MKBHD Award

Most disappointing smartphone 2025: Bust of the Year

The most disappointing phone launch of the year — overpriced, underdelivering, or failing to live up to its promise.

12 Years

9 Brands

3× Samsung

2025 Champion — Most disappointing smartphone

⭐ Featured Winner 2025

💀 Bust of the Year

iPhone 16e

Apple · 2025

Bust of the Year 2025. Removed MagSafe and the ultrawide camera without reducing the price enough to justify the cuts — a step backwards for the budget iPhone.

Display 6.1-inch OLED, 60Hz

Camera 48MP main (single camera)

Battery 3,279 mAh

Launch Price $599

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Compare Bust of the Year Winners

How does the 2025 most disappointing smartphone stack up against previous champions? Key price specs side by side.

Current

2025

iPhone 16e

Apple

Price

$599

Removed features (including MagSafe and ultra-wide) without reducing the price enough to justify the cuts.

Details

2024

Samsung Galaxy Ring

Samsung

Price

$399

Health tracking ring locked to Samsung ecosystem with expensive subscription. Limited use case.

Details

2023

Google Pixel Fold

Google

Price

$1,799

Thick, heavy, with mediocre outer display and a price that didn't justify the trade-offs.

Details

2022

iPhone 14

Apple

Price

$799

Identical to iPhone 13 in almost every way. Apple's laziest upgrade year.

Details

2021

Microsoft Surface Duo 2

Microsoft

Price

$1,499

Two-screen gimmick, mediocre cameras, and software that never matched the hardware ambition.

Details

Phone	Year	Price	Display	Chipset	Price
iPhone 16e Apple	2025	$599	6.1-inch OLED, 60Hz	Apple A16 Bionic	$599
Samsung Galaxy Ring Samsung	2024	$399	N/A (smart ring)	Embedded health sensors	$399
Google Pixel Fold Google	2023	$1,799	7.6-inch inner OLED, 5.8-inch outer OLED, 120Hz	Google Tensor G2	$1,799
iPhone 14 Apple	2022	$799	6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, 60Hz	Apple A15 Bionic	$799
Microsoft Surface Duo 2 Microsoft	2021	$1,499	Dual 5.8-inch AMOLED screens (8.3-inch unfolded), 90Hz	Snapdragon 888	$1,499

Showing last 5 winners with available data. Specs from manufacturer listings.

Which Brand Dominates Bust of the Year?

Samsung

3 wins (25%)

Apple

2 wins (17%)

Google

1 win (8%)

Microsoft

1 win (8%)

Motorola

1 win (8%)

All-Time Bust of the Year Winners (2014–2025)

Year	Winner	Runner-Up	View award
2025	iPhone 16e — Apple Removed features (including MagSafe and ultra-wide) without reducing the price enough to justify the cuts.	—	View →
2024	Samsung Galaxy Ring — Samsung Health tracking ring locked to Samsung ecosystem with expensive subscription. Limited use case.	—	View →
2023	Google Pixel Fold — Google Thick, heavy, with mediocre outer display and a price that didn't justify the trade-offs.	—	View →
2022	iPhone 14 — Apple Identical to iPhone 13 in almost every way. Apple's laziest upgrade year.	—	View →
2021	Microsoft Surface Duo 2 — Microsoft Two-screen gimmick, mediocre cameras, and software that never matched the hardware ambition.	—	View →
2020	Samsung Galaxy Z Flip — Samsung Glass folding display that scratched like plastic, mediocre specs, and a very high price.	—	View →
2019	Motorola RAZR (2019) — Motorola Nostalgic design, but plastic display, outdated specs, and a $1,500 price tag disappointed.	—	View →
2018	Red Hydrogen One — RED A $1,295 phone with plastic construction, mediocre specs, and a 3D screen nobody wanted.	—	View →
2017	HTC U Ultra — HTC A second screen nobody asked for, mediocre specs, and a high price. HTC's low point.	—	View →
2016	Samsung Galaxy Note 7 — Samsung Twice recalled for battery fires. The most catastrophic phone launch in history.	—	View →
2015	OnePlus 2 — OnePlus The 'flagship killer' launched without NFC, had a mediocre camera, and underwhelmed on software.	—	View →
2014	Amazon Fire Phone — Amazon Overpriced, underpowered, and full of gimmicks. A cautionary tale.	—	View →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most disappointing smartphone in 2025? ▼

According to MKBHD's 2025 Smartphone Awards, the most disappointing smartphone is the iPhone 16e by Apple. Removed features (including MagSafe and ultra-wide) without reducing the price enough to justify the cuts. Bust of the Year 2025. Removed MagSafe and the ultrawide camera without reducing the price enough to justify the cuts — a step backwards for the budget iPhone.

Who won MKBHD Bust of the Year in 2025? ▼

The MKBHD Bust of the Year winner for 2025 is the iPhone 16e by Apple. Removed features (including MagSafe and ultra-wide) without reducing the price enough to justify the cuts.

What phone won MKBHD Bust of the Year in 2024? ▼

The 2024 MKBHD Bust of the Year went to the Samsung Galaxy Ring by Samsung. Health tracking ring locked to Samsung ecosystem with expensive subscription. Limited use case.

Which brand makes the most disappointing smartphone? ▼

Samsung has won the MKBHD Bust of the Year award 3 times — more than any other brand. 9 different brands have won this award since 2014.

What is the MKBHD Bust of the Year award? ▼

The most disappointing phone launch of the year — overpriced, underdelivering, or failing to live up to its promise. It is one of several annual awards given by Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) in his yearly Smartphone Awards video, which he has published on YouTube since 2014.

Has any phone won MKBHD Bust of the Year more than once? ▼

No single phone model has won the MKBHD Bust of the Year award more than once. However, Samsung have had multiple winning devices across different years.

Other MKBHD Award Categories

Phone of the Year Best Camera Best Battery Best Design Best Value Best Big Phone

View all award categories →