Buying a new phone in 2026 has never been more overwhelming and, at the same time, never been more exciting. Every year, phone brands push the boundaries a little further, whether it’s Samsung refining its foldables, Apple rethinking what an iPhone should look like, or Oppo pushing camera technology into territory most of us didn’t think was possible. With so many strong contenders flooding the market, picking “the best phone” isn’t really a one size fits all answer anymore.
That’s exactly why this roundup exists. Instead of doing another head to head battle between two flagship giants, this breakdown takes a wider look across the entire smartphone landscape as it stands right now, in the middle of August 2026. Whether you’re chasing the most powerful flagship money can buy, hunting for a reliable mid-range device that won’t break the bank, searching for the best possible budget phone, or curious about how far foldables have really come, this guide covers all of it.
Of course, no list like this can please everyone. Phone preferences are personal, shaped by everything from camera priorities to brand loyalty to how a device simply feels in your hand. So rather than presenting this as some definitive, unquestionable ranking, think of it more as an experienced, honest take on where things currently stand, category by category. Flagships, everyday mid-rangers, budget picks, foldables, and finally, one standout choice for best phone overall.
Timing matters too. With new releases constantly on the horizon, including devices still under embargo at the time of testing, this list is very much a snapshot of right now rather than a permanent verdict. But that’s part of the fun. The smartphone world moves fast, and there’s always another update, another launch, and another reason to revisit this conversation down the line.
So, whether you’re due for an upgrade, curious about what’s leading the pack this year, or just enjoy a good debate about phones, here’s a full breakdown of the top three contenders in every major category, along with a few honourable mentions that almost made the cut, and one clear favourite that stood out above the rest.
Flagship Category
Third Place: iPhone 17 Pro Max
In third place is the iPhone 17 Pro Max. I’m an Apple fan boy. And for many years, the Pro Max was the iPhone I went for automatically.
That hasn’t happened this year or last year for a reason that I’ll explain later. But if you are an Apple person and you want the best of the best, this is obviously the one to go for. Equally, if you’re coming into the Apple ecosystem and you want the top end phone that will not let you down in any way, shape or form, get this and Cosmic Orange.
Second Place: Oppo Find X9 Ultra
It’s mainly in that list because of the Cosmic Orange color, which brings me conveniently to the Oppo Find X9 Ultra, which is also orange or very, very nice tundra color, which is their kind of Hasselblad inspired camera type thing. This is without a shadow of a doubt, the best smartphone camera I’ve ever used. It’s got a 10 times optical zoom, which we don’t get very often these days at all.
It’s also very, very smudged. Apologies. If you want the best camera smartphone, get the Oppo Find X9 Ultra.
It’s as simple as that. If you can get it in your country, that’s why it’s in second place, because Oppo phones, it depends where you live, basically. In first place, it’s the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.
First Place: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
For the second year in a row, I’ve preferred this over any other flagship. And explaining why is quite tricky. I think it’s a combination of what it looks like.
I think it’s just very purposeful, simple and a very flagship type design. I love the colors that Samsung goes for. I’m very happy with the camera system.
I think it’s a very good camera. I think the combination of One UI and Galaxy AI is the best out there in terms of consumer facing AI and just the overall operating system experience. Oh, and the display is amazing because it has that anti-reflective coating, which you don’t get on any… No, you do get it on two other phones here, but it’s just the best phone on the market when it comes to flagships.
Mid-Range Category
Ah, mid-range. Where does it start? Where does it end in terms of pricing? I have no idea, honestly. That’s why I’m not quoting pricing in this guide, because I think it’s very confusing where things start and end.
It doesn’t matter. However, if you are looking for a phone that isn’t a flagship, that’s just too much for you. And the budget side of things is a bit scary. Then the everyday phone, the mid-range phone is what you need to go for.
Third Place: Pixel 10
In third place, we have the Pixel 10. Now, I’m fully aware that the Pixel 11 has just come out.
My review of this is one of my most watched videos. And every day, virtually, I get comments about this phone, which means there’s still a lot of interest in it. And for good reason, it’s a really good phone.
It has PixelSnap, which means you can use MagSafe accessories like the Commute Action Pro. The camera’s fantastic. The display is lovely, the build quality, the look, the colors.
