Stiftung Warentest tests 28 current smartphones, including the iPhone 16 devices and Google's Pixel 9 quartet. There is a sole new leader, strong pursuers and surprising losers.
It always takes a while for Warentest to have the smartphones released in the summer and early fall in their laboratories. Now the time has come; there are a total of 28 new entries in the foundation's database, including the top devices from Apple and Google.
There are a total of six test categories. The basic functions make up the largest share (30 percent) of the overall grade. These include voice quality and network sensitivity, WLAN connection, computing power and location. There are also cameras (20 percent), display, battery and handling (15 percent each) and stability (5 percent).
Apple alone at the top
This is the new sole leader Apple iPhone 16 Pro Maxwhich is the only smartphone rated very well overall with a quality rating of 1.4. The camera, display, handling and battery received good marks, and the testers found the handling and stability good. With 256 gigabytes (GB) of flash memory, it costs around 1,450 euros.
Second place was shared by three smartphones that achieved an overall grade of 1.6. This belongs to them Apple iPhone 16 Pro (128 GB/1200 euros), which, in contrast to the larger Max with a smaller battery, only received a satisfactory battery rating, but otherwise performed the same.
The Apple iPhone 16 Plus (128 GB/1100 euros) did not get more than a good rating among the cameras without a telephoto lens, but the testers rated its larger battery as very good. In the other categories it is on par with the Pros.
Samsung and Sony strong pursuers
Cameras, display, battery and handling of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (256 GB/1070 euros) Stiftung Warentest rated it as very good in June, and basic functions and handling as good. The fact that it is not at the top of the podium is only due to slightly weaker individual grades than the test winner.
In third place are three devices that achieved a quality rating of 1.7. Among them is, not entirely unexpectedly, this Apple iPhone 16which costs just under 950 euros with 128 GB of flash memory. Its battery is also smaller than that of its two larger stablemates, which is why it was only rated satisfactory in this category. But that's the only difference to the 16 Plus.
It achieved the same overall grade Samsung Galaxy S24+ (256 GB/920 euros) with a very good display and otherwise consistently good performance. Newbie Sony Xperia 1 VI Not only does it have a very good screen, the testers also gave top marks to the handling and the battery. The smartphone also performed well in terms of cameras and basic functions, as well as stability. But there is a 2 before the decimal point, while the Galaxy S24+ and the iPhone 16 just missed out on very good marks in these categories.
OnePlus and Asus good fourth
Fourth place comes with a quality rating of 1.8 OnePlus 12 (256 GB/816 euros). Stiftung Warentest gave the screen, cameras and battery very good marks, and the examiners found the basic functions and stability to be good. The Chinese smartphone missed out on a better ranking because it was only certified to be satisfactory to use with a missing user manual and an insecure unlocking process using a facial scan.
This also came about because of the same defects Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra (256 GB/997 euros) does not go beyond a satisfactory grade for handling. Otherwise it is very durable and has a very good screen. The testers rated the cameras as good, as well as the basic functions and stability.
Pixel 9 downgraded due to weak battery
Google's new top smartphone Pixel 9 Pro XL (128 GB/1100 euros) is only in 5th place in the list, which it shares with five other devices with an overall grade of 1.9, including this Pixel 8 Pro (128 GB/660 euros). This is a surprise, ntv.de would have expected it to be at the top with the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The testers found the cameras, display and handling very good, and basic functions and stability good. However, they only rated the endurance as satisfactory.
The smaller one suffered even worse Pixel 9 Pro (1075 euros), which was downgraded because the battery was only sufficient and ended up in sixth place with an overall grade of 2.0. ntv.de cannot understand the result; in practice, the Pixel 9 devices have proven to be very durable, which other testers also see. It is possible that Google's software works much better in everyday life than in standardized testing procedures.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra (512 GB/1160 euros) is in the fifth place with a quality rating of 1.9, but could have been higher with an instruction manual and secure unlocking via facial scan. There was only a satisfactory rating for handling. Otherwise, the examiners rated the cameras and display as very good, and basic functions, battery and stability as good.
That too Sony Xperia 5 V (128 GB/930 euros) could have achieved more than the overall grade of 1.9. Because its network sensitivity, like location, is only satisfactory, it only received a satisfactory rating overall for the basic functions. Otherwise, Stiftung Warentest found the display, battery and handling to be very good, and the cameras and stability performed well.
This is the sixth smartphone with a quality rating of 1.9 Samsung Galaxy S24 (128GB/688 euros). It has a very good display, but only a satisfactory battery. It performed well in all other categories.
