We love our phones, and the people making them also know this. So every year, we are bombarded with a barrage of new smartphones, each competing in a different category and price range. But not all are made equal.
Hence, to recognise the select few phones that excelled in their category or provide the best experience for the vast majority of people, we are awarding them with Gold, Silver, and Bronze places.
To find these deserving phones, the tech experts at SoyaCincau.com, consisting of Alex, Chapree, Putra, Sam, Aisyah, Zul and Duke, have curated a list of the best phones released in 2025 in different categories.
Naturally, we had to define some parameters to help narrow down our nominees. Therefore, only models launched between 1st November 2024 and 1st November 2025 were considered. Additionally, nominated phones had to be still on sale and available for purchase, so any limited-edition or one-off models were disqualified.
Now, without further ado, we present, SoyaCincau Awards 2025: The Best Phones of the Year:
- Budget Phone of the Year
- Camera Phone of the Year
- Gaming Phone of the Year
- Foldable Phone of the Year
- Flagship Phone of the Year
- Phone of the Year
Read the rest of our Awards
Check out our other categories:
- The Best Tablets of the Year
- The Best Telcos of the Year
- The Best EVs of the Year
- The Best Gadgets of the Year
- The Best and Worst in Tech of the Year
Budget Phone of the Year
Budget phones are a core pillar of the tech world, allowing access to a phone for everyone. This is a new category, and we believe it’s time that budget phones get the credit they deserve. Nominees must be priced below RM1,000 to qualify in this category.
Below are the three best budget phones that we think strike a perfect balance between price, quality, and features, allowing them to be a reliable companion in this digital era.
Bronze – Infinix Note 50S 5G
The Infinix Note 50S 5G is easily one of our favourite budget phones for 2025, thanks to some of its flagship-like traits. For instance, it sports a clean, business-like design with an aluminium build that feels cool to the touch in an air-conditioned room, paired with a 3D-curved 144Hz Full HD+ AMOLED display.
That’s not all, the Note 50S 5G also got the largest battery among the three phones here at 5,200mAh, and it’s the only phone here that supports both reverse wired charging and bypass charging on top of its 45W wired charging capability. Even better, it’s powered by one of, if not the most powerful, chipsets in this category: the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Ultimate. As a bonus, it’s also got a pair of JBL-tuned stereo speakers.
So why isn’t the Infinix Note 50S 5G the Gold medallist for our 2025 Budget Phone of the Year category? Well, don’t be fooled by its rear camera bump, as it only has one useful camera at the back: a 64MP main camera, and a 2MP macro sensor. Considering how important a versatile camera setup is for many users out there, not having at least an ultra-wide-angle shooter here is certainly a turn-off.
Another aspect the Infinix Note 50S 5G loses out on, specifically to the Gold medalist, the Poco X7, is not being fully water resistant. Rated at IP64, the Note 50S 5G is essentially dustproof but only splashproof, as compared to the water-resistant Poco X7. Though it’s also MIL-STD-810H compliant, which means it should theoretically survive your daily drops and dings better.
Silver – Redmi Note 14 5G
The Redmi Note 14 5G is a top-tier contender, trailing only slightly behind the gold medalist of its category. While it shares the same Xiaomi DNA as the Poco X7, the Redmi Note 14 5G carves out its own identity by offering a perfectly balanced spec sheet at a budget-friendly price.
Under the hood, the Dimensity 7025 Ultra chip delivers snappy daily performance, complemented by a 120Hz AMOLED display that feels incredibly smooth for this price point. Photography is handled by a massive 108MP main sensor paired with an 8MP ultrawide, more than capable of covering everything from casual snapshots to high-detail shots.
Beyond the hardware, its standout feature is the long-term software support, promising up to four generations of OS updates, including HyperOS 3. For budget-conscious users seeking a mix of reliable performance and future-proofing, this is a highly practical choice.
Gold – Poco X7
Taking the top spot in the 2025 Best Budget Smartphone category is the Poco X7. Despite being a last-minute entry following its early January launch, it quickly became our definitive Gold Winner. The reason is simple: it offers unbeatable value. For under RM1,000, you get the powerhouse performance of the Dimensity 7300 Ultra, a high-resolution 120Hz AMOLED display, and 45W fast charging.