Google really understands smartphone colors. And just the overall experience of using a very unfettered version of Android and having access to all of the Gemini stuff built in. It’s brilliant.
Second Place: Oppo Find X9 Pro
In second place, we have the Oppo Find X9 Pro. Now, if the Find X9 Ultra is way too much for you, both in terms of the pricing and just the fact it’s massive and has this colossal camera bump, I totally get that. Just get the X9 Pro.
It’s one of the best Android smartphones on the market, if not possibly the best. It’s up there. It’s vying for that, honestly.
It’s got the Hasselblad camera system still. It doesn’t have the 10 times optical zoom, but that doesn’t matter, to be honest. In everyday life, this will absolutely knock your socks off when it comes to photography.
First Place: iPhone 17
And in first place, we have the iPhone 17, which I don’t have here because we gave it away in a competition, but I did review it and I think Apple has nailed that mid-range smartphone. The iPhone 17, I think, is the pinnacle of what you can get for that money.
Budget Phones
Now, again, this is quite hard to define because of one, the pricing, and two, the feature sets. Even at this low end of the market, you get very, very good camera systems, amazing displays, incredible batteries, and great build quality. So again, it’s very hard to separate the mid-range from the budget, but I have to do that, obviously.
Third Place: Xiaomi 17T
In third place, we have the Xiaomi 17T. This has a Leica-inspired, Leica-influenced camera system, a very good build quality for the price, some lovely colors, a great display, a great version of Android. Not much more I can say about it, apart from the fact that Xiaomi deserves to be in this list somewhere, and I think they most deserve to be in the budget section.
Not for any bad reason, but because they know how to make these phones that don’t cost very much and give you an awful lot of functionality. So that is a lovely phone.
Second Place: iPhone 17E
In second place, we have the iPhone 17E, which is the most expensive budget phone in this budget category, but it is a budget iPhone and it’s the most iPhone iPhone ever.
I used the 16E for nearly a year last year and loved it. The camera, yes, is a little bit restrictive, and back then that one didn’t have MagSafe, but this one does. Yes, the display is 60 Hertz, it’s not ProMotion, but most people who buy this phone, which is a lot of people, don’t care.
It just does the job.
First Place: Nothing Phone 4B
In first place for budget phones, we have the Nothing Phone 4B. I will quote the pricing for this.
It’s 300 quid, which is nothing, literally. The camera system is okay, but it’s good enough for this category, and it’s interesting. Look at the design of the camera bump.
Nothing does that very well. They have reduced their design flair over the last few years, but that’s not for a bad reason. I think it was the right thing to do.
The display is fantastic. It cuts no corners. The operating system, Nothing OS, is one of the best versions of Android out there.
And if you just want an interesting, different phone that gives you loads and loads of value for money, get the 4B. Just don’t go to Nothing’s website because there’s so many phones on there, and you’ll get so confused. This is the one to get.
Foldable Phones
Well, two in particular, but it’s a category that’s getting more and more interesting for one very specific reason.
Third Place: Oppo Find N6
In third place, we have the Oppo Find N6. At the moment, it has a case on it.
In fact, it’s got a case on it because that illustrates that it comes with, well, I think it’s optional, but it does have the option of a stylus, which you don’t get with every foldable these days. But if I take that off, you can get a look at it. It’s a lovely phone, this.
Really, really capable in terms of camera system, operating system experience, multitasking, the build quality, the specs. It possibly should be top of the list, but I just prefer something else for a reason I’ll explain in a moment. But it’s very good.
Second Place: Samsung Z Fold 8 Ultra
In second place, we have the Samsung Z or Z Fold 8 Ultra. If you want the best foldable that has, I think, the most R&D behind it in terms of just many, many years of iterating things behind the scenes and getting stuff right, like the hinge durability and all that kind of thing, and the operating system. Again, the combination of One UI and Galaxy AI, I think is unmatched, particularly on a foldable.
And this is the safe choice for that reason. There’s no bad thing about that.
First Place: Samsung Z Fold 8
It’s the Fold 8. It is a brand new passport-sized foldable from Samsung, and I love it to death. It’s my new favourite phone. It’s just, oh, it’s so good.
