Other Good International Phones
Haven’t seen anything you like? The following phones are also worth considering:
Xiaomi 17T for £649 and 17T Pro for $870: If it weren’t for Honor’s high pricing, one of these phones (probably the 17T) would have claimed the best mid-range spot above. Compared with the Honor 600, the 17T offers slightly better performance with more RAM and a more reliable camera that has superior zoom capability. Unfortunately, it also has bags of bloatware, and the software requires some tinkering to get the best it offers. The 17T Pro adds wireless charging, a bigger battery, much better performance with a faster chipset, and a larger screen—but it’s even more expensive, pushing the top end of what I’d consider midrange.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Oppo Find N6 for $1,943: Touting an 8.12-inch display, the Find N6 is a beautifully engineered folding phone that’s impossibly slim and light. Despite its promise of being creaseless, the fold is still discernible. You’ll hardly notice it when the screen is on, though you’ll feel it if you use the optional stylus. Performance is impressively slick, with enough stamina to see you through a busy day, and the camera system is excellent. It’s a big step up from last year’s N5, with a 200-MP main shooter, 50-MP telephoto, and 50-MP ultrawide, though it can’t quite compete with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra above. The global model is enabled to use familiar Google apps, but you’ll have to import those, as the phone won’t officially be released in the West, which is the main reason it fails to edge out Honor’s foldable above.
Xiaomi 15T Pro for $745: This phone is fast, with a large, high-refresh-rate screen; a versatile Leica-tuned camera system that includes a 50-MP telencluding generous and speedy UFS 4.1 storage and Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 connectivity. The big downside here for most folks is the quirky software, but with a bit of effort, it’s possible to customize it into shape. There’s also some bloatware to remove, and Xiaomi doesn’t match some competitors on software support. The regular 15T is almost the same size but has a slightly weaker chipset and camera, a plastic frame, and misses out on wireless charging.
Infinix Note 60 Ultra for $750: Designed with the help of Pininfarina, famous for iconic cars from Ferrari and Maserati, the Note 60 Ultra looks interesting, with a distinctive curved glass section over the camera module that also houses a small matrix display. The phone arrives in a grand box with a curvy car-shaped wireless charger. The specs are solid, apart from the distinctly not “Ultra” chipset (MediaTek’s Dimensity 8400 Ultimate), but availability seems limited for now.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Xiaomi 17 Pro Max for $1,039: A refreshing design featuring a second, smaller screen on the back that houses the camera lenses is the main way the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max differs from the 17 Pro. Xiaomi came up with various cute ways to employ this auxiliary display, including a selfie preview for superior selfies with the main camera, music controls, customizable themes, and virtual pets. There’s even a retro gaming case that lets you play Angry Birds, though it feels a bit silly when there’s a 6.7-inch screen on the other side. Aside from the second screen, the 17 Pro Max is a typical Xiaomi specs beast, and the 17 Pro isn’t far behind, but neither has been officially released outside China yet.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Oppo Find X9 Pro for £1,099: Photography fans simply must check out the Oppo Find X9 Pro. The 200-megapixel telet 6X zoom by cropping images down to 50 megapixels. To maximize camera capabilities, though, you’ll need the detachable Hasselblad Teleconverter Kit ($399). This enormous lens slots into place on the case and adds another 3.28X zoom, though it’s tricky to use without a tripod. An additional trio of 50-MP lenses, with all supporting 4K video recording at 60 fps with HDR, makes this a great pick for creatives. Impressive specs include a 6.78-inch flat display, IP66/68/69 ratings, and a 7,500-mAh silicon-carbon battery that’ll last for two days.
Xiaomi Poco F8 Ultra for £497 and F8 Pro for £331: Xiaomi’s cheaper, fun, youthful brand Poco provides room for experimentation, but the company’s own 15T Pro is a better buy in this price bracket. What the F8 Ultra offers that you won’t find elsewhere is a fun or awful (depending on your tastes) denim finish on the back. There are also Bose-tuned speakers, an excellent 6.9-inch display, and an enormous 6,500-mAh battery. It also has a flagship-level Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and generous RAM and storage. There’s even a trio of 50-MP lenses in the camera. The F8 Pro is slightly smaller but drops little from the spec sheet, making it the better bargain.
Honor Magic 7 Pro for $999: Honor’s Magic 7 Pro features a solid triple-lens camera, a gorgeous 6.8-inch screen, speedy performance, good battery life, and a dual IP68 and IP69 dust- and water-resistance rating. Honor’s Magic OS boasts polished AI features, and Honor announced an increased commitment to seven years of Android version and security patch updates with this phone. The Magic 7 Pro’s downsides include its large camera cutout on the front, camera processing that’s sometimes heavy-handed, and its ultrawide camera struggling to match the other two lenses.
Xiaomi Poco X7 Pro for $403: Xiaomi’s Poco X7 Pro is a compelling bargain that combines a lovely 6.67-inch display with relatively fast performance, good battery life, speedy wired charging, and IP68 water resistance. The 50-megapixel main camera is decent. The Poco X7 Pro runs Android 15 with HyperOS on top, and Xiaomi offers three Android version updates and four years of security patches. This was my budget pick before the Poco F7 (discontinued), and then the X8 Pro unseated it.
