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Samsung has launched its latest flagship phone, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, and, as in years past, added a quartet of cameras to the back. Samsung is arguably the best camera phone you can buy in the US, but a recent trip to Mobile World Congress reminded me that there's more out there than just Samsung.
Indeed, two of the best camera phones you can buy live outside the US.
Also: The best Android phones to buy in 2025
The Xiaomi 17 and the Oppo Find X9 Pro are two juggernauts in the camera industry. Each company has a partnership with a respected camera brand -- Xiaomi has been working with Leica, and Oppo has kept its Hasselblad cooperation rolling.
So I wanted to take all three phones out and put the cameras through their paces to see what each could bring to the table.
Meet the contenders
Adam Doud/ZDNET
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has a 200-megapixel main camera with a f/1.4 aperture, along with 50-megapixel telephoto and ultrawide cameras with a 5x optical zoom and 120-degree field of view, respectively. Also adding to the arsenal is a 10-megapixel 3x zoom camera.
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