Ryan Haines / Android Authority
I am a staunch believer that the iPhone vs Android debate has gone on far too long. The two ecosystems have matured enough that the difference between them isn’t about features anymore, but about personality. Neither is better or worse than the other (conditions apply, depending on who you’re asking). I am personally at a point where I wouldn’t side-eye anyone for picking one over the other for whatever reason.
The year 2025 has been fantastic for the Android world — there have been so many great phones launched this year that you could go over each one of them, drooling. The newly launched OnePlus 15 comes with such a massive battery (with super-fast charging!) that you could run it for two days straight without topping up in the middle. The Pixels double down on their AI game, and there seems no looking back at this point.
I got to play with a bunch of phones this year, and I even bought myself a couple, including the Pixel 10. However, I have no reservations in saying that I like the other phone better — and it’s got a fruit logo on its back.
If you had to pick a phone today, which would you buy? 70 votes A Pixel 24 % A Samsung 33 % An iPhone 23 % Something else entirely 20 %
The unexpected soft spot
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority
All through the year, we’d been hearing about the redesigned iPhone 17 Pro with its abnormally large camera plateau, along with the super-thin iPhone Air. But there was little chatter about the base iPhone 17. For me — and I suspect for a lot of people — it is by far the best iPhone deal, and I’d go out and say with utmost responsibility that it’s even the best iPhone to get this year.
And people don’t need me to proclaim that. The demand for the phone is so high that I had to get my name in line, follow up with multiple stores in my city just to get a unit for myself. That’s when I said I’d pick up whatever color was available; it almost felt like it was being smuggled from behind closed storefronts.
I already knew how much of an upgrade it was over the iPhone 16 on paper, but it’s only after laying my hands on the phone that I realised how good a handset it is overall. I’m only growing fonder of the iPhone 17 by the day. And the reason for that isn’t some flashy feature that has kept me hooked — it’s the basics that feel so sorted now that I’m recommending it to people left, right, and center.
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