Made in China: three words that are as ubiquitous as they are controversial. If you pick up anything mass-produced these days – whether it’s clothing, toys or technology products – there’s a good chance you’ll find this phrase on a label or on a plastic base.
In the smartphone world, devices from Chinese brands have long been seen as curiosities: lesser-known phones with impressive specifications that are often not available on Western markets.
While it’s still very difficult to get your hands on a Chinese phone in the US, companies like Xiaomi and Oppo have made strides in entering or returning to local smartphone scenes in the UK, Australia and mainland Europe.
Oppo, for example, recently returned to the UK with the Oppo Find X8 Pro, a hugely impressive device that rivals the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro with its dazzling display and exceptional photography capabilities.
Xiaomi also offers a wide range of high-end devices; our list of the best Xiaomi phones is currently limited by the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, which lives up to its name with a ridiculous quad-camera system centered on a 1-inch sensor.
At the beginning of China’s smartphone boom, the inspirations for these high-end devices were clear. Manufacturers like Huawei and OnePlus were once associated with producing – how do you say that? – loving renditions of more popular flagships.
For example, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, released in 2018, adopted design and software cues from the iPhone XS, while 2020’s OnePlus 8T shared an uncanny resemblance to the Samsung Galaxy S20.
This proved to be a sustainable and lucrative business practice, as these Chinese brands were generally able to undercut the competition by quite significant margins, offering consumers competitive iPhone and Samsung products at more accessible prices. This sentiment largely remains true for the mid-range models offered by these companies.
However, following the smartphone industry’s transition to tiered flagship families, there seems to be another priority in mind for Chinese mobile phone makers: catching up with Western competition.
Better products, higher prices
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra, for example, retails for £1,299 (about $1,650) – that’s even more than the most expensive globally available flat phone, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, which starts at $1,299 / £1,249 / AU$2,199.
And while other brands aren’t pushing the boundaries as much as Xiaomi, phones like the Oppo Find and Samsung.
The modus operandi for Chinese flagship challengers has changed: where previously these companies tried to offer similar performance at lower prices, they are now focused on delivering better performance at higher prices.
Also keep in mind that we are yet to see the rumored Oppo Find X8 Ultra Surface, which will undoubtedly carry an even heftier price tag than its Pro counterpart.
Similarly, while the globally available OnePlus 12 beats the iPhone 16, Samsung Galaxy S24 and Google Pixel 9 on many specification fronts, it also matches them all in price at $799/£849 – while last year’s OnePlus 11 was significantly cheaper , for $699 / £729 / AU$1,199.
This is to say that the modus operandi for Chinese flagship challengers has changed: where previously these companies tried to offer similar performance at lower prices, they are now focused on delivering better performance at higher prices.
Of course, companies like Xiaomi, OnePlus and Honor are well within their rights to change their strategies in such a way; after all, they produce high-quality devices. But the fact remains that from a consumer perspective, the days of purchasing a flagship phone at a mid-range price could be coming to an end.
So if you’re looking for a powerful phone, don’t mind using Android, and aren’t particularly loyal to a major brand, it may be wise to buy a powerful Chinese phone before the actual discounts disappear completely. .
For more on the latest smartphones from around the world – including the tri-folding Huawei Mate XT – be sure to check out our phone coverage. And for specific advice on the best Chinese phones, we’ve got our lists of the best Xiaomi phones, the best Honor phones and the best OnePlus phones ready for you.