Searching for a new phone isn't always as simple as buying the latest version of your existing model, as you might want to consider what devices from competing brands offer in comparison to your own pocketable gadget.
Often you can find key features that you otherwise wouldn't be able to get like a foldable design or higher performance, and switching other parts of your tech setup might also encourage you to pick a phone that fits into the wider system.
One thing that might make the process a lot easier though are awards given out by tech experts at the TS awards, as they've been able to identify which devices triumph as the best in class, and the choice for this year's best phone might shock you.
What is 'the best phone of the year'?
As reported by the Express, the technology experts over at T3 have finally revealed their end of year awards, praising all of the best devices including TVs, sound systems, and wearables.
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Arguably the category that people pay the most attention to though is the best smartphone, as the competition is extremely hot with yearly releases from all of the biggest brands duking it out for the crown.
This year's winner might surprise you though if you're a dedicated Apple fan, as T3 officially declared the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra as the best phone of the year, beating out the iPhone 16 and Google Pixel 9, among countless others.
Retailing at $1,659.99 in its most powerful version you'd certainly expect it to be competing for the top prizes, but many people that have used Samsung's flagship device have praised it for it's fantastic build quality, top of the range feature set, and unbelievably fast performance.
It features a 1440p Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a quad camera setup at the rear, including a 200 megapixel main sensor alongside ultrawide, telephoto, and macro lenses.
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It also boasts an ultra powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite octa-core processor capable of speeds up to 4.47GHz, making every task on your phone including all of the most demanding games feel like a breeze.
That's not to say that it's competitors aren't also great phones, as offerings from Google and Apple remain still more than excellent recommendations, especially if you're already embedded into the ecosystem, but in the eyes of T3's judges the S25 Ultra is just that little bit better.
What else won at the T3 awards?
Samsung definitely had a great night overall as it also earned the title of 'Brand of the Year', picking up the aforementioned Best Smartphone award alongside the Best Monitor (Samsung Odyssey OLED G8) and Best TV (Samsung S95F).
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Product of the Year went to the recently released Nintendo Switch 2 after it wowed everyone with its performance boost and unexpectedly great durability, and Apple thankfully didn't go away empty handed either, earning the Best Laptop award for the new Macbook Air.