5 telefoonmerken die beter zijn dan de Apple iPhone

Apple’s iPhone lives in the center of the smartphone world, with its enormous popularity, brand loyalty, and top design. However, it is not alone; other brands are making amazing phones as well.

From Samsung to Huawei, to Google and Xiaomi, there are other phone brands out there that are offering more features and innovation than you can get on the iPhone.

This post looks at the top 5 brands that offer you more for your money; more features than you could get from the iPhone.

De selectiecriteria

Since we are comparing smartphone devices here, it is important to state the criteria used in making judgements. So, the most important of these criteria are as follows.

• camera: Standalone digital cameras used to be a thing years ago, until the smarphone with its many features made standalone digital cameras obsolete for most users, with the exception, maybe, of professionals. Today, most people shopping for a new phone pay close attention to its camera. Users want to know its resolution, zoom capability, and additional AI features.

• chipset: Most modern smartphones run on a system-on-chip (SoC), which is actually a large microchip that includes all of the phone’s features, such as cpu, memory, media player, networking functions, etc. Most phones declare which SoC they run on and many SoCs are known to be better than others.

• Storage/Memory: Another important feature for smartphones is their memory and storage sizes. Most users pay more attention to storage as it defines how many pictures and videos they can store on their phone. But the system memory, that is Random Access Memory (RAM) is equally important, because it determines how smoothly you can run multiple apps on the smartphone.

• Benchmark tests: This metric only makes sense to geeks who need to know how specific devices perform. Most users don’t care about this but will choose a brand that is known to perform certain tasks well.

• Gebruikers vriendelijkheid: Apple products are reverred for their user Friendliness, so alternative phones should provide a great deal or more of user friendliness.

1. Samsung

Samsung once built iPhone components for Apple before the two companies began a bitter legal rivalry. So, the first thing you should know about Samsung phones is that they are of comparable quality to the iPhone.

In addition, the Samsung Galaxy S series features a solid aluminium frame to provide a lasting protection for the phone’s components and is available in S, S+, and S ultra variants.

Samsung released the S26 in March 2026, featuring up to 1 TB storage and 60W fast charging in the S26 Ultra. Two versions are available with either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 SoC or Samsung’s Exynos 2600, a 2nm architecture chip.

For displays, the base S26 features a 6.3” screen, while the S26+ comes with a 6.7″ screen, and the S26 Ultra 6.9″. The screens are made of damage resistant Gorilla Glass and offer a 2340×1080 resolution for the base version and 3120×1440 for the S26+ and S26 Ultra variants.

Finally, the base S26 and S26+ both feature a triple back camera system, while the S26 Ultra spots a quad back camera system. These four cameras include a a 200 MP primary camera, a 50 MP ultra wide, and a telephoto camera with up to 5x optical zoom.

Kenmerken:

• Wide range of devices to choose from
• High quality engineering and overall product 
• Flagship S series phone is more powerful than the iPhone 
• Includes plenty of helpful software 

OS: Android 

Prijsklasse: $ 100 naar $ 1,500

Flagship Device: Galaxy S series

Land van herkomst: Zuid-Korea

2. Huawei

Huawei is a huge Chinese company that builds everything from laptops to smartphones, tablets, and wearables. The company was recently sanctioned by the US government, leading them to ditch Android in favour of their self-developed HarmonyOS.

Huawei makes smartphones for all user levels but their flagship phones are the Mate and the Pura series. Huawei Mate phones are designed for early adopters, that is, users who are willing to try out new technology. Geeks if you like.

The Pura series, on the other hand, is targeted at mainstream users and features technology that has been tried, tested, and modified on the Mate series.

Huawei released the Mate XT tri-fold phone in 2024 and it comes with 16 GB of RAM, up to 1 TB of storage, an octa-core CPU and up to 156.7x219mm of display surface. This is basically a 10.2 inch display with a 2232 x 3184 pixels resolution across all three folding panels.

With the Pura series, the camera is a more central consideration. Huawei released the Pura 90 in April 2026 and it comes with an aluminium frame, a 1308×2880 pixels resolution on a 6.9” display, and up to 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage.

It also includes a triple camera on the back. There is a 50 MP wide camera, a 40 MP ultra wide, and a 200 MP telephoto with 4x optical zoom. It runs HarmonyOS 6.1 using the 8-core Kirin 9030S chipset.

Kenmerken:

• Huawei phones offer great value for their price
• Now runs on Harmony OS, an in-house developed Android alternative 
• Developed the world’s first tri-fold phone, the Mate XT
• Offers Mate series for enthusiasts and Pura for mainstream consumers

OS: HarmonyOS

Prijsklasse: $ 100 naar $ 3,000

Flagship Device: Mate & Pura series 

Land van herkomst: China

3.Google Pixel

Pixel is developed by Google and runs a variant of Android called Pixel. It is very user-friendly and a great phone for anyone switching from iPhones to Android.

