What phones do the Android Authority team use? (2025 edition)

We use and undergo many phones each year at Android Authorityfrom Cheap phones to Flagship units. But what phones do we actually use after the reviews are published?

We have regularly asked Android Authority Team over the years to find out which phones are actually used as primary units or daily drivers, with our latest survey takes place last year. So with that in mind, we thought it was time to ask the team about their phones again.

Results

We have broken down the team’s daily driver smartphones by model and brand. Check out the first diagram below for a model -based breakdown and the second chart for a brand -based overview. I have also asked team members to give their phones a ranking of 10, and you can see this in the third chart.

For the second year in a row, Google was the most popular manufacturer among Android Authority team. Pixel phones accounted for six of the 15 phones in total (40%).

Pixel 7 Pro was the most popular individual model with two people – including your real – using it. Otherwise, Pixel 7, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL made all one performance each. It is interesting to note that we do not get any folding pixels or pixel a series of phones on the list. We assume that no one uses a pixel a series phone because we are mostly technological enthusiasts living in a bubble, and we will probably buy a flagship phone if we do not have a review device that is around. But it is also remarkable that no one uses a Pixel Fold Series device. (Editor’s Note: A few of us use them as secondary devices.)

Our Pixel-owning team members generally praised their phones for the big cameras, AI and Gemini Features and software, while senior writer Ryan Haines and senior features editor Rita El Khoury specifically praised the design and/or building quality of Pixel 9 Pro Phones. Rita added that she liked the security features (eg the theft protection, car accident detection), Gemini integration, fast updates and Pixel drops.

A constant complaint about the pixels from the team (including myself) was the slow charging speed, as CEO Ollie Cragg said:

Charging speeds are quite terrible compared to the competition. Fast orders are not really anything.

Meanwhile, Ryan regretted the fact that the Pixel 9 Pro had slightly slower charging speeds than Pixel 9 Pro XL.

Contributor Pranob Mehrota had a few different complaints on Pixel 7 Pro:

I don’t like the pixel’s build quality, the power button randomly fell out on a nice day, and the phone doesn’t feel quite premium like the iPhone. The life and thermal control of the standby battery are also poor.

I can confirm that Pixel 7 prose battery life is not good, and I also testify to the overheating problems. I also hate the fact that volts, Wi-Fi calls and 5G functions are not available in unsupported markets, despite imported phones from other brands that work just fine.

Samsung was the second most popular manufacturer among Android Authority Team, with four members using a Galaxy phone. The Galaxy S25 Ultra Was the most popular option, when two team members turn to it daily.

YouTube manufacturer Paul Jones praised the Galaxy S25 Ultra for his anti-reflective screen, rounded design and log video support. Meanwhile, CEO Bogdan Petrovan had good words to say about the “well rounded” cameras, Android skin and battery life.

Interestingly, Paul was the only complaint battery life when he used QHD+ resolution. Meanwhile, Bogdan had a few S25 Ultra complaints:

Originally, I was not excited about the design, but it has grown on me. I wanted it to have Qi2 magnets. And I miss some small software features for quality of life that I used to get on my previous phone (an Oppo Find X3 Pro).

Dronerush Editor (and man for many hats) Jonathan Feist was the only person who used the standard Galaxy S25And he praised the small size, large battery life and the large level of horsepower.

Jonathan thought there were a few potential areas of improvement, but:

Where is the ultra camera already?!?!? Seriously, Samsung, I don’t want a tablet in my pocket just to get the best camera experience. The keyboard is a bit strange when sweeping, but manageable.

Finally Rocket appointments editor Matt Horne Galaxy S24 PlusAnd he had great praise for the phone. Matt said there wasn’t much he didn’t like the device, but designated the camera as “especially impressive.” He also said he could not think of any “important” errors during his own use.

Three members of Android Authority The team has iPhones. Senior writer and wearables reviewer Kaitlyn Cimino still uses an iPhone 11, and she points to the Apple ecosystem.

“I love the seamless integration between all my Apple devices. Although I use a Pixel 9 for work and test a number of SmartWatch brands, my Go-To device is an Apple Watch Series 10,” Kaitlyn explained. “I also use a MacBook, an iPad and AirPods. The Apple Cooker system is very comfortable for me.”

