In the quiet ledger of a year spent testing more than two hundred devices, GSMArena has gathered its finalists for the 2026 End-of-Year Awards across thirteen categories, from flagship phones to budget picks, foldables, gaming devices and accessories. The shortlist reflects a year when rising memory costs pushed the price of the most advanced phones to levels once thought unthinkable, and when foldables, still a minority taste, were left off the top prize. The winners remain undecided, and the editors have turned partly to their readers, asking which devices truly deserve recognition before th
GSMArena Announces 2026 End-of-Year Award Finalists Across Thirteen Categories
Workhorse smartphones deserve recognition too.
Mark
Why does this list matter beyond bragging rights?
Mimi
It shows what a big review team values this year: camera stabilization, battery efficiency, and whether a phone holds performance under load.
Mark
The Phone of the Year shortlist has no foldables. Why?
Mimi
GSMArena says most people still buy slab phones. Foldables get their own category, with four finalists.
Luke
Worth saying: the iPhone Duo and all wide foldables were left out for being too compromised. That's the editors' judgment, not a measured verdict.
Mark
And the price angle?
Mimi
They blame skyrocketing memory prices for pushing flagships to unheard-of levels, and Best Value exists partly because of that.
Luke
But no actual prices appear in what we have. 'Unheard-of' is their characterization.
Mark
Budget phones got a lot of attention too.
Mimi
Yes, because mid-rangers sell more units than flagships. Even there, a telephoto camera separates the Nothing from the Poco.
Luke
One gap: the text cuts off before Best Battery Life and the other later categories, so we don't know those finalists.
Mark
So what happens next?
Mimi
Winners come in the coming days, and readers are invited to weigh in first.
El Pulso
- Memory price spikes pushed flagship phones to unprecedented prices, and that pressure runs through every shortlist.
- Four giants of the Pro Max class, from Oppo, vivo, Xiaomi and Apple, are locked in a fierce contest for Phone of the Year.
- Foldables were shut out of the top prize, even as the format is called one of the hottest categories of the year.
- Editors are weighing their picks now, and readers are being invited to cast their own opinions before the winners land within days.
In the quiet ledger of a year spent testing more than two hundred devices, GSMArena has gathered its finalists for the 2026 End-of-Year Awards across thirteen categories, from flagship phones to budget picks, foldables, gaming devices and accessories. The shortlist reflects a year when rising memory costs pushed the price of the most advanced phones to levels once thought unthinkable, and when foldables, still a minority taste, were left off the top prize. The winners remain undecided, and the editors have turned partly to their readers, asking which devices truly deserve recognition before the verdicts are sealed.
GSMArena has released its finalists for the 2026 End-of-Year Awards, covering thirteen categories after more than 200 devices were tested over the past twelve months. Phones dominate the lineup, though a tablet, a smartwatch and a smart accessory also earn a place. The finalists are presented without ranking, and the editors are still deliberating, with winners promised in the coming days. Readers are being asked to weigh in as well.
The top prize, Phone of the Year, comes down to four Pro Max contenders: the Oppo Find X10 Pro Max, the vivo X500 Pro Max, the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max and the Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max. Skyrocketing memory prices defined 2026 and pushed flagship costs higher than ever. No foldables made this list, since most people still use traditional slab phones.
Value, budget and gaming picks tell their own stories. Phones with flagship chips at lower prices compete for Best Value, while mid-rangers, which outsell flagships by volume, fight for Best Budget. In gaming, a compact tablet and an actively cooled phone stand alongside the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Foldables, called among the year's hottest categories, were narrowed to four finalists chosen for durability, slimness and battery life.
The remaining categories, including Best Camera, Design Excellence, Innovation of the Year, Best Tablet, Best Smartwatch and Best Accessories, have not yet been detailed here. The next step is the announcement of winners.