What truly sets the Poco X7 apart are the premium touches usually reserved for flagships, such as IP68 water resistance and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2. With a versatile camera system featuring a 50MP main sensor and 8MP ultrawide, it delivers a complete, high-performance package that is hard to beat for anyone on a tight budget.
Camera Phone of the Year
We don’t need to elaborate on the importance of camera quality on smartphones, given that most new smartphones today prioritise camera performance above anything else. And the best cameras are typically found in flagship phones, just because they offer a better telephoto camera.
However, it’s not right to assume that all flagship phones just have great cameras. Here are the three phones we feel provided the best camera experience in 2025.
Bronze – Xiaomi 15
Today, the best cameras are reserved for the top variant of a flagship smartphone, and that’s true with the Xiaomi 15 Series. However, while the Xiaomi 15 Ultra has the superior camera system, the base Xiaomi 15 is not that far off.
It packs a 50MP f/1.62 main camera with a 1/1.31″ Light Fusion 900 sensor, a 50MP ultrawide camera with a 115° field of view, and a 50MP telephoto with 3× optical zoom. As you can see, not the best numbers compared to the Oppo Find X9 Pro. But when combined with Xiaomi and Leica’s tuning, the results are stunning in almost every shot.
Depending on whether you choose Leica’s Authentic profile or Xiaomi’s Vibrant profile, the colours will impact the tone of the photo. The phone also has impressive control over highlights and shadows, allowing you to see details in the brightest and darkest areas in the shot.
Combine that with quick auto focus and fast shutter release time, and you have one of the best point-and-shoot camera phones today.
Silver – Oppo Find X9 Pro
2025 is shaping up to be an exciting year for smartphone cameras. While most users are still flocking to iPhones, Samsung Galaxies, and Google Pixels for their camera reputations, Oppo’s latest flagship, the Find X9 Pro, has shown the giants how a 2025 flagship camera could perform.
On paper, the Find X9 Pro is impressive, boasting a 50MP main sensor, a 50MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a staggering 200MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. But what truly makes people say “wow” are the photos themselves, thanks to Hasselblad’s colour tuning.
So no, the “H” logo on the back isn’t just for show. Oppo’s collaboration with Hasselblad has consistently delivered vibrant, punchy colours, making images look as if they were professionally edited in Lightroom.
With that said, why isn’t the Find X9 Pro our 2025 Camera Phone of the Year? The vibrant, high-contrast Hasselblad look can be a double-edged sword. Its AI-driven processing, designed to enhance images and correct flaws, can sometimes “over-fix” subjects, especially human faces in low light, producing unnatural results and colours that stray from reality.
The Find X9 Pro also can’t quite match the iPhone 17 Pro Max in video reliability. For vloggers or anyone focused on video content, the iPhone remains the go-to choice for consistency and dependability.
Gold – Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Apple’s iPhones have long been the industry benchmark for smartphone photography, and this year is no different. We are crowning the iPhone 17 Pro Max as our Gold Winner for Best Camera Smartphone. It continues to dominate with its signature natural colour science and a level of video consistency that consistently outclasses its Android rivals. Furthermore, its seamless integration with social media platforms ensures that your content looks stunning the moment you hit upload.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max introduces significant hardware leaps, most notably a 48MP periscope telephoto lens for vastly improved zoom capabilities. The front-facing camera also gets a major upgrade with a new 18MP sensor designed for landscape captures, allowing users to shoot wide-angle selfies and videos without needing to rotate the phone.
For the pros, Apple has doubled down on creative tools, including ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, and Genlock support. These additions make the iPhone 17 Pro Max a powerhouse not just for casual users, but for content creators and industry professionals alike.
Gaming Phone of the Year
Mobile gaming is still a lucrative business, so smartphone manufacturers will continue to produce devices specifically tailored for gaming. Some of these phones feature higher-end specs than most flagship smartphones, though at the cost of practicality and design. However, for those who enjoy mobile gaming, it’s a worthwhile compromise.
We have chosen the three best gaming-focused phones that offer not necessarily the best gaming performance, but also accessibility.
Bronze – Infinix GT 30 Pro
Taking home the Bronze for Best Gaming Phone of 2025 is none other than the Infinix GT 30 Pro. Despite its budget-friendly positioning, it packs a feature set that rivals dedicated gaming machines.
