2025’s best phones, like the colourful orange iPhone 17 Pro, the Android all-rounder Google Pixel 10 Pro and the constantly high-perfoming Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra share many issues. All of them provide superb efficiency and include unbelievable digicam setups. Then there’s the huge, vibrant shows and the host of funky new AI abilities, all of which makes these flagship telephones the height of what cell tech can provide. It is also no shock that these fan-favorite phones have one thing else in frequent, too: whopping worth tags.
Costing $1,000 and extra, at present’s greatest telephones are out of attain for a lot of — or are merely pointless for these of us who simply need an on a regular basis handset for conserving in contact with mates or scrolling by means of Instagram on the bus. Fortunately, there’s an enormous array of choices on the market catering to all wants and budgets, whether or not you are on the lookout for top-end mannequin or a extra inexpensive choice, just like the CNET Editors’ Alternative award-winning Nothing Phone 3A Pro.
You’d suppose the huge variety of decisions would make buying easy. However the actuality is that typically all of the choices make it extra complicated. That can assist you minimize by means of among the jargon and spend your cash sensibly, I’ve put collectively ideas for purchasing a telephone.
Tips on how to purchase a brand new telephone: High phone-buying ideas
- Know what you care about most: Is it display screen measurement? Digicam high quality? Battery life? This may assist slender down your decisions. Telephones just like the iPhone 17 Professional, Galaxy S25 Extremely or Xiaomi 15 Ultra, for instance, pack unbelievable cameras that nearly rival the standard you’d get from a mirrorless digicam. Should you’re eager on images and at all times need to carry an outstanding digicam for when inspiration strikes, then spending cash right here is a good suggestion. If not, you’ll be able to probably save your self a bundle.
- Do not low cost the midrange: Options of final yr’s flagships at all times trickle all the way down to this yr’s midrange handsets.You will get a terrific telephone that does virtually every little thing {that a} premium telephone can do for a fraction of the value. Google’s Pixel 10 Professional packs a terrific zoom digicam, however the base Pixel 10 has a lot of the similar key specs and comes at a extra cheap worth. Even lower-end telephones just like the Nothing Cellphone 3A Professional provide a terrific expertise and asks for little money in return.
- Store the gross sales: Search for deep reductions and promo offers round main holidays, particularly Amazon’s Prime Day and Black Friday. And discover out what your grace interval is in case you want a fast return or change.
- Take into account final yr’s telephones: They will usually be a terrific deal, too. Await this yr’s launch to get final yr’s telephone for much less, when shops and carriers could also be attempting to dump their current inventory. You also needs to verify for used choices as these can prevent a ton of cash, so long as no matter you purchase nonetheless receives safety updates.
- Maintain the telephone at a retailer first: It’s possible you’ll love or hate the way in which it seems to be and feels in individual.
- Test in case you’re already invested: Have you ever already purchased lots of iPhone apps and iTunes motion pictures? Stick to an iPhone in case you nonetheless need entry to them. Likewise, in case you’ve invested in a great deal of Android apps, you will need to keep on that aspect of the fence. In any other case, it is easy sufficient to switch platforms.
- Purchase a case and display screen protector: You may defend your telephone from pricey injury and can enhance the telephone’s resale or trade-in worth for if you’re prepared to maneuver on. Should you’re cautious with how you utilize your telephone, it should last for years.
Smartphone efficiency vs. finances
On the whole, efficiency strains up with value. The very newest, best know-how normally comes at a premium. Flagship telephones pack the very best cameras, probably the most highly effective processors and will even sport cutting-edge tech like foldable displays. The excessive costs imply that these telephones are value contemplating solely by those that need absolutely the newest tech of their pockets.
Not everybody wants such high tech, nevertheless, or could merely be unwilling to spend the $1,000 or extra usually required to get it. Fortunately, the midrange sector of the telephone world has been one of many fiercest battlegrounds for firms to compete in, leading to some superb telephones that will not break the financial institution. Options like wi-fi charging and cameras with a number of lenses that had been as soon as the area of flagships are actually commonplace on midrange telephones.
Even finances telephones will nonetheless provide first rate digicam high quality and sufficient energy so that you can get pleasure from your entire on a regular basis internet searching, WhatsApp-ing and Instagramming.
Display screen measurement
All telephones have gotten steadily greater over the previous few years, with the iPhone 17 Professional Max and Galaxy S25 Extremely measuring a whopping 6.9 inches. Small telephones aren’t that frequent anymore, with virtually no telephones measuring beneath six inches in measurement.
Apple killed off its iPhone Mini line, and whereas its 2022 iPhone SE remained the smallest iPhone you may purchase, the corporate changed it with the 6.1 inch iPhone 16E, which hardly qualifies as small. On the Android aspect, the Google Pixel 8A’s 6.1-inch show makes it one of many higher smaller telephones, however just like the iPhone 16E, it is hardly what you’d name tiny. Google changed it with the Pixel 9A and in so doing elevated the display screen measurement to six.3 inches. Sorry, small telephone followers, seems to be such as you’re out of luck.
Software program help interval
A telephone stays protected to make use of solely so long as it receives safety updates from the producer to guard it from hackers. Previously, this was an even bigger concern since most telephones had been supported for simply two or three years, leaving them with a brief shelf life. In the present day, nevertheless, prolonged help has develop into a aggressive characteristic, with Google now providing a formidable seven years of software program and safety updates on its newest telephones.