Kaitlyn said it was probably time for an upgrade when the phone was pretty old now. She also noted that it was a bit laggy now, and that the cameras could not hang with newer models.

The other two Apple-Toting-Teammen used iphone 16 pro. Senior author Aamir Siddiqui outlined several reasons for his choice:

Reliability across apps, especially my bank apps. App experiences are less broken if I choose a random app or update. I am also very used to the camera, and I have a good idea of ​​what results I will get before I press the shutter button – which is very important to me for the job. I also appreciate Magsafe and the ecosystem it enables, such as pop sockets and stands, which I can use without my phone in a case. Apple Watch is still a big reason why I’m returning to this phone, so good work Apple on the ecosystem locking.

Pranob Mehotra also cradles an iPhone 16 Pro, and his decision comes down to resale value. He also said he didn’t really like the device, but appreciated the integration with his Mac computer.

Aamir and Pranob both had complaints about this special iPhone model. Aamir lamented the smaller size, wanted better battery life and wanted faster charging speeds. Actually he said he got close to sticking to OnePlus 13But that the Apple Watch integration and native Magsafe support won.

Pranob had a couple of important problems with his iPhone:

I don’t like the way iOS handles alerts and how it’s not as good as Apple users criticize it. Apple -intelligence is also hot garbage.

In addition to Apple, Google and Samsung, two other phone brands created the list. Paul also got to find N5 on his list and he said that the battery life and building quality were the best he has experienced on someone folding phone. He also loved the big screen when he left. However, he regretted the limited availability and the fact that it was a fingerprint magnet.

I had Vivo x200 pro Like my secondary device, and I praised my phone for the cameras, video quality, bright screen and battery life. I have actually used the phone for some product pictures in recent months. However, I criticized the device for the sad Android skin, the amount of Bloatware and AI features that often required an internet connection.

Other takeaways

• Three people said they could not recommend their phones to other people. Pranob could not recommend Pixel 7 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro, Kaitlyn could not recommend her iPhone 11, and I could not recommend Pixel 7 Pro. However, all four Samsung owners were unanimous in their positive recommendations.
• The iPhone 11 is also the only phone on this list without a OLED screen. On the other hand, all phones on our 2024 list had OLED screens. The iPhone 11 is also the only phone on this list without a high-restoration speed screen.
• Just a folding phone made the list (Oppo Find N5). This is in line with our 2024 survey, when Razr Plus cracked the list.
• None of these phones have a headphone contact. For sin, especially when we had a phone on the list in 2024.
• None of our daily drivers have a memory card track. On the other hand, two phones had this feature last year.
• Three phones (25%) lack UWB support. So these phones do not have access to groundbreaking tracking features and modern key -free input technology.
• All phones have water resistance, but Oppo finds the N5 is the only one without dust resistance. Ouch.
• The average battery capacity is ~ 4.663 mAh. Apple’s iPhones and standard Galaxy S25 weighed us down, while Oppo finds the N5 (5,600mAh) and Vivo X200 Pro (6,000mah) strengthened things.
• Only two of the 15 phones on the list (13.3%) lacked a telecommunications camera.
• For the first time in our Daily Driver -Vote has all phones on the ESIM support list.

When it comes to our next smartphone, many team members look forward to Google Pixel 10 -Series. Four members mentioned 2025 pixels as an alternative. Meanwhile, Bogdan mentioned a Google Pixel in general. So we are undoubtedly eager to see what Google has up his sleeve later this year.

Meanwhile, two of us chose the Vivo X200 Ultra. It would be Aamir and I, as we both clearly look forward to Great camera phones. I really hope we see a global release of the phone.

Jonathan and Matt do not want to get another daily driver soon. It is completely understandable as they have two recent phones in the Galaxy S25 and S24 Plus respectively.

Only one person is looking forward to a folding phone, when Ryan endured for the Motorola Razr 2025 series and the Galaxy Z Flip 7. So don’t expect to see many more team members by using folding as their daily driver in 2026.