We may earn a commission from links on this page.So, someone in your life needs a new smartphone, and you want to gift it to them. That's no easy feat. There are a lot of smartphones out there, and while they're all similar in many ways, there are key differences that may or may not matter to your recipient. Do they favor iOS or Android? Do they want a standard phone, or a foldable? (Or even a flip phone?) My first piece of advice is to ask them exactly what they want. The more specific they can be, the easier it'll be for you to shop. If they don't have an exact model in mind, don't worry: There are plenty of great phones to choose from. As long as you have a little intel about your giftee, you can pick up a smartphone that will likely work well for them. Here are my picks for the best smartphone gifts, broken down by category.Best iPhone to gift: iPhone 17e iPhone 17e $599.99 at T-Mobile Shop Now Shop Now $599.99 at T-Mobile You've likely heard a lot about Apple's newest iPhones. There's the iPhone 18 Pro, of course, but the talk of the town is the iPhone Duo, the company's first foldable phone. It's undeniably cool, and perhaps Apple's most revolutionary iPhone since the original. It also starts at $1,999—not the most "gift-friendly" price tag. The iPhone 18 Pro isn't quite so expensive, but it's pricey too, starting at $1,199. While the 18 Pro it might be Apple's "best" iPhone yet, I'm not sure it's necessarily the best iPhone to gift. When considering the best iPhone to gift, I wanted to choose the device that offers the best overall value. It should do all the things people expect their iPhones to do, without breaking the bank—and Apple products are pricey in the best of times. As such, I think that choice for 2026 is the iPhone 17e. It isn't the best iPhone Apple makes. It doesn't come with the best display or the best cameras. But it does offer a solid 1170p 60Hz display with a max brightness of 800 nits (1200 nits for HDR content). It has a single 48MP rear camera (the same as the main camera on the iPhone 17) and a 12MP selfie camera. It also supports features that you might expect Apple to drop from its "budget" iPhone, including MagSafe charging, 5G support, and a Ceramic Shield 2 display. (Anecdotally, the Ceramic Shield 2 on my iPhone 17 Pro Max is the most durable display I've ever used, so I can't say enough good about it.)Most importantly, the iPhone 17e comes with the same A19 Pro chip as Apple's other 17 series iPhones, minus a single GPU core. That means the iPhone 17 might have a slight advantage for gaming compared to the 17e, but not by much. The 17e supports all the same iOS 27 features as the iPhone 17, including Siri AI—though both miss out on some "Pro" AI features. Of course, there are other omissions: You don't get the second or third cameras you get on other iPhones, nor do you get the Camera Control button; the selfie camera isn't as high-resolution or feature-filled as other devices; the display isn't as bright or as fast; and battery life isn't as long as other iPhones. But the tradeoffs aren't too significant when weighed against the significantly cheaper starting price—at $699, it's $500 cheaper than the 18 Pro.The bottom line? The iPhone 17e does just about everything you'd expect an iPhone to do. If your giftee wants a telephoto lens, or a brighter high-refresh-rate display, you might need to upgrade. But for the people in your life who just want a great overall iPhone experience, the 17e is the way to go. Best Android to gift: Google Pixel 10a Google Pixel 10a $524.00 at Amazon $599.00 Save $75.00 Shop Now Shop Now $524.00 at Amazon $599.00 Save $75.00 It's difficult to pick one Android smartphone to recommend above all others. You can spend very little on a capable Android device, or drop a couple grand on a souped-up pocket computer. But as with the iPhone, choosing a general "best" Android to gift means weighing features, cost, and accessibility. With all that in mind, my vote is for the Pixel 10a. If the priority is staying on top of the latest Android features, you can't do better than the Pixel. This is Google's own line of smartphones, which means it gets the latest versions of Android—and all the new features that come with them—before any other manufacturer. Pixel flagships tend to rival those from competitors like Samsung in all but raw performance—in practice, you probably wouldn't be able to tell much of a difference between day-to-day use of a comparable Pixel and Galaxy. And the 10a is a great phone in its own right. It comes with a 6.3-inch 1080p display with a refresh rate of 120Hz (take note, Apple), as well as two rear cameras—a 48MP "wide" lens and a 13MP ultrawide lens—and a 13MP selfie camera. Unlike the vast majority of today's smartphones, those rear cameras are flush with the back of the 10a, which former Lifehacker tech editor Michelle Ehrhardt praised in her review of the phone. Google devices are known for outstanding photography, particularly on the software side, and the 10a is no exception—though it is certainly behind Google's flagship Pixel 10 and Pixel 11. Expect good point-and-shoot results, though reviews do note that the final products often showcase fewer details than more expensive competitors. The 10a uses Google's G4 Tensor chip, which is far from the most powerful chip on the market (even at this price point), but it's plenty to run Android 17, including all of Google's new AI features. That includes Circle to Search, which lets you start a Google search by highlighting something on your screen; AI photo editing features like Magic Eraser and natural language edits; and Gemini for AI assistant support. You could buy a Pixel 11 to power these features, but the 10a's Tensor G4 can run them too. Plus, Google has pledged to support devices for seven years after release, which means the 10a will continue to receive updates through March of 2033. You can pick up a usable Android device at just about any price point. But at its MSRP of $499, the Pixel 10a is arguably the best overall value in the Android world right now—especially when you can find it on sale. If your giftee is a diehard Samsung fan, or wants the best mobile cameras on the market, you might want to look towards a different product. But for most Android users, the Pixel 10a is the move. Best Android gift for power users: Galaxy S26 Ultra Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra $1,049.99 at Amazon $1,299.99 Save $250.00 Shop Now Shop Now $1,049.99 at Amazon $1,299.99 Save $250.00 Let's say there's someone on your list who doesn't want the best "value"; they want the best. They want their smartphone to be as powerful as possible, with cameras that take the highest-quality shots. In that case, we'll need to steer clear of "budget" or "mid-range" devices, and focus instead