After several years of reviewing the latest and greatest in the industry, it’s a little difficult to get excited or really impressed by a smartphone. However, there are always phones that work for me for one reason or another.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra
It’s probably no surprise to my coworkers that I’m keeping the current Xiaomi Ultra for another year. I chose this phone for my daily driver primarily because of its versatile camera hardware. It has all the focal length I need, and the 4.2x telephoto camera uses a large 200MP sensor that allows for further cropping without compromising quality too much. Sure, selfies aren’t amazing, and post-processing has its own specifics, but I’ve got used to it, and with a little tweaking, I get amazing photos from this fat boy.
Additionally, I find the aesthetics of HyperOS pleasing, I didn’t find any deal-breaking bugs, and it remains consistently smooth even after months and years of use.
Vivo X300 Pro
Talking about the camera, I cannot live without mentioning Vivo X300 Pro. I’ve grown fond of Vivo’s processing, and I only wish Vivo had a globally available phone that combines the camera versatility of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra and Vivo’s processing.
Additionally, after having a chance to play with OriginOS, I think I might try it out as a daily driver.
Xiaomi 17 Pro Max
I think Xiaomi has mastered this. It’s still unclear whether Xiaomi will bring its latest flagship phone outside China, but I got a chance to play with it and I really liked it.
The design is by far the best I’ve seen in a while (I’m not a fan of those big, circular lumps on the back of modern phones). And the secondary display on the back is also a nice touch. It doesn’t feel like a gimmick and provides a good solution to the weak selfie camera.
To be completely honest, I wasn’t impressed with the telephoto and ultrawide cameras, but the 17 Pro Max is still a solid flagship handset.
I was hoping Xiaomi would make the next Ultra with a similar design, but alas we got another big circle.
IQOO 15
The IQOO 15 is very different from the above three and is the “practical” option on the list. It’s too bad the phone isn’t offered in my area, as it’s often recommended among my friends and acquaintances looking for a new phone. Even despite its huge price increase compared to the previous generation.
Still, in my opinion, the iQOO 15 has only a few and fairly minor drawbacks. It’s a solid all-rounder that still manages to undercut the competition and punch above its weight class in many aspects. It has a solid display, excellent camera, long battery life, quick charging, and a great new software. Well, at least new for markets outside China.