Different Good Worldwide Telephones
These telephones are price contemplating you probably have but to see one thing you want.
{Photograph}: Simon Hill
Oppo Discover N6 for $1,959: Touting a creaseless 8.12-inch show, the Discover N6 is a superbly engineered folding cellphone that’s impossibly slim and light-weight. Regardless of the promise, the crease continues to be discernible, however you’ll hardly discover it when the display is on, although you’ll really feel it in the event you use the optionally available stylus. Efficiency is impressively slick, with sufficient stamina to see you thru a busy day, and the digicam system is superb. It’s an enormous step up over final 12 months’s N5, with a 200-MP important shooter, 50-MP telephoto, and 50-MP ultrawide, although it could actually’t fairly compete with the Xiaomi 17 Extremely above. The worldwide mannequin has all of your acquainted Google apps, however you’ll must import in order for you it, because the cellphone shouldn’t be going to be formally launched within the West. That’s the primary cause it fails to edge out Honor’s foldable above.
Infinix Word 60 Extremely for $750: Designed with the assistance of Pininfarina, well-known for iconic automobiles from Ferrari and Maserati, the Word 60 Extremely seems attention-grabbing, with a particular curved glass part over the digicam module that additionally homes a small matrix show. The cellphone arrives in a grand field with a curvy car-shaped wi-fi charger. The specs are strong, aside from the distinctly not “Extremely” chipset (MediaTek’s Dimensity 8400 Final), however availability seems to be very restricted for now.
{Photograph}: Simon Hill
Xiaomi 17 Professional Max for $1,033: With a refreshing design that includes a second, smaller display on the again that encompasses the digicam lenses, the Xiaomi 17 Professional Max and 17 Professional are a bit of totally different. Xiaomi got here up with numerous cute methods to make use of this auxiliary show, together with selfie preview for superior selfies with the primary digicam, music controls, customizable themes, and digital pets. There’s even a retro gaming case that permits you to play Offended Birds on there, although it feels a bit foolish when there’s a 6.7-inch display on the opposite facet. Other than the second display, the 17 Professional Max is a typical Xiaomi specs beast, and the 17 Professional isn’t far behind, however neither has been formally launched exterior of China but.
{Photograph}: Simon Hill
Oppo Discover X9 Professional for £1,099: Pictures followers should try the Oppo Discover X9 Professional. The 200-megapixel telephoto lens helps 3X optical zoom and might take wonderful pictures at 6X zoom by cropping pictures all the way down to 50 megapixels. However to kick issues up a notch, you’ll want the removable Hasselblad Teleconverter Package. This huge lens slots into place on the case and provides one other 3.28X zoom, although it’s tough to make use of with out a tripod. A further trio of 50-MP lenses, with all 4 supporting 4K video recording at 60 fps with HDR, makes this an excellent decide for creatives. Spectacular specs embody a 6.78-inch flat show, IP66/68/69 scores, and a 7,500-mAh silicon-carbon battery that’s good for 2 days.
Xiaomi Poco F8 Extremely for £749 and F8 Professional for £549: Xiaomi’s cheaper, enjoyable, youthful model Poco offers it room to experiment, however the firm’s personal 15T Professional is a greater purchase on this value bracket. What the F8 Extremely affords that you simply gained’t discover elsewhere is a enjoyable or terrible (relying in your tastes) denim end on the again. There are additionally Bose-tuned audio system, a wonderful 6.9-inch show, and an unlimited 6,500-mAh battery. It additionally has a flagship-level Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and beneficiant RAM and storage. There’s even a trio of 50-MP lenses within the digicam. The F8 Professional is barely smaller, however drops little from the spec sheet, making it the higher discount.
Honor Magic 7 Professional for $990 (£899): Honor’s Magic 7 Professional was 2025’s wonderful flagship cellphone, that includes a strong triple-lens digicam, a stunning 6.8-inch display, speedy efficiency, good battery life, and a twin IP68 and IP69 score. Honor’s Magic OS boasts polished AI options, and Honor introduced an elevated dedication to seven years of Android model and safety patch updates with this cellphone. On the draw back, the Magic 7 Professional has a big digicam cut-out on the entrance, the digicam processing is typically heavy-handed, and the ultrawide digicam struggles to match the opposite two lenses.
{Photograph}: Simon Hill
Honor 400 Professional for $715 (£656): A strong various to the 15T Professional above, Honor’s modern and slick 400 Professional is filled with goodies ordinarily reserved for flagship telephones. The rounded edges and delicate end really feel pretty in-hand. Honor has guess large on AI options, together with a debut for Google’s image-to-video AI. The triple-lens digicam includes a succesful 200-MP important shooter with a 50-MP telephoto lens and a weak-link 12-MP ultrawide that additionally handles macro pictures. There’s a 50-MP selfie cam too. The 6.7-inch display may be very shiny whenever you want it to be, there’s a comparatively snappy Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and Wi-Fi 7 help, and the 400 Professional scores an IP68/69 score. The 5,300-mAh silicon-carbon battery supplies loads of stamina and fees quick, at as much as 100 watts wired and 50 watts wi-fi. Honor guarantees six years of Android updates for this cellphone.
