Some great Android flagships were introduced in 2024, like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the OnePlus 12. Google also hit a home run with the Pixel 9 series, fixing many of the key drawbacks of previous Pixel phones this generation. However, there are still some areas where Android flagships faltered this year. With the 2025 Android flagships set to launch in the coming months, here’s my wishlist of the improvements I want to see.
5
A smaller Pro model
Because good things should come in small packages
Google took a page from Apple’s playbook with the Pixel 9 series and launched the Pixel 9 Pro, a reasonably sized flagship phone featuring a 6.3-inch display. Despite its more compact form, the phone packs the same internals and camera specs as its XL sibling. This is unlike Samsung, which limits the features of Galaxy S Plus models in favor of the Ultra variant.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus sport inferior camera hardware compared to the S24 Ultra, including a downgraded 10MP 3x optical lens vs. the 5x 12MP sensor found on the latter.
In 2025, I hope more companies launch a Pro model of their flagship phone with a 6.5-inch or smaller display size. If Apple and Google can do it, so can others. Chinese companies like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo have started this trend in their home market, so it is up to Samsung and others to pull up their socks.
4
Better telephoto cameras with macro support
Get real close to a subject from a distance
The top Android flagships ship with at least one telephoto camera, and some, like the Galaxy S24 Ultra, ship with two. While telephoto cameras have improved by leaps and bounds over the last few years, there’s still room for improvement.
Samsung needs to improve the 10MP 3x optical shooter on its premium Galaxy devices, as the sensor’s small size limits its low-light capabilities.
More importantly, I want more Android flagships in 2025 to add macro support to their telephoto cameras. You’ll find this feature on some Chinese Android phones, like the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, allowing you to get up close to a subject using the telephoto camera and capture stunning pictures.
3
MagSafe-like wireless charging
Attach accessories to your phone’s back with ease
The Qi2 standard with MagSafe-like magnetic wireless charging support was announced in 2023. Despite its usefulness, no Android flagship shipped with Qi2 support in 2024. The HMD Skyline is the first and only Android phone to launch this year with support for the standard. Even the Pixel 9 series misses out on magnetic wireless charging despite being among the last major Android flagships to launch in the US this year.
I hope all premium and flagship Android phones launch with Qi2 magnetic wireless charging support in 2025. The standard does not support faster charging speeds, but the magnetic profile will make attaching accessories to the back of a compatible phone much more convenient.
2
Faster wired charging
And wireless charging, too
The OnePlus 12 is among the fastest charging phones in the US, supporting a wired charging speed of 80W and wireless speed of 50W. That’s plenty fast. However, the problem is that the company doesn’t have competition in this area.
The best Google and Samsung phones support 45W or slower charging speeds. That’s without mentioning their wireless charging speeds, which are over 50% slower than the OnePlus 12. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold gets a special mention for launching in H2 2024 with support for only 7.5W wireless charging speeds.
This is a US-only problem, as Chinese Android smartphones support upwards of 100W wired and 50W+ wireless charging speeds. Next year, I hope Samsung and Google, two of the biggest Android manufacturers in the US, do better in this area and support faster wired and wireless charging speeds on their phones.
1
Faster access to new Gemini AI features
Not everything needs to be Pixel-exclusive
If you want the best Gemini experience, use a Google Pixel phone. Features like Pixel Screenshots, Pixel Studio, and Call Notes in the Phone app are limited to the Pixel 9 series.
When Google’s newest Pixel phones launched in late August 2024, they had access to exclusive features like Gemini Live and summarizing long emails in the Gmail app. These features have since expanded to more Android devices.
The problem is that Pixel phones are not the most powerful or best Android phones. They are great, but the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and OnePlus 12 are better in many areas. More importantly, they run Android. So, there’s no reason for Google to keep its shiny new AI features exclusive to Pixel phones, even for a limited time, especially since it is heavily pushing Gemini.
I hope to see more Android manufacturers work closely with Google to bring new Gemini AI-powered features to their 2025 flagships on the same day as Pixel phones.
Related
Here’s every Android phone that supports Gemini Nano so far
And which have the new Gemini Nano with multimodality
2025 Android flagships should be exciting
If you thought smartphone innovation had plateaued, 2025 Android flagships should prove you wrong. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite will power most next-gen Android phones, promising impressive performance and efficiency gains. Early benchmarks seem to back this up, allowing you to emulate AAA games smoothly.
OnePlus and other companies are also working on higher-density batteries for upcoming premium Android phones, ensuring they last longer. The OnePlus 13 ships with a 6,000mAh cell, a 600mAh upgrade over the OnePlus 12’s 5,400mAh battery. Add the changes I mentioned above, like faster wired charging and telephoto macro cameras, and 2025 should be an exciting year for Android phones.
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