Our best smartphones guide covers the phones most people buy. This one covers the ones that top the ranking — and they are not the same list, because the specifications that win a spec-sheet comparison are battery, charging speed, RAM and raw benchmark scores, and the companies that optimise hardest for those are not Apple and Samsung.
Every figure below is the live computed Mars Score.
Highest score in the catalog: OnePlus 15
Mars Score 76.7 at $899. 7,500 mAh — the largest battery here — 120 W wired and 50 W wireless charging, 16 GB / 512 GB, IP69, and a 4,500-nit display, at 211 g.
IP69 is worth pausing on: it means high-pressure hot-water jets, a step beyond the IP68 every other flagship here carries.
Who should buy it: anyone who wants the longest-lasting phone made without leaving mainstream software.
The gaming specialists: ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro and Nubia Red Magic 10 Pro
Both score 74.6.
The ROG Phone 9 Pro is $1,299 with 24 GB of RAM — the most in any phone we list — 1 TB of storage, a 185 Hz display (the fastest here by 41 Hz), and a headphone jack, which almost nothing else at this price retains.
The Red Magic 10 Pro is $849 with a 7,050 mAh battery, a headphone jack, and no IP rating at all — none, not IP54, because its cooling design includes an internal fan. Taking it out in the rain is a genuine risk that no other phone on this page carries.
Both promise 3 years of OS updates, the shortest here.
The phone most people will actually buy: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Mars Score 74.2 at $1,299. A 200 MP main camera — four times the pixel count of every other phone here — a 501 ppi display, and 7 years of OS updates, against the gaming phones' three.
Its 5,000 mAh battery and 65 W charging are ordinary in this company, and its Antutu score is the lowest in this top ten. It scores fourth and it will outlast every phone above it by four years of software support. That is not a specification the model weighs heavily, and for most buyers it is the one that matters most.
The S25 Ultra (73.3, also $1,299) is the previous generation with 12 GB / 256 GB and 45 W charging — buy it only at a discount.
Best value: Vivo iQOO 13
Mars Score 73.5 at $749, the second-cheapest phone here. IP69, a 4,500-nit 510 ppi display, 120 W charging, 6,150 mAh, 16 GB / 512 GB — and no wireless charging at all, which is the one corner cut.
The Xiaomi pair
Xiaomi 16 Ultra (72.4, $1,499) is the most expensive phone here: 80 W wireless charging — by far the fastest wireless on this page — 100 W wired, 6,000 mAh, a 522 ppi display, and the joint-highest Antutu score.
Xiaomi 15 Pro (72.4, $1,099) scores identically with 50 W wireless, 90 W wired and a 6,100 mAh battery. The $400 between them buys 30 W of wireless charging and a newer chip.
The remaining two
Nubia Z70 Ultra (72.4, $699) is the cheapest phone in this top ten — 6,150 mAh, 16 GB / 512 GB, IP68 — with a 388 ppi display, the lowest resolution here, and a 16 MP front camera.
ASUS ROG Phone 9 (72.4, $999) is the Pro without the 24 GB of RAM: same 185 Hz screen, same headphone jack, $300 less.
How to choose, in four questions
- How long will you keep it? Three years of updates against seven is the largest real difference on this page, and it does not show in the ranking.
- Battery or camera. The 7,000 mAh phones have ordinary cameras; the 200 MP camera comes with a 5,000 mAh battery. Nothing here does both.
- Check the IP rating. IP69 on the OnePlus and iQOO, IP68 on most, and none on the Red Magic.
- Availability and bands. Several of these are grey-import in many countries, with the warranty and cellular-band caveats that implies.
All phones in the catalog are ranked on the smartphones page, and the full dataset behind these scores is open data.
Turn this reading into a better product decision
This buying guide is a decision framework, not a substitute for checking the exact variant, regional price, availability, and warranty that apply to you. Use the linked catalog data to separate published facts from personal priorities, then compare the final shortlist directly rather than relying on a generic ranking.
Verify the fit
Open the Smartphones category page to filter the relevant field, then inspect full product profiles and the score methodology.
Keep the recommendation current
This article references 10 catalog products; use the live product pages for current specifications and comparison links.
vsMars keeps editorial judgment, normalized Mars Score inputs, and affiliate links separate. If a detail is missing or out of date, report it so the catalog and this article can be corrected.