At a highly accessible price point, the GT 30 Pro offers physical shoulder buttons, the high-performance Dimensity 8350 Ultimate (4nm) chipset, and lightning-fast UFS 4.0 storage. Its aesthetic is equally bold, featuring ‘Mechanical Light Waves’ RGB lighting that reacts to your games and notifications. A standout feature for marathon gamers is the Bypass Charging support, which protects battery health by powering the phone directly during play.
So, why Bronze? While the hardware is impressive, it lacks the premium refinement of titans like the ROG Phone or RedMagic. Furthermore, the software experience is held back by significant bloatware, which detracts from an otherwise stellar gaming package.
Silver – ROG Phone 9 Pro
If you’re looking for the best gaming smartphones you can get today, you’ll mainly have two options: a RedMagic or an Asus ROG. The latest iteration of the latter, the ROG Phone 9 Pro, is certainly one option you can’t go wrong with, and it’s also a great option if you want a gaming phone that doesn’t scream “I’m a gaming phone” to everyone around you.
For starters, you get a clean design with some subtle gaming-like stripes here and there. But when you need to impress someone, just fire up the AniMe Vision mini-LED matrix display that’s “hidden” within its back cover. Not only can it display info like the time and notifications, but it also runs mini games.
At the front, the ROG Phone 9 Pro is just as impressive, sporting a 6.78” Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 185Hz refresh rate. Yes, that full refresh rate will only be activated when certain settings or games are running, but it can still dial it to 165Hz for everyday use.
Beyond the above, the ROG Phone 9 Pro sports Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, and can be had with up to 24GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage if you spring for the Edition model.
Furthermore, you get a 5,800mAh battery, 65W wired charging, along with wireless and reverse wired charging capabilities. You even get a triple camera setup at the back, including an ultra-wide-angle and a telephoto shooter.
So why isn’t the ROG Phone 9 Pro the Gold medalist for this year’s Gaming Phone of the Year category? Well, just give a read on why the RedMagic 10S Pro won our hearts instead.
Gold – RedMagic 10S Pro
Nothing in this world is perfect, and the same goes for gaming smartphones. Choosing one over another always comes with trade‑offs, but the RedMagic 10S Pro strikes a solid balance between the features we want and the compromises we can accept in a 2025 gaming phone.
You might be wondering: why isn’t the newer RedMagic 11 Pro the winner instead? The answer is simple: the cutoff date for the 2025 SoyaCincau Awards is 1 November, and the 11 Pro only launched in Malaysia five days later.
So why did we pick the RedMagic 10S Pro as the Gold winner for the Gaming Phone of the Year over the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro? Well, first off, it’s got better performance, which is one of the most crucial pillars in a gaming smartphone.
The RedMagic 10S Pro runs on Qualcomm’s overclocked Snapdragon 8 Elite Leading Version SoC, clocked at 4.47GHz, which is higher than the 4.3GHz found in the ROG Phone 9 Pro. This is further boosted by its faster LPPDR5T RAM (at up to 24GB) and UFS 4.1 Pro storage (at up to 1TB).
That’s not all, the RedMagic 10S Pro also comes with a built-in cooling fan that spins at up to 23,000RPM, which, as a whole, should mean better performance during extended gaming sessions as compared to the ROG Phone 9 Pro.
On top of that, the RedMagic 10S Pro also packs a larger 7,050mAh battery than the ROG, thanks to its silicon carbon technology, along with faster 80W wired charging. Though you do lose out on wireless and reverse charging as an exchange.
Foldable Phone of the Year
The foldable smartphone. Some say it’s the next evolution of the phone, while others say they are just expensive toys for the wealthy. Whatever your stance is on these devices, it’s undeniable that they have become a vessel to showcase the tech of the future.
In this list, we award the three phones that have moved the benchmark for the foldable phone experience.
Bronze – Honor Magic V5
Taking the Bronze medal in our Best Foldable of 2025 category is the Honor Magic V5. This device is a masterclass in foldable design, offering a complete flagship experience, from its massive battery and capable camera system to its high-quality displays. Notably, the cover screen is exceptionally practical, feeling just like a standard smartphone when the device is closed.
What truly sets the Magic V5 apart from the pack is its record-breaking ultra-thin profile, measuring a mere 5.3mm when unfolded. While extreme thinness doesn’t fundamentally change how you use a phone, it represents a massive leap in ergonomics and design innovation.
