Mobile Phone Reviews

OnePlus has skipped a number and gone all-in on battery. The 7,300mAh cell in the OnePlus 15 is a game-changer, easily lasting two to three days. And when it finally dies, the 120W wired charging gets you from 0-100% in under 25 minutes. It's truly a new standard for 'fast'. The 165Hz screen is gorgeous and a delight for gaming.

Powered by the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, benchmarks are sky-high. However, we did notice some thermal throttling and stutters during prolonged, intense gaming. In regular day-to-day use, it's flawless. The camera is good, but it's not in the same league as the iPhone or Pixel. But for this price, you're getting a performance and battery-life monster that punches well above its weight.

In hand, the iPhone 17 Pro feels every inch the premium device. The titanium frame keeps weight in check while still offering a cool, expensive feel, and the slightly curved edges sit comfortably against your palm. The ProMotion display is a highlight: colours are vibrant, text is razor-sharp and the adaptive 120Hz refresh rate makes scrolling and animations look effortless. It’s bright enough to stay readable even in harsh sunlight, and HDR content looks fantastic, with deep blacks and punchy highlights.

The A19 Pro chip gives the 17 Pro more power than most people will ever need. Demanding games, creative apps and video editing all run flawlessly, and iOS 26’s new on‑device AI features feel instant. Battery life is very good, easily stretching through a full day of heavy use, although the Pro Max still wins for sheer stamina.

The triple-camera system is where the 17 Pro really earns its name. The main sensor delivers crisp, detailed shots in almost any lighting, the ultra‑wide captures dramatic landscapes and interiors, and the 5x telephoto lens brings distant subjects impressively close.

Apple’s latest image processing produces more natural colours and better dynamic range, while video recording remains class‑leading.

If you want a phone that can handle serious creative work without moving to tablet‑sized territory, the iPhone 17 Pro is the standout choice.

The iPhone 17 sticks closely to Apple’s winning formula, but the refinements this year are meaningful. The aluminium and glass design feels reassuringly solid without being too heavy, and the slimmer bezels make the display feel more immersive. Colours are punchy, peak brightness is noticeably higher than on the iPhone 16, and the speakers are loud and clear, making this an excellent device for streaming video or gaming on the go. Face ID is as fast as ever, and the haptic feedback gives every tap a satisfying click.

Performance is predictably excellent. The A19 chip chews through multitasking, demanding games and video editing without any hint of slowdown, and iOS 26 feels incredibly fluid. Battery life is a real strong point: even heavy users should comfortably reach bedtime with charge to spare, while lighter users can flirt with a second day.

The camera system may only have two lenses, but the new Fusion processing makes photos look cleaner, brighter and more natural, especially in low light. You only really miss the telephoto lens when you are trying to zoom in a long way.

Add in long-term software support and the wide ecosystem of accessories, and the iPhone 17 stands out as the sensible upgrade for anyone coming from an older model.

Pick up the iPhone Air and the first thing you notice is the weight – or rather, the lack of it. Apple has slimmed down the chassis and used lighter materials around the frame, so the phone never feels top-heavy, even when you’re using it one-handed. The larger display is a joy for reading, watching films or scrolling through socials, with the same rich colours and deep blacks as the regular iPhone 17. It doesn’t have the ultra-smooth 120Hz refresh rate of the Pro line, but animations still feel fluid and responsive thanks to Apple’s excellent optimisation.

Under the surface, the iPhone Air is no lightweight. The A19 chip keeps everything snappy, from gaming sessions to editing 4K video, and iOS 26 remains one of the most approachable mobile operating systems. Battery life is solid: with moderate use, a full day is easy and a second day isn’t out of reach if you’re careful.

The camera system mirrors the iPhone 17, with a main and ultra‑wide lens backed by the same Fusion processing. Photos look natural and detailed, with especially good skin tones and low‑light performance. You will miss the telephoto lens if you’re regularly zooming in from the stands at a concert or sporting event, but for everyday shots the iPhone Air more than delivers.

For anyone who wants a big iPhone without the wrist workout of a Pro Max, this is an excellent pick.

