The rise of artificial intelligence has led to the genesis of the ‘AI phone’. These are phones that we and others deem to be built around AI-powered features and chatbots, or come filled with AI tools.
An example of the former is the Google Pixel 10 series, which has been built around Google’s Gemini AI and like its predecessors has a chip that’s been designed to power AI ahead of delivering blistering raw performance.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 series is an example of a family of phones that have a whole host of AI tools, many under the Galaxy AI banner, and tap into Gemini but aren’t necessarily built around AI.
Meanwhile, after a less than stellar launch Apple Intelligence is finally getting better, and feels a lot more usable iPhone 17 series, with an upgraded Siri comaing courtesy of the iPhone 18 Pro phones; you'll have to wait until next year for the next-generation 'standard' iPhone.
And while a lot of phones now have access to AI features, I’m only including phones on this list that I feel best integrate AI into them and provide the hardware platform on which to effectively run smart tools. These are all phones that I and the experts on TechRadar have tested, and spent time trialling and pushing the various AI features the phones tout.
So read on for what I consider to be the best AI phones to buy right now.
Editor's note: TechRadar's smartphones experts are still chewing over the Google Pixel 11 family, so we've yet to replace the Google Pixel 10 on this list until we get the final judgment from an expert reviewer.
My top picks for the best AI phone
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A super-smart Pixel phone
Arguably the Pixel series started the whole ‘AI phone’ concept back around the Pixel 8, though other prior Pixel phones were smarter than most thanks to having the Google Assistant built in.
Now the Pixel 10, and its Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL stablemates, represent a culmination of Google’s efforts in making smartphones smarter. Google Gemini is at the heart of the Pixel 10, as is the AI-centric Tensor G5 chip, which in combination give you snappy responses to queries but also see AI features baked into the phone's native apps.
There’s smart ways to shoot, edit and search for photos, with the new Camera Coach feature blending AI and haptics to nudge you into position in real-time to take the best photo the Pixel 10 reckons it can get from a scene.
Voice Translate provides real-time translation during calls, while Gemini Live Visuals can feed you information about why your camera is pointed at.
Gemini will also hold calls for you, and provide transcripts of missed or declined calls if the caller leaves a message. And then there’s Magic Cue that basically acts as a cross-app AI tool that provides you with all sorts of useful contextual information, such as pulling flight information based on a friend messaging you asking when you might land, and giving you the option to share that directly in the messages app.
Combined with the very clean and accessible take on Android that Google’s Pixel Launcher provides, plus a trio of very good rear cameras and a fantastic display, the Pixel 10 feels like a truly smart smartphone with few compromises. Pure performance isn’t quite there in terms of benchmarks when compared to the Galaxy S26 Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro, but for everyday use the Pixel 10 is no slouch.
And when you take hardware and software as a whole, the Pixel 10 does provide a device where you’ll actually use the smart AI features it has to offer.
Read our full Google Pixel 10 review
Also consider
If you need a slightly better screen and higher spec cameras then do look at the Google Pixel 10 Pro. And for people who want a bigger display then the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL is also a great AI phone.
Galaxy AI in a powerhouse phone
While Samsung’s past two generations of S-series Galaxy phones have embraced AI, the Galaxy S26 family feels like the first time the phones have fully become AI phones.
With improvements in existing AI tools like Now Brief able to better summarise what lies ahead of you for the day by pulling information from a host of apps, and the ability to ask Bixby to change various settings such as making your phone easier on your eyes without knowing specific settings, the Galaxy S26 feels smarter than ever.
This is all helped by the Personal Data Engine that extracts data from other apps to better customize AI suggestions and actions for you. And it helps make the Galaxy S26 phones feel like AI is baked into them than layered on top.
I’ve picked the Galaxy S26 Ultra as the Samsung phone to go for here, as while it’s expensive it represents the top end of Samsung’s hardware and AI integration. Not only does it have the clever Privacy Display that can switch screen pixels off to scupper over-the-shoulder snoopers, it’s got the most powerful camera suite, leading it to top our list for the best Samsung phones.
Those cameras are augmented by AI with a smart super steady mode that acts as a form of digital gimbal when shooting video in less than stable conditions. And AI processing can take 8K footage and use it to track subjects by cropping into 4K.
