Buying Guide · Phone
The Best Phones Right Now
The best phone depends on what you value. Apple leads for polished performance and video. Samsung offers the most versatile Android flagship. Google makes strong cameras easier to carry, while OnePlus prioritizes speed, battery life and charging.
These picks rank RightWei’s fully cited review roundups. We focus on where professional critics agree, then call out the trade-offs that matter before you buy.
iPhone 17 Pro
Critics report that the iPhone 17 Pro combines excellent cameras, fast hardware, a brighter display and meaningfully better battery life. WIRED considers the Pro models the current US smartphone camera leaders, but the 17 Pro is expensive, heavier than its predecessor and more refinement than reinvention.
Read the full iPhone 17 Pro roundup →
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Reviewers agree that the Galaxy S25 Ultra has a superb anti-reflective display, versatile cameras, fast performance and a useful built-in stylus. It is easier to handle than the S24 Ultra, but it remains large, expensive and a modest upgrade for recent Ultra owners.
Read the full Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra roundup →
Google Pixel 10 Pro
Critics praise the Pixel 10 Pro’s cameras, bright 120Hz display and useful software in a manageable 6.3-inch body. Its Tensor G5 performance and battery life trail some rivals, and Pixel 9 Pro owners have little reason to upgrade.
Read the full Google Pixel 10 Pro roundup →
OnePlus 13
Critics agree that the OnePlus 13 delivers flagship performance, a bright QHD OLED display and unusually fast charging for around $900. Its cameras are less consistently praised than those from Apple, Google and Samsung, and support is limited to six years.
Read the full OnePlus 13 roundup →
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
Reviewers call the Galaxy Z Fold 7 Samsung’s most convincing book-style foldable, thanks to its thinner body, larger displays and strong multitasking software. The $2,000 price is the hard part to justify, especially with 25W charging, unchanged battery capacity and no S Pen support.
Read the full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 roundup →
Apple iPhone 16 Pro
Critics agree that the iPhone 16 Pro offers strong A18 Pro performance, a 5x telephoto camera and advanced video tools in a relatively compact design. Its 128GB starting capacity is cramped, and several reviewers found the Camera Control button awkward.
Read the full Apple iPhone 16 Pro roundup →Google Pixel 9 Pro
Reviewers praise the Pixel 9 Pro for putting Google’s full Pro camera system and premium OLED display into a manageable 6.3-inch phone. The Tensor G4 trails faster flagship chips, several Gemini features feel unfinished, and the cheaper Pixel 9 is enough for many buyers.
Read the full Google Pixel 9 Pro roundup →How we chose
RightWei ranks these phones by comparing the consensus across independent professional reviews, including coverage from WIRED, PCMag, Tom’s Guide, TechRadar, Engadget and CNET. We weigh camera quality, display, performance, battery life, software support, usability and price, while giving equal attention to recurring complaints. Disclosure: RightWei summarizes other publications’ hands-on testing and does not test review units in its own lab.
Every pick above links to our full roundup for that product, where the professional reviews we relied on are cited directly. RightWei aggregates the critics' consensus — we don't run a test lab.