5 Things I Learned From 3 New Foreign Phones
Part of what we do at PCMag is function as a testing-based buyer's guide. We're focused on US products, because if something isn't designed to work well in the US, we can't test it properly.
That said, over the past few weeks, I've spent time with some fascinating, top-of-the-line phones out of China to get a feel for smartphone innovation abroad. The Iqoo 9 Pro, the Oppo Find X5 Pro, and the Realme GT 2 Pro all sport distinct designs and exhibit a sense of fun—qualities that devices in the dull US smartphone market are sorely lacking. I'm disappointed that these handsets are generally available everywhere except in the US, but in light of showstopping connectivity problems, I understand why they aren't.
With that in mind, here's what I learned from three weeks with these three compelling phones you can't (and shouldn't) use in the US.
Apple and Samsung, at this point, seem to be stuck on incremental improvements to low-light photography. Outside of those conservative leaders, though, imaging is getting wild. Google leads the way with software in the US, but abroad, different AI chips (from Oppo), built-in gimbals (from Iqoo), and microscope modes (from Realme) are among the innovations we don't get to see.
Almost all US phones take more than an hour to charge, while foreign manufacturers are working on jaw-dropping fast-charging tech. Every one of the phones I tried charges faster than any Apple or Samsung handset—for instance, the Iqoo 9 Pro takes 25 minutes to get to a full charge! BBK, the parent company of all three phone makers, even appears to be working on 150W charging technology that can take a phone from 0 to 100% in 15 minutes.
Americans love a simple, spare Android interface that puts Google apps first. We
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