At a Glance
- Xiaomi 17 Pro Max packs a rear mini-display, 6.7-inch main screen, and flagship specs but is China-only.
- Oppo Find X9 Pro pairs a 200-MP telephoto with a detachable Hasselblad lens for £1,099.
- Honor Magic 7 Pro offers seven years of updates, IP68/69, and a 6.8-inch display.
- Why it matters: Shoppers outside Asia miss cutting-edge hardware and longer software support.
News Of Fort Worth‘s latest roundup reveals a wave of high-spec phones that, for now, stay almost entirely in Asian markets. From snap-on camera lenses to color-changing backs, the models below deliver features rarely seen in Western line-ups.
Flagship Exclusives Still Stuck in China
Xiaomi 17 Pro Max (£767) turns heads with a second screen carved into the rear camera bump. The 1.3-inch panel acts as a selfie preview, music controller, retro-game display, and even hosts virtual pets. Under the hood you get a 6.7-inch AMOLED, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, up to 24 GB RAM, and a 5,500-mAh battery. Xiaomi has not announced global availability.
Oppo Find X9 Pro (£1,099) bets everything on zoom. The built-in 200-MP periscope delivers 3X optical zoom and crisp 6X shots cropped to 50 MP. Snap on the Hasselblad Teleconverter Kit for another 3.28X, though the lens is bulky and tripod use is recommended. A 6.78-inch flat 120 Hz display, IP66/68/69 ratings, and a 7,500-mAh silicon-carbon cell round out the package.
Honor Pushes Seven-Year Updates
Honor Magic 7 Pro ($1,021/£849) pairs a triple 50-MP camera with a 6.8-inch LTPO OLED. Honor guarantees seven Android versions and security patches, matching Google’s Pixel 8 pledge. The phone carries dual IP68 and IP69 ratings, 100-watt wired charging, and 80-watt wireless top-ups. Caveats include a large pill-shaped cut-out and aggressive image processing on the ultrawide.
Honor 400 Pro ($800/£478) brings flagship perks to the upper-mid tier:
- 200-MP main + 50-MP 3X telephoto + 12-MP ultrawide
- 6.7-inch 4,000-nit OLED
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
- 5,300-mAh battery with 100-watt wired / 50-watt wireless
- IP68/69 and Wi-Fi 7
- Six years of updates
Poco F8 Ultra Adds Denim and Bose
Xiaomi Poco F8 Ultra (£749) wraps a 6.9-inch 120 Hz AMOLED in denim-textured glass. Dual speakers tuned by Bose sit above and below the panel. Inside: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB storage, and a 6,500-mAh cell. The rear trio are all 50-MP sensors. The F8 Pro (£549) trims the screen to 6.7 inches and switches to last year’s chip while keeping the denim vibe.
Foldables Stay Ultra-Thin but Import-Only
Oppo Find N5 ($1,429) claims the title of world’s slimmest book-style foldable at 3.6 mm open. The 6.62-inch cover and 8.12-inch inner OLEDs run at 120 Hz. Spec sheet highlights include Snapdragon 8 Elite, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB storage, and 5,600-mAh battery with 80-watt wired / 50-watt wireless charging. The triple camera is led by a 50-MP main sensor. Oppo has no plans for a UK or Europe release.
Xiaomi Mix Fold 4 (China only) offers a 6.56-inch outer and 7.98-inch inner display, but the crease is pronounced and the quad-camera output is mediocre.
Mid-Range Champs Under £600
Xiaomi Poco F7 Ultra (£569) breaks Poco’s budget mold with:
- Snapdragon 8 Elite
- 6.67-inch 2K 120 Hz panel
- 50-MP main + 50-MP telephoto + 50-MP ultrawide
- 50-watt wireless charging
- IP68 rating
- Four Android upgrades + six years of patches
Realme 14 Pro+ (€530) ships with a color-changing back that shifts under UV light. Key specs:
- 6.83-inch 120 Hz OLED
- 6,000-mAh battery
- IP68/69
- Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 (mid-tier chip)
- No charger in the box
Honor 200 Pro (£350, down from £500) keeps a versatile portrait-focused camera, 100-watt wired / 66-watt wireless charging, and AI scene enhancement.
Budget Picks Still Bring 120 Hz
Xiaomi Poco X7 Pro ($349/£349) delivers a 6.67-inch 120 Hz AMOLED, 50-MP main shooter, and 5,500-mAh battery with 67-watt charging. Xiaomi promises three Android versions and four years of security patches.
Doro Aurora A20 (£229) targets seniors with a flip-out keypad, alarm button, and simplified Android skin. Performance is sluggish and the 5-MP camera is basic.
Skip These Models Say News Of Fort Worth
Nothing Phone (3a) Lite: “decent screen and battery but disappointing camera and bloatware.”
Nubia Z80 Ultra: “a real brick” with “well below par” software and only one Android upgrade.
Realme 15 Pro 5G: “weird mixed bag” with limited processor and no telephoto.
Oppo Reno 13 Pro 5G: “can’t keep up with the similarly priced Poco F7 Ultra.”
Realme GT7 Pro: import-only and lacks wireless charging.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro+: “little improvement over last year’s model.”
Motorola Edge 50 Pro: “only a couple of Android upgrades to go” and sluggish camera.
Key Takeaways
- Asian brands continue to gate-keep their most experimental hardware from Western shelves.
- Long software support is spreading: Honor leads with seven years, Xiaomi Poco now commits to six.
- Detachable camera lenses, denim backs, and color-shifting glass show design risks the big global players won’t take-yet.
- Bargain hunters can still snag 120 Hz panels, 50-MP sensors, and IP68 ratings for under £400 if they stick to Poco and Realme.
