This was a surprisingly enjoyable yr for smartphones. I wasn’t anticipating it to be; the class is commonly described as stale or “plateaued.” However as WIRED’s resident telephone reviewer, I’ve examined practically all of this yr’s handsets—gadgets as low-cost as $130 all the way in which to an eye-watering $2,000—and I don’t suppose there’s been a yr stuffed with as many diverse kinds in fairly a while.
It began with the Nothing Cellphone (3a) collection, which the UK firm launched at Cell World Congress early within the yr. Whereas I wasn’t a fan of the Professional mannequin’s top-heavy digital camera module, the electrical blue Cellphone (3a) is a standout. It seems to be like no different smartphone in the marketplace, with a clear backplate, a pop of shade from a small purple sq., and the corporate’s signature Glyph lights, which blink whenever you obtain notifications. These LEDs will not be probably the most helpful, however they’re enjoyable and wacky.
That whimsical design has been sorely missing for a number of years. Bear in mind 2020’s LG Wing? The five-camera Nokia 9 PureView from 2019? The bizarre Moto Mods of a decade in the past, which added issues like cameras and audio system to the Moto Z from Motorola? These telephones could not have topped the charts, however they tried one thing completely different.
Smartphones are a necessity in at present’s world, and like all commodities, which means good and playful designs are sometimes sacrificed for the sake of producing effectivity. When firms chase the underside line, we find yourself with plain, simple-looking telephones designed for the broadest potential viewers. For this reason the latest shift to gadgets with somewhat extra character feels vital.
Nothing had one other win on its arms this yr with the CMF Cellphone 2 Professional, a sub-$300 telephone that didn’t look or really feel something like its finances worth. Uniquely, you’ll be able to unscrew the again of the telephone and substitute the backplate with one which’s a special shade, or take off the Accent Level module and connect issues like a lanyard. Sustainability-focused Fairphone had an analogous concept with The Fairphone (Gen. 6), besides this smartphone did all of that whereas additionally reaching a ten/10 repairability rating from iFixit.
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Subsequent got here Motorola, which has seen a variety of success lately with its Razr folding flip telephones. With the 2025 Razr fashions, the corporate leaned closely into completely different supplies and textures. You may purchase a Razr with a again coated within the microfiber textile Alcantara, vegan leather-based, or polished black Gorilla Glass. There’s even a model with Forest Stewardship Council-certified wooden. It helps that Motorola stays one of many solely producers providing a folding flip telephone beneath $700. (It even will get as little as $600 throughout sale occasions.)
You should still be hesitant to spend money on one in all these hinge-reliant handsets, given their spotty historical past with sturdiness, however they’re harder than ever. I’ve dropped a number of Razrs, the Pixel 10 Professional Fold, and even the Galaxy Z Flip7 this yr, and out of doors of minor scuffs on the body, none of them have cracked. Motorola launched a titanium-reinforced hinge plate this yr. Google guarantees 10-plus years of folding for its newest Fold and has lastly earned an IP68 ranking for its folding design. Samsung says its Galaxy Z Fold7 can face up to 500,000 folds, which pencils out to greater than a decade of typical use.
We must always anticipate extra out of how the devices in our lives feel and look. As with a good watch, I discover that I genuinely take pleasure in utilizing gadgets that put somewhat extra care or effort into design and construct high quality. This yr, I used to be delighted by the sharp-looking Gentle Cellphone III—the anti-smartphone that doesn’t run conventional apps—whereas the Minimal Cellphone, which is constructed with the identical purpose of serving to scale back time spent watching a display screen, had a plasticky construct that felt off-putting. Even with all of this experimentation in kind, you don’t should spend lots of and lots of of {dollars} on a handsome telephone. Motorola’s Moto G Stylus 5G has a placing design with a beautiful leather-like texture, and it’s continuously on sale for $300.
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Skinny, as at all times, was additionally very a lot in. Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge and the iPhone Air will not be authentic concepts, however I child you not, holding an ultrathin and light-weight telephone is definitely fairly dang superior. Sadly—and unsurprisingly—Samsung’s design suffered from lackluster battery life, and whereas the iPhone Air delivered better-than-expected run instances, its single digital camera system and excessive worth didn’t precisely scream good worth in an economically tumultuous yr. (These flaws possible clarify the rumors that counsel Samsung has canceled plans for a successor to its thinnest handset and that Apple has been weathering lackluster gross sales of the Air.)
However we’ve already seen the advantages of thinner telephones. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold7 is likely one of the greatest folding telephones of the yr, largely because of the huge discount in measurement and weight over its predecessors. Apple can be rumored to be engaged on a folding iPhone, and the learnings from the iPhone Air would go a great distance in making a tool that’s not cumbersome to carry.
