The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra emerged as the Smartphone of the Year in the HT Tech Power List Awards 2026 (HT Tech)The evening wasn't just about handing out awards.
Those discussions naturally led to one of the night's biggest highlights: the smartphone awards.
How we picked the best smartphones in India across categories Picking the winners was never going to be as simple as comparing specifications.
To find the answer, the HT Tech team spent months testing dozens of smartphones across price segments in real-world Indian conditions.
Final Score = (Jury Score × 70%) + (Readers' Poll Score × 30%)Because the best smartphone isn't just the one that impresses in a lab.
HT Tech hosted the inaugural HT Tech Power List Awards 2026 to recognise the products and innovations that made the biggest impact on consumers and the technology industry over the past year. Held at Le Méridien, Gurugram, the event brought together industry leaders, innovators, and technology experts for an evening celebrating the best of consumer technology. It also marked the unveiling of HT Tech's new brand identity, signalling the beginning of a new chapter for the platform. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra emerged as the Smartphone of the Year in the HT Tech Power List Awards 2026 (HT Tech)
The evening wasn't just about handing out awards. It also sparked conversations around the future of technology, from the rising cost of components to the growing influence of AI, imaging, immersive experiences, and trusted digital identity. Those discussions naturally led to one of the night's biggest highlights: the smartphone awards.
How we picked the best smartphones in India across categories Picking the winners was never going to be as simple as comparing specifications. Every new smartphone promises better cameras, smarter AI, faster performance, and longer battery life. The real question is whether those improvements make a meaningful difference once the phone is in your hands.
To find the answer, the HT Tech team spent months testing dozens of smartphones across price segments in real-world Indian conditions. We looked beyond benchmark scores, evaluating camera performance, battery life, display quality, software, design, sustained performance, and long-term usability. The phones accompanied us through workdays, gaming sessions, weekend trips, content creation, navigation, digital payments, and long hours outdoors in India's summer heat. In other words, we tested them the way most people actually use their smartphones.
Our testing formed the foundation of the awards, but it wasn't the only deciding factor. The final results combined expert evaluation with reader opinion, ensuring the winners reflected both technical excellence and what mattered most to everyday users.
Final Score = (Jury Score × 70%) + (Readers' Poll Score × 30%)
Because the best smartphone isn't just the one that impresses in a lab. It's the one that performs consistently when people rely on it every single day. Considering all these, let’s look at the smartphones that made a huge impact in their respective categories:
Best Affordable Phone It recognises the smartphone that offered the best balance of performance, cameras, battery life, features, and overall value for money.
Winner: Nothing Phone (3a) Beyond the Nothing Phone (3a), several other smartphones also made a strong case for the Best Affordable Phone award with their impressive all-round value:
