As we step into 2025, the smartphone industry stands at an exciting crossroads. Last year brought us some impressive innovations from brands like Oppo, Xiaomi, Vivo, and OnePlus, alongside more iterative updates from giants such as Apple and Samsung. While 2024’s releases were a mixed bag, they still showcased commendable advancements. Now, with fresh technologies on the horizon, 2025 promises to be a year of bold moves and a potential resurgence for the smartphone market.

Best phones in 2025

The best part? You won’t have to wait till the next holiday season to make your purchase, as most brands if not all, are gearing up for their early 2025 launches starting next month. Whether you plan on getting a Samsung Galaxy, iPhone, OnePlus, or Google Pixel, hold your horses as we present a quick rundown of 2025’s most anticipated smartphone launches.

Top Upcoming Smartphones in 2025

To build your excitement, here’s a glimpse of the technologies we can expect in upcoming smartphones. First and foremost, AI – the buzzword that carried the backs of the entire smartphone industry in 2024 – will be far more practical and valuable in day-to-day scenarios requiring AI assistance. While every smartphone launch had the AI tag in 2024, we can expect to see the next chapter, which will hopefully be better implemented and available at launch.

Smartphone designs, at least those of iPhones and Samsungs, have looked the same for far too long. Brands are well aware of this and are expected to incorporate radical design changes in their 2025 launches. Thankfully, early leaks suggest the same, which is a good sign. It is also reported that some brands might be going for an entirely different factor alongside their standard models, which is the slim form factor.

Another issue a few brands finally addressed in the final quarter of 2024 was battery capacity. Thanks to the all-new silicon-carbon battery type, 6000mAh will become the new normal for most smartphones, up from the usual 5,000mAh. They heat less in comparison and can also be packed in relatively smaller footprints due to their high energy densities while retaining exceptionally good efficiency numbers and charging speeds. That said, let’s see what the brands have for us in 2025!

iPhone SE 4 and 17 Series

Like every year, you can expect Apple to release its latest iPhones in the latter half of 2025. While there are no concrete leaks about the iPhone 17 series, there are enough that tease a design overhaul. Shifting from the camera module we all know and are bored of, the iPhone 17 series will supposedly shift to a visor-style module similar to Google Pixels. For the first time, we can also expect the base iPhone models to receive the 120Hz ProMotion displays alongside an upgraded 24MP selfie camera. For reference, below is an X post by AppleTrack.

But, if you are here for something sooner, Apple has you covered with its 2025 spring release – the all-new iPhone SE 4th generation. Indeed, the iPhone SE series is expected to get an upgrade, and it’s more than you can ever imagine. Leaving the older iPhone 8 design behind, the iPhone SE 4 is hoped to reuse the body of the iPhone 14 and bring features like an OLED display, A18 Bionic SoC, Action Button, USB Type-C, and a bigger battery. And all this for an expected price of $499 makes it worth waiting for. Here is an X post by AppleTrack for reference.

Apple’s not done yet! The company is also expected to release a brand-new phone in the iPhone 17 lineup: the iPhone 17 Air. If launched, the iPhone 17 Air, measuring just 6mm, will become the thinnest iPhone ever. According to leaks, it will supposedly replace the Plus model and sit in the middle of the iPhone 17 lineup while costing more than the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Here is an X post by Apple Hub for reference.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Series and Z Flip/Fold 7 Series

Samsung will launch its 2025 flagship, the Galaxy S25 series, on 22nd January in San Jose, California. The event will introduce the Galaxy S25 series worldwide. Unfortunately, at least on the specifications front, the S25 series seems to be a marginal improvement over the S24 series. This doesn’t seem like an exciting move coming from a brand of Samsung’s caliber. Regardless, here is Tarun Vats’ X post for reference.

Of course, there’s a slim model in the talks, too! The all-new S25 slim will reportedly feature all the latest bells and whistles, such as the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC, 200MP primary camera, 3.5X telephoto camera, and more. However, much hasn’t been leaked about this phone, making the launch unlikely. Here is The Gidz Press’ X post.

