Experts named 5 smartphones that should not be bought in 2025

Usually, reviews are made to recommend a good purchase. However, there are smartphones that, despite their ambitious features, are not worth the money invested in them.

Hotline.ua writes about which smartphones are better to avoid.

Microsoft Surface Duo 2

This is one of the most expensive flip phones on the market.

It has a really big 8.3-inch screen and an interesting form factor with two separate panels. However, the rest of the characteristics — processor, cameras, and storage capacity — are inferior to competitors like the Galaxy Fold4, which has a similar price. So, before you buy, you should compare all the indicators with alternatives.

iPhone 16 Pro/Max with a terabyte of storage

Modern smartphones use efficient codecs for photos and videos, so the average user hardly needs a terabyte of storage space.

Even if you take photos every day, it's not easy to fill up 256 GB in six months. Only professionals who shoot in the Apple ProRes RAW format should choose the 1 TB version, but they often need to transfer footage to external drives quickly. So it's much more reasonable to go with 512 GB and buy an additional SSD for the money you save.

HUAWEI Mate X3

Starting in 2023, due to the US sanctions, Huawei devices will not have official support for Google applications.

Although the Google Play Store can be installed with additional manipulations, the system is not certified, which means that there is no payment via Google Pay. Buying an expensive model for more than UAH 50 thousand (USD 1,205.61 — Ed.), which cannot even be used to pay in a store, is a questionable decision. This applies to all devices of the brand, so it is better to check in advance for full support in Ukraine.

Infinix Zero Flip

This clamshell attracts with its non-standard design, but it has a rather weak Dimensity 8020 processor, which is inferior even to the outdated Snapdragon 888.

At the same time, the slightly more expensive Galaxy Flip6 received a modern Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, more RAM, and improved camera stabilisation. The question of why you would pay almost as much for inferior performance remains open.

Sony Xperia 1 VI

At first glance, it looks like a very attractive camera phone with 4K 120 FPS and optical zoom.

But if you compare it with the Xiaomi Mi 14 Ultra, it becomes clear that the competitor has a better (and cheaper) sensor with a variable aperture and traditional Leica optics. Sony has a 3.5 mm jack return, but you will have to pay about UAH 5 thousand (USD 120.56 — Ed.) extra for it, and it's up to you to decide whether it's a worthwhile investment.

We would like to remind you that modern smartphones with good cameras do not have to be expensive. Even affordable models under USD 500 can offer high-quality pictures.

We also wrote that flagship smartphones are becoming more expensive due to improvements and new features. At the same time, budget models are not lagging behind, and most of the top technologies are gradually migrating to them without increasing in price.