The Best Phones You Can’t Get In the US

Walk into any store that sells phones and you’ll see the same dozen handsets lining the walls, along with a few carrier exclusives and lots of accessories. That’s because the majority of phones sold in the US are made by Apple, Motorola, or Samsung.

Walk into a mobile store in China or Germany, on the other hand, and you’ll find a much wider assortment of brands. Companies like Oppo, Realme, and Xiaomi offer exciting, innovative, and oftentimes cheaper alternatives to the phones we get here. 

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At PCMag we only review phones you can buy stateside, but we still get pitched on models available around the world, and sometimes we get our hands on them. While we would like to use a few of these phones as our daily drivers, doing so isn't feasible. Even if you purchase a “global” phone on Amazon, for instance, it likely won't work properly in the US. You might get spotty service, for starters, and you almost certainly won't get 5G coverage. 

That said, it's still interesting to take a look at these phones we can't get or use here, because very often they have features that make their way to phones we can buy. With that in mind, we've collected the best international phones. With any luck, we'll see some of their innovations adopted in US models soon enough.

Xiaomi Mi 11

Xiaomi is one of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world, but alas, not in the US. And that’s a shame, because the Xiaomi Mi 11 (starting around $1,040) is easily one of the best phones of the year. 

The Mi 11 sports a bezel-less, 6.81-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It has a resolution of 3,200 by 1,440 pixels, a 1,500-nit peak brightness, and supports HDR10+. But what really sets it apart are its speakers, high-resolution audio, and LDAC support. Simply put, this phone enables a multimedia streaming experience like no other. 

The selfie cam clocks in at 20MP, while on the back you’ll find a 108MP primary sensor, a 13MP ultrawide lens, and a 5MP macro lens

A Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset powers the phone, and the least expensive model comes with 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM. 128GB/8GB, 256GB/8GB, and 256GB/12GB options are also available. It works on LTE and sub-6GHz 5G networks and has a beefy 4,500mAh battery that should easily last a day and then some. 

Oppo Find X3 Pro 

Oppo consistently delivers top-notch flagships, and the 2021 Find X3 Pro (starting around $1,300) is no exception. 

A 6.7-inch, 3,216-by-1,440 LTPO AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate defines the front of the phone; the panel supports HDR10+ with a peak brightness of 1,300 nits. A 32MP, wide-angle selfie lens sits at the top of the display. 

On the back, the quad-camera stack integrates a 50MP primary sensory, a 13MP telephoto lens, a 50MP ultrawide lens, and a 3MP microscope lens capable of 60x magnification. The module also houses a built-in ring flash.

The Find X3 Pro uses the Qualcomm 888 mobile platform and works on LTE and sub-6GHz 5G networks. The base model comes with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM; 256GB/12GB and 512GB/6GB variants are also available. The phone's 4,500mAh battery supports 65W fast charging and 30W fast wireless charging. 

Vivo x70 Pro+

Although the Vivo x70 Pro+ (starting around $1,080) doesn't have the most elegant name, everything else about this phone is slick.

A 6.78-inch, 3,200-by-1,440 LTPO AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate graces the front. The screen supports HDR10+ and hits an excellent 1,500 nits of brightness. A 32MP selfie shooter peeks through a tiny hole at the top of the display. 

Speaking of cameras, the rear camera module is what makes the Vivo X70 Pro+ stand out. It sports a quad-camera module with a dual-LED, dual-tone flash; HDR support; Pixel Shift technology; and Zeiss optics and lens coatings. The primary lens clocks in at 50MP and uses phase detection autofocus (PDAF), laser AF, and optical image stabilization (OIS). The camera stack is rounded out by an 8MP periscope lens with 5x optical zoom, OIS, and PDAF; a 12MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom and the same features as the periscope lens; and a 48MP ultrawide lens with AF and gimbal OIS.

The Vivo x70 Pro+ has all the other hardware you’d expect from a flagship, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ 5G SoC with LTE, sub-6GHz, and mmWave 5G support. The least expensive model comes with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, but there are also 256GB/12GB and 512GB/12GB options. 

A 4,500mAh battery supports 55W wired charging and 50W wireless charging, plus reverse wired and wireless charging. 

Realme GT Neo2

Realme is one of the most popular brand in India, and is quickly making inroads in Asia and Europe thanks to innovative and affordable phones like the GT Neo2 (starting around $520). 

From the front, the phone is pretty standard fare for a midrange global handset. Its 6.62-inch, 2,400-by-1,080 AMOLED display has a 120Hz refresh rate, supports HDR10+, and has a peak brightness of 1,300 nits. A circular cutout makes space for the 16MP selfie cam. 

The back of the phone reveals its vibrant design; options include Neo Blue (a vivid blue to yellow gradient) and Neo Green (a glowing shade of green with a black racing stripe that works its way down the right side of the phone). For something a little more subtle, there's also a standard black model. The large camera module on the back houses the GT Neo2’s 64MP, 8MP, and 2MP sensors.

A Qualcomm 870 5G chipset that works on LTE and sub-6GHz 5G networks powers the GT Neo2. The least expensive model comes with 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, but there are 256GB/8GB and 256GB/12GB variants as well. A big 5,000mAh battery offers tons of power and supports 65W wired charging.

Honor 50

The Honor 50 (starting around $470) is one of the most quirky and interesting phones we’ve come across this year. 

On the front is a 6.57-inch, 2,340-by-1,080 OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. A small cutout for the 32MP selfie camera sits top and center. The phone works on LTE, sub-6GHz, and mmWave 5G networks. 