It means the latest Pixel 10 Professional will nonetheless be protected to make use of in 2032, whereas Samsung has promised an identical help interval for its Galaxy S25 vary. Samsung’s Galaxy S20, launched in 2020, acquired its closing safety replace in 2024, nevertheless, so it is necessary to substantiate how lengthy your telephone of alternative might be protected to make use of, particularly in case you’re shopping for an older telephone on the used market. An extended help interval not solely provides you higher worth for cash over the lifetime of the gadget, it is also higher for the planet, because it retains older, however nonetheless usable telephones out of landfill and reduces the variety of new gadgets being made and shipped.
Digicam efficiency
Digicam options have been a significant level for bragging rights in current telephones, with producers at all times wanting an even bigger, extra thrilling quantity, be it the variety of megapixels or amount of precise digicam lenses. Three rear cameras are actually frequent — an everyday lens, an ultrawide lens and a telephoto lens — with even budget-focused telephones packing a number of cameras.
Learn extra: Best Camera Phone to Buy in 2025
That is nice, as extra lenses imply extra capturing choices if you’re out and about. However that does not imply that any multilens digicam is pretty much as good as one other. As with processor efficiency, the extra you spend, the higher the outcomes you will usually get, with the very best cameras round normally being discovered on the most costly flagships.
Look out for options like optical (relatively than digital) zooms, evening mode for higher low-light photographs, and optical picture stabilization. Typically these options may not be clear, and it is not attainable to evaluate a digicam’s efficiency simply by wanting on the specs. Should you actually care about your telephone’s images abilities, then take a while to take a look at the critiques and see how its digicam performs earlier than you spend your cash.
Battery life
Most telephones, from the finances finish by means of to elite flagships, can final most of a day on a single cost. Larger telephones may need greater batteries, however additionally they have greater screens and sometimes extra highly effective processors, in order that they suck that additional juice down shortly. Few telephones gives you greater than a day of use. Listed here are some issues to remember:
- At all times plan on giving your telephone a full cost in a single day.
- Search for options like quick charging, that enable your telephone to tackle lots of energy in a brief area of time. Some telephones, just like the OnePlus 15, help 80W quick charging that can take it from empty to full in round half-hour. Test to see in case your telephone comes with a suitable quick charger although, as an previous USB plug probably will not provide the facility output required.
- Your battery will last more in case you keep away from extra demanding duties similar to gaming or video streaming. Protecting the display screen brightness down will assist too and in case you’re actually attempting to eke out that previous few % to assist get you dwelling, turning off Wifi and Bluetooth may also assist.
Processor efficiency
High-end telephones pack highly effective processors together with 12GB of RAM or much more. It is sufficient to make these telephones run any activity with out breaking a sweat, however you need not spend flagship degree cash to get nice efficiency.
Most first rate midrange telephones provide sufficient energy to deal with your entire on a regular basis wants. You may nonetheless have the ability to play virtually any recreation from the Google Play retailer and edit your high-resolution photos in apps similar to Snapseed or Adobe Lightroom. There’s little you may throw at most midrange telephones that they would not have the ability to deal with.
As you progress into the finances finish of the spectrum, that is if you’ll begin to discover some slowdown with issues like gaming. Extra demanding 3D video games may look extra stuttery and will even unexpectedly give up. Nevertheless, fundamental duties similar to sending emails, listening to Spotify and searching Instagram should not be an issue.
4G or 5G?
5G is the most recent commonplace that guarantees lightning-fast cell knowledge speeds if you’re out and about. Whereas 5G protection nonetheless is not in all places but, it is widespread sufficient that you need to completely look towards a 5G telephone. And that is straightforward, as virtually all of them are, from top-end flagships all the way down to entry-level finances telephones.
The one motive you need to think about shopping for a 4G telephone now’s in case you’re wanting on the used market and you’ve got discovered a great deal on an older-generation mannequin that can tide you over for a few years.
How a lot telephone storage do you want?
Most telephones, even the finances ones, include at the least 64GB of storage, of which 10 could also be taken up by preinstalled apps and the telephone’s working system. Should you do not plan on recording video, and gaming is not your factor, 64GB may be sufficient, however in any other case you need to think about 128GB to be a safer minimal.
Increased-end telephones — significantly these that may report top quality 4K video — provide capacities of 256GB or extra. With that a lot area, you will barely have to suppose twice about having to filter previous information.
If the telephone helps microSD playing cards then it is a completely different matter, as you’ll be able to decide up 32GB microSD playing cards (or greater) for little or no cash lately and popping one into your telephone will dramatically enhance the quantity of storage you will have entry to. Sadly, expandable storage is a really uncommon characteristic on telephones lately. Nevertheless, most telephones will help exterior storage over USB-C, so in case you’re happening vacation and need to shoot lots of high-resolution video, taking a small SSD drive to dump your footage to may be a good suggestion.
Bonus options
Many of those options are actually frequent on telephones at varied worth factors and are value conserving in thoughts if you’re buying.
- Fingerprint scanner or face unlock: A scanner could also be on the again and even invisibly constructed into the show. Biometric safety, because it’s known as, is safer than having to recollect a PIN.
- Waterproof: Do you usually take calls within the rain? Search for a telephone with at the least an IP67 ranking to maintain it protected from water and spilled drinks. That is fairly frequent on most higher-end telephones lately.
- Wi-fi charging: That is obtainable on many telephones, with some now providing quicker wi-fi charging speeds, so long as you utilize a suitable charging pad.
