Other Good International Phones

These phones are worth considering if you have yet to see something you like.

Xiaomi Poco F7 for $366: The latest release from Xiaomi’s Poco brand comes close to a place above, combining the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor with a lovely 6.83-inch AMOLED screen and a big 6,500 mAh battery. There’s no scrimping on the rest of the spec sheet, with Wi-Fi 7 support, an IP68 rating, and 256 GB of UFS 4.1 storage in the base model. The main camera even has a 50-MP Sony IMX882 lens, though the 8-MP ultrawide and 20-MP front-facing cameras aren’t great. I love the silver model, but it also comes in white or black. I think the X7 Pro above, now dropping in price, is a bigger bargain, but the F7 is a better phone and worth considering if you don’t mind spending a bit more.

Oppo Find N5 for $1,265: It’s a real shame that the Find N5 won’t even land in the UK or Europe, because the world’s slimmest book-style foldable (3.6 millimeters open) is a lovely phone. The 6.62-inch cover display and 8.12-inch inner display are excellent, and the Find N5 has top specs all the way (Snapdragon 8 Elite, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB storage, 5,600-mAh battery, 80-watt wired and 50-watt wireless charging). The triple-lens camera (50-MP main, 50-MP telephoto, 8-MP ultrawide) is the most obvious compromise, a necessity for this form factor. The slightly buggy software and bloatware are the only other detractors, but the potential pain of importing will be enough to put most folks off.

Xiaomi Poco F7 Ultra for £569 and F7 Pro for £449: While Poco has traditionally been a budget brand, the aptly named F7 Ultra takes it into new territory. This phone boasts a few flagship-level features, such as the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset with the VisionBoost D7 for graphics, a powerful triple-lens camera, and a lovely, high-resolution 6.67-inch display with a 120-Hz refresh rate. It also scores an IP68 rating and offers up to 50-watt wireless charging. The catch is a price hike over previous Poco F series releases, but at the early-bird price, the F7 Ultra is a compelling bargain. The F7 Pro is more in line with what we expect from the brand, with an older processor, limited camera, and no wireless charging. Both run Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2 and have too much bloatware, but Xiaomi now promises four Android version upgrades and 6 years of security patches.

Photograph: Simon Hill

Realme 14 Pro+ for €530: 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 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 no charger in the box. It is still quite a bargain and should be landing in the UK soon.

Photograph: Simon Hill

Xiaomi 15 for £899: Folks seeking a more compact phone than the Xiaomi 15 Ultra could do a lot worse than its smaller sibling. The Xiaomi 15 feels lovely, with a 6.36-inch screen, a decent triple-lens camera, and top-notch internals. But it’s a conservative design, kind of pricey, and it has the same software and bloatware issues as the Ultra.

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 telephoto lens, 24 GB of RAM (likely largely pointless), 1 TB of storage, and a bigger battery (5,850 mAh). It’s lovely, but it doesn’t do enough to justify the additional outlay.

Oppo Find X8 Pro for £800: The last two Oppo flagships didn’t officially make it to the UK and Europe, so the X8 Pro marks a welcome return. This is a polished phone with a quad-lens camera (all 50 MP), but it feels like a downgrade from the Find X7 Ultra I used last year because of the smaller sensor. It is fast, with excellent battery life, speedy wired and wireless charging, IP68/69 protection, and no obvious omissions. But it’s pricey, and flagships should not have bloatware. I’d prefer to wait for the X8 Ultra.

Photograph: Simon Hill

Honor 200 Pro for £360: I don’t love the design of the Honor 200 Pro, but it has a versatile triple-lens camera with a capable portrait mode. There are also some useful AI features, and the battery life is good, with fast wired and wireless charging. It cost £200 more at launch, but at this new lower price, it is a far more attractive option.

Xiaomi Mix Flip for £629: Xiaomi’s first flip phone is surprisingly good, with two relatively bright and roomy screens, solid stamina, fast charging, and snappy performance. It’s a shame Xiaomi didn’t craft more flip-screen-specific features. It doesn’t help that the Mix Flip was too expensive at launch (£1,099), but at this reduced price, it’s a decent shout for folks craving a folding flip phone.

Nubia Z70 Ultra for £649: Much like last year’s Z60 Ultra, the Z70 Ultra is a value-packed brick with an excellent 6.8-inch display, Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, versatile triple-lens camera, and 6,150-mAh battery. Unfortunately, the camera is inconsistent and poor at recording video, and the software is shoddy (with only three Android version updates promised).

Photograph: Simon Hill

Xiaomi 14T Pro for £465: As the mid-year follow-up to Xiaomi’s flagship 14, the 14T Pro is a bit of a bargain and has dropped in price since I reviewed it. The basics are nailed, with a big screen, good performance, plenty of stamina, and a solid camera. But there is bloatware, Xiaomi’s software, and the lack of wireless charging to contend with.

OnePlus Nord 4 for £310: With a metal unibody, the Nord 4 stands out and also boasts an excellent screen, enough processing power for most folks, impressive battery life, and fast charging. The main camera is fine, and there’s a nifty AquaTouch feature that lets you use the phone with wet hands. But there’s no wireless charging, the ultrawide camera is disappointing, and there’s some bloatware.

Avoid These Phones

These aren’t bad phones necessarily, but I think you’d be better served by something above.

Oppo Reno 13 Pro 5G for £620: This slim, lightweight midranger boasts a 6.8-inch screen (brightness is limited), a triple-lens camera (solid 50-MP main and telephoto lenses with a disappointing 8-MP ultrawide), and an impressive IP69 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, image editing, and more that may add value for some folks. Performance-wise, it can’t keep up with the similarly priced Poco F7 Ultra above. After some time with the 13 Pro, I’m not convinced it justifies such a major price bump over last year’s 12 Pro (it costs an extra £150), and you can do better for this money.

Xiaomi Mix Fold 4 for $1,399: Only officially released 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 things are not translated, and there’s work in getting the apps you want.

Photograph: Simon Hill

Realme GT7 Pro for $529: 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 telephoto lenses are let down by the 8-megapixel ultrawide. It also lacks wireless charging, and you’ll have to import it to the UK, as it only seems to be on sale in Germany.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro+ for £309: An attractive, durable design (IP68), a 200-megapixel Samsung camera sensor, and decent battery life with superfast charging (120-watts) must be balanced against 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+, and it’s not just that there are better phones for the same money; there are better Xiaomi phones.

Photograph: Simon Hill

Xiaomi Poco F6 for £270: A real bargain when first released, the Poco F6 series is still tempting with a big screen, decent performance, and a pretty capable camera, but there’s bloatware, shoddy software, and limited long-term support. The F6 is a better value than the Pro.

Photograph: Simon Hill

Motorola Edge 50 Pro for £285: It may be falling in price, but the Motorola Edge 50 Pro (7/10, WIRED Review) only has a couple of Android upgrades to go. While the design is compact and there’s a lovely display, I found it lacked processing power, with sometimes sluggish camera performance, and there are better options above.

Nubia Flip 5G for £346: I had some fun with the Nubia Flip 5G (6/10, WIRED Review), and it was the cheapest flip foldable available for a while. The circular cover screen is cute, but it can’t do much. The performance was average a year ago, and the annoying software and update policy are major strikes against it.

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