There are plenty of flagship smartphones available in the US. However, not all awesome smartphones make their way to the country, especially from Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Honor, and Huawei.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t buy them and use them. Instead, you’ll have to import them into the US.
None of the smartphones on this list are officially sold in the US, so you’ll have to check carrier support. Most won’t work with Verizon’s 5G network, and T-Mobile and AT&T support will vary between devices. This doesn’t mean the smartphones are unusable, but your connectivity won’t be as seamless as you’re used to.
1 Xiaomi 14 Ultra
Xiaomi is a big player in the Chinese and Asian smartphone market, but the company has almost no presence in the US. And that’s a shame, as recent Xiaomi flagships have upped the game in the imaging segment.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra runs circles around the best Android phones available in the US with its camera setup: a 50MP f/1.6-f/4.0 primary shooter with a big 1-inch type sensor, a 50MP f1.8 3.2x telephoto shooter, a 50MP f/2.5 periscope camera with 5x optical zoom, and a 50MP f/1.8 ultrawide. The Leica tuning and filters further make photos from the phone stand out.
As a long-time Pixel and Samsung user, I switched to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra soon after its European launch in March 2024. Since then, its quad-camera setup has regularly blown me away, especially the 3.2x telephoto shooter. Other aspects of the phone are equally impressive, including a 6.73-inch QHD+ 120Hz LTPO panel, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, and a 5,000mAh battery with 90W wired fast charging.
Xiaomi even sells a slick camera accessory for the 14 Ultra that adds a physical shutter button and a DL+SR-like zoom slider. It has a small built-in battery as well to boost the phone’s battery life.
Of all the phones on this list, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is among the easiest to get your hands on in the US, as it is available in most European markets.
2 Vivo X Fold 3 Pro
If you want a book-style foldable phone in the US, you only have three options: the OnePlus Open, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, and the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. And while Vivo might not have as much experience as Samsung in making foldables, it has already surpassed the latter with its third folding phone: the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro.
Despite its sleek 11.2mm body and 236g lightweight body, Vivo’s foldable packs a beefy 5,700mAh battery—the largest among foldables—to ensure all-day battery life. Even better, it supports 100W wired and 50W wireless charging for quick recharge times.
Vivo’s foldable also stands out for its top-notch specs: a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, up to 1TB storage, 16GB of RAM, a super bright 8-inch folding screen, and a 6.53-inch cover display. The company has not skimped on the cameras either, with the X Fold 3 Pro packing a 50MP f/1.7 primary shooter, a 64MP 3x telephoto shooter with OIS, and a 50MP ultrawide. There are two 32MP f/2.4 cameras on the front.
If you want a foldable that does not falter with its camera or battery life, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro should be your top pick. You can import the device from China, India, or other Asian markets for use in the US.
3 Vivo X100 Ultra
If you want the smartphone with the best cameras bar none, the Vivo X100 Ultra should be your top pick. Like other smartphones on this list, it’s not officially sold in the US, which is a shame.
The phone stands out for its amazing camera setup, the star of which is a 200MP f/2.7 85mm/3.7x optical shooter. While flagship Samsung phones use a 200MP sensor for their primary camera, Vivo uses it on its flagship phone for the telephoto camera. Other camera specs are equally good, including a 1-inch type 50MP f/1.8 primary camera with gimbal OIS and a 50MP f/2.2 ultrawide. There’s also a 50MP selfie shooter on the front. The Vivo X100 Ultra also promises impressive battery life, with a massive 5,500mAh battery and 80W wired fast charging support.
Vivo sells the X100 Ultra in China and select Asian markets. You can easily import the phone to the US, though carrier support will be an issue.
4 Huawei Mate XT Ultimate
Huawei has been a casualty of the trade war between China and the US. The US government has banned the company from selling its products in the US and barred other American companies from supplying their chips and technology to the Chinese giant.
With Huawei cut off from the global supply chain, you’d expect the company to struggle. But that’s not the case, with the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate being the proof of this. It’s the world’s first triple-folding smartphone, featuring a 6.4-inch cover display that unfolds into a massive 10.2-inch 3K screen. You can also use the phone in a dual display configuration with a screen size of 7.9 inches.
As if the display specs are not impressive enough, the Mate XT Ultimate’s primary 50MP camera sports a 10-step variable aperture (f/1.4-f/4.0) paired with a 12MP 5x telephoto and a 12MP ultrawide. Still not impressed? When fully unfolded, the tri-folding phone only measures 3.6mm.
It’s a shame that Huawei cannot officially sell its products in the US, as consumers are missing out on cutting-edge devices like the Mate XT Ultimate. The good thing is that you can import the Mate XT Ultimate for use in the US. Given that the tri-folding device is only available in China, it won’t be easy to get your hands on one, though. Plus, the phone might not work with your carrier’s 5G network due to the missing bands.
Apart from network compatibility issues, you will have to look into sideloading apps and deal with broken functionality in many of them. This is because Huawei devices do not officially ship with Google’s suite of apps and services, including the Play Store and Play Services.
5 Honor Magic V3
Foldables don’t have to be big and bulky, and the Honor Magic V3 proves that. Honor claims it’s the world’s thinnest foldable, with a waistline of 9.2mm when folded. For comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is 12.1mm thick, while the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is 10.5mm thick. It’s also light at 226g.
Compared to all book-style foldables available in the US, the Honor Magic V3 feels a generation or two ahead with its build quality. And despite its thin design, Honor has not compromised on the specs. The device uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and sports a 7.92-inch folding screen.
The camera specs are also better than the foldables on sale in the US, with a 50MP f/1.6 primary camera, a 50MP 3.5x telephoto shooter, and a 40MP f/2.2 ultrawide.
Honor has equipped the Magic V3 with a 5150mAh silicon-carbon battery that supports 66W wired and 50W wireless charging.
Since Honor is no longer a sub-brand of Huawei, its devices can access Google Play and Play services. The Magic V3 is available in select European markets, so it is easy to get your hands on, and it picked up a coveted spot on our Best of IFA 2024 list.