However, a few trade-offs kept it from a higher spot on our list. The camera bump is noticeably bulky, and in terms of raw power, it trails slightly behind competitors equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset.
Silver – Oppo Find N5
We believe the Oppo Find N5 strikes a perfect balance between hardware and software, ultimately emerging as the middle winner.
It’s relatively thin and lightweight, making it comfortable to hold. It’s also constructed from premium materials and features a water-resistant rating. The crease on the inside is also very faint, only visible at certain extreme angles. But more importantly, it’s barely noticeable when running your fingers across it.
Oppo’s ColorOS has also come a long way since its inception, offering a smooth and snappy experience. Yes, there are still boatloads of bloatware, and the resemblance to Apple’s iOS is very flattering, but responsive, nonetheless.
To make good use of the large display, Oppo has included comprehensive multitasking features. But at the same time, disabling one of the cores on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite is an odd decision for a flagship device.
Its compromised performance and software bloat ultimately knock it to second place.
Gold – Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
Why did we choose the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 as the winner of our Foldable Phone of the Year category?
Not only is it one of the thinnest and lightest foldables around (it’s almost as practical to carry as a regular candybar phone), but it also runs arguably the best Android skin out there: One UI 8. That makes it not just a great phone, but also a powerful productivity device for multitasking and more. Plus, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is your gateway into the Samsung ecosystem, arguably the strongest in the Android universe.
Under the hood, it packs the most powerful chipset in this group: Qualcomm’s overclocked Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, making it a beast for work, play, and even gaming.
Of course, it’s not perfect. The camera system is probably the weakest in this lineup, despite an impressive 200MP main camera, and it also has the smallest battery and slowest charging speeds.
Still, when you look at foldables as a whole package, the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s thin and light design and superior software make it the foldable we reach for the most. With that said, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is undeniably the best bi-foldable you can buy in 2025.
Flagship Phone of the Year
A flagship phone is essentially a tech demo by the phone brand. It’s where new smartphone tech debuts and eventually trickles down the price range. The gap between midrange and flagship phones has closed so much that it’s becoming harder to justify paying extra. Today, they aren’t really what you call value for money.
But they still fly off the shelves because today, flagship phones are more of a status symbol than anything else. Therefore, this category ignores price and value for experience and features.
Bronze – Oppo Find X9 Pro
What does “flagship phone of the year” really mean? For us, it’s a phone that performs well across the board, such as design, display, performance, camera, software, battery, and charging. The Oppo Find X9 Pro is one of the few devices that genuinely fits that description.
To start, the Find X9 Pro looks great. While its design may resemble Oppo’s Reno series at a glance, the phone feels premium in the hand and is well-built. It also comes with IP69 dust and water resistance for added peace of mind.
You’re also getting a strong hardware package, including a 120Hz LTPO OLED display, flagship-level performance from MediaTek’s Dimensity 9500 chipset, and a massive 7,500mAh silicon-carbon battery. Charging is another highlight, with support for 80W wired and 50W wireless fast charging.
The camera setup is equally impressive, featuring a 50MP main sensor, a 50MP ultra-wide, and a staggering 200MP telephoto camera with 3.5x optical zoom. Co-developed with Hasselblad, the system delivers excellent colours and detail across most shooting scenarios.
Pair all that with ColorOS 16, one of the smoothest and most refined Android skins available, and the Find X9 Pro clearly stands out as one of the most well-rounded flagship smartphones of 2025.
So why does it land in third place? Simply put, it doesn’t offer the same level of ecosystem integration as Samsung or Apple. The Galaxy S25 Ultra brings extras like the S Pen, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max still holds an edge in video recording and ecosystem connectivity.
That said, the Find X9 Pro remains an excellent flagship and earns its Bronze medal as a very close third in our Flagship Phone of the Year rankings.
Silver – Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max stands as Apple’s most premium and powerful offering to date. In the ultra-competitive flagship arena, it remains a performance juggernaut, driven by the A19 Pro chip. This year, Apple has finally introduced a vapour chamber cooling system, allowing it to handle AAA gaming with ray tracing more efficiently than ever. These internal upgrades are paired with a brighter display, improved battery life, and a massive 2TB storage option.
The camera system hasn’t been overlooked either, now featuring 8x optical zoom and a suite of pro-grade tools like Genlock, ProRes RAW, and Apple Log 2.
