The iPhone 17 Pro is Apple’s best phone yet and Apple's best upgrade phone in the past few years. Available in two screen sizes—the 6.3-inch Pro and 6.9-inch Pro Max—offer a perfect balance of sleek design, excellent ergonomics, fantastic cameras, and outstanding everyday performance, with long battery life to match. With iOS 26 out of the box, the latest iPhones also offer a feature-rich yet intuitive platform with customizable looks and built-in Apple Intelligence.

Compared to the iPhone 16 Pro duo, the sequels have a revamped design with an aluminum finish and a rear camera plateau. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max also pack a more sophisticated Apple A19 Pro silicon, an upgraded telephoto camera with higher resolution, and a brand-new, best-in-class selfie snapper.

The standard iPhone 17 is a stellar Pro alternative if you want to keep your upgrade budget in three-digit territory. Its dual rear camera setup isn’t as fancy, but its ProMotion display is a sweet new upgrade that nicely complements its superb performance and platform experience.

More: A Breakdown of the Entire iPhone Lineup

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It shouldn't come as surprise that Google's own Pixel phones make the most of Android. The Pixel 10 Pro and its big-screen XL sibling deliver the most up-to-date Android experience with a plethora of AI-powered tools and deeply integrated Google Gemini—the tech giant’s mighty virtual assistant.

The triple rear camera of the Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL is one of the best in the industry and reason enough to consider the phones over their Android rivals. The top-shelf optics, in tandem with Google’s sophisticated image and video processing tech, make capturing memories super easy even for photography newbies.

The lower-priced Google Pixel 10 is worth considering if you want to save money and don’t prioritize a feature-packed snapper. The standard Pixel offers a similar experience and performance to the Pixel 10 Pro, but its camera setup isn’t as sophisticated, despite including a triple-sensor rear camera for the first time.

More: A Closer Look at Every Google Pixel Phone

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The iPhone 17e is Apple’s most affordable phone out today, and a solid choice for buyers on a tight budget. For $599, the latest addition to the iPhone 17 family offers a compact and durable design, excellent all-around performance, long battery life, and a dependable, if not mind-blowing, set of cameras. Of course, the iPhone 17e also has full support for Apple Intelligence.

Compared to the iPhone 16e it replaces, the sequel has a more powerful chip and a more sophisticated 5G modem. Most importantly, the iPhone 17e adds full MagSafe support and faster charging speeds. The last-mentioned essential features were notably missing in the previous iteration.

When juxtaposed with the $200 more expensive iPhone 17, the starter iPhone 17e has a smaller screen without a Dynamic Island and ProMotion, a single rear camera, and a more basic selfie snapper. Given the identical $799 price of a 512 GB iPhone 16e and a 256 GB iPhone 17, I’d recommend the latter 99 out of 100 times. The iPhone 17e offers the most value in its entry-level variant with ample 256 GB of memory.

Reviewed: iPhone 17e

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This update of Google's budget-friendly Google Pixel 9a doesn't change much, but it's still an easy pick-up if you're looking for a better-than-basic Android phone for around $500. It offers a compact build with a smooth design, flattening the camera bump found on most modern phones, and gives you decent all-around performance and battery life. The Google Pixel 10a is not a phone for gaming and AI deep dives, but it'll get you from point A to point B without a problem.

Strangely, the Pixel 10a has the same hardware specs as its predecessor. The Pixel 9a has the same Tensor G4 chip, 6.3-inch display panel, camera setup, and battery capacity. Aside from that stylish flat back, the two phones are difficult to tell apart. It does have faster wired charging and a tougher build, so it isn't a complete dupe.

And since it is a Google phone, it is more futureproof than most budget-tier phones. The Pixel 10a will receive timely platform updates for seven years, ensuring it remains current with features and security patches like the higher-end Pixels.

Reviewed: Google Pixel 10a

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The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is an expensive phone, but it offers the best pure technical performance of any Android phone out right now, and it's easily the best phone I've tested in 2026.

As expected, the Galaxy S26 Ultra comes equipped with the most powerful processor in an Android phone right now, the Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gen 5 chipset, as well as a versatile camera setup, and a large battery with fast wired and wireless charging. If speed and fidelity are important to you, this is the Android phone you want.

But what sets Samsung flagship apart from every other phone, including the iPhone 17 Pro Max, is a new feature called Privacy Display, which darkens the screen when viewed from the side, so people can't peek over your shoulder to see what's on your screen.

I'm also a big fan of using its integrated stylus, the Samsung S Pen, for precision control while organizing my schedule, jotting notes by hand, or simply navigating an XL screen that may feel unwieldy when you use your thumb.

As much as I love the Pixel 10 Pro, I think the Samsung Galaxy S26, is the most exciting thing on Android right now.

Reviewed: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

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At $300, the Moto G Power is impossible to beat on price, and it's a perfect decent phone if you're willing to give up some of the conveniences you'll find in more feature-rich budget handsets from brands like Google and Samsung.

Overall, the Moto G Power exceeded my design and performance expectations set by its price tag. For around $100 less, the standard Moto G offers a cheaper alternative with similar looks, but toned-down specs with a lower-resolution screen, less memory, and no official rating for water resistance.

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Motorola has been synonymous with flip phones since Star-Tac phone launched in the mid '90s, and it still makes the best one you can buy in 2026—the Moto Razr Ultra. This version is a smartphone with a foldable screen, so it's obviously a very different animal, but still worth a look if you want that retro-futurist vibe.

Its striking, luxurious look stands out. In a world full of black slates, nobody's going to mistake that sleek, flippable form factor for any other phone, especially since it has a vegan-leather back panel.

The conversation-worthy foldable design of the Moto Razr Ultra has a positive impact on its ergonomics, too. In times when standard big-screen phones are approaching tablet territory, the foldable gadget can easily fit into a small purse or a skinny jeans pocket, despite its primary screen being larger than those of the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.

There's more to the phone than aesthetics, though. , the Razr Ultra features top-tier hardware and performance, with battery life and fast charging speeds to match. And its generously sized external display makes common interactions, like taking calls and replying to messages, effortless.

If you want to jump to a modern flip phone on a tighter budget, the 2025 Moto Razr without the Ultra moniker is a great buy. It has similar looks and slightly toned-down specs.

The Razr Fold, Motorola’s first book-style foldable, has supplanted Samsung and Google as the best big-screen folding phone through sheer upgrade power. It sets itself apart with several standout features, including a pair of larger, brighter display panels, higher-resolution cameras, and a bigger battery.

The biggest difference feature, surprisingly enough, is stylus support! The Razr Fold is the only current book-style model with an optional stylus, which feels essential when you’re taking notes or drawing on the inner display.

It definitely helps that the Moto Pen Ultra is accurate and efficient, making it a stellar option for phone-first workers who need to conquer creativity and productivity tasks on the move.

My recommendation comes with a caveat: It’s worth keeping in mind that neither Google nor Samsung have announced new folding phones in 2026 yet. It’s possible that either brand could turn around and release something stunning later this year. For right now, though, if you’re thinking about a full-size foldable (not a flip), this is the move.

Reviewed: Motorola razr Fold

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