Yearender 2025 | When Slim Phones Slipped, Foldables Rose, And The Classic iPhone Stole The Spotlight
Smartphone Spotlight: 2025 saw foldables mature, camera hardware become more specialised, batteries grow larger, and well-balanced smartphones outperform extreme design experiments.
Published : December 30, 2025 at 7:30 AM IST
Hyderabad: As 2025 sprints to the end, it's time to look back and appreciate all the amazing smartphones that were launched this year. From budget-friendly options to flagship powerhouses and new foldables, we witnessed a stunning showcase of mobile technology across every price segment. The year also made the competition in the industry extreme as affordable devices became feature-packed and mid-range smartphones began encroaching on the territory of flagship models.
This is also the year when the industry received its first-ever dust-resistant foldable smartphone—Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold—a milestone in foldable tech and solving the long-standing problem of dust seeping inside the screen layers near the hinges. This is also the first time I am willing to recommend a foldable device to consumers. The other Pixel smartphones were just incremental upgrades over their predecessors and felt nothing special—similar to how I see the new Galaxy S25 series.
Carl Pei-led Nothing introduced its first true flagship smartphone, Nothing Phone (3), which had its fair share of limelight for the good, the bad, and the jaw-dropping price of Rs 79,999—which eventually came down to Rs 34,999 during the sale period in the country. The magic from Nothing came in the form of Nothing Phone 3a (priced at Rs 24,999) and particularly CMF Phone 2 Pro (priced at Rs 18,999), bringing a 50MP telephoto camera to the masses alongside other features that are usually reserved for high-end smartphones—priced much higher.
Although the brand mutilated its website to the point of making it unusable on both web and mobile, the CMF device received all the essential upgrades over the last generation’s CMF Phone 1, becoming thinner and lighter while also getting upgraded internals. It also included a back cover and a charging brick in the box—once standard essentials that now feel like a luxury, courtesy of the corporate greed that removed them in the first place. The CMF Phone 2 Pro also came with Macro and Fish-Eye Lenses that can be attached to the phone’s camera on a mount, but I can’t seem to find one in India.
Smartphones wanted to compete with DSLRs
Camera add-on isn’t a new concept, and we’ve seen different variations of them in the past, which transformed the smartphone into a digital camera with improved grip and controls. This year, two smartphone companies, Oppo and Vivo, owned by China’s BBK Electronics, showcased such devices in the premium flagship category, namely Oppo Find X9 Pro and Vivo X300 Pro. Both of these devices allow users to attach a telephoto lens, akin to a DSLR, enabling up to 40x magnification at 920mm focal length. Although the attachment gives the phone an awkward, top-heavy appearance, its zoom capability surpasses that of any other smartphone.
While professionals like wildlife photographers may already own high-end cameras and lenses, this setup lets hobbyists dip their toes into the field, offering comparable optical elements, image quality, and natural bokeh for close-up portraits—rivalling what you'd expect from fancy gear.
Both the Oppo Find X9 Pro and Vivo X300 Pro are camera-centric flagship devices, which also received praise not just for their photography kit but also for their camera performance. Both handsets feature a 1/1.28-inch 50MP main camera, paired with a 200MP periscope telephoto camera and a 50MP ultrawide camera.
Xiaomi also launched a camera-centric smartphone towards the start of the year, Xiaomi 15 Ultra, which came with a 1-inch 50MP Sony LYT 900 main sensor, paired with a 200 MP periscope telephoto camera, a 50 MP floating telephoto camera, and a 50MP ultrawide camera. The Xiaomi device also comes with a camera kit, but it is mainly focused on improving the grip and functionality of camera controls instead of adding extraordinary zoom capability.
The Chinese company’s latest Xiaomi 17 Ultra succeeds this device, and is waiting for its global debut in 2026. The new smartphone now only features a triple rear camera unit, but upgrades the hardware with a 1-inch 50MP LOFIC Omnivision 1050L primary shooter, a 50MP Samsung JN5 ultrawide camera, and a 200MP periscope telephoto camera with support for 3.2x to 4.3x continuous optical zoom. It also supports a camera kit, similar to its predecessor, Xiaomi 15 Ultra.
Samsung and Google also continued their legacy of offering superb camera smartphones in 2025. However, just like in other areas, they didn't get any noticeable upgrades in the camera hardware department and were mostly limited to new software features and optimisation.