GSMArena has put out its list of finalists for the 2026 End-of-Year Awards, and the list covers thirteen categories. The site's reviewers say they tested more than 200 devices over the past twelve months. Phones dominate the testing, but the awards also reach a tablet, a smartwatch and a smart accessory. The finalists are listed in no particular order, the nominations are settled, and the editors are still deliberating on winners, which they say will be announced in the coming days. They are also asking readers which models deserve to win.
The top prize, Phone of the Year, has four finalists: the Oppo Find X10 Pro Max, the vivo X500 Pro Max, the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max and the Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max. GSMArena notes that 2026 was marred by skyrocketing memory prices, which pushed flagship prices to levels it calls previously unheard-of. No foldables made this shortlist, because most people still use slab phones. The Oppo carries three 200MP sensors, a top MediaTek chipset and a chart-topping battery, with Hasselblad involved in camera tuning. The vivo has ZEISS T* coated lenses, video stabilization the reviewers say has no equal, a Dimensity 9600 Pro chip and a large Si/C battery. The Xiaomi uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, with two 200MP cameras and a 50MP ultra-wide, plus a rear display usable for selfies. The iPhone's Apple A20 Pro is described as the chip that can beat MediaTek's and Qualcomm's best, and its efficiency makes a battery that looks small next to Chinese rivals last longer than expected.
Best Value goes to phones that carry flagship-class parts without the price. The finalists are the Poco F9 Ultra, with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and one of the brightest displays GSMArena has tested; the Xiaomi 17T Pro, with a large battery and both wired and wireless fast charging; the Honor 600 Pro, with a Snapdragon 8 Elite and a 6.57-inch display; and the OnePlus 15R, with a Dolby Vision display and class-leading battery life. The OnePlus lacks a telephoto camera, which the editors say will hurt its chances.
The Best Budget category has three nominees, and GSMArena calls it one of the more important ones, since mid-rangers sell more units than flagships. They are the Samsung Galaxy A57, praised for familiar software and long update support; the Poco X8 Pro, whose Dimensity 8500 Ultra held performance under sustained load but which lacks a telephoto camera; and the Nothing Phone (4a), which does have a telephoto camera, a rarity at this price, and a Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 that barely throttles.
Foldables are described as arguably the hottest category of the year, with Apple's arrival expected to win the format more market share. Four finalists were chosen for addressing durability, bulk and battery life: the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, at 8.9mm and 215g with a larger battery and an anti-reflective inner display coating; the Motorola Razr Fold, Moto's first step beyond flip phones; the Honor Magic V6, at 8.8mm and 219g with stylus support; and the vivo X Fold6, with OriginOS 7 Fold and a camera that GSMArena says rivals slab phones. The iPhone Duo was not nominated, and no wide foldables were, because the editors judged them too compromised. No flip phones made the cut either.
In Best Gaming, the finalists are the iPhone 18 Pro Max, the RedMagic 12 Pro and the RedMagic Astra 2. The RedMagic phone has an actively cooled Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, shoulder triggers, Steam PC game support and external monitor output. The Astra 2 is a compact tablet with a 9.06-inch 185Hz OLED display, which GSMArena suggests buying alongside a phone.
Best Compact has four finalists: the iPhone 18 Pro, the vivo X500 Pro, the Xiaomi 18 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S26. The Xiaomi keeps 200MP sensors in both its periscope telephoto and main camera, while the vivo gives up the Pro Max's 200MP telephoto but keeps the Dimensity 9600 Pro. The Galaxy S26 is singled out as the only small flagship matching the iPhone's global availability.
The remaining categories are Best Battery Life, Best Camera, Design Excellence, Innovation of the Year, Best Tablet, Best Smartwatch and Best Accessories. The source text breaks off before listing their finalists, so those names are not yet known here. The next thing to watch is the winners announcement, due within days.
Citas Notables
Skyrocketing memory prices pushed flagship prices to previously unheard-of levels in 2026.— GSMArena editors
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