You voted in record numbers for categories like the best of Android and the weirdest moments that made us want to log off.
The ballots have been cast, the "cringe" has been measured, and the data now exists as pie charts. After a week of incredible participation from the best Android community on the internet (that's y'all!), we are officially ready to crown the winners of the 2025 Annual Podcast Kudos!
While it was a quieter year for hardware innovation, there was no shortage of consternation over where Android is heading. Between the second-hand embarrassment of Google's Jimmy Fallon-hosted Pixel event and the literal walls being built around what was once a wide-open operating system, 2025 forced us to redefine what we value in Android. These results aren't just a list of winners—they're a clear picture of how you navigated the shifting landscape of hardware, AI, and ecosystem politics this year.
We want to thank everyone who took the time to fill out the survey—we had a record-breaking turnout this year, our FIRST year, proving that the Android enthusiast community is more vocal and passionate than ever. Without further ado, here are your APK Award winners for 2025!
The people have spoken: the Google Pixel 10 series is the hardware champion of 2025. The Pixel 10 solidified its lead with the Tensor G5 processor, better battery life, and incredibly far-reaching zoom. Not to mention, the flagship introduced us to Pixel Snap, the long-awaited ecosystem of magnetized accessories.
Foldables are a bona fide smartphone category now, and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 continues to hold onto its crown. Samsung finally addressed the "bulk" issue by thinning out the Z Fold's chassis to 8.9mm, making the foldable feel less like a brick in the pocket. Samsung's Z Fold remains the gold standard for those who want a foldable to be everything it should be.
As I said earlier with regards to the Pixel 10, MagSafe for Android was like the second coming of the messiah this past smartphone season. Google calls its version "Pixel Snap." It embraces the existing Qi2 standard, meaning the latest Pixel phones can tap into faster charging speeds with accessories outside the ecosystem.
Nano Banana has been quite the marketing feat, convincing us that all we really want to do with our time is generate extremely lifelike-looking Android bots. (It would seem so!) Beyond just a funny name, Nano Banana was Google's big effort at showcasing what its AI could do for mobile photo editing. It can do so much and so little, subtly, depending on your query.
That came out of nowhere, right? The most impactful story of the year was the heated controversy surrounding Google's new developer verification requirements. Folks saw Google's move to require government IDs as a "death sentence" for sideloading. It sparked massive backlash from the open-source community. Google eventually conceded, saying it will enable sideloading via an "advanced flow" for power users. Regardless, the story dominated the year as a turning point in Android's identity among its most diehard fans.
To the surprise of absolutely no one, the "Made by Google" event hosted by Jimmy Fallon took the prize for the weirdest moment of the year. Despite the hefty star power Google managed to nab for the event, it was hard to focus on anything but Jimmy's snickering between mentions of Tensor chips and Gemini AI. As the Gen Zers would say, it was effectively "cringe."