Backed by Apple and Samsung, the slim trend was still rejected
For Apple, it was an unusual year as it released not only the regular iPhone series but also two distinct devices, including the launch of a comparatively affordable iPhone 16e and its thinnest ever device, which it likes to call the iPhone Air.
The iPhone 16e marked the start for Apple as a spiritual successor to the last iPhone SE. While it carried a low price tag, its only favourable feature was a modern silhouette. From a features standpoint, however, the device felt unjustified—especially with the iPhone 15 available at a discount, offering a far more compelling package at a lesser cost.
Meanwhile, the iPhone Air, measuring 5.64 mm thickness, rivalled the Galaxy S25 Edge and its 5.8 mm thickness. However, similar to Samsung’s attempt, Apple found itself in uncertain waters with the new device. While the iPhone Air offered Pro-grade A19 Pro chipset, the tech giant had to make several compromises to achieve the super-slim form factor, such as putting up a single camera on the back and packing a much smaller battery. In contrast, Samsung’s super-slim phone, though a little thicker than Apple’s, managed to pack a much larger battery and two rear cameras.
Similar to the iPhone 16e, the iPhone Air turned out to be a deal breaker for consumers, resulting in poor sales response, prompting Apple to reduce supply chain shipments and cut down the production of the model by more than 80 per cent. The tech giant is said to have put the plans for an Air successor on hold, and other smartphone makers also seem to have decided to scale back their super-thin handset plans, which include the likes of Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo. Samsung is also said to have cancelled plans for an S25 Edge successor as well.
It remains unclear whether Tecno—after showcasing the 5.75 mm-thick Spark Slim concept and launching the 5.95 mm-thick Pova Slim commercially—plans to continue pursuing this ultra-slim form factor. Motorola, however, appears to be following through on its initial plans. It already launched the Motorola Edge 70, measuring 5.99 mm in thickness, only recently and has plans to launch the Moto X70 Air Pro later. It is also among one of the few brands that are keeping the curved screen phones alive while major players have long ditched the aesthetics and cheat code for high screen-to-body ratio, in favour of practicality.
Foldables beat super-slim smartphones by default
Amidst the short-lived trend of super-slim phones this year, foldable smartphones continued to be an option for whoever wanted sleek devices without compromising on hardware features. For instance, Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which isn't even the thinnest foldable in the market, measures just 5.2 mm when unfolded—surpassing the slimmest slate devices. Devices like Oppo Find N5 (4.36 mm) measure even thinner, whereas Samsung took the crown for making the slimmest foldable ever—Galaxy Z Fold 7—measuring just 4.2 mm in thickness.
The South Korean giant also stepped forward to take on Huawei’s tri-fold device with its first-ever tri-fold smartphone, Galaxy Z TriFold, though it has yet to release outside Samsung’s home market.
Unlike 2024’s Huawei Mate XT Ultimate and 2025’s Mate XTs Ultimate, which use an outward-folding Z-design for a continuous screen experience, Samsung’s version uses an inward-folding G-design with a dedicated cover screen, offering more protection but a more complex folding experience. The Galaxy Z TriFold is basically an expanded iteration of Galaxy Z Fold 7, boasting a 10-inch internal display that delivers a more immersive browsing experience—closely resembling a full-fledged Samsung tablet—while measuring just 3.9 mm at its thinnest point when unfolded.
In addition to the rise of ultra-slim phones and new foldables, including the clamshell form factors, another standout technological advancement this year was the adoption of Silicon-Carbon (Si-C) batteries. These enabled smartphone makers to increase battery capacity without altering the device’s form factor—or to push boundaries by cramming in unprecedented power, simply because they could.
Case in point—Flagship smartphones iQoo 15 and Realme GT 8 Pro hosting 7,000 mAh batteries, while the OnePlus 15 and OnePlus 15R feature an even bigger capacity, sitting at 7,300 mAh and 7,400 mAh respectively. And who could forget Realme’s concept device that packed a massive 10,000 mAh battery into an 8.5 mm chassis? All of this has been made possible by Silicon battery technology. Even Motorola utilised the tech to give shape to its super-thin Edge 70 smartphone, while maintaining the same 5,000 mAh capacity.
