drop protection, giving you peace of mind for everyday adventures.

At 6.7 inches, the pOLED Super HD display delivers stunning cinema-quality visuals with over a billion shades of color, enhanced by Dolby Atmos sound for truly immersive media experiences. Photography gets a boost thanks to the 50MP Sony LYTIA camera featuring Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and Moto AI. Night shots come out brighter and sharper, capturing details even in low light, while the camera’s versatility ensures you can snap great photos in many settings. 

Plus, with 256GB storage and RAM Boost, you have plenty of space for your apps, photos, and files, and a smoother, more responsive phone experience. Unfortunately, it requires a Motorola TurboPower 68W charger, which is not included. Therefore, you need to purchase it separately. Overall, the Motorola Moto G Stylus is a great choice for users who want style and performance with reliable durability for everyday use.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra 5G has a great Leica-branded camera system with several 50MP sensors that each have a different purpose. It has a main camera with a stepless variable aperture and a 1-inch sensor size, a 75mm floating telephoto, and a 120mm periscope telephoto for clear zoom shots and detailed macro photography. These Leica lenses, paired with advanced image sensors like the IMX858 series, allow users to capture ultra-sharp photos in a variety of lighting conditions and distances. Although the camera grip accessory doesn’t yet support switching between lenses using the buttons, it's not a big deal.

Its 6.73-inch WQHD+ AMOLED display dazzles with vibrant colors, deep blacks, and smooth adaptive refresh rates from 1 to 120Hz for fluid visuals and energy efficiency. Brightness peaks at an impressive 3000 nits, making outdoor viewing a breeze. The screen benefits from premium certifications, including Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light, ensuring eye comfort during extended use.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU delivers exceptional performance with a balanced combination of high-power and efficiency cores, which are accompanied by the Qualcomm Adreno GPU. This combo ensures the Xiaomi 14 Ultra can handle demanding apps, gaming, and multitasking without breaking a sweat.

The OnePlus 13 runs on the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, delivering lightning-fast speeds and a seamless multitasking experience. Whether you're deep into mobile gaming or juggling business apps, the performance feels effortlessly smooth. One of its standout features is the 6000mAh battery, giving you solid all-day performance and peace of mind. Paired with 80W SuperVOOC charging, even heavy users rarely find themselves tethered to an outlet for long.

Visually, the 120Hz ProXDR display is a joy to use, offering stunning clarity, vibrant colors, and responsiveness that’s hard to beat—especially for streaming and browsing. The 5th Gen Hasselblad camera system brings sharp, detailed imaging, keeping you confident in every shot, day or night.

While the OnePlus 13 supports Qi2 magnetic accessories, its lightweight design may require a case to ensure a stable magnetic connection. Still, this is a minor tweak to an otherwise impressive and reliable device that keeps performance at its core.

At its core, the Armor 27T Pro 5G is a beast of a phone. It’s powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 5G chip, coupled with 24GB of RAM (12GB physical + 12GB virtual) and a hefty 256GB of internal storage—expandable up to 2 TB. This ensures smooth performance whether you’re multitasking in the field or working with heavy apps.

But what really makes it one of the most reliable phones out there is its rugged construction and versatile camera system. The 10600mAh battery offers multi-day use on a single charge, with 33W wired and 30W wireless charging. The 6.78" FHD+ display is reinforced with Gorilla Glass Victus, while IP68/IP69K and MIL-STD-810H certifications guarantee it survives water, dust, shocks, and extreme temperatures.

Its FLIR Lepton thermal camera adds a whole new layer of functionality, able to detect heat through smoke, darkness, or fog—an essential tool for engineers, first responders, and outdoor professionals. The only catch? It’s not compatible with AT&T or Cricket, so checking your carrier before making a purchase is a must.

Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and backed by 12GB of RAM, the Xperia 1 VI handles everything from demanding multitasking to gaming and content creation with ease. Benchmark scores like 800,000+ on AnTuTu and 5,000 on Geekbench multi-core reflect the power under the hood.

Its 6.5-inch LTPO OLED display shines with stunning Full HD+ resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and Sony’s signature color accuracy—ideal for photographers, editors, and media lovers. The triple rear camera system (48MP + 12MP + 12MP) delivers reliable, high-quality imaging with advanced video capabilities, including 8K recording.

The 5,000 mAh battery ensures all-day performance, and while the 30W charging isn’t the fastest out there, it’s more than sufficient for a full-day refresh. Signature Xperia features like the 3.5mm headphone jack and expandable memory slot remain, adding to the phone’s professional-grade versatility.

In terms of build, the design stays true to Sony's distinctive aesthetic, but users may want to use a case, as the finish can be more susceptible to light scratches over time. It’s a minor trade-off for such a sleek and minimalist look.