Other Good International Phones
These phones are worth considering if you have yet to see something you like.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Xiaomi 17 Pro Max for £767: With a refreshing design featuring a second, smaller screen on the back that encompasses the camera lenses, the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max and 17 Pro are a little different. Xiaomi came up with various cute ways to employ this auxiliary display, including selfie preview for superior selfies with the main camera, music controls, customizable themes, and virtual pets. There’s even a retro gaming case that lets you play Angry Birds on there, though it feels a bit silly when there’s a 6.7-inch screen on the other side. Aside from the second screen, the 17 Pro Max is a typical Xiaomi specs beast, and the 17 Pro isn’t far behind, but neither has been officially released outside of China yet.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Oppo Find X9 Pro for £1,099: Photography fans must check out the Oppo Find X9 Pro. The 200-megapixel telephoto lens supports 3X optical zoom and can take excellent shots at 6X zoom by cropping images down to 50 megapixels. But to kick things up a notch, you’ll need the detachable Hasselblad Teleconverter Kit. This enormous lens slots into place on the case and adds another 3.28X zoom, though it’s tricky to use without a tripod. An additional trio of 50-MP lenses, with all four supporting 4K video recording at 60 fps with HDR, makes this a great pick for creatives. Impressive specs include a 6.78-inch flat display, IP66/68/69 ratings, and a 7,500-mAh silicon-carbon battery that’s good for two days.
Xiaomi Poco F8 Ultra for £749 and F8 Pro for £549: Xiaomi’s cheaper, fun, youthful brand Poco gives it room to experiment, but the company’s own 15T Pro is a better buy in this price bracket. What the F8 Ultra offers that you won’t find elsewhere is a fun or awful (depending on your tastes) denim finish on the back. There are also Bose-tuned speakers, an excellent 6.9-inch display, and an enormous 6,500 mAh battery. It also has a flagship-level Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and generous RAM and storage. There’s even a trio of 50-MP lenses in the camera. The F8 Pro is slightly smaller, but drops little from the spec sheet, making it the better bargain.
Honor Magic 7 Pro for $1,021 (£849): Honor’s Magic 7 Pro was last year’s excellent flagship phone, featuring a solid triple-lens camera, a gorgeous 6.8-inch screen, speedy performance, good battery life, and a dual IP68 and IP69 rating. Honor’s Magic OS boasts polished AI features, and Honor announced an increased commitment to seven years of Android version and security patch updates with this phone. On the downside, the Magic 7 Pro has a large camera cut-out on the front, the camera processing is sometimes heavy-handed, and the ultrawide camera struggles to match the other two lenses.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Honor 400 Pro for $800 (£478): A solid alternative to the 15T Pro above, Honor’s sleek and slick 400 Pro is packed with goodies ordinarily reserved for flagship phones. The rounded edges and soft finish feel lovely in-hand. Honor has bet big on AI features, including a debut for Google’s image-to-video AI. The triple-lens camera comprises a capable 200-MP main shooter with a 50-MP telephoto lens and a weak-link 12-MP ultrawide that also handles macro photography. There’s a 50-MP selfie cam too. The 6.7-inch screen is very bright when you need it to be, there’s a relatively snappy Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, Wi-Fi 7 support, and the 400 Pro scores an IP68/69 rating. The 5,300-mAh silicon-carbon battery provides plenty of stamina and charges fast, at up to 100 watts wired and 50 watts wireless. Honor promises six years of Android updates for this phone.
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