2024 saw the launch of some amazing smartphones, starting with the OnePlus 12 and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to the Motorola Razr+ (2024) and the Google Pixel 9 Pro. With the year ending, smartphone manufacturers are busy working on their 2025 flagship phones, hoping to wow customers again. The OnePlus 13 and Samsung Galaxy S25 series will launch soon after the new year starts, but they won’t be the most exciting smartphone releases of 2025. Instead, these are the five phones I’m most eager to see in 2025.
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5 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
You should never count Samsung out
Samsung’s Galaxy S24 lineup might have outsold the Galaxy S23, but its 2024 flagship foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 6, appears to have flopped. With no major improvements and a $100 price increase, the Z Fold 6 failed to attract buyers, with Samsung reportedly only selling around 270,000 units globally in the first two weeks since launch.
The Korean giant knows it faltered with the Z Fold 6. To make amends, it launched the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition in South Korea, packing bigger displays and improved cameras in a slimmer form factor. These upgrades seem to have worked, with the device selling out like hotcakes in Samsung’s home market.
With Samsung promising to innovate going forward, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 could be the first device to show signs of that change. It might build on the Z Fold Special Edition, packing an improved display with almost no visible crease and other changes to offer a superior experience. You can never count Samsung out, though, and it might stage a strong comeback with its 2025 flagship foldable.
4 Google Pixel 10
Bye-bye to Tensor woes?
As a Pixel fanboy, I always look forward to Google’s next flagship. 2025’s Pixel 10 lineup will be an important launch for Google as it shifts from Samsung-fabricated Tensor chips to TSMC-made ones. This change should address two major issues plaguing Pixel phones for the last few years: overheating and poor battery life.
While the Pixel 9‘s Tensor G4 performs better in this regard, there’s still room for improvement. The Pixel’s overheating and poor battery life issues boil down to Google fabricating its Tensor SoC on Samsung’s inferior foundry.
The transition to TSMC’s enhanced fabrication nodes, utilized by Apple for its A-series and M-series chips, should improve battery life and thermals. If early leaks are true, the Tensor G5 might not deliver as big a performance gain. Still, the Pixel 10 could fix a longstanding issue with Google’s smartphone lineup, and that alone is a good reason to be excited about it.
Besides the usual yearly upgrades, the Pixel 10 may debut new on-device camera AI features like Speak-to-Tweak and Magic Mirror.
3 iPhone 17 Air
Slim phones could make a comeback in 2025
Apple could bring slim and stylish phones back into fashion with the iPhone 17 Air. Rumors suggest the company will unveil the iPhone 17 Air in September 2025, focusing on its slim and svelte design. It will replace the Plus model in Apple’s current iPhone lineup.
Apparently, the phone’s key selling point would be its slim design, with Apple making several trade-offs to achieve the sleek profile. The company might make several other tweaks to enhance the iPhone 17 Air’s design.
Samsung might gain a head start against Apple by teasing the Galaxy S25 Slim alongside other Galaxy S25 models at an Unpacked event in January 2025. Still, Apple being Apple, the iPhone 17 Air might pack some breakthrough features and technology to achieve the slim design that could make it stand out from the competition.
2 Xiaomi 15 Ultra
Successor to one of the best camera phones of 2024
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is one of the best phones I used in 2024, thanks to its exceptional cameras. I have taken a few thousand photos with the phone this year, and all have amazed me with their image quality.
The excellent image quality is thanks to Xiaomi using a 1-inch type primary camera sensor with stepless variable aperture, a 1/2.51-inch 3.2x telephoto with a floating lens, a 1/2.51-inch 50MP 5x periscope telephoto, and a 50MP 1/2.51-inch ultrawide. This is also why I am excited and looking forward to the Xiaomi 15 Ultra’s launch next year. Its telephoto sensors could get even better, with rumors indicating Xiaomi might use a 200MP HP9 sensor for the periscope telephoto.
This should improve long-range zoom image quality. The Vivo X100 Ultra and X200 Pro use a 200MP periscope sensor for their zoom cameras to capture exceptional images. Add in the yearly improvements, like a faster chip, higher capacity battery, and better display, and the Xiaomi 15 Ultra should easily be among the best Android phones to launch in 2025. The only bummer? Like other Xiaomi phones, it might not launch in the US.
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1 OnePlus Open 2
The best foldable will finally get a successor in 2025
OnePlus did not launch a successor to the OnePlus Open in 2025. Despite being over a year old and packing 2023 internals, OnePlus’ flagship foldable remains our favorite book-style foldable. It stands out for its excellent build quality, top-notch specs, and impressive multitasking features.
All this is backed by an all-day battery life and 67W wired fast charging support. If you are in the market for a new foldable, the OnePlus Open is our pick.
Considering how much I adore the OnePlus Open and its exceptional performance as a foldable, it’s no surprise that I’m eagerly looking forward to the OnePlus Open 2’s launch in 2025. However, we won’t have to wait until late in the year for OnePlus’ second foldable to arrive. It should be the first Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered foldable to launch in the US, debuting in late Q1 or early Q2.
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Apart from updated internals and improved cameras, the OnePlus Open 2 might fix one of the biggest shortcomings of the current model by including wireless charging support.
2025 will see some exciting smartphone launches
2025 should be a big year in the smartphone world, with exciting launches from Apple, Samsung, and smaller companies. It could also be the year when camera phones like the Xiaomi 15 Ultra and Vivo X200 Pro get their long-overdue recognition globally. Thanks to the iPhone 17 Air, slim phones might again make a comeback as a fashion accessory.
