Best Smartphones in the UK (2026)

The iPhone 17 brings two things Apple used to keep for its Pro models to the standard phone: a 6.3-inch ProMotion display that runs at up to 120Hz, and 256GB as the starting capacity, double the iPhone 16's. It also moves to the newer A19 chip and adds a 48MP ultra-wide camera and an 18MP Center Stage front camera, per the listing. As the current release it has the longest software support runway of any phone here, and Apple's record on support is demonstrated rather than promised. Three outlets have published reviews of this exact model, Trusted Reviews, Expert Reviews and TechRadar, all at four and a half out of five or better. Against the iPhone 16 on this page, the question is whether the smoother screen and the extra storage are worth the higher price; for anyone who films much, the storage alone usually settles it. It is sold and dispatched by Amazon, SIM-free and unlocked.

Apple's advantage is not any single specification, it is how long the phone stays current. Apple supports its handsets with system and security updates for longer than any Android maker has yet demonstrated, and for a phone you intend to keep for four or five years that matters more than the chipset. The A18 has performance headroom well beyond what most people will use, and the camera is the most consistent here: not always the best single photograph, but the least likely to produce a bad one, and clearly ahead for video. Support and consistency are what set it apart. The 128GB base storage is tight for anyone who films much, and the iPhone 17 on this page starts at double that.

The S25 Ultra is the Android phone for people who want everything on one handset. It has a 6.9-inch AMOLED display at 3120 x 1440 and 120Hz and a 200MP main camera with optical stabilisation, per the listing, plus telephoto lenses and a built-in S Pen stylus, per Samsung UK. It runs the same Snapdragon 8 Elite as the Galaxy S25 on this page, so the difference between the two is the screen, the cameras and the pen rather than speed. Samsung has since released the S26 Ultra, which has a much thinner owner record on Amazon UK so far. The S25 Ultra is the one with the evidence, including published reviews of this exact model from Trusted Reviews, TechRadar and Expert Reviews. Every S25 Ultra listing on Amazon UK is sold by a third-party seller rather than Amazon, so check the seller's returns terms before ordering. Like every phone here it is sold SIM-free and unlocked.

The S25 is the best-evidenced Android flagship on Amazon UK and the value case is straightforward: 256GB of storage as standard where the iPhone above starts at 128, for meaningfully less money. Samsung's screens remain the best in the Android market and its long software support commitment has closed most of the gap to Apple. The One UI software layer is heavier than Google's version of Android, which some people prefer for its features and others find cluttered. Apple's support record is longer and proven rather than promised, and this one's owner rating sits below the iPhones here. It is the cheapest way onto flagship hardware on this page, with the same chip as the S25 Ultra.