2025 Smartphone UI Tier Rankings Overview
📌 The ranking methodology for smartphone UIs is based on three parameters: features, software updates, and bloatware/ads.
🧑‍💻 The video rates UIs from the bottom tier up to the "Goated Best UI" for 2025.
🌟 Notably, no brand landed in the highest "You Know It, I Know It" tier this year, suggesting UI alone isn't a dealbreaker for purchasing.

Individual UI Analysis and Tier Placement
⭐ Motorola Hello UI (Did the Job Tier): Gained features like Smart Connect (connecting phone to PC/TV) but was penalized for introducing significant ads and bloatware, including on-screen ads on unlock and post-update bloatware installation.
⚙️ Xiaomi Hyper OS (Did the Job Tier): Showcased heavy iOS inspiration (Control Center, lock screen customization) and improved connectivity features, but suffered from severe instability, bugs (e.g., failing Google sign-in), rendering one device "unusable" after an update.
✨ Nothing OS (Did the Job Tier): Introduced useful features like smart app drawer and AI widget creation, but slipped due to the introduction of third-party pre-installed apps and lock screen articles showing ads, betraying its "clean" image.
🍎 iOS 26 (Did the Job Tier): Featured a new liquid glass look and great smoothness on newer iPhones, alongside excellent 6-year software support; however, it was criticized for UI blurriness, increased battery drain on older devices, and the buggy, poor results from Apple Intelligence features like Cleanup and Siri.
🚀 Infinix XOS (Did the Job Tier): Showed significant improvement with a modern look, features like a "Dynamic Bar," gesture controls for app launch (e.g., 'W' for WhatsApp), and an AI call screening feature, but remains in the tier due to update inconsistency on budget devices.
👑 Vivo Origin OS (Very Solid Tier): A complete redesign featuring cool visual effects like flip cards that change wallpaper based on tilt, strong privacy with blank data authorization (sending dummy data to apps), and good ecosystem integration. Drawbacks include incorrect notification ordering.
🟢 Lava (Between Very Solid and Did the Job): Maintained its commitment to a clean, ad-free Android experience and integrated AI chatbots, but faced criticism for being delayed on the Android 16 update.
🎨 Pixel UI (Very Solid Tier): Praised for a fresh, colorful design, no bloatware, and useful exclusive features like Circle to Search and Magic Editor; however, it suffers from lag during heavy tasks and lacks basic features like app lock.
🥇 Color OS/Realme UI/Oxygen OS (Boot Tier): Received a significant redesign with an iOS-inspired aesthetic that feels faster and more responsive; notable AI feature, MindSpace, efficiently processes screenshots for specific data extraction without uploading to the cloud.
🛡️ Samsung One UI (Good Year Tier): Considered the most complete and polished experience, with excellent optimization for foldable phones and industry-leading long and fast updates across all price points; it also pioneered many Galaxy AI features adopted by others.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ Bloatware/Ads are Diluting Purity: Brands like Motorola and Nothing, historically known for clean experiences, introduced significant ads and pre-installed apps, pushing them down the rankings despite feature additions.
➡️ AI is Not Yet the Distinguishing Factor: While many UIs incorporated AI features, the overall consensus is that the backend AI (like Google's) is similar across the board, meaning software UI is becoming a level playing field.
➡️ Samsung Leads in Longevity and Polish: One UI secured a top spot primarily due to its unmatched update policy (fast and long-term) and highly developed ecosystem features like Good Lock and Samsung DeX.
➡️ Stability Over Novelty: Xiaomi's Hyper OS, despite impressive features, was demoted due to severe instability and critical bugs, demonstrating that a polished, stable UI is currently valued more than ambitious but broken updates.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Dec 20, 2025, 18:34 UTC