Xiaomi Poco X7 Professional for $399 (£349): Xiaomi’s Poco X7 Professional is a compelling discount that mixes a beautiful 6.67-inch show with comparatively quick efficiency, good battery life, speedy wired charging, and IP68 water resistance. The 50-megapixel important digicam is first rate. The Poco X7 Professional runs Android 15 with HyperOS on high, and Xiaomi affords three Android model updates and 4 years of safety patches. This was my price range decide, however the Poco F7 (discontinued), then the X8 Professional unseated it.
{Photograph}: Simon Hill
Xiaomi 15 Extremely for £995: Final 12 months’s Xiaomi 15 Extremely continues to be a top-notch cellphone in each regard, and you’ll an honest low cost on it now. The quad-lens digicam is as versatile as they arrive, a 50-megapixel major, 50-megapixel ultrawide, 50-megapixel 3X optical zoom, and a 200-megapixel periscope sensor with 4.3X optical zoom (picture samples in my assessment). You additionally get a 6.73-inch display, beneficiant storage, strong battery life, and quick wired or wi-fi charging.
Doro Aurora A20 for £230: Doro is a Swedish firm targeted on offering units for older of us, principally telephones, but additionally an honest video doorbell. The Aurora A20 is an odd spin on the flip cellphone which will assist some individuals transition to a touchscreen gadget. It’s like an previous candybar HTC Android cellphone with a flip-out keypad connected to the underside. There are many considerate options, together with an alarm button, a spacious keypad, and simplified software program. It’s additionally pretty low cost, however I discovered the efficiency sluggish, the digicam poor, and the design a bit chunky and heavy.
Xiaomi Poco F7 Extremely for £506 and F7 Professional for £549: Whereas Poco has historically been a price range model, the aptly named F7 Extremely takes it into new territory. This cellphone boasts a number of flagship-level options, such because the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset with the VisionBoost D7 for graphics, a robust triple-lens digicam, and a beautiful, high-resolution 6.67-inch show with a 120-Hz refresh price. It additionally scores an IP68 score and affords as much as 50-watt wi-fi charging. The catch is a value hike over earlier Poco F sequence releases. The F7 Professional is extra in step with what we anticipate from the model, with an older processor, restricted digicam, and no wi-fi charging. Each run Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2 and have an excessive amount of bloatware, however Xiaomi now guarantees 4 Android model upgrades and 6 years of safety patches.
{Photograph}: Simon Hill
Realme 14 Professional+ for €530: The colour-changing end could also be gimmicky, nevertheless it’s enjoyable, and this cellphone seems and feels far costlier than it’s. There are extra highs than lows on the spec sheet. You get a triple-lens digicam, an IP68/69 score, a 6,000-mAh battery, and a 6.83-inch OLED show with a 120-Hz refresh price, however the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset is restricted, there is no wi-fi charging help, and no charger within the field. It’s nonetheless fairly a discount.
Xiaomi 15 for £701: People searching for a extra compact cellphone than the Xiaomi 15 Extremely might do lots worse than its smaller sibling. The Xiaomi 15 feels pretty, with a 6.36-inch display, an honest triple-lens digicam, and top-notch internals. However it’s a conservative design, and it has the identical software program and bloatware points because the Extremely.
Honor Magic 7 RSR for £1,550: Designed with Porsche, this souped-up model of the 7 Professional above has a fancier design with a hexagonal digicam module, a barely improved telephoto lens, 24 GB of RAM (possible largely pointless), 1 TB of storage, and a much bigger battery (5,850 mAh). It’s pretty, nevertheless it doesn’t do sufficient to justify the extra outlay.
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{Photograph}: Simon Hill
Honor 200 Professional for £365: I don’t love the design of the Honor 200 Professional, nevertheless it has a flexible triple-lens digicam with a succesful portrait mode. There are additionally some helpful AI options, and the battery life is nice, with quick wired and wi-fi charging. It value extra at launch, however at this new lower cost, it’s a much more enticing choice.
Oppo Discover X8 Professional for £1,249: The final two Oppo flagships didn’t formally make it to the UK and Europe, so the X8 Professional marked a welcome return. It is a polished cellphone with a quad-lens digicam (all 50 MP), nevertheless it appears like a downgrade from the Discover X7 Extremely I examined due to the smaller sensor. It’s quick, with wonderful battery life, speedy wired and wi-fi charging, IP68/69 safety, and no apparent omissions. However it’s dear, and flagships mustn’t have bloatware.
Keep away from These Telephones
These aren’t unhealthy telephones essentially, however I feel you’d be higher served by one thing above.