The Galaxy S25 shows Samsung at its most confident. The design is clean and modern, with individual camera rings on the back and a subtly curved frame that nestles nicely into your hand. The 6.2–6.3‑inch‑class AMOLED display hits a sweet spot between usability and portability, offering ample room for apps and media without stretching your thumbs. It’s pin-sharp, extremely bright outdoors and supports a 120Hz refresh rate that adapts intelligently to save power when you’re looking at static content.

Under the hood sits Samsung’s latest flagship‑grade chipset, paired with generous amounts of RAM and storage. Everyday performance is excellent, whether you’re juggling multiple apps, playing demanding games or using Samsung DeX to hook the phone up to a monitor. Battery life easily covers a full day, and light users may well push into a second.

The triple-camera array continues Samsung’s strengths: the main sensor delivers vibrant, detailed photos, the ultra‑wide is handy for travel and cityscapes, and the telephoto lens offers clean 3x shots. You won’t match the Ultra’s extreme zoom, but for most people the S25’s setup is more than sufficient. One UI is polished and feature‑rich, and Samsung’s commitment to long software support means this phone should stay fresh for years.

For many buyers, the S25 is the Samsung flagship that makes the most sense.

The Pixel 10 Pro looks and feels like a grown‑up flagship. The larger OLED display is bright, sharp and wonderfully smooth, making everything from scrolling timelines to watching HDR films a real treat. Bezels are slim, the in‑display fingerprint sensor is reliable and the overall build quality is top‑notch, with a reassuring heft that still stops short of feeling cumbersome. Google’s signature design language, with the bold camera bar across the back, remains instantly recognisable.

Under the surface, the Tensor G5 chip works hand‑in‑hand with Android to power an impressive suite of AI features. Voice typing is incredibly fast and accurate, Call Assist continues to be the best way to deal with nuisance calls and hold queues, and photo features such as Magic Editor and object removal are now faster and more convincing.

The triple-camera setup takes full advantage of this silicon. The main sensor captures detailed, balanced shots in almost any lighting, the ultra‑wide is great for landscapes and group shots, and the telephoto lens brings distant subjects much closer with minimal loss of detail. In video, stabilisation and audio quality are excellent.

Battery life will get you through a full day of mixed use, and charging speeds are respectable if not chart‑topping.

If you want a phone that feels genuinely smart, rather than simply powerful, the Pixel 10 Pro stands out.

Google has kept the Pixel 10’s design simple and friendly. The familiar camera bar remains on the back, while the slightly rounded sides make the phone sit snugly in your hand. The OLED display is smaller than most rivals, which actually feels like a plus for comfort and pocketability, though media fans may wish for more inches. It still offers punchy colours, decent brightness and a smooth refresh rate, and stereo speakers give video and games pleasing sound.

On the inside, the Tensor G5 chip is tuned more for smart features than raw benchmark dominance, and that shows in a good way. Android feels clean and fluid, with no bloatware, and Google’s on‑device AI can handle everything from summarising web pages to generating smart replies and tidying up photos.

The main camera remains the star: photos are sharp, exposure is spot‑on and Google’s colour science makes images look natural without losing drama. Night Sight continues to impress in low light, pulling detail and colour out of scenes many rivals would render muddy.

You do miss a dedicated telephoto lens, so zoomed‑in shots don’t match the Pros, and under intense gaming the phone can warm up.

But for most people who just want a dependable, clever Android phone that doesn’t feel huge, the Pixel 10 is a fantastic choice.

At first glance, the Galaxy S25 FE looks very similar to Samsung’s full‑fat S25, sharing the same minimalist camera layout and clean lines. The differences become clear when you pick it up: the plastic frame and rear panel don’t feel quite as luxurious as glass and aluminium, but they do help keep weight and cost down. The 120Hz AMOLED display is a real highlight, offering rich colours, deep blacks and excellent brightness for outdoor use. Whether you’re watching films, scrolling social feeds or gaming, it’s a pleasure to look at.

Inside, the S25 FE is powered by a capable upper‑midrange chipset that keeps One UI running smoothly. Multitasking is snappy and only the heaviest games will require you to dial graphical settings back a touch. The 4,500mAh‑plus battery delivers confident all‑day stamina, and Samsung’s power‑saving modes can stretch that further if needed.