Google Pixel phones often don’t have outstanding hardware features or capabilities, but they excel in software. For instance, the Pixel 10, which was released in August 2025 comes with an integrated AI photo coach to help you take amazing pictures. Plus lots of other useful AI and system features that you won’t find on other smartphones.

On the hardware side, Pixel 10 is still very impressive. It comes with the octa-core Google Tensor G5 chipset, with up to 256 GB storage and 12 GB memory or up tp 1 GB storage and 16 GB memory for the Pixel Pro and XL versions. It features an under-display fingerprint sensor and 3 cameras with 50 MP wide lens, 48 MP ultra wide, and a 48 MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom.

Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro both have similar 6.3” displays. However, while the base version offers a 1080×2424 pixel resolution at 422 ppi, while the Pixel pro offers 1280×2856 pixels at 495 ppi.

The Pixel Pro XL, on the othe hand, comes with a 6.8” screen with a 1344×2992 pixels resolution. Also, while the base and Pro versions offer 15 Watts wireless charging, the Pro XL offers 25 Watts.

Kenmerken:

• Gemaakt van gerecycled aluminium 
• Engineered by Google
• Seamless software integration including AI
• Includes direct and timely Android updates 

OS: Android

Prijsklasse: $ 200 naar $ 1,800

Flagship Device: Pixel Pro XL

Land van herkomst: USA

4. Xiaomi

Xiaomi is often referred to as the “Apple of China” because of the attention they pay to the style, aesthetics, and the user-friendliness of their devices.

The Xiaomi 17 series was released in September 2025 and includes a base, Pro, Pro Max, and Ultra variants. The base and Pro feature 6.3” screens, while the Pro Max features a 6.9″ screen. They come with up to 100W wired charging, 50W wireless, and 22.5W reverse wireless.

Their chipset is an 8-core Snapdragon 8 Gen 8 with 12 and 16 GB memory options and storage ranging from 256 GB to 1 TB. All the variants feature a 50 MP wide lense, 50 MP ultrawide, and 50 MP telephoto, except the Ultra, which comes with a 200 MP telephoto camera.

Kenmerken:

• Unique designs with top quality 
• Powerful 8-core Snapdragon 8 SoC
• User friendly smartphones for all user levels
• Pro Max comes with a second screen on the back

OS: HyperOS

Prijsklasse: 

Flagship Device: Xiaomi 17 Ultra

Land van herkomst: China

5. Oppo Vs OnePlus

Oppo and OnePlus are two smartphone brands owned by the same company. They build basically similar phones, with each brand having slightly different target users. So, Oppo focuses on camera and picture lovers, while OnePlus focuses on performance lovers / gamers.

The OnePlus 15 and Oppo Find X9 were both released in October 2025. Both feature memory up to 16 GB RAM and storage up to 1 TB. But while the Oppo comes with a Mediatek Dimensity 9500 chipset, the OnePlus comes with the much more powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 5. The OnePlus also features a faster screen refresh speed.

On the other hand, the Oppo Find X9 comes with a better camera setup than the OnePlus 15. It features a 120-degree 50 MP ultra wide camera against the OnePlus’ 116-degree 50 MP and a 200 MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, against the OnePlus’ 50 MP camera. The Oppo Find also has more photo-taking software features.

Kenmerken:

• Similar phones for different users
• Oppo focuses on camera and photo lovers
• OnePlus focuses on performance and gaming

OS: OxygenOS / ColourOS

Prijsklasse: $ 800 naar $ 1,200

Flagship Device: OnePlus / Find series 

Land van herkomst: China

Veelgestelde Vragen / FAQ

The following are some frequently asked questions about alternative brands to the Apple iPhone.

Q: Does any phone offer better battery life than the iPhone 17 Pro Max?

A: Yes, the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max and the OnePlus 15 offer 7,500 mah and 7,300 mah respectively, which are 50%+ higher than the iPhone 17.

Q: Which phone has a better display than the iPhone 17 Pro Max?

A: The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL reportedly has a better display, according to testers.

Q: Can any phone charge faster than the iPhone?

A: Yes, Xiaomi 17 series offers 100W charging, while OnePlus 15 even offers 120W, which are both over 100% faster than the iPhone’s 40W charging.

Conclusie

We have reached the end of this review of smartphone brands which are better than the iPhone 17.

There’s no doubt that the iPhone remains a great device and is ideal for many users. But once you wonder if you can have more than the iPhone offers, then your answer is…

 Ja!