The newest Android flagship killers have simply launched—however the U.S. is being ignored of the social gathering. These new telephones are powered by the brand new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, together with different top-tier specs, and so they’re coming in at surprisingly low costs.
These new flagship killers have wonderful specs for a low worth
In case you have even a passing curiosity in world Android smartphone releases, you have in all probability seen that Chinese language telephones have a tendency to supply the most effective worth for the cash. Whereas they’re fashionable throughout Asia, Europe, Africa, and even South America and Australia, these manufacturers nonetheless lack a robust presence within the North American market.
What makes these telephones significantly fascinating is the SoC that powers them. On the coronary heart of those new Chinese language flagship killers isn’t some price range Snapdragon or MediaTek chip—it’s the newest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the identical chip anticipated to look in upcoming flagship units just like the Samsung Galaxy S26, which ought to launch early subsequent 12 months.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip brings a notable enchancment even over final 12 months’s highly effective Snapdragon 8 Elite, which itself was a major leap from its predecessor, the Snapdragon Gen 3 (I hope you’re nonetheless with me right here).
According to Qualcomm, the 8 Elite Gen 5 delivers a 20% CPU efficiency increase with 35% higher effectivity, and a 23% GPU efficiency improve whereas being 20% extra environment friendly than earlier than. The result’s 16% decrease total energy consumption, plus a bunch of AI-focused enhancements due to a 37% quicker Hexagon NPU.
The primary telephone geared up with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is the Xiaomi 17 Pro, which gained some notoriety for copying the iPhone 17 Professional’s design, albeit with a show on the again. It launched in late September, and different Chinese language producers adopted shortly after.
A telephone I’ve had my eye on for some time, the Realme GT 8 Pro, simply launched, in addition to the ZTE nubia RedMagic 11 Pro, Honor Magic8, and Xiaomi Redmi K90 Pro Max. The Poco F8 Extremely can be rumored to launch sooner than expected, more likely to compete with these different flagship killers.
Whereas their specs differ barely, many of those telephones pack options that Apple, Samsung, and Google may solely dream of: silicon–carbon batteries with huge capacities, LTPO AMOLED shows operating at 120Hz–144Hz with peak brightness ranges as much as 7,000 nits, spectacular most important digicam sensors, telephoto lenses with spectacular zoom, high-resolution ultrawide cameras, lightning-fast UFS 4.0/4.1 storage, and ~100W wired and ultra-fast wi-fi charging.
Given all these loopy specs, you’d count on these telephones to retail at over $1,000, however that is the most effective half—they’re all within the $500 to $800 vary.
Launched in China, coming to world markets—however not the U.S.
It is necessary to make clear immediately that these Chinese language telephone manufacturers virtually at all times launch their telephones in China first, with world releases often following just a few weeks or months later. That is pretty normal observe, and this wave of telephones is not any totally different. Nevertheless, a few of these manufacturers don’t compete within the U.S. market in any respect.
That is possible resulting from a mixture of things, together with the latest implementation of tariffs on imported items, the requirement for antennas that assist U.S. community bands, FCC certification necessities, and the truth that many U.S. consumers have a tendency to stay to a handful of fashionable manufacturers like Apple, Samsung, Google, and Motorola. It is a powerful market to enter, given all of the hurdles.
For example, Realme (a subsidiary of Oppo and sister firm to OnePlus) has a robust presence in areas the place price range Android telephones are fashionable, however the model will not be current within the U.S. I consider that it is as a result of Oppo didn’t need to cannibalize OnePlus gross sales within the U.S., as Realme affords comparable telephones at a considerably lower cost, albeit with out the OnePlus model status.
That mentioned, a few of the telephones I discussed are rumored to reach within the U.S. at a later date. If any of them have piqued your curiosity, watch for the worldwide launch to see in the event that they may even be launched within the U.S.
You should buy some Chinese language telephones, however must you?
Though the telephones have solely been launched in China, there are methods to purchase these Chinese language variations and ship them globally, together with the U.S. A number of fashionable websites promote telephones just like the Realme GT 8 Professional and Xiaomi 17 Professional a bit above the Chinese language launch worth, so technically talking, there’s a method to purchase them. The true query is, must you?
I am in Europe and have requested myself the identical query. Websites like TradingShenzhen make it simple to examine community compatibility, and these telephones ought to work in my space with out challenge. Nevertheless, the catch is that you could be encounter some main compatibility issues—many of those telephones do not even include the Play Retailer pre-installed, which is why these retailers should open the field and set up it themselves.
Android Auto, particularly, does not work natively on Chinese language telephones with the Chinese language ROM put in. It’s because Android Auto is not accessible in China, and the one solution to get it’s to root your telephone and flash the worldwide ROM, which is dangerous however doable on some (older) Xiaomi and OnePlus units.
For that reason alone, I am more likely to watch for the worldwide launch of the Realme GT 8 Professional and think about it if it is across the identical worth (or simply get a used OnePlus 13).
9/10
- SoC
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Cell Platform
- Storage
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256GB/512GB UFS 4.0
The OnePlus 13 is a high-performance smartphone boasting a Hasselblad digicam system with a 50MP sensor, a light-weight and intuitive OxygenOS 15 working system, and a modern, sturdy design. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor.
U.S. consumers face an extra problem: lots of the community bands used within the U.S. aren’t supported on most Chinese language telephones. This can lead to spotty protection, and since you’ll be able to’t go away such an necessary issue to probability, I counsel in opposition to shopping for China-only units. Effectively, except you simply desire a glorified Wi-Fi–solely telephone to interchange your pill.
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