The triple-camera system gives you a good‑quality main sensor, an ultra‑wide for cramped interiors and landscapes, and a telephoto lens for zooming in. In daylight, shots are vibrant and detailed, and portrait mode is particularly good. In low light you can see more noise and softness, but the results are still very usable for social media.

With IP‑rated water resistance and Samsung’s extended update commitments, the S25 FE is a smart buy for anyone who wants most of the flagship experience at a more approachable price.

There’s still a real sense of theatre when you snap the Z Flip7 open and closed. Samsung has refined the design again, with a slimmer hinge and tighter gap when folded, plus slightly flatter sides that make the phone easier to grip. The new, larger cover display is a game‑changer: you can reply to messages, control music, check maps and even run full apps without opening the phone. The inner AMOLED screen is bright, colourful and smooth, with a high refresh rate that makes everything feel fluid.

Performance is in line with other Samsung flagships, thanks to a top‑tier chipset and plenty of RAM. One UI has been tweaked for the Flip form factor, with Flex‑mode optimisations that shift controls to one half of the screen when the phone is partially folded – great for hands‑free selfies, video calls and watching content.

Camera quality is very good: the main sensor captures sharp, vibrant shots in most conditions, and Samsung’s processing has toned down the oversaturation compared with older models. The ultra‑wide adds flexibility, though the lack of a telephoto lens limits zoom quality.

Battery life is comfortably all‑day unless you constantly play with the inner screen, and charging speeds are decent if not class‑leading.

If you want a phone that makes you smile every time you use it, the Z Flip7 is a brilliant blend of style and substance.

Fold the Pixel 10 Pro Fold shut and it feels like a slightly chunky but perfectly usable phone, thanks to the tall, reasonably narrow outer screen. Open it up and you’re greeted by a tablet‑sized OLED panel that’s ideal for browsing, reading and watching video. Google has noticeably slimmed the bezels and hinge compared with earlier attempts, and the device feels more balanced in the hand. The crease is still there if you go looking for it, but it quickly fades into the background during normal use.

Software is where Google really capitalises on the folding form factor. Android on the 10 Pro Fold is packed with multitasking tricks: split‑screen apps, drag‑and‑drop between windows and an improved taskbar that makes it easy to hop between recent apps.

The Tensor G5 chip ensures everything runs smoothly, even when you’re juggling three apps at once. The camera system borrows heavily from the Pixel 10 Pro, delivering crisp, contrasty images with Google’s now‑famous colour science and low‑light performance.

Having a large inner display makes camera previews more enjoyable, and you can use the half‑folded “laptop” position for stable, hands‑free shots and video calls. Battery life will last a long day with mixed use, though heavy inner‑screen time will see you reaching for the charger by bedtime.

If you’re ready to invest in a foldable that finally feels like a polished everyday device, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold should be near the top of your list.

There’s no getting around it: the iPhone 16 Pro Max is a big phone. For some, that’s exactly the point. The vast OLED display is glorious for watching films, gaming and editing photos, with rich colours, deep blacks and a high refresh rate that keeps everything silky smooth. Build quality is impeccable, with a titanium frame and matte glass back that look and feel suitably high‑end. You’ll almost certainly want a case, both for grip and protection, but that’s true of most modern flagships.

Performance from the A18 Pro chip is still outstanding. Even with the heavier demands of iOS updates, apps open in a flash and high‑end games run smoothly at their top settings. The real star, though, is battery life. The large cell inside the 16 Pro Max can comfortably power through even heavy days of use, and more moderate users will often be reaching for the charger every other day rather than every day.

The triple-camera array offers a versatile mix of wide, ultra‑wide and telephoto lenses, all backed by Apple’s sophisticated image processing. Photos are clean, detailed and natural‑looking, while video remains a strong suit. Compared with the 17‑series Pro phones, you miss out on some newer Fusion processing tricks and the very latest long‑zoom hardware, but unless you constantly shoot at extreme zoom, the differences are subtle.

If you can handle the size, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is still a powerhouse.

Design‑wise, the iPhone 16 still looks modern, with slim bezels and a premium glass‑and‑metal construction that has aged well. The OLED display is bright, sharp and colour‑accurate, making everything from photos to films look fantastic. It may not have the very latest brightness levels or dynamic refresh tricks, but in day‑to‑day use it’s hard to complain. The speakers are loud and clear, and Face ID remains one of the most convenient and secure unlocking methods around.

