This week’s race
Samsung leads; Apple climbs 3 spots.
Power ranking
Who leads this sub.
This week?
Samsung stays at the top for a second week while the middle tier keeps moving. iQOO made the strongest climb, jumping ten spots from twenty-six to sixteen, while ASUS ROG and Infinix both entered the rankings at twenty-three and twenty-four. LG fell seven spots to twenty-nine, the biggest drop of the week, as Black Shark also slid from twenty-one to twenty-six. The phone market shows no clear winner emerging below Samsung yet.
The questions?
These rankings answer 5 buyer questions. Open any one for the head-to-head.
The subcategory score is an aggregate. Each question has its own AI ranking, reviewer check and weekly movement — that's where the picks actually come from.
Act one
Where the machines rank them.
Three AI models rank every brand in this sub — who just arrived, the full board, the lineups each fields, and who owns each trait.
Newcomers
Just arrived.
new · May 2026
#28 · in best compact smartphones
new · May 2026
#19 · in best gaming phones
new · May 2026
#18 · in best gaming phones
new · May 2026
#32 · in best compact smartphones
new · May 2026
#21 · in best gaming phones
new · May 2026
#12 · in best smartphones under $500
new · May 2026
#24 · in best camera phones
new · May 2026
#31 · in best compact smartphones
new · May 2026
#15 · in best gaming phones
Full ranking
Every brand ranked.
as of June 15 · vs June 16 · 5 intents?
Brand portfolios
What each brand fields here.
Brand price map · Smartphones
6 brands, one price line.
as of June 16 · 6 brand medians · Google Shopping?
Brand price ladder · Smartphones
Who plays at which price.
as of June 16 · 6 brand medians · Google Shopping?
Act two · ★ new
What people & press say.
Where the AI ranking and the reviewers part ways — and which of these brands are making news right now.
In the press
Which brands are making news.
6 brands in Smartphones drew coverage in the last 30 days — the mood skews positive.?
SamsungPositive
Samsung receives predominantly positive coverage highlighting new product innovations and attractive deals across phones, displays, wearables and TVs, with one neutral market analysis mention.
via Fox News, MarketWatch, Mashable · 8 stories
ApplePositive
Apple coverage is predominantly positive ahead of WWDC, with excitement around new Siri capabilities and developer initiatives, while regulatory and supply-chain stories remain factual.
via The Verge, Barron's, CNET · 8 stories
XiaomiPositive
Xiaomi receives consistently favourable coverage across consumer electronics and EVs, with praise for value-for-money products, innovative features, and strong sales performance.
via Gizmochina, Ubergizmo, Gizmodo · 8 stories
GooglePositive
Google faces regulatory pressure from EU sovereignty concerns and malware abuse of its search platform, while gaining positive coverage for AI innovation, infrastructure sustainability, and helpful pr
via CNET, The Hacker News, Research at Google · 8 stories
OnePlusPositive
OnePlus faces mixed coverage with upcoming product leaks generating interest, but organizational restructuring and competitive positioning concerns undermine brand momentum.
via Android Authority, Notebookcheck, It's Nice That · 8 stories
ASUSPositive
ASUS gains positive coverage for innovative Wi-Fi 8 routers and gaming displays, while expanding into tablets and wearables with mixed reception.
via Tom's Hardware, Phoronix, GSMArena.com · 8 stories
as of June 4 · 6 brands?
Marketing honesty
Which brands keep their word.
3 brands in Smartphones carry a marketing-honesty score — how their official claims hold up against owner & expert reviews. Field median 84.?
as of June 17 · 3 brands?
Act three
How the models think.
Where each brand actually competes across the buyer questions, and the running ledger of what just moved in this sub.
Intent dominance
Where each brand actually competes.
as of June 15 · 5 intents?
Ledger?
What just moved in this sub.
- ✦ debutdebut at #19
- ✦ debutdebut at #21
- ▼ fall#20 → #29
- ▲ climb#22 → #15
- ▲ climb#29 → #23
- ✦ debutdebut at #24
- ▼ fall#17 → #22
- ▲ climb#11 → #7
- ▼ fall#9 → #13
- ▼ fall#16 → #20
- ▼ fall#21 → #25
- ▼ fall#23 → #27
- ▼ fall#6 → #8
- ▼ fall#8 → #10
- ▲ climb#14 → #12
- ▼ fall#24 → #26
- ✦ debutdebut at #28
- ▲ climb#4 → #3
- ▼ fall#3 → #4
- ▲ climb#7 → #6
about smartphones
Pick by what you need
- buying intents · in products →
- Best Smartphones Under $500
- Best Camera Phones
- Best Battery Life Phones
- Best Compact Smartphones
- Best Gaming Phones
interesting facts from smartphones
Apple builds phones for people who want the machine to disappear. Samsung makes phones for people who want options. Google designs for people who want the software to think first. OnePlus chases speed. Motorola keeps things simple.
Apple started in a garage. Samsung built ships and refineries before it built phones. Google came later and bought Android. Each company serves different people. A buyer picks the brand that matches how they work, not the other way around.
The brand rail stops here. For the individual products inside this sub, switch to the product view.