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Best PhoneXiaomi 17 Ultra

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Xiaomi

Runner-UpHonor Magic 8 Pro

Best Folding PhoneHonor Magic V5

$1,580 Amazon

Best Gaming PhoneNubia Redmagic 11 Pro

$749 $729 (3% off) Redmagic

There’s a world of excellent flagship smartphones that push photography to new levels and budget buys that confound expectations, but you won't find them in the US, for various reasons. Some Chinese phone manufacturers are banned, while other brands prefer to focus their efforts in countries where Apple doesn't have a massive market share. Whatever the reason, I've tested these global handsets for years—these are the best phones you can’t officially buy in the US.

Many of these phone makers like to release multiple devices under sub-brands, so here are some basic facts to know: Xiaomi is the brand behind Poco and Redmi; Nubia came from ZTE; Honor was a Huawei subsidiary but separated after Huawei was banned; and Realme spun out of Oppo. Before diving in, it’s worth noting that folks in the UK and elsewhere in Europe can also buy many of the phones in our Best Android Phones, Best iPhones, and Best Cheap Phones guides on sale in the US.

Updated March 2026: I added the Xiaomi 17 Ultra as my new top pick, the Poco X8 Pro as my budget pick, mentions for phones from Honor, Oppo, and Xiaomi, removed several discontinued models, and updated impressions and prices.

- Best Phone

Photograph: Simon Hill

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Xiaomi

17 Ultra

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Xiaomi

The latest flagship sailing out of Xiaomi is the 17 Ultra (there was no 16), and I’m ready to crown it camera king. The now familiar design, with that huge circular camera module on the back, has ostensibly dropped a lens, but the main 50-megapixel shooter boasts a new 1-inch sensor and lens pairing that helped me capture stunning shots in a variety of scenarios. There’s just one telephoto lens this year, but it’s a 200-megapixel shooter that slides between 3.2X (75 mm) and 4.3X (100 mm) optical zoom. A 50-megapixel ultrawide and a 50-megapixel front-facing camera round out a truly top-notch camera system.

The rest of the phone ain’t bad either, with a flat 6.9-inch OLED display, speedy processor, and generous RAM and storage. You also get improved battery life and fast wired or wireless charging. I love the speckly green finish (regular black or white are options). Xiaomi has committed to four Android updates and six years of security patches, too. But no device is perfect, so you'll have to deal with flaws like bloatware, Xiaomi’s HyperOS software, and that colossal camera bump. I also think Xiaomi’s AI features are slightly below par.

I highlighted Xiaomi leaning into its partnership with Leica in last year’s 15 Ultra, but it goes even further with the special edition Leitzphone (£1,699). If you don’t mind spending a chunk more, this retro-camera-style beauty adds Leica touches inside and out, but retains everything that makes the Xiaomi 17 Ultra so good.

SpecsDisplay: 6.73-inch, 120-Hz LTPO, OLEDProcessor and RAM: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 with 16 GB RAMStorage: 512 GB or 1 TBBattery: 6,000 mAhCameras: 50-MP main camera, 50-MP ultrawide, 200-MP telephoto (3.2-4.3X), 50-MP selfie cameraUpdates (from date of manufacture): Four Android OS upgrades and 6 years of security updatesExtras: IP68/69, fingerprint unlock, NFC, fast charging with proprietary charger

- Runner-Up

Photograph: Simon Hill

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Honor

Magic 8 Pro

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For cutting-edge camera performance and AI assistance across the board, Honor’s Magic 8 Pro is tough to beat. While there are no major leaps here, the Magic 8 Pro brings a raft of refinements over Honor’s Magic 7 Pro. A slimmed-down design featuring subtle curves makes this a lovely phone to handle, and Honor has managed to pack in a much bigger silicon-carbon battery. The versatile camera can also zoom in further (3.7X optical zoom) and handles low light and shaky hands with aplomb (night photography is especially strong). That said, the image processing can be heavy-handed at times.

The 6.71-inch screen is gorgeous, razor sharp, and gets very bright. Honor’s Magic OS 10 is seriously slick atop Android 16 (probably the best software of any manufacturer in this guide). This phone is imbued with Honor AI that genuinely adds value, from photo editing to contextual task handling, and you can bring it to life with the dedicated AI button. There’s also support for Google’s Gemini, if you prefer. This is definitely not a phone for AI skeptics. Throw in secure face unlock, incredibly fast wired (100 watts) and wireless charging

7 Best Phones You Can’t Buy in the US (2026) | WIRED