We want to note our top smartphone picks of the year, based on the handsets we vibed with, ones we keep going back to after our reviews are over. Dean from MobileSyrup reviewed several phones this year, from all sorts of manufacturers, including Samsung, Google, OnePlus, Motorola and more.
Throughout most of the year, each time he would finish a phone review, he would return to the Samsung Galaxy S25+. This phone came out in January, and he really liked using the handset because it’s not too thick, it doesn’t weigh a lot, has a great display and processor, and the cameras were decent.
He was also pretty fond of the Nothing Phone 3 because of its Glyph Matrix. The Galaxy S25 Edge and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 were both very thin handsets that Dean was a big fan of, and Brad Bennett was also quite impressed by these devices as well. Jon was pretty impressed by the Pixel 10 this year as well, with the handset now offering a telephoto camera.
However, talking among the team, we’ve chosen Apple’s iPhone Air as MobileSyrup’s Phone of the Year. Brad Bennett and Dean can’t stop talking about their love for the iPhone Air. It offers an amazing experience, and feels so great in your hand with its incredibly thin and light body.
It’s definitely the star phone of 2025, and aside from foldables, Dean and Bennett haven’t been asked by folks about a phone so many times in years.
6.5-inch, Super Retina XDR, OLED True Tone display, 1260 x 2736 pixels, HDR 10, Dolby Vision, 120Hz refresh rate
48-megapixel (f/1.6, OIS, wide angle)
Face Unlock, accelerometor, gyro, proximity, compass
Colours: Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, Sky Blue
6.5-inch, Super Retina XDR, OLED True Tone display, 1260 x 2736 pixels, HDR 10, Dolby Vision, 120Hz refresh rate
48-megapixel (f/1.6, OIS, wide angle)
Face Unlock, accelerometor, gyro, proximity, compass
Colours: Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, Sky Blue
