From WIRED · Simon Hill · · 5m
The best phones you can't officially buy in the US
Flagship smartphones from Chinese makers offer cutting-edge cameras, foldables and gaming power unavailable stateside. Here's what you're missing and how to import one.
In brief
Flagship smartphones from Chinese makers offer cutting-edge cameras, foldables and gaming power unavailable stateside. Here's what you're missing and how to import one. Chinese phone makers produce flagship devices with advanced cameras and features that don't sell officially in the US due to bans and market strategy…
Why these phones don't reach America
Chinese phone makers are banned domestically or choose to focus on markets where Apple has less dominance. Excellent flagships with advanced cameras and features remain unavailable in the US.
The camera king: Oppo Find X10 Pro Max
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Oppo's new flagship packs the first triple-lens two hundred megapixel camera system in a phone. Three Samsung sensors deliver macro photography to three X optical zoom with Hasselblad tuning.
Oppo Find X10 Pro Max specs
Six point seven eight inch AMOLED display at one hundred forty four Hz refresh rate.
Oppo Find X10 Pro Max charging and updates
Supports eighty watt wired charging or fifty watt wireless charging. Offers five Android OS upgrades and six years of security updates from date of manufacture.
Runner-up: Xiaomi 17 Ultra
Xiaomi's latest flagship features a new one inch sensor and fifty megapixel main lens. Two hundred megapixel telephoto slides between three point two X and four point three X optical zoom.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra specs and design
Six point nine inch OLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon eight Elite Gen five processor, sixteen GB RAM, five hundred twelve GB or one TB storage, six thousand mAh battery.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra updates and finish
Commits to four Android updates and six years of security patches. Available in speckled green finish alongside regular black or white options.
Best folding phone: Honor Magic V6
Book style foldable measures four point one millimeters open and eight point eight millimeters closed. Features six point five two inch and seven point nine five inch screens with improved battery life and faster charging.
Honor Magic V6 specs and durability
Snapdragon eight Elite processor with twelve or sixteen GB RAM, two hundred fifty six GB to one TB storage, six thousand six hundred sixty mAh battery.Offers seven years of Android OS upgrades and security updates.
Best gaming phone: Nubia Redmagic 11S Pro
Transparent industrial design with built in fans and RGB lighting. Six point eight five inch AMOLED screen at one hundred forty four Hz refresh rate with customizable capacitive touch shoulder triggers.
Redmagic 11S Pro gaming performance
Qualcomm Snapdragon eight Elite Gen five processor overclocked for gaming.Seven thousand five hundred mAh battery, speedy LPDDR five T RAM and UFS four point one Pro storage.
Best midrange phone: Honor 600
Impressively affordable with crisp bright AMOLED display, long battery life and top notch water resistance. Snapdragon seven Gen four processor handles most tasks. Two hundred megapixel main camera enables decent zoom through cropping.
Honor 600 price and availability
Available at Amazon for less than four hundred pounds, about five hundred thirty three dollars. Eight GB RAM feels stingy but price makes it compelling despite weak twelve megapixel ultrawide and bloatware.
Best budget phone: Nothing Phone (4b)
Translucent design with bright colors and customizable LED Glyph Bar stands out from black glass rectangles. Six point seven seven inch Super AMOLED screen, five thousand two hundred mAh battery, IP sixty four rating.
Nothing Phone (4b) performance and camera
Qualcomm Snapdragon six Gen four processor with eight GB RAM and one hundred twenty eight GB storage.Fifty megapixel main camera is fine for the price.Games like Asphalt Legends are playable with occasional dropped frames.
Best repairable phone: Fairphone (Gen. 6)
Scores perfect ten on iFixit's repairability scale. Modular accessories, distraction free mode triggered by dedicated switch, decent camera system. Aims to be environmentally friendly with recycled materials and ethical sourcing.
Fairphone (Gen. 6) availability in US
Costs four hundred forty nine euros or seven hundred forty nine dollars with slash e slash OS via Murena. Good news for US buyers: the newer Fairphone (Gen. six plus) is officially available.
Before you import: check network bands
Cellular networks use different technologies and bands by country. Global and UK or European models likely work in US but may not support all carrier bands. Chinese models almost certainly lack common US bands.
Before you import: customs and Google services
Importing can incur customs charges adding significant expense. Chinese phones often ship without Google services including Play Store. Some won't work properly with Android Auto or banking apps.
Before you import: Huawei's separate ecosystem
Huawei phones run HarmonyOS, completely separate from Android after US ban. Originally forked from Android Open Source Project but now independent. Cannot run Android apps.
What matters most
Chinese phone makers produce flagship devices with advanced cameras and features that don't sell officially in the US due to bans and market strategy, but can be imported.