All these AI features are easier to use and more accessible than other smart features were in older Galaxy Ultra phones. And when you combine a powerful chip, great cameras, a class-leading display, S Pen functionality and privacy tools, with all the native and Gemini AI features that come with the Galaxy S26 Ultra out of the box, you’ve got a properly compelling flagship AI phone.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review
Also consider
The Samsung Galaxy S26 and Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus don’t quite offer all the AI features of their Ultra sibling, but they still have planets of Galaxy AI and Gemini features that make them well worth considering, especially if you don’t want a phone as big as the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
The best phone for Apple Intelligence
It won't come as any surprise that the new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max come in as the best phones for Apple Intelligence, given they are the latest non-folding iPhones. Read the review linked below for a full lowdown on the upgrades, especially on the cameras side, but rest assured that AI on Apple's flagship phones is now better than ever; that's not necessarily saying a lot, but Apple Intelligence is starting to feel a lot smarter than before.
The star of the show here is Siri AI, which has arrived with the iPhone 18 Pro models, alongside iOS 27. This upgraded Siri can now understand what's happening on-screen and understand the context of what's on it rather than simply explain everything that's in the user's virtual view.
And Siri now works across apps and able to pull together information from multiple sources; I'll let reviewer Jacob Krol explain: "For instance, I’ve asked for details on my last flight and watched Siri AI dive into the right app — whether that’s Calendar, Flighty, United, or even Mail — to pull up the information I’m looking for. I’ve also used it to confirm my departure time, and ask how long it might take to get to the airport. It really does work, and it feels natural, and easy to get the hang of."
So that's all helping make Siri feel a lot more useful, rather than a bif of a dunce of the slate of virtual assistants. Krol noted this smarter Siri isn't perfect and can still make mistakes and pull up the wrong data, but it does feel like a notable upgrade over what's come before.
Apple Intelligence comes with a host of updates, such as new ways to put on-device intelligence to work and work with images.
In short, if you want the best in Apple-based AI, then look no further than one of the new Pro iPhones.
Read our full iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max review
Also consider
The iPhone 17 and iPhone Air both have access to Apple Intelligence and can handle the AI features well. The former is an affordable iOS-based flagship phone, while the latter has a very impressive design that some of us at TechRadar have fallen for.
The best budget AI phone
The only real budget choice for an AI phone is the Google Pixel 10a. It has access to basically all the Gemini-powered AI features of its mainline siblings, just in a package that’s less punchy in terms of cameras and design.
But the Pixel 10a still delivers great photography results, which you can have fun with by using the AI tools like Magic Eraser.
And the performance is solid too, if not mind blowing; but unless you’re a heavy mobile gamer or multitasker you probably won’t tax the Pixel 10a’s Tensor chip too much.
In general, not only is the Pixel 10a a great choice for a more affordable AI phone, it’s also the best cheap phone in my opinion, and the phone is recommended most people get if they aren’t locked into the Apple ecosystem.
Read our full Google Pixel 10a review
Also consider
If you can find them on sale, I’d recommend the Google Pixel 9 or Pixel 9 Pro as solid AI phone alternatives to the Pixel 9a. They might stretch the idea of a budget phone, but with a good bit sliced off their original price, I’d say they’d be well worth a look.
How we test
All the phones in this list have gone through our reviews and testing process. We’ll test the phones’ performance, battery life, responsiveness, cameras and the big headline features, as well as dig into the more esoteric ones. These mainstream phones also get put through lab tests at our Future Labs unit, where we’ll specifically test CPU and GPU performance through a suite of benchmarks, and battery life via rundown tests.
And a lot of our testing will rely on-real world use from reviewers who’ve tested many phones over the years and gave a good idea of what to expect from a smartphone at its given price bracket.
For AI features, we’ll try out specific tools and upgrades to AI suites, as well see how these AI features interplay with a phone’s everyday use; think call and notification summaries, and call screening.
We will also keep using a lot of these phones after the review period to see how the AI tools and overall software experience evolves over time with updates and patches.
Best AI phone FAQ
What is an AI phone?
What does artificial intelligence on a smartphone really mean?
Smartphones have long had machine learning features in them, but an AI phone builds upon that adding in smart features that can better predict what you want to do and learn as they go along, as well as generate new content and serve up information through natural-language prompts.
An AI phone takes this and combines it with access to a neural processing unit (NPU), which is a dedicated chip that provides performance aimed at running AI models and workloads. I feel an NPU is critical for a smartphone to qualify as an AI phone.
Do I need AI on my phone?
This totally depends on what you use your phone for. If you want to make calls, send emails, web browse, and snap some photos or record videos, but don't want to do much more than that, you don't need to go for a specific AI phone; although a lot of today's phones will have AI features regardless.
But if you want to tap into really smart features and use AI tools to speed up work or better plan your life, or you just want to create some really interesting images, then an AI phones, specifically one of those mentioned above should in your sights.