ProPakistani’s Smartphone Awards: The Best Phones Released in 2025

2025 has been a great year for smartphones across multiple categories. We got to see impressive battery champions, camera kings, and performance leaders throughout the year, but there were clear winners in each of these categories, along with some honorable mentions that also deserve a shoutout.

Below is a list of the best smartphones released during the year that we at ProPakistani believe deserve an award.

Best Camera Phone

The Oppo Find X9 Pro stands out as the best camera phone of 2025, topping rankings for its sensor performance, lossless zoom capabilities, and computational photography prowess. It leads the year’s camera list, combining advanced hardware with strong imaging software to deliver excellent shots in all conditions.

But there are also some other camera champions to talk about.

Honorable Mentions:

• Xiaomi 15 Ultra – Excellent Leica-tuned quad-camera system.
• iPhone 17 Pro Max – Strong overall imaging and video quality.
• Google Pixel 10 Pro – Reliable photography and AI enhancements.

Best Battery Phone

The OnePlus 15 claims the best battery phone award with a large 7,300 mAh battery that supports two-day use under heavy workloads and up to three days of light use. Fast wired and wireless charging complement its endurance-focused design, making it a top choice for users with high uptime expectations.

This phone is just not easy to kill.

Honorable Mentions:

• Honor Win – Record-breaking 10,000 mAh battery.
• Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra – Solid flagship battery life with efficient performance.

Best Budget Phone

The Vivo V60 takes the award for the best budget phone of 2025, especially for camera enthusiasts who cannot afford flagships. Not only does it capture top tier portraits on a mid-range price, but it also lasts 2 days of heavy use, has an excellent screen, and brings high-end performance as well.

The Vivo V60 also tops my personal favorite phone list of 2025.

Honorable Mentions:

• Google Pixel 9a – Excellent camera on a budget.
• OnePlus Nord 5 – Great budget gaming performance.
• Xiaomi Poco X7 Pro – Excellent battery life for the price.

Best Foldable Phone

The Samsung Galaxy TriFold brings one of the best, if not the best, foldable phone implementations of the year. Unlike Huawei’s Mate XT Ultimate, which only has a single large, but soft screen, the Galaxy TriFold brings a much more durable screen on the back for when you need to use a single screen only. Samsung’s TriFold is also cheaper and has a far more familiar One UI based on Android instead of HarmonyOS.

The idea of a tablet-sized phone that fits in your pocket is quite appealing, to say the least.

Honorable Mentions:

• Vivo X Fold 5 – Premium build and competitive features at often lower price points.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 – Slimmer, smarter, and more refined than ever in dual folding form factor.

Best Gaming Phone

ZTE Nubia’s RedMagic 11 Pro+ is not only the most powerful gaming phone of 2025, but also the coolest, both in terms of thermal management and design. It is the first smartphone to come with active liquid cooling that is shown off nicely on the back, especially if you take the back sticker off.

Honorable Mentions:

• OnePlus 15 – Great all-around performer with strong gaming capability and long-lasting battery.
• Vivo iQOO 15 – Checks all gaming phone boxes, including performance, smooth gameplay, and strong thermal management.