MKBHD Award

Best smartphone 2025: Phone of the Year

The ultimate award — MKBHD's pick for the best overall smartphone of the year across all price points and platforms.

12 Years

6 Brands

3× Apple

2025 Champion — Best smartphone

⭐ Featured Winner 2025

🏆 Phone of the Year

iPhone 17

Apple · 2025

Apple finally delivers ProMotion 120Hz to the base iPhone 17, along with improved cameras and Apple Intelligence features — making it the most complete standard iPhone ever.

Display 6.1-inch OLED, 120Hz ProMotion

Camera 48MP main + 12MP ultrawide + 12MP front

Battery 3,279 mAh

Launch Price $799

🛒 Check price on Amazon Also at Best Buy →

Affiliate link · We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you

Compare Phone of the Year Winners

How does the 2025 best smartphone stack up against previous champions? Key chipset specs side by side.

Current

2025

iPhone 17

Apple

Chipset

Apple A19

Finally got ProMotion 120Hz, improved cameras, and Apple Intelligence. The most complete iPhone in years.

Buy on Amazon Details

2024

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Samsung

Chipset

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

Galaxy AI, titanium build, 200MP camera with 10x optical zoom, and S Pen. The most complete phone of 2024.

Buy on Amazon Details

2023

Google Pixel 8

Google

Chipset

Google Tensor G3

7 years of updates, Google AI features, and best-in-class Android camera at $699.

Buy on Amazon Details

2022

Google Pixel 7

Google

Chipset

Google Tensor G2

Google Tensor G2, best-in-class Android camera, and excellent software at $599. The complete package.

Buy on Amazon Details

2021

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

Samsung

Chipset

Snapdragon 888

Quad cameras, S Pen support, and the best Android display of the year. Samsung firing on all cylinders.

Buy on Amazon Details

Phone	Year	Chipset	Display	Chipset	Price
iPhone 17 Apple	2025	Apple A19	6.1-inch OLED, 120Hz ProMotion	Apple A19	$799
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Samsung	2024	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3	6.8-inch QHD+ AMOLED, 120Hz	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3	$1,299
Google Pixel 8 Google	2023	Google Tensor G3	6.2-inch OLED, 120Hz	Google Tensor G3	$699
Google Pixel 7 Google	2022	Google Tensor G2	6.3-inch OLED, 90Hz	Google Tensor G2	$599
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Samsung	2021	Snapdragon 888	6.8-inch QHD+ AMOLED, 120Hz LTPO	Snapdragon 888	$1,199

Showing last 5 winners with available data. Specs from manufacturer listings.

Which Brand Dominates Phone of the Year?

Apple

3 wins (25%)

Samsung

3 wins (25%)

Google

3 wins (25%)

OnePlus

1 win (8%)

Huawei/Google

1 win (8%)

All-Time Phone of the Year Winners (2014–2025)

Year	Winner	Runner-Up	View award
2025	iPhone 17 — Apple Finally got ProMotion 120Hz, improved cameras, and Apple Intelligence. The most complete iPhone in years.	Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra	View →
2024	Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra — Samsung Galaxy AI, titanium build, 200MP camera with 10x optical zoom, and S Pen. The most complete phone of 2024.	iPhone 16 Pro	View →
2023	Google Pixel 8 — Google 7 years of updates, Google AI features, and best-in-class Android camera at $699.	Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra	View →
2022	Google Pixel 7 — Google Google Tensor G2, best-in-class Android camera, and excellent software at $599. The complete package.	Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra	View →
2021	Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra — Samsung Quad cameras, S Pen support, and the best Android display of the year. Samsung firing on all cylinders.	iPhone 13 Pro	View →
2020	iPhone 12 Pro — Apple 5G, MagSafe, OLED display, LiDAR, and the best chip in mobile. The iPhone 12 Pro set the pace.	Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra	View →
2019	iPhone 11 Pro — Apple Three cameras, all-day battery life, and an A13 chip that crushed every competitor.	Google Pixel 4	View →
2018	OnePlus 6T — OnePlus The best value-to-performance ratio of any phone in 2018. In-display fingerprint sensor and 30-minute fast charging.	Samsung Galaxy Note 9	View →
2017	Samsung Galaxy Note 8 — Samsung Note 8 offered a refined, premium package with dual cameras and the best S Pen experience yet — and didn't explode.	iPhone X	View →
2016	Google Pixel XL — Google Google's first proper hardware play. Best-in-class camera at launch, pure Android, and excellent build quality.	iPhone 7 Plus	View →
2015	Nexus 6P — Huawei/Google Best pure Android experience in a premium package. Fingerprint sensor, great camera, and a reasonable price.	Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge	View →
2014	HTC One M8 — HTC Praised for premium aluminum build, excellent software, and overall refinement.	Moto X (2014)	View →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best smartphone in 2025? ▼

According to MKBHD's 2025 Smartphone Awards, the best smartphone is the iPhone 17 by Apple. Finally got ProMotion 120Hz, improved cameras, and Apple Intelligence. The most complete iPhone in years. Apple finally delivers ProMotion 120Hz to the base iPhone 17, along with improved cameras and Apple Intelligence features — making it the most complete standard iPhone ever.

Who won MKBHD Phone of the Year in 2025? ▼

The MKBHD Phone of the Year winner for 2025 is the iPhone 17 by Apple. Finally got ProMotion 120Hz, improved cameras, and Apple Intelligence. The most complete iPhone in years.

What phone won MKBHD Phone of the Year in 2024? ▼

The 2024 MKBHD Phone of the Year went to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra by Samsung. Galaxy AI, titanium build, 200MP camera with 10x optical zoom, and S Pen. The most complete phone of 2024.

Which brand makes the best smartphone? ▼

Apple has won the MKBHD Phone of the Year award 3 times — more than any other brand. 6 different brands have won this award since 2014.

What is the MKBHD Phone of the Year award? ▼

The ultimate award — MKBHD's pick for the best overall smartphone of the year across all price points and platforms. It is one of several annual awards given by Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) in his yearly Smartphone Awards video, which he has published on YouTube since 2014.

Has any phone won MKBHD Phone of the Year more than once? ▼

No single phone model has won the MKBHD Phone of the Year award more than once. However, Apple have had multiple winning devices across different years.

Other MKBHD Award Categories

Best Camera Best Battery Best Design Best Value Best Big Phone Best Small Phone

View all award categories →