WhistleOut Awards 2026: Phone Manufacturer of the Year
Announcing the phone brand WhistleOut's reviewers judged the most consistent across the past 12 months.
Winner: Nothing
Nothing did not release as many phones as rivals over the past 12 months, but its devices all ranged from strong to excellent. Nothing has cemented itself as a challenger brand worth watching, and a dependable go to for a phone that performs above its price point while standing out aesthetically.
Runner-up: OPPO
OPPO was Highly Commended for the strength and consistency of its phone lineup over the year.
An award-winning journalist, Alex has been writing about consumer technology for over a decade.
Fergus Halliday is a journalist and digital content editor at WhistleOut Australia. He’s written about technology, telecommunications, gaming and more for over a decade.
How we judge this award
A brand's entire phone lineup across the past 12 months, not a single device, is what earns this award, decided by WhistleOut's editorial review team. Factors that contribute are consisteny, performance, and software support commitments across every release and price point.
The Judges
Alex Choros
Fergus Halliday
Digital Content Editor
Past winners
| Year | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | OPPO (Highly commended: Nothing) | - |
| 2024 | Motorola (Highly commended: Nothing) | - |
| 2023 | Google (Highly commended: Motorola) | - |
| 2022 | Apple | - |
| 2021 | OPPO | - |
| 2020 | OPPO | - |
| 2019 | OPPO | - |
FAQs
Who won Phone Manufacturer of the Year in 2026?
Nothing was named the 2026 winner of the Phone Manufacturer of the Year award.
Has Nothing won this award before?
This is Nothing's first win in this category.
Does WhistleOut get paid by award winners?
No. Award placements are editorially independent of any commercial relationship with providers. See our How We Work page for details on how WhistleOut earns money.
