5 Best Phones You Can’t Buy in the US (2025), Tested and Reviewed Leave a comment

Different Good Worldwide Telephones

These telephones are value contemplating when you’ve got but to see one thing you want.

{Photograph}: Simon Hill

Oppo Find N5 for £1,106: It’s an actual disgrace that the Discover N5 received’t even land within the UK or Europe, as a result of the world’s slimmest book-style foldable (3.6 millimeters open) is a stunning telephone. The 6.62-inch cowl show and eight.12-inch inside show are glorious, and the Discover N5 has high specs all the way in which (Snapdragon 8 Elite, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB storage, 5,600-mAh battery, 80-watt wired and 50-watt wi-fi charging). The triple-lens digital camera (50-MP important, 50-MP telephoto, 8-MP ultrawide) is the obvious compromise, a necessity for this way issue. The marginally buggy software program and bloatware are the one different detractors, however the potential ache of importing might be sufficient to place most people off.

Xiaomi Poco F7 Ultra for £649 and F7 Pro for £499: Whereas Poco has historically been a funds model, the aptly named F7 Extremely takes it into new territory. This telephone boasts a number of flagship-level options, such because the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset with the VisionBoost D7 for graphics, a strong triple-lens digital camera, and a stunning, high-resolution 6.67-inch show with a 120-Hz refresh fee. It additionally scores an IP68 score and presents as much as 50-watt wi-fi charging. The catch is a worth hike over earlier Poco F collection releases, however on the early-bird worth, the F7 Extremely is a compelling cut price. The F7 Professional is extra consistent with what we anticipate from the model, with an older processor, restricted digital camera, 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.

Realme 14 Pro+ for €530: The colour-changing end could also be gimmicky, nevertheless it’s enjoyable, and this telephone seems to be and feels far dearer than it’s. There are extra highs than lows on the spec sheet. You get a triple-lens digital camera, an IP68/69 score, a 6,000-mAh battery, and a 6.83-inch OLED show with a 120-Hz refresh fee, 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 cut price and ought to be touchdown within the UK quickly.

Xiaomi 15 for £899: People searching for a extra compact telephone than the Xiaomi 15 Extremely may do loads worse than its smaller sibling. The Xiaomi 15 feels pretty, with a 6.36-inch display, an honest triple-lens digital camera, and top-notch internals. But it surely’s a conservative design, form of dear, 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 digital camera module, a barely improved telephoto lens, 24 GB of RAM (probably largely pointless), 1 TB of storage, and an even bigger battery (5,850 mAh). It’s pretty however doesn’t do sufficient to justify the extra outlay.

Oppo Find X8 Pro for £1,099: The final two Oppo flagships didn’t formally make it to the UK and Europe, so the X8 Professional marks a welcome return. This can be a polished telephone with a quad-lens digital camera (all 50 MP), nevertheless it appears like a downgrade from the Discover X7 Extremely I used final 12 months due to the smaller sensor. It’s quick, with glorious battery life, speedy wired and wi-fi charging, IP68/69 safety, and no apparent omissions. But it surely’s dear, and flagships mustn’t have bloatware. I’d desire to attend for the X8 Extremely.

Honor 200 Pro for £499: I don’t love the design of the Honor 200 Professional (7/10, WIRED Evaluation), nevertheless it has a flexible triple-lens digital camera 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 price £200 extra at launch, however at this new lower cost, it’s a way more engaging possibility.

Xiaomi Mix Flip for £749: Xiaomi’s first flip telephone is surprisingly good, with two comparatively vivid and roomy screens, stable stamina, quick charging, and snappy efficiency. It’s a disgrace Xiaomi didn’t craft extra flip screen-specific options. It would not assist that the Combine Flip was too costly at launch (£1,099), however at this lowered worth, it’s an honest shout for folk craving a folding flip telephone.

Nubia Z70 Ultra for £749: Very similar to final 12 months’s Z60 Extremely (6/10, WIRED Evaluation), the Z70 Extremely is a value-packed brick with a wonderful 6.8-inch show, Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, versatile triple-lens digital camera, and 6,150-mAh battery. Sadly, the digital camera is inconsistent and poor at recording video, and the software program is shoddy (with solely three Android model updates promised).

Oppo Reno 12 Pro for £395: There are a few causes to think about the Reno 12 Professional: the digital camera and the battery life. A important digital camera and a telephoto lens, each rated at 50 megapixels, are uncommon at this worth (there’s additionally an 8-MP ultrawide and a 50-MP selfie digital camera). However I don’t just like the plastic design, there’s bloatware galore, and the efficiency is simply OK.

Xiaomi 14T Pro for £470: Because the mid-year follow-up to Xiaomi’s flagship 14, the 14T Professional (7/10, WIRED Evaluation) is a little bit of a cut price and has dropped in worth since I reviewed it. The fundamentals are nailed, with a giant display, good efficiency, loads of stamina, and a stable digital camera. However there’s bloatware, Xiaomi’s software program, and the shortage of wi-fi charging to cope with.

OnePlus Nord 4 for £369: With a steel unibody, the Nord 4 stands out and likewise boasts a wonderful display, sufficient processing energy for most people, spectacular battery life, and quick charging. The primary digital camera is okay, and there’s a nifty AquaTouch characteristic that permits you to use the telephone with moist fingers. However there is no wi-fi charging, the ultrawide digital camera is disappointing, and there’s some bloatware.

Keep away from These Telephones

These aren’t dangerous telephones essentially, however we expect you’d be higher served by one thing above.

Xiaomi Mix Fold 4 for £1,085: Solely formally launched in China, the Xiaomi Combine Fold 4 is a classy folding telephone with a 6.56-inch outer display that folds open to disclose a 7.98-inch inside display. It additionally presents stable efficiency and battery life, however regardless of having a big quad-lens digital camera module, the digital camera is underwhelming. The crease can be pronounced, and utilizing a Chinese language mannequin is a little bit of a ache as varied issues should not translated, and there’s work in getting the apps you need.

Realme GT7 Pro for £774: 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 digital camera, 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 Note 14 Pro+ for £369: A sexy, sturdy design (IP68), a 200-megapixel Samsung digital camera sensor, and first rate battery life with superfast charging (120-watts) have to be balanced in opposition to 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+ (6/10, WIRED Evaluation), and it’s not simply that there are higher telephones for a similar cash; there are higher Xiaomi telephones.

Xiaomi Poco F6 for £268 or F6 Pro for £339: An actual cut price when first launched, the Poco F6 collection (7/10, WIRED Recommends) remains to be tempting with a giant display, first rate efficiency, and a reasonably succesful digital camera, however there’s bloatware, shoddy software program, and restricted long-term help. The F6 is a greater worth than the Professional.

Motorola Edge 50 Pro for £399: It could be falling in worth, however the Motorola Edge 50 Professional (7/10, WIRED Evaluation) solely has a few Android upgrades to go. Whereas the design is compact and there’s a stunning show, I discovered it lacked processing energy, with generally sluggish digital camera efficiency, and there are higher choices above.

Nubia Flip 5G for £419: We had some enjoyable with the Nubia Flip 5G (6/10, WIRED Evaluation), and it was the most cost effective flip foldable accessible for some time. The round cowl display is cute, however it may’t do a lot. The efficiency was common a 12 months in the past, and the annoying software program and replace coverage are main strikes in opposition to it.