on phones that cost well over $1,000. If that's your market, I have one chief recommendation: the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Samsung's latest "Ultra" device lives up to its name. It comes with a 6.9-inch 1440p display, with a 120Hz refresh rate, support for HDR10+, and a peak brightness of 2,600 nits. While many high-end smartphones have excellent screens, only the Galaxy S26 Ultra has a "Privacy Display," a hardware feature that makes it very difficult—if not impossible—for onlookers to see your screen. It's not necessarily a reason to buy the S26 Ultra, but it's noteworthy, considering there are so few novel hardware upgrades in smartphones these days.Not that the S26 Ultra's hardware is boring. The S26 Ultra runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip for Samsung, the same chip as the rest of the S26 line. Unlike the other S26 devices, however, you can upgrade the S26 Ultra from 12GB of RAM to 16GB if you opt for the 1TB storage option. Unlike the Tensor G4, this processor does not make compromises, as evidenced by benchmarks. In fact, the entire S26 line tops the charts for Android benchmarks, according to Geekbench. Perhaps the star of the show here is the Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera system. You get the 200MP main shooter, a 50MP "periscope" telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom, a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, and a 50MP ultrawide lens. You also get a 12MP selfie cam, which isn't the most megapixels we've seen on a front camera, but it works well. CNET says this one's designed to better capture natural skin tones and texture in all types of lighting conditions. Like Google, Samsung is all-in on AI, so the Galaxy S26 runs the company's latest features. That includes Samsung versions of Google features we talked about above, including AI photo editing features, as well as exclusives like the Now Brief and Now Bar. And since this is an "Ultra," this phone comes with the S Pen. While I'm happy the iPhone Duo will support the Apple Pencil, I do wish Apple would also extend the same to its standard smartphones like Samsung has done here.Best iPhone gift for power users: Wait before you buyIf you had asked me last month what the best iPhone to get a power user was, I'd say the iPhone 17 Pro Max. If you ask me next week, I'll probably say the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Unfortunately, we're at a crossroads here: Apple announced the iPhone 18 Pro Max last week, but it doesn't come out until Friday, Sept. 18. Reviews aren't out yet either, which means we don't know exactly how the phone stacks up. That said, Apple usually has these iPhone releases figured out, so my guess is the iPhone 18 Pro Max is going to offer a modest "real world" update over the iPhone 17 Pro Max, making it the "best" Pro Max yet. But I can't say that for sure. Maybe the new variable aperture doesn't quite work as advertised; maybe the A20 Pro chip puts too much pressure on battery life. Again, I don't think these things will be true, but until we know for sure, I can't advise readers which Pro Max to buy. As such, my recommendation is to hold off on a purchase until we know more about the 18 Pro Max.Best Android foldable to gift: Galaxy Z Fold 8 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 $1,649.99 at Amazon $1,899.99 Save $250.00 Shop Now Shop Now $1,649.99 at Amazon $1,899.99 Save $250.00 That "8" isn't there for nothing. This is Samsung's eighth foldable smartphone, and it shows. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a polished and impressive iteration of Samsung's foldable line. In fact, CNET's Abrar Al-Heeti said the Galaxy Z Fold 8 was one of the most enjoyable devices she's ever used. When closed, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a 5.5-inch 1248p display with a 120Hz refresh rate. You could probably get by just using the outer display without ever opening up the device. But when you do unfold it, you get a much larger 7.6-inch display. This inner display also has a 120Hz refresh rate, but this one reaches 3,000 nits of brightness. This is the main perk of a foldable like the Z Fold 8: You can use it like a "normal" smartphone, then unfold it when you're looking for a tablet-like experience, whether that's streaming shows and movies on a larger display or running multiple apps side-by-side. Like all foldables, there is a crease in the larger screen, but reviews suggest you likely won't notice it when staring at the display head-on. Like the Galaxy S26 series, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 runs the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, and it comes with 12GB of RAM. You can get 16GB if you opt for the 2TB version, but that might be more costly than the extra RAM or storage is worth. That chip should be more than enough to power both the inner and outer displays as well as all the Android features you'll use, including Samsung's aforementioned AI options. With this foldable, you're getting two rear cameras—a 50MP wide and a 50MP ultrawide—as well as 10MP selfie cameras on both the inner and outer displays. While the cameras on the Z Fold 8 are good, they aren't the best on a Samsung foldable. For that, you'd need to upgrade to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, which comes with a 200MP wide shooter and a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. If your giftee wants the best Android foldable money can buy, sure, the Ultra may be for them. But for the money, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the better value—not that it's inexpensive by any definition. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is about the best overall experience you can expect from a foldable smartphone. But if your giftee is looking for something that runs stock Android, Google's Pixel 11 Pro Fold is also a great bet. If your giftee is instead looking for a flippable, Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 8 offers many of the benefits of the Z Fold 8 in that flip phone form factor, followed closely by the Motorola Razr Ultra. In a normal year, Apple wouldn't be mentioned in this section, but it's not a normal year. The company has officially entered the foldable market with the iPhone Duo, though it's facing the same issue as the iPhone 18 Pro: It isn't out yet, which means it hasn't been reviewed. What's more, Apple isn't releasing the Duo until mid-October, so it'll likely be some time before any formal recommendations can be made. That said, while I can't yet give it the edge in a comparison to the Galaxy Z Fold or Pixel 11 Pro Fold, it is the only choice for any foldable fans who want to stay on iOS. If your giftee wants a foldable that can send iMessages, this is your only choice.