Interestingly, while the industry at large started using Si-C batteries, tech giants Apple and Samsung didn’t make the switch in 2025. Still, these two companies managed to launch the slimmest slate phones that one can buy this year.
Apple iPhone 17: The MVP of the year
Amid the many trends that swept through the smartphone industry this year, the most compelling development was the simplest of all: the standard iPhone 17.
The device received well-deserved attention and long-overdue upgrades from the tech giant, making it one of the best smartphones in the market, and I would go as far as to crown it as the smartphone of the year.
For the first time ever, the standard iPhone finally receives a 120Hz refresh rate, which Apple had been gatekeeping for the Pro models for years. The display is also brighter at 3,000 nits and offers better scratch resistance with Ceramic Shield 2. It now also hosts two 48MP camera sensors on the back (primary and ultrawide), alongside an upgraded 18MP Centre Stage front camera to support a host of new features, including Dual Capture and better stabilisation. Apple also slightly upgraded the MagSafe wireless charging capability from 22W to 25W.
The iPhone 17 also delivers improved battery life and performance, thanks to the new A19 chip. Apple has doubled the base storage to 256 GB (up from 128 GB), all while keeping pricing in check. In the US, the iPhone 17 retains the same price as its predecessor, and it is just Rs 3,000 costlier in India—making it not only one of the most improved smartphones of the year but also a value-for-money device in the flagship category.
While all these features trickled down from last year’s Pro smartphone, the end result turned out to be a well-balanced iPhone 17, which is arguably a nightmare for super-expensive premium smartphones.
My only gripe with the device is the change in its dimensions and weight. The handset features a bigger display, measuring 6.3 inches (up from 6.1 inches), resulting in a slight increase in its overall size, even though the screen-to-body ratio is much better here. While the iPhone 15 and 16 were comfortably compact, the iPhone 17 is now treading on the line between comfort and hassle. That said, most consumers likely won’t mind the shift, and some may even welcome the added screen real estate.
Looking ahead: Trends, expectations, necessary corrections
While the iPhone 17 brought in much-needed improvements, the next year may not be as exciting for the standard model. However, 2026 could be the year when Apple finally joins the foldable race with the launch of a book-style iPhone Fold. It is expected to look a lot like the Pixel Fold 10 Pro—minus a crease, made possible by utilising a pressure-dispersing metal plate, liquid metal in the hinge, and an in-cell touch panel.
Meanwhile, Android smartphones are expected to go a step further and make trifold offerings abundant. While Samsung prepares to bring its tri-fold devices to the global markets in 2026, Xiaomi may also be on its way to join the race with its MIX TriFold phone. Additionally, the Chinese OEM will not only start the next year with the global debut of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra but also introduce a special Leica Edition of the premium flagship, which has been confirmed to arrive with a DSLR-style physical rotary zoom ring.
2026 (or maybe 2027) could also be the year when OpenAI releases its first hardware. Powered by ChatGPT, it is expected to present a new kind of operating system where apps are seamlessly integrated and accessible through natural commands. Meanwhile, Nothing is also aiming to redefine how we interact with smartphones, emphasising user experience (UX) over traditional user interfaces (UI), and pushing toward a future where standalone apps may no longer be necessary.
The next year also needs to take some corrective measures and break some infuriating trends. Chief among them is the rushed software updates, which are riddled with so many bugs that they would put beta versions to shame. While mid-range devices continue to improve impressively, budget phones are still hiding behind camera lenses that exist only for decorative purposes. At the same time, some respected flagship models have increasingly started leaning on AI gimmicks as a substitute for meaningful hardware upgrades, which may be a sign of skewed priorities.
All things considered, 2025 was a defining year for smartphones—not because every experiment succeeded, but because the industry finally started recalibrating. Foldables matured, batteries grew smarter, cameras became more specialised, and value returned to places it had long abandoned. The runaway pursuit of thinness exposed its limits, while well-rounded devices like the iPhone 17 proved that thoughtful upgrades still matter more than flashy concepts. As the industry looks ahead to tri-folds and new software experiences, the real challenge will be meaningful upgrades that don't hide behind gimmicks or try to dictate user needs instead of catering to them.
If 2025 taught us anything, it’s that the best smartphones aren’t the most radical—they’re the most well-rounded.
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