Marques Brownlee reveals best smartphones of 2025 and viewers are surprised

Marques Brownlee has revealed which devices have earned the title of the best smartphones of 2025 and viewers have been left surprised by the results.

The YouTuber is known for reviewing the latest products and offering useful tips, with his tech videos earning him a following of over 20 million subscribers.

So, which phones scooped up wins in Brownlee’s Smartphone Awards this year?

According to the YouTuber, the best big phone of the year is the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, to make the announcement, he explained: “Huge 6.9" display, 7500mAh silicon carbon battery, triple 50MP cameras, AND a 3-inch back screen with TONS of uses, including as a camera viewfinder. Great use of space.”

For a smaller device, the top contender was the Samsung Z Flip 7. While the small slab flagship is now extinct, Brownlee pointed out that you still can get ‘a small phone experience with a folded-up Flip and its 4-inch cover display. Plus there's still a full size phone inside’.

For the best camera, Brownlee crowned the Oppo Find X9 Pro, which he described as a ‘flexibility king’.

The content creator added: “These triple cameras can do anything. Awesome 50mp main camera. Superb ultrawide and 200mp telephoto. Great portrait mode and night mode. Great video. Not too over-processed. Just right.”

Best value for money was the CMF Phone 2 Pro, which has the ‘smooth software flagship experience without the flagship price’.

Meanwhile, for the best battery, Brownlee said that the OnePlus 15 was in first place this year.

He went on to say: “What a year for battery upgrades, thanks to silicon carbon tech. 7300mAh and 120-watt charging in a phone as thin and light as its predecessor? 3-day battery with 11 hours of screen on time from a flagship chip? Sign me up.”

The award for best designed phone went to the iPhone Air which ‘nobody asked for’ but ‘damn is it nice’.

Brownlee pointed out that the device has rearranged internals which create ‘this freaky featherweight form AND pass durability tests’.

The YouTuber added that once you get used to the phone, everything else will feel like a brick in comparison.

So, who won for being the most improved device? That went to the iPhone 17 as Brownlee said: “New chip. High refresh rate display (finally). Doubled the base storage. A+ new selfie camera. They finally made the base iPhone a complete phone. It's about damn time.”