Expert reviews and analysis of the best smartphones products
Apple's ultra-thin iPhone Air is a stunning 5.6mm, 165g design with the A19 Pro and a superb screen, but a small 3,149mAh battery, slow charging and a single 48MP camera make it the least recommendable of this year's iPhones.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL is the first phone measured past 3,000 cd/m², at 3,090 in boost, with seven years of updates and software nobody else matches. The Tensor G5 still trails rivals and battery life is genuinely marginal.
The iPhone 17 Pro is heavier and thicker, and better for it: a vapour chamber, a 4x 48MP telephoto and a reference-class display. UK price verified on 2 August 2026.
The iPhone 17 finally gets 120Hz ProMotion, 256GB as standard and much better battery life. Class-leading screen calibration, but still no telephoto. UK price verified 2 August 2026.
The Honor Magic V6 pairs an eight-inch inner screen with 21h53 folded battery life and a genuinely flagship camera, at the cost of heavy throttling under load. UK price verified 2 August 2026.
The Samsung Galaxy A55 5G brings a premium aluminium-and-glass build, a bright 6.6-inch OLED, a capable Exynos 1480 and a genuinely strong low-light camera to the budget class — a lot of phone for the money.
The Realme 16 Pro+ pairs a 7,000 mAh battery and rare IP68/IP69/IP69K durability with a bright, accurately calibrated 6.8in AMOLED. Realme deliberately throttles the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, so performance sits below cheaper rivals.
Samsung keeps the compact flagship formula intact with the Galaxy S26: the screen is excellent, One UI 8.5 is refined, and seven years of updates still matter. The problem is value. A higher launch price, flat 25W charging and weaker endurance than the Galaxy S25 make this feel more like a careful refresh than an essential upgrade.
Nothing has made a mid-range phone that looks memorable and feels more premium than most rivals at the price. The Phone (4a) Pro combines a strong display, useful zoom camera and genuinely distinctive software ideas, but it is held back by merely decent performance and a software-update promise that still looks short.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra leads with its Leica co-engineered, camera-first identity: enlarged optics, a bigger battery than many rivals and IP68/IP69 sealing on an uncompromising spec sheet. This review covers what the camera obsession costs and who it genuinely suits.
Samsung's latest Ultra is powerful, more comfortable to hold and far quicker to charge than before. The new privacy display is a genuinely fresh idea, but the missing Qi2 magnets and only moderate photographic progress stop this feeling like a complete reinvention.
The Oppo Reno 15 Pro gets a lot right for a compact premium phone: battery life is excellent, the display is very well calibrated, and the hardware feels more expensive than its price suggests. It is less convincing if you want class-leading chipset performance or the sharpest telephoto camera at this level.
The Pixel 10a pairs an excellent main camera and a exceptionally bright 2,914 cd/m² screen with a uniquely flat, bumpless design and seven years of updates. It reuses the Tensor G4, and battery life has gone backwards against the Pixel 9a.
The Galaxy A57 is thinner, lighter and better connected than its predecessor, with six years of updates and IP68 durability. Poor default screen calibration, no telephoto, undersaturated photos and 44°C under sustained load hold it back.
The Motorola Signature is an unusually slim flagship that still delivers a strong display, capable cameras and impressive battery life, but its heat management, busy AI layer and rising price stop it short of the very best in class.