However, despite its sheer power, it settles for the Silver medal this year. The charging speed is still stuck at 45W, which feels dated compared to the competition. More surprisingly, the switch from titanium back to aluminium feels like a step backwards in terms of durability. Finally, while functional, its AI features still feel a bit underwhelming compared to the more advanced ecosystems found on rival Android flagships.
Gold – Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Considering the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is an iterative upgrade over the Galaxy S24 Ultra, we weren’t confident it could hold onto its crown as the flagship phone of the year for 2025. But it did, not because it blew us away with its features, but because it provided a seamless, no-fuss, no-frills experience.
If you want one phone that does well in camera, performance, ecosystem, and software support, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is your best option. It doesn’t particularly excel in some areas, such as charging speed, battery life, or camera quality. But as a whole package, it truly provides a flagship experience.
We hope Samsung doesn’t get too comfortable with offering a tried and tested product for too long, as the competition is starting to catch up really fast.
Phone of the Year
For this category, each winner offers the best experience and features for the price. They cover all the essentials with some bonuses without requiring you to pay an exorbitant amount of money in their respective segments.
These are not the best phones money can buy, but rather, the best phones you can buy with your money.
Bronze – Nothing Phone 3(a)
The Nothing Phone 3(a) is one of the best smartphones to recommend for users seeking a well-rounded device that delivers an excellent balance of hardware and software, all without paying ridiculous prices.
Beyond its distinctive design highlighted by Nothing’s signature Glyph Interface, the Phone 3(a) features a large and vibrant 120Hz AMOLED display, dependable performance powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset, and strong battery life thanks to its 5,000mAh battery with 50W fast charging support.
Photography is also well covered, with a versatile 50MP main camera joined by an ultra-wide lens and a 2x telephoto camera, ensuring it can handle a wide range of everyday shooting needs.
Where the Nothing Phone 3(a) truly stands out, especially compared to rivals in its price range, is software. Nothing OS is clean, lightweight, and visually unique, allowing the phone to remain smooth and responsive over time. The device is also backed by an impressive update policy, with up to three years of major Android OS upgrades and six years of security updates, and it is set to officially receive Android 16-based Nothing OS 4.0 in the near future.
Silver – Apple iPhone 17
You rarely hear a product made by Apple is value for money, but that is becoming something of a norm today. The Apple iPhone 17 received some major and minor upgrades that now make it the ideal phone for the majority of people.
It offers enough performance, battery life, camera quality, and durability to excel at the day-to-day stuff and mundane tasks. Social media, gaming, banking, eCommerce, eHailing, and more are handled with ease. Phones below it come with compromises, and those above it offer diminishing returns.
Starting from RM3,999, it doesn’t fit into everyone’s budget. But if you can afford it and you are not a power user, this phone will last for years to come.
Gold – Oppo Find X9 Pro
No, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you: the Oppo Find X9 Pro is officially our Smartphone of the Year. While some might be surprised to see it at the top spot, the Find X9 Pro earned its Gold through pure consistency. It is the most complete flagship on the market today, masterfully balancing a premium display, top-tier performance, and long-lasting battery life, all while maintaining a competitive price of RM5,099 for the 512GB model.
The software experience is equally refined; ColorOS 16 offers a seamless interface packed with intuitive AI tools that actually improve daily life. However, the true crown jewel is the camera. Developed in partnership with Hasselblad, it delivers incredible colour consistency and shoots 50MP images by default. It also supports 4K 60fps Dolby Vision HDR for stunning video. For the photography enthusiasts, the optional Photography Kit extends the optical zoom to 10x (230mm focal length).
This total package makes the Find X9 Pro the most balanced flagship of 2025 and a well-deserved Gold winner.
Closing Thoughts
So there you have it, SoyaCincau Awards 2025: The Best Phones of the Year. With so many contenders, it was easy to narrow it down to just 3 winners. This was especially true for budget phones of the year and phone of the year, seeing how there are so many good choices, differentiated by just a couple of Ringgits.
In 2026, we hope to see more high-end features trickle down to the midrange and budget segments, while seeing more innovative technologies coming to flagships and foldables besides just AI gimmicks.
We also want to see more software optimisations from Samsung and Apple’s competitors, so we can see a new king for the flagship smartphone of the year.
What do you think about our winners? Do you agree with our selection, or do you think we chose wrongly? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to check out the rest of our SoyaCincau Award winners.
