Explore our top picks for the biggest and best smartphones in 2025, including the iPhone 17 Pro Max, Galaxy S26 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Fold 7, with detailed comparisons of display, performance, battery, and camera features.
Over the years, the smartphone market has increasingly pushed towards making bigger phones with more screen real estate, and for good reason. Not only does a bigger screen enhance your streaming experience, but it's also better for work and productivity purposes.
You can run multiple tabs simultaneously, work on spreadsheets, game, type, and even video call more comfortably. And because big phones also let manufacturers cram in bigger batteries, more cameras, and more features, when people talk about the best smartphones today, big phones often take the top spots left on the market. But how big does a screen have to be for a phone to qualify as a big phone?
For this guide, we've considered 6.75-6.8 inches as the bare minimum, as that's roughly where industry leaders such as the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Galaxy S26 Ultra sit. However, because we're looking for the biggest phones available, we've also included foldables such as the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which, when opened, offer 8 inches of screen real estate. That said, picking the best big phones is about far more than just screen size.
After all, a large screen without good refresh rates, display quality, battery life, or cameras makes for a far less appealing package. To help you out, we went through the latest launches, looked at what both expert reviewers and general users are saying about the biggest phones available today, and picked five that are not only massive, but also among the best smartphones you can buy right now.
And to make sure there's something for everyone, we've also included a couple of mid-range and budget options. The iPhone 17 Pro Max, priced at $1,199 for the 256GB version, rocks a massive 6.9-inch OLED display, which, along with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, is the largest traditional smartphone display available right now. The OLED display comes with a 2868x1320 resolution and a 120Hz variable refresh rate, allowing for a great streaming experience.
Although the design changes - more specifically the new camera bar - on the 17 Pro Max are the most noticeable, Apple has also made several improvements under the hood. According to Apple, the 17 Pro Max delivers the highest iPhone performance ever thanks to the A19 Pro chip, which, like the A18 Pro chip, has a 6-core CPU and 6-core GPU.
However, the difference this time is that each GPU core has been integrated with neural accelerators, which, according to Apple, makes the smartphone more efficient while handling AI tasks. Apple claims that the aluminum unibody design and a new vapor cooling system help the 17 Pro Max deliver up to 40% better sustained performance than its predecessor.
Yes, it's thicker and heavier compared to the 17 Pro and the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but it also packed the longest-lasting smartphone battery in tests. Moreover, you get a good set of photography and videography features. Along with a set of three 48MP cameras at the back, the 17 Pro Max is also the first smartphone ever to support ProRes RAW, giving creators more control over their editing.
There's also a new Center Stage feature, 8x optical-quality zoom, and Dual Capture. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is one of the best big Android phones and closely rivals the iPhone 17 Pro Max, not only in terms of its huge 6.9-inch 3120x1440p AMOLED display, but elsewhere too. Its 256GB version is priced competitively.
Powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip and featuring Samsung's new, roomier vapor chamber, the S26 Ultra can not only perform well under productivity tasks and long gaming sessions, but also manages to stay cooler than its predecessor. Despite matching the 17 Pro Max in screen size, it's slimmer (0.31 vs. 0.35 inches) and lighter (0.47 vs. 0.51 pounds). Samsung has also impressed expert reviewers with its new anti-glare display technology.
It's a feature that reduces side viewing angles with just a tap - doing away with the need to stick external privacy screen protectors on top of your display. The display now also features anti-reflective coating, which, combined with 2,600 peak nits, makes for great outdoor viewing. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is also the better choice for people who want newer AI capabilities. With this phone, you get Now Brief, Now Nudge, Photo Assist, and Finder to Search features.
In camera comparisons, it's unequivocally the better camera for zoomed photos than the 17 Pro Max. Its regular photo shooting capabilities are also on par with the 17 Pro Max, though the latter is slightly more consistent in its output. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, a foldable option, packs a gorgeous 8-inch display when fully open, and even its unfolded 6.5-inch cover display is quite big - bigger than the 6.3-inch iPhone 17, in fact.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 has made significant improvements over Fold 6. For starters, not only is its main screen 0.4-inch bigger, but the phone is also thinner and lighter. It weighs just 0.47 pounds, which is almost the same as the single-screen Galaxy S26 Ultra. And it measures 0.35 inches when folded, which is the same as the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The main display features a 2184 x 1968 AMOLED panel with an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The guide continues to mention additional mid-range and budget big phone options, ensuring a comprehensive list for different budget constraints
Smartphones Big Phones Iphone 17 Pro Max Galaxy S26 Ultra Galaxy Z Fold 7 Large Screen Productivity Gaming Camera Battery Life AI Features
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