Following the tradition of two Galaxy unpacked events yearly, Samsung will announce its folding and flipping masterpieces, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Z Flip 7, in the second half of 2025. The most immediate leaked improvements, which are said to be present when the phones launch, are even bigger screen sizes and subtle design changes. Here is Vikas Negi’s X post regarding the same.

Google Pixel 9a and 10 Series

Alongside Apple’s budget iPhone SE 4 reveal, Google is also expected to launch its 2025 budget offering, the Pixel 9a. The leaked specifications speculate a chipset upgrade from the Tensor G3 to the Tensor G4, an even bigger battery pack, a toned-down design, and slimmer bezels. The launch should take place at Google I/O 2025, where the Pixel 8a was also announced this year. Here is Android Headline’s coverage on the same.

As for the Pixel 10 series, we don’t have any trustworthy leaks yet to speculate anything. However, considering it’s Google, we can expect the Pixel 10 series to get leaked very soon. We are particularly excited about the Tensor G5, which is the first chipset that will be manufactured by TSMC instead of Samsung. It will be packing the MediaTek T900 modem instead of an Exynos one. This alone is enough to give Pixels the performance boost they have always lacked. Here is Shishir’s X post on the same.

OnePlus 13 and Open 2

2025’s spree of launches was inaugurated with the launch of the OnePlus 13 series on the 7th of January. The series comprises the OnePlus 13 and the OnePlus 13R, both of which are stupendous offerings and have certainly set a benchmark for upcoming launches. As expected from their Chinese counterparts, the OnePlus 13 boasts an upgraded 6000mAh silicon-carbon battery pack, a micro quad-curved display, a new trio of 50MP+50MP+50MP rear cameras, and many more for under $900. The OnePlus 13R was the most surprising of the duo, thanks to adding a new 50MP 2X telephoto camera and the same 6000mAh battery as the OnePlus 13 while retaining last year’s price tag of $599.99.

After not following up with an upgrade, the mighty OnePlus Open is expected to be replaced by its successor in 2025. Although it will be a rebranded Oppo Find N5, it’s the only globally foldable phone capable of competing against Samsung’s Z Fold series. There have been no leaks concerning the OnePlus Open 2’s specifications, but Yogesh Brar’s X post mentions that the OnePlus Open 2 is coming sooner than we expected.

Nothing Phone (3) and (3) Pro

If there’s one brand everyone has their eyes on, it’s Carl Pei’s Nothing. While it could be because the year passed in a flash, we couldn’t help but notice that Nothing didn’t launch the sequel of the Nothing Phone (2) – the company’s flagship model. They didn’t sit idle this year and launched some insanely good budget offerings, namely the Nothing Phone (2a) and the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus. CMF, Nothing’s sub-brand, also launched its first smartphone, the CMF Phone 1, which was also praiseworthy. We can surely expect Nothing to follow up with the updated versions later this year.

This section is about Nothing’s soon-to-launch flagship models, the Nothing Phone (3) and Phone (3) Pro. Surprisingly, there has not been enough discussion of the phones yet. Still, according to what we could find, the Phone (3) is expected to feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, whereas the Phone (3) Pro could feature an upgraded camera system with an additional telephoto sensor. The phones are expected to launch in early 2025. Below is Sanju Choudhary’s X post regarding the Nothing Phone (3).

Motorola Razr 60 Series and Edge 60 Series

Motorola is also expected to update its Razr lineup for 2025. Judging by the Razr 50’s launch timeline, we can expect the Razr 60 series to launch in the second half of 2025. However, besides Android Police’s article, we couldn’t find any other leaks or speculations related to the upcoming Moto Razr 60 series. Furthermore, Motorola will also bring out the updated Edge 60 series around the same time of the year.

Smartphones Worth Waiting for in 2025

With enough compelling phones launching in 2025, we recommend holding off on purchases for the time being. After all, if you are going to spend money on something, why not buy the latest version? Furthermore, quite a few brands, if not all, are expected to bring a significant overhaul to their lineups in 2025, be it the iPhone 17 series, iPhone SE 4, Pixel 10 series, Pixel 9a, OnePlus Open 2, Nothing Phone (3), and many more. Moreover, the improvements in aspects like battery technology, AI features, design, and form factor are worth waiting for in 2025.

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