{Photograph}: Simon Hill
Nothing Telephone (3a) Lite: There’s a retro-cool to Nothing’s translucent {hardware} and pixelated software program, and that is at present the most affordable cellphone it affords within the UK (it wasn’t launched within the US). The display, battery life, and software program are first rate, however the digicam and bloatware have been disappointing. I don’t suppose the Nothing Telephone (3a) Lite is unhealthy, however you are able to do higher.
Nubia Z80 Extremely: It is a related cellphone to our gaming decide above, although it trades off a greater digicam for barely diminished efficiency and display high quality. It’s additionally an actual brick with an unlimited digicam module on the again, making it awkward to deal with, although I do just like the devoted digicam button. Regardless of a really spectacular spec sheet for the cash, it manages to really feel like lower than the sum of its elements. Nubia’s software program is properly under par, and it commits to solely three years of safety updates and a single Android model improve for this cellphone.
Oppo Reno 13 Professional 5G: This slim, light-weight midranger boasts a 6.8-inch display (brightness is restricted), a triple-lens digicam (strong 50-MP important and telephoto lenses with a disappointing 8-MP ultrawide), and a formidable IP69 score. Battery life is nice, and wired charging is quick, however there’s no wi-fi charging. It’s filled with bloatware but additionally AI options and instruments masking transcription, summarization, picture enhancing, and extra which will add worth for some of us. Efficiency-wise, it could actually’t sustain with the equally priced Poco F7 Extremely above. After a while with the 13 Professional, I’m not satisfied it justifies such a serious value bump over final 12 months’s 12 Professional (it prices an additional £150), and you are able to do higher for this cash.
Xiaomi Combine Fold 4: Formally launched solely in China, the Xiaomi Combine Fold 4 is a classy folding cellphone with a 6.56-inch outer display that folds open to disclose a 7.98-inch inside display. It additionally affords strong efficiency and battery life, however regardless of having a big quad-lens digicam module, the digicam is underwhelming. The crease can be pronounced, and utilizing a Chinese language mannequin is a little bit of a ache as numerous issues should not translated, and there’s work in getting the apps you need.
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{Photograph}: Simon Hill
Realme GT7 Professional: This potential flagship killer has a 6.78-inch OLED display, a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and an unlimited 6,500-mAh battery. You additionally get a triple-lens digicam, however the 50-megapixel important and telephoto lenses are let down by the 8-megapixel ultrawide. It additionally lacks wi-fi charging, and also you’ll must import it to the UK, because it solely appears to be on sale in Germany.
Xiaomi Redmi Word 14 Professional+: A beautiful, sturdy design (IP68), a 200-megapixel Samsung digicam sensor, and first rate battery life with superfast charging (120-watts) have to be balanced towards middling efficiency, poor ultrawide (8 MP) and macro (2 MP) lenses, and a ton of bloatware. In the end, there’s little enchancment over final 12 months’s Redmi Word 13 Professional+, and it’s not simply that there are higher telephones for a similar cash; there are higher Xiaomi telephones.
Ought to You Import Considered one of These Telephones?
Whereas some telephones should not formally offered within the US or different nations, you’ll be able to nonetheless get your palms on them. They’re straightforward to purchase on-line, and chances are you’ll even discover some on Amazon, however there are some things to think about earlier than shopping for.
Telephone Mannequin and Supported Bands
The applied sciences and particular bands that mobile networks depend on differ from nation to nation. Whereas fashions described as “world” and even UK or European fashions are more likely to work within the US, they might not help all of the bands your service makes use of. Lacking LTE or 5G bands can imply patchy service and even relegate you to 3G. Chinese language and different country-specific fashions will virtually definitely lack some widespread US bands and should not work on some service networks.
All the time examine the supported bands and cross-reference together with your service. You’ll usually discover this data within the itemizing or aggregated on web sites like Kimovil, however I like to recommend checking straight with the producer and your service.
Customs Costs
Relying on the place you purchase, importing a cellphone can result in customs fees and add a big expense to the general value. Do your analysis and issue within the potential additional charge before you purchase.
Android and Google Providers
It is not uncommon for telephones launched solely in China to ship with none Google providers, together with the Google Play Retailer. Many Chinese language producers have their very own app shops or preinstall third-party app shops on their telephones for the Chinese language market. Generally it is a easy case of checking a field to unlock and obtain Google providers, however this isn’t at all times true.
Even the place Google providers are supported, some Chinese language telephones by no means work correctly with sure apps, akin to Android Auto. You’re usually caught with particular Chinese language default apps and providers, and lots of banking apps gained’t work as they might on a US or world mannequin.
I attempt to use each smartphone I take a look at as my important cellphone for no less than per week, generally longer. I stress-test efficiency by taking part in essentially the most demanding cellular video games and recording video on the highest decision. I make calls to check the smartphone’s microphone and speaker high quality.
I usually take a look at the digicam facet by facet with a competing cellphone and analyze the photographs on a bigger, extra color-accurate display. I have been reviewing all types of smartphones, from price range units to flagships, for greater than a decade.
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