Doro Aurora A20 for £250: Doro is a Swedish company focused on providing devices that are accessible for older folks. It primarily focuses on phones but also sells a decent video doorbell. The Aurora A20 is an odd spin on the flip phone that may help some people transition to a touchscreen device. It’s like an old candy bar HTC Android phone with a flip-out keypad attached to the bottom. There are lots of thoughtful features, including an alarm button, a spacious keypad, and simplified software. It’s also fairly cheap, but I found the performance sluggish, the camera poor, and the design a bit chunky and heavy.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Realme 14 Pro+ for €369: The color-changing finish may be gimmicky, but it’s fun, and this phone looks and feels far more expensive than it is. There are more highs than lows on the spec sheet: You get a triple-lens camera, an IP68/69 water-resistance rating, a 6,000-mAh battery, and a 6.83-inch OLED display with a 120-Hz refresh rate. But the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset is limited, there’s no wireless charging support, and you don’t get a charger in the box. Even so, it’s still quite a bargain.
Xiaomi 15 for $750: Folks seeking a compact phone could do a lot worse than the Xiaomi 15. It feels lovely and has a 6.36-inch screen, a decent triple-lens camera, and top-notch internals. But it’s a conservative design, and it has software and bloatware issues.
Honor Magic 7 RSR for £1,550: Designed with Porsche, this souped-up version of the 7 Pro above has a fancier design with a hexagonal camera module, a slightly improved telege, and a bigger battery (5,850 mAh). It’s lovely, but it doesn’t do enough to justify the additional outlay.
Avoid These Phones
These aren’t necessarily bad phones, but I think you’d be better served by an option above.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Nothing Phone (3a) Lite: There’s a retro-cool vibe to Nothing’s translucent hardware and pixelated software, and this is currently the cheapest phone it offers in the UK (it wasn’t released in the US). The screen, battery life, and software are decent, but the camera and bloatware were disappointing. I don’t think the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is the worst, but you can do better.
Nubia Z80 Ultra: Similar to my gaming pick above, the Nubia Redmagic 11S Pro, the Nubia Z80 Ultra trades off a better camera for slightly diminished performance and screen quality. It’s also a real brick with an enormous camera module on the back, making it awkward to handle, though I do like the dedicated camera button. Despite a very impressive spec sheet for the money, it manages to feel like less than the sum of its parts. Nubia’s software is subpar, and for this phone, it commits to only three years of security updates and a single Android version upgrade.
Oppo Reno 13 Pro 5G: This slim, lightweight midrange phone boasts a 6.8-inch screen (brightness is limited), a triple-lens camera (solid 50-MP main and televe IP69 water-resistance rating. Battery life is good, and wired charging is fast, but there’s no wireless charging. It’s packed with bloatware but also AI features and tools covering transcription, summarization, ome time with the 13 Pro, I feel you can do better for the money.
Xiaomi Mix Fold 4: Officially released only in China, the Xiaomi Mix Fold 4 is a stylish folding phone with a 6.56-inch outer screen that folds open to reveal a 7.98-inch inner screen. It also offers solid performance and battery life, but despite having a large quad-lens camera module, the camera is underwhelming. The crease is also pronounced, and using a Chinese model is a bit of a pain, as various items are not translated, and getting the apps you want takes work.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Realme GT7 Pro: This potential flagship killer has a 6.78-inch OLED screen, a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and an enormous 6,500-mAh battery. You also get a triple-lens camera, but the 50-megapixel main and telecks wireless charging, and it only seems to be on sale in Germany.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro+: Here, you’ll get an attractive and durable design (IP68), a 200-megapixel Samsung camera sensor, and decent battery life with superfast charging (120 watts). But those wins come at the price of middling performance, poor ultrawide (8 MP) and macro (2 MP) lenses, and a ton of bloatware. Ultimately, there’s little improvement over last year’s Redmi Note 13 Pro+. Not only are there better phones for the same money—there are better Xiaomi phones.
Should You Import One of These Phones?
While some phones are not officially sold in the US (or certain other countries), you can still get your hands on them if you’d like. They’re often easy to buy online, and you may even find some on Amazon. But before you buy, you’ll want to consider a few factors.
Phone Model and Supported Bands
The technologies and specific bands upon which cellular networks rely differ from country to country. While models described as “global” and even specifically UK or European models are likely to work in the US, they may not support all the bands your carrier uses. Missing LTE or 5G bands can mean patchy service or even relegate you to 3G. Chinese and other country-specific models will almost certainly lack some common US bands and may not work on some carrier networks.
You will often find this information in the listing or aggregated on websites like Kimovil, but I recommend checking directly with the manufacturer and your carrier.
Customs Charges
Depending on where you buy, importing a phone can lead to customs charges and add a significant expense to the overall cost. Do your research and factor in any extra fees before you buy.
Android and Google Services
It is common for phones released only in China to ship without any Google services, including the Google Play Store. Many Chinese manufacturers have their own app stores or preinstall third-party app stores for the Chinese market. Sometimes it’s a simple case of checking a box to unlock and download Google services, but it’s not always so easy.
Even where Google services are supported, some Chinese phones won’t work properly with certain apps, such as Android Auto. Lack of support can leave you stuck with specific Chinese default apps and services, and many banking apps won’t work as they would on a US or global model.
With regard to Huawei phones in particular, the company developed an independent ecosystem of apps and services following its US ban. The latest models run HarmonyOS. Although it was originally forked from the Android Open n no longer run Android apps.
I try to use every smartphone I test as my main phone for at least a week, sometimes longer. I stress-test performance by playing the most demanding mobile games and recording videos at the highest resolution. I make calls to test the smartphone’s microphone and speaker quality.
I often test the camera side by side with a competing phone and analyze the photos on a larger, more color-accurate screen. I’ve been reviewing all kinds of smartphones, from budget devices to flagships, for more than a decade.
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