№ 01 Best Camera
OPPO Find X9 Pro
OPPO
Runner-up · iPhone 17 Pro
Fan-made archive.
Not affiliated with MKBHD or Marques Brownlee. Watch the originals on
YouTube.
Unofficial
The Smartphone Awards.
2025: Apple's iPhone 17 won Phone of the Year after years out of the top spot, thanks to its 120Hz ProMotion upgrade and excellent value. Samsung won two major categories. Chinese brands dominated the premium segments with Xiaomi and Oppo.
Read the 2025 edition → 2025 · Phone of the Year
The winner.
Out of 9 categories awarded this year, the headline goes to one phone.
Phone of the Year
iPhone 17
Apple
"Finally got ProMotion 120Hz, improved cameras, and Apple Intelligence. The most complete iPhone in years."
Brand
Apple
Runner-up: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
See all 2025 categories
→ 2025 · Category winners
Six awards, six phones.
A snapshot of this year's category winners. The full set lives on the 2025 edition page.
№ 02 Best Battery
OnePlus 15
OnePlus
Runner-up · Xiaomi 17 Pro
№ 03 Best Design
iPhone Air
Apple
Runner-up · Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge
№ 04 Best Big Phone
Xiaomi 17 Pro
Xiaomi
Runner-up · OPPO Find X9 Pro
№ 05 Best Small Phone
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7
Samsung
Runner-up · iPhone 17
№ 06 Most Improved
iPhone 17
Apple
Archive · 2014–2025
Phone of the Year, every year.
Twelve editions of the most important award MKBHD gives out. Scroll horizontally.
2025
iPhone 17
Apple
"Finally got ProMotion 120Hz, improved cameras, and Apple Intelligence. The most complet…"
2024
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Samsung
"Galaxy AI, titanium build, 200MP camera with 10x optical zoom, and S Pen. The most comp…"
2023
Google Pixel 8
Google
"7 years of updates, Google AI features, and best-in-class Android camera at $699."
2022
Google Pixel 7
Google
"Google Tensor G2, best-in-class Android camera, and excellent software at $599. The com…"
2021
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung
"Quad cameras, S Pen support, and the best Android display of the year. Samsung firing o…"
2020
iPhone 12 Pro
Apple
"5G, MagSafe, OLED display, LiDAR, and the best chip in mobile. The iPhone 12 Pro set th…"
2019
iPhone 11 Pro
Apple
"Three cameras, all-day battery life, and an A13 chip that crushed every competitor."
2018
OnePlus 6T
OnePlus
"The best value-to-performance ratio of any phone in 2018. In-display fingerprint sensor…"
2017
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
Samsung
"Note 8 offered a refined, premium package with dual cameras and the best S Pen experien…"
2016
Google Pixel XL
Google
"Google's first proper hardware play. Best-in-class camera at launch, pure Android, and …"
2015
Nexus 6P
Huawei/Google
"Best pure Android experience in a premium package. Fingerprint sensor, great camera, an…"
2014
HTC One M8
HTC
"Praised for premium aluminum build, excellent software, and overall refinement."
Browse
By category.
Every award we track. Tap one to see all-time winners across twelve editions.
№ 01 Phone of the Year The ultimate award — MKBHD's pick for the best overall smartphone of the year across all price points and platforms. → № 02 Best Camera Awarded to the smartphone with the best overall camera system — considering photo quality, video, night mode, and versatility. → № 03 Best Battery Recognizes the phone that goes the longest on a single charge, factoring in both battery size and charging speed. → № 04 Best Design Celebrates the most beautiful, innovative, or distinctive physical design in the smartphone industry that year. → № 05 Best Value Awarded to the phone that delivers the most performance, features, and quality for its price. → № 06 Best Big Phone The best large-screen smartphone of the year — for users who want maximum screen real estate. → № 07 Best Small Phone The best compact smartphone — for users who prefer pocketable devices without sacrificing performance. → № 08 Most Improved Awarded to the brand or phone that made the biggest leap forward year-over-year — whether that's fixing past mistakes or innovating boldly. → № 09 Best Foldable The best folding smartphone — recognizing the most refined, practical, and well-executed foldable design. → № 10 Bust of the Year The most disappointing phone launch of the year — overpriced, underdelivering, or failing to live up to its promise. → № 11 Best Budget Phone The best smartphone under the mid-range price threshold — proof that you don't need to spend a fortune. →