Two large circular cutouts serve as the rear camera module and give the phone a unique look. The module contains a 108MP primary lens, an 8MP ultrawide lens, and 2MP macro and depth lenses. The back comes in several colors, but our favorite is a Louis Vuitton-esque finish with Honor branding.

True to its midrange heritage, the Honor 50 sports a middle-of-the-road Qualcomm Snapdragon 778 5G chipset. There are several different storage and RAM configurations including 128GB/6GB, 128GB/8GB, 256GB/8GB, and 256GB/12GB. Its 4,300mAh battery supports 66W fast charging; it doesn't charge as fast as others on this list, but this rate still beats just about every US smartphone.

Xiaomi Mix 4

Xiaomi’s Mix lineup boasts some of the most innovative and attractive phones we’ve seen. The Mix 4 (starting around $870) is devoid of any cutouts, and the ceramic back comes in stunning subdued tones. 

It has a 2,400-by-1,080, 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The panel supports HDR10+ and has a peak brightness of 800 nits. The phone hides its 20MP selfie camera under the screen. 

The back includes a 108MP primary sensor, an 8MP periscope lens with 5x optical zoom, and a 13MP ultrawide lens. A pair of Harman Kardon-tuned stereo speakers sit alongside the top and bottom edges. The handset also supports high-resolution Bluetooth audio via the LDAC codec. 

Xiaomi’s flagship runs on the Qualcomm 888+ mobile platform that supports LTE, sub-6GHz, and mmWave 5G. 128GB/8GB, 256GB/8GB, 256GB/12GB, and 512GB/12GB storage and RAM configurations are available. 

The Mix 4 has a 4,500mAh battery. It supports 120W fast charging for a complete recharge in just 15 minutes, and 50W wireless charging for a full recharge in a half hour. 

Poco X3 GT 

The Poco X3 GT (approximately $299.99) is a powerful budget-friendly phone only available in select Asian and Middle Eastern markets.

A 6.6-inch, 2,400-by-1,080 LCD with a 120Hz refresh rate defines the front of the phone. Unlike most models in this price range, the display is made of durable Gorilla Glass Victus and supports HDR10. A 16MP selfie shooter peeks through the cutout at the top of the display. 

A triple camera stack with a 64MP primary lens, an 8MP ultrawide lens, and a 2MP macro lens sits on the back of the phone. A side-mounted fingerprint sensor, stereo speakers, NFC, and Bluetooth 5.2 round out its features.

Like many of the more affordable phones on this list, the X3 GT doesn’t have a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset. It does, however, have a powerful Mediatek Diminsity 1100 SoC with sub-6GHz 5G connectivity. To top things off, the X3 GT’s large 5,000mAh battery supports 67W fast charging and can reach a full charge in about 45 minutes. 

Ayya t1 

For an alternative to Android and iOS, Russia's Ayya t1 (approximately $265) runs on Aurora OS (an Android 11 version is also available). Aurora OS is a forked version of Jolla created by Rotstelecom, Russia’s majority state-owned telecom.

The Ayya t1 has a utilitarian aesthetic that resembles affordable models from Nokia’s recent lineup. On the front of the phone, a 6.5-inch LCD sports a small cutout for the 13MP front-facing camera. The back includes a camera stack with 12MP and 5MP shooters, as well as a fingerprint sensor. What distinguishes the Ayya t1 apart from the competition are its physical buttons that turn off its cameras and microphones. 

A MediaTek Helio P70 SoC powers the phone, along with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. It has LTE connectivity and a respectable 4,000mAh battery.

Moto G31

While there is no shortage of Motorola phones in the US, the company releases some of its most interesting options abroad, like the Moto G31 (starting around $200). 

This LTE-only phone is available in much of the world and has a 6.4-inch, 2,400-by-1,080 AMOLED display. A cutout for the 13MP selfie camera sits on top of the screen and a triple camera stack on the back of the phone implements 50MP, 8MP, and 2MP sensors. 

The Moto G31 ships with a MediaTek G85 chipset. It comes with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of storage depending on your region. Its massive 5,000mAh battery can likely last for two days of use.

Pyongyang 2428 

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Here’s a phone we guarantee you won’t find on Amazon. We believe the Pyongyang 2428 (approximately $350) is North Korea’s latest flagship, and while it may look like an iPhone, the similarities end there. 

Introduced in 2020, the Pyongyang 2428 sports 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Either a MediaTek P60 or P65 chipset is likely to power it, because those seems to be the predominant SoCs in North Korean phones. It has a 6.3-inch, 2,340-by-1,080 LCD; the selfie camera clocks in at 16MP; and the back includes both a 48MP primary lens and a 5MP secondary lens. 

The Pyongyang 2428 works on North Korea’s 3G networks and, while it has support for Wi-Fi, that feature has been turned off in previous models. The phone runs a highly customized version of Android 9 that allows access to the country’s Intranet system, takes random screenshots to monitor your activities, and uses AI capabilities to detect any profane speech on the device. It’s also limited to media and text files signed by the North Korean government. You can't download apps directly from the phone, but if you purchase apps from a local cell phone store, they can install them directly. 

The Best Phones You CAN Get

(Photo: Molly Flores)

While all of the phones here are certainly intriguing, none of them are practical if you live in the US. To help you choose a phones you can buy and use to its fullest extent stateside, check out our roundup of the best phones we've tested. If you're looking to save some money, we also have a list of the best cheap phones. And if you're a mobile shutterbug in envy of some the camera specs above, take a look at our picks for the best camera phones.