The A18 chip means performance isn’t an issue. iOS runs smoothly, apps open quickly and most games play beautifully at high settings. Battery life is good enough for a full day of typical use, although power users will notice the improvements made in newer models.

The camera system – a main and ultra‑wide lens – continues to impress. Images are detailed and well exposed, colours are natural and the night mode does a great job of brightening darker scenes. Video quality is still a major strength, with excellent stabilisation and reliable autofocus.

What you miss compared with newer phones are some of the latest AI‑powered photographic tricks and the extra flexibility of a telephoto lens.

However, when priced aggressively by networks and retailers, the iPhone 16 becomes a very compelling proposition for anyone upgrading from much older hardware.

From the front, the iPhone 16e looks very similar to its more expensive siblings, with slim bezels and the familiar Dynamic Island at the top. The differences reveal themselves in the details: the frame is aluminium rather than titanium, and the finish is more playful than premium. The OLED display is crisp and colourful, making web pages, photos and video look great, though the 60Hz refresh rate does feel less fluid once you’ve seen a 120Hz panel. For many people, however, it will be perfectly fine.

Inside, the 16e uses a slightly older A‑series chip, but in day‑to‑day use it barely matters. Apps open quickly, multitasking is smooth and casual games run without issue. iOS 26 brings the same privacy features, widgets and on‑device intelligence found on the top models, and Apple’s long software support means you can expect updates for years.

The single main camera is the star of the show: it focuses quickly, exposes scenes reliably and produces natural‑looking photos in a wide range of conditions. Night shots are impressive for the price, although you will miss an ultra‑wide lens for tight spaces and a telephoto for distant subjects.

Battery life will see most users through a full day, though very heavy usage may require an evening top‑up.

Overall, the iPhone 16e offers a taste of flagship iOS without demanding flagship money.

The Pixel 9a keeps things simple in terms of design. The plastic back and frame help keep the cost down and the weight low, while still feeling solid in the hand. The OLED display is a definite upgrade over many LCD‑equipped budget phones, offering punchy colours, deep blacks and decent brightness outdoors. It’s not the largest panel around, but many will appreciate the more compact footprint for single‑handed use.

Performance is handled by a mid‑range Tensor‑class chip that focuses on efficiency and AI features rather than raw speed. For typical tasks – messaging, social media, browsing and streaming – it feels perfectly smooth, aided by Google’s uncluttered version of Android.

The star attraction is the camera. Using a tried‑and‑tested sensor paired with Google’s image processing, the Pixel 9a produces photos that easily outclass many more expensive phones: sharp, well‑exposed shots with natural colours and excellent dynamic range.

Night shots are particularly impressive, capturing detail and colour in scenes where rivals often give up.

Battery life is comfortably all‑day for most users, though charging speeds are unremarkable, so top‑ups need a bit of planning.

If your priority is getting the best photos possible on a sensible budget, the Pixel 9a is an obvious recommendation.

Samsung's A‑series phones have long been popular for balancing price and features, and the A36 5G continues that trend. The plastic back and frame won't turn heads, but the phone feels well‑put‑together and the matte finish helps hide fingerprints. The display is a highlight: a big, bright panel with a fast refresh rate that makes scrolling feel slick, whether you're browsing the web or flicking through social feeds. It's a great size for watching video and reading, though one‑handed use can be a bit of a stretch.

Inside, the A36 5G runs on a mid‑range chipset that keeps everyday tasks ticking along nicely. You may notice occasional pauses when jumping between heavy apps or games, but for normal use it's more than adequate. The generous battery capacity means you can comfortably get through a full day and often well into the next, even with 5G enabled.

Camera performance is respectable in good light: the main sensor captures punchy, detailed images, while the ultra‑wide and macro lenses add flexibility, even if their quality isn't as strong. In low light things get softer and noisier, but still fine for casual social‑media sharing.

Samsung's One UI brings a familiar look and feel, along with useful extras and a solid update policy.

For students, families and anyone who just wants a reliable Android phone that won't break the bank, the Galaxy A36 5G is easy to recommend.