The trending phones of week 1 of 2026 explode with smartphone excitement as the Xiaomi 17 Ultra catapults to #1 on GSMArena’s global trending chart, unseating Samsung flagships amid the China launch frenzy and CES anticipation. This definitive ranking—drawn from worldwide search data—reveals what tech enthusiasts hunted most during holiday sales and early-year reveals. From AI‑powered cameras to budget 5G beasts, here’s the full breakdown with specs, pricing, and why each phone captured attention. The Trending Phones are here to learn and understand.
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Top 10 Trending Phones of Week 1 2026
1. Xiaomi 17 Ultra – The New Portrait Emperor
Xiaomi’s Halo just shot to the top spot, and honestly, it’s easy to see why. The camera setup is wild; there’s a 200MP, 1-inch main sensor (f/1.63, OIS) that grabs insane detail, plus two 50MP telephoto lenses for 3x and 5x optical zoom. Leica’s Vibrant and HDR tuning gives everything a polished look. Under the hood, you get the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip (3 nm, with a 40% faster NPU), 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and a whopping 1 TB of UFS 4.0 storage. The battery’s a beast too: 7000 mAh silicon-carbon with 120W charging, so you’re set for the day and then some.
The display? It’s a 6.82-inch 2K LTPO AMOLED, 120 Hz, and hits 3200 nits, so it looks stunning anywhere. It’s built tough too, with an IP69 rating. Price lands around $1,200 worldwide. Creators are loving the 8K60 ProRes video—people are going nuts over the footage it puts out.
2. Samsung Galaxy A56 5G – Mid-Range Royalty
Samsung’s new A-series just took the number two spot, and it’s easy to see why. Packed inside, you get the Dimensity 8300 Ultra chip, a big 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display that’s super bright at 2000 nits and buttery-smooth at 120 Hz. The cameras? There’s a sharp 50MP main lens with OIS, plus a 12MP ultra-wide and a 5MP macro for those close-up shots. It runs on a 5000 mAh battery with 45 W fast charging, so you’re set for the day.
You’ve got options—8 or 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and even a microSD slot. It’s IP67-rated, so it can handle a splash or two. For $429, you also get Galaxy AI features like Live Translate. If you’re thinking about upgrading from the A55, this is a solid step up.
3. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra – Titanium Titan Endures
Holding steady at number three, this phone packs a 200MP ISOCELL HP3 main camera and a 50MP 5x periscope lens. You still get the S Pen right in the box, plus the Snapdragon 8 Elite powering every model. The 6.9-inch QHD+ LTPO display is bright—seriously, 2600 nits—and smooth at 120 Hz. Battery life isn’t a worry either, thanks to a big 5000 mAh cell and 45W fast charging. Seven years of Android updates come along for the ride. The price? $1,299. Circle to Search and Now Briefings round out the package, keeping it competitive.
4. Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max – iOS Loyalty Leader
Apple grabs the fourth spot with its new beast, the A19 Pro chip. People are buzzing about the 48MP triple camera—yep, there’s a telephoto lens in the mix. The phone packs a huge 6.9-inch ProMotion display that never sleeps, plus a bigger 4685 mAh battery for even more juice. It’s got a titanium frame, a special camera button, and it’ll set you back $1,199. Those holiday trade-in offers? Yeah, they’ve got everyone looking.
5. Honor Win – Dark Horse Climber
Honor just jumped to number five with its latest release, and honestly, it’s easy to see why. The phone runs on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, packs a hefty 5800 mAh battery with 100-watt fast charging, and sports a big 6.78-inch 1.5K display at 120 Hz. They even threw in MagicOS 9’s AI Eye Tracking, which is pretty cool. The cameras are no slouch either—50MP main and 50MP ultra-wide. All that for around $650. No wonder it’s getting snapped up in emerging markets—there’s a ton of value here.
6. Samsung Galaxy A17 5G – Budget 5G Staple
At number 6, you’ll find the Helio G99. It’s got a 6.5-inch HD+ display running at 90 Hz, and yeah, it’s a PLS LCD. The main camera shoots at 50MP, and the 5000mAh battery keeps you going, plus it charges up with 25W speed. You can pick between 4GB or 6GB of RAM, all for $179. In India, what really counts is that it supports Jio and Airtel VoLTE.
7. OnePlus 15 – Clean Software King
OxygenOS fans have this one at number seven. It packs a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, a big 6.82-inch LTPO4 display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, and Hasselblad cameras—a 50MP main and a 50MP 3x telephoto. The battery’s a beast too: 6000 mAh with 100 W charging. You still get the Alert Slider. Price sits at $899. Honestly, the lack of bloatware is what really makes people love it.
8. Xiaomi 17 Pro Max – Ultra’s Sibling
Number eight stands out for its slim profile—just 15.3 mm thick. It comes with 90W charging and puts its own spin on the Circle to Search feature from HyperOS 2.0. Content creators are paying attention, since the price-to-power ratio looks hard to beat.
9. Apple iPhone 17 – Deal Hunter’s Choice
The base model bounces back to number 9, thanks to leftover Black Friday deals. You get the A19 chip, a sharper 48MP Fusion camera, and a brighter 6.3-inch OLED screen. At $799, it really outshines the Pro Max.
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10. Redmi Note 15 Pro+ – Indian Powerhouse
Xiaomi rounds out the top ten with its newest mid-range phone. It packs a Dimensity 7300 Ultra chip, a crisp 200MP main camera, and it’s tough enough with IP68 water and dust resistance. The screen is massive—6.67 inches—has a sharp 1.5K resolution, and runs smoothly at 120 Hz thanks to the AMOLED panel. Battery life won’t leave you hanging either: 6200 mAh, and you get fast 80W charging. All this for ₹28,999, or around $345. If you’re looking to buy, Flipkart’s pretty much the place to get it.
Trend Analysis: What Week 1 Reveals
- Xiaomi’s on a roll lately: The 17 Ultra and Pro Max aren’t just making noise in China—they’re turning heads everywhere. With those wild 200MP cameras and massive batteries, these phones practically beg you to make cool stuff.
- Samsung isn’t messing around either: The A56 and A17 just raised the bar for midrange phones. Seven years of updates, plus those gorgeous AMOLED screens? That’s how you build real trust.
- Apple, as usual, stays steady: the iPhone 17 lineup hasn’t budged, even with those steep prices. Holiday deals still pulled people right back to the base model.
- Then you’ve got Honor, quietly climbing up: MagicOS keeps winning people over, and OnePlus? Their clean, straightforward software just makes fans stick around.
What Drives Week 1 Trends?
Xiaomi 17 Ultra’s China launch and global teasers dominate searches, while Samsung’s A/S series holds via affordability/loyalty. iPhone 17 benefits from sales; Honor/OnePlus rides fresh announcements. CES 2026 hype fuels speculation on M5 integrations and foldables.
The most trending phones are here to be known by the viewers and to know which is the best for them to buy in their budgets.
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