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AI on phones is no longer just a trendy term; it’s now really helping us in ways that make our daily lives better. Whether it’s helping you write better messages, quickly change your photos, or understand talks while you’re out and about, AI has become a key part of how we use our phones every day. By 2025, it will be part of everything — from phone calls and messages to your photos and planning. If you’re thinking about buying a top-of-the-line phone this year and want one that feels truly smart, here are five great options with strong hardware and really helpful AI features built in.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: This year, Samsung is showing off its best device, which is more than just a big screen or a fancy camera — the smarts of Galaxy AI are what make it special. This time, AI is more connected to everything the software does. A new tool called AI Select is in a handy sidebar, letting you highlight words or pictures for quick summaries, translations, or changes. The Writing Assist feature makes your message sound better, whether it’s a work email or a social media post. Real-time voice translation is now available for calls and face-to-face talks in more than ten languages. For photos and videos, the phone’s Gallery app lets you get rid of shadows, fix reflections, or change subjects fast. Also, it has Instant Slow-mo, which cleverly adds more frames to make normal videos seem like they were filmed at a faster speed.
Google Pixel 9 Pro: The Pixel 9 Pro uses Google’s Gemini Nano to provide AI functions on the device itself, working quietly in the background to make everyday tasks easier. The recorder app can write down talks and shorten them into main points without needing any help from the outside. You can just circle anything you see on the screen and let Google find it for you, whether it’s written words or an object. The AI features also apply to the camera. With the Magic Editor, you can move or remove parts of a picture smoothly, without messing up the background. Best Take helps you pick the best faces from several photos, while Video Boost uploads videos to the cloud to make the lighting and colors better.
OnePlus 13s: OnePlus is really getting into AI in 2025, adding tools that are both helpful and keep your information private. Its AI Plus Mind system can understand what you want to do, like taking details from a photo to put on your calendar. AI VoiceScribe records and sums up meetings or calls, and the AI Call Assistant can translate talks as they happen. For taking pictures, features like AI Reframe and AI Best Face 2.0 help improve the layout and fix awkward facial expressions. For deeper connection, OnePlus is working with Google to add Gemini features to the phone, letting AI understand what’s on your screen and talk to you quickly.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra: The updated HyperOS 2 software and camera have new Xiaomi functions added to them. When you're on video calls, subtitles can be made automatically using AI, and it can also make short versions of notes, sound recordings, and get-togethers by itself. When changing pictures, the AI is now improved at making small parts bigger and taking away things in the back that cause a distraction. AI Portrait is a feature worth mentioning, and it can make creative pictures by putting your face in different settings and spots. Even though this might seem fun, it shows how much better Xiaomi's AI picture abilities have gotten.
iPhone 16 Pro: It took Apple a little more time to start using AI, but with the newest forms of iOS 18, it's truly making use of Apple Intelligence. The Writing Tools area lets you make text shorter or say it in a different way, and it can turn a piece of writing into a chart or a list. Siri can now use ChatGPT for harder questions, and the Photos app has a Clean Up option to get rid of things you don't need in your photos. Also, you can create Memories videos by using normal, everyday requests. Image Playground brings in special emojis and pictures made by AI, and Notes can now turn voice notes into words and make short versions of them too.