The key thing with it for me is that it’s made me intentional about how I use my foldable. Normally with these phones, I get about a month, two months into using them, and doing that happens less because I just don’t have a reason for it.
I don’t think that’s going to happen with this because you get three very distinct use cases. You get the front screen, which looks like that. You then get the internal display, which looks like that or that.
iPhone Air
iPhone Air. This didn’t make the list because I think it’s a niche choice, but it’s been my favourite iPhone of the past few years. It’s just been a breath of fresh air, and I’ve realised that the battery is actually fine.
If you use it normally, and you don’t constantly travel around the world, it works absolutely fine, as does the camera system. But it’s the design, it’s the thinness, obviously, but it’s just something about this phone which has made it my standard iPhone for the last few months, which is why I’m not using that anymore. I think that says a lot about the iPhone Air.
Motorola Edge 60 Fusion
Then we have, I always forget what this one is, this, because they make so many phones, the Motorola Edge 60 Fusion. Incredible value. Go and look at the price.
You will not believe it. You will not believe what you get for that. And also, it’s Motorola.
They make brilliant devices and they have a huge fan base. I love the fact they’re still around, still making this stuff, and choosing colours like that.
Motorola Razr Fold
And then we have the Motorola Razr Fold.
That didn’t make the foldable category. I know that will annoy some people, but in my defence, I did review this very highly. It feels a bit chunkier than the rest.
It probably isn’t. I had a lot of people tell me off for that. I think it’s the camera mound, if you like, which feels just a bit thicker, but it doesn’t matter.
And they’ve done that for good reason, because it’s a very good camera system. It’s a very, very good foldable.
Best Overall Phone: Samsung Z Fold 8
But, big drum roll.
That was terrible. My favourite out of all of these is the Z Fold 8. For all of the reasons that I’ve just explained, and for reasons that are in my full review, which we’ll link to at the end of this video. But guys, it’s over to you.
I know you’ve got thoughts. I know you don’t agree. I know you’ve got phones in your head that you’re thinking, why on earth didn’t he put that in the list? Get involved and hit that subscribe button.
A Note on the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL
Future Mark here. We published this guide a little bit later than we thought we would, but the good news on that front is that I can at least mention and reference and show you the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL, because that review embargo has passed. However, it didn’t make this guide because I didn’t have it when I put this guide together.
Really simple stuff. But I do have a full review of this phone live now. It’s really worth reading because I think it says a lot about the smartphone industry, and it’s a brilliant companion piece to this guide.
Conclusion
And there you have it, a full breakdown of the smartphone landscape as it stands right now, in the summer of 2026. From flagships to foldables, budget picks to honourable mentions, there’s clearly no shortage of excellent options no matter what kind of phone you’re after or how much you’re looking to spend.
What stands out most when looking across every category is just how competitive the market has become. Even budget phones now come packed with features that would have felt like flagship exclusives just a few years ago, while foldables are finally starting to feel less like a niche experiment and more like genuinely practical daily drivers. Samsung, Apple, Oppo, Google, Xiaomi, Nothing, Motorola, and Honor have all found their own way to stand out, whether that’s through camera innovation, software experience, design, or simply offering incredible value for money.
If there’s one clear winner running through this entire list, it’s the Samsung Z Fold 8. Across flagships, foldables, and the best overall pick, it kept coming back as the standout choice, not because it’s flashy or gimmicky, but because it genuinely changes the way it gets used day to day. That kind of impact is rare, and it’s exactly why it earned the top spot this time around.
That said, the beauty of this list is that it’s not meant to be the final word. Preferences differ, priorities differ, and what works perfectly for one person might not suit another at all. Maybe camera quality matters more to you than software. Maybe you’d rather have a compact everyday phone than a foldable. Maybe budget is the only thing that matters, and that’s completely valid too.
With new releases like the Pixel 11 Pro XL already reviewed separately, and more phones undoubtedly on the way before the year is out, this conversation is far from over. Rankings like this are always a snapshot in time, and there’s a good chance a few of these positions could shift before long.
For now though, this is where things stand. Thanks for following along through every category, and as always, the comments are open for anyone who disagrees, wants to make a case for a phone that didn’t make the cut, or just wants to talk phones in general. That’s half the fun of a list like this anyway.