There’s a world of excellent phones—flagship smartphones that push photography to new levels, and budget buys that defy expectations—that you won’t find in the US for various reasons. Some Chinese phone manufacturers are banned domestically, while other brands prefer to focus their efforts in countries where Apple doesn’t have a massive market share. Whatever the explanation, I have a strong grasp of the best phones you can’t officially buy in the US, having tested global handsets for years.
\n\nMany of these phone manufacturers release multiple devices under sub-brands. With that in mind, here’s some basic information: Xiaomi is the brand behind Poco and Redmi; Nubia came from ZTE; Honor was a subsidiary of Huawei but separated after Huawei was banned in the US; and Realme spun out of Oppo. Folks in the UK and elsewhere in Europe can buy many of the phones in our guides to the Best Android Phones, Best iPhones, and Best Cheap Phones that are for sale in the US.
\n\nUpdated October 2026: I added the Oppo Find X10 Pro Max, Nothing Phone (4b), mentions of the TCL P80 Ultra, Xiaomi Poco F9 Ultra and Pro, and Xiaomi Redmi Note 17 Pro Max, and removed some…
Original source: https://www.wired.com/