The year 2025 ended on a positive note for smartphones. Apple has finally given its Pro phones a fresh design, packing them with huge sensors and a vapor chamber, while also delivering a stunning punch with the iPhone 17.
Samsung ended the year on a more futuristic note with the launch of a new generation of foldable phones, the Galaxy Z TriFold. OnePlus has proven that a huge battery can power a stylish flagship phone without making it look like a tank or cost a fortune.
Honor went a step further and put a physical fan and an even larger battery in a normal-looking phone. Vivo took the opposite approach and created a palm-friendly phone that impressed across the board. The year 2026 looks to be another year for smartphones, but the big hits may not come from Apple or Samsung. Instead, it is the players operating outside the US market that are poised for a breakout year.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra from Leica
This is not a concept phone. Xiaomi has taken its camera partnership with Leica to the next level by designing special equipment on its latest flagship. See the metal ring on the back of the phone that surrounds the camera island? Well, it’s not a design element.
Instead, it’s a fully functional zoom ring inspired by Leica cameras. Underneath the ring is a system of 20 high-strength ball bearings that provide tactile feedback at every stop. Xiaomi has also installed an optical displacement sensor underneath that can measure movements as small as 0.03 millimeters.
The overarching idea is to give users precise zoom control, as opposed to the tricky system Apple has implemented on the newer iPhones using the camera control button. And despite all this bespoke construction, the phone still offers IP69 dust and water protection, the best the industry has to offer.
Of course, the phone also looks like a million bucks thanks to the two-tone, leather-covered Leica camera-inspired look and the beautiful grip texture on the metal frame. But in reality, it’s the image processing hardware that’s in the spotlight.
The display is complemented by a 1-inch Light Fusion 1050L sensor with a resolution of 50 megapixels and a 50 megapixel ultrawide sensor. The periscope-style zoom camera is based on a huge 200-megapixel sensor that also doubles as a macro snapper.
In my time with the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, it proved to be one of the most powerful camera phones I’ve tested to date. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is ready to exceed these benchmarks. The rest of the package is no less impressive. You get top-notch Qualcomm silicon, a 6,800mAh battery with 90W charging support, and a 120Hz OLED screen that’s brighter than the iPhone 17 Pro. I can’t wait to move this thing forward.
Oppo Find X9 Ultra
The Oppo Find X8 Ultra is the best smartphone I tested in 2025. But one area where it really exceeded expectations was camera performance. It was equipped with a total of five rear cameras, two of which were responsible for long-distance shooting, while the main camera relied on a large 1-inch sensor.
Even at the 6x zoom level, the phone took excellent portrait shots and the low-light performance was pretty impressive too. The main sensor captured an amazing level of detail in still images, with excellent contrast and near-perfect color reproduction.
His successor is preparing to do even better. According to the leaks that have emerged so far, the Oppo Find X9 Ultra could have not just one, but two cameras with a resolution of 200 megapixels. Apparently Oppo is doing away with the 1-inch main sensor and is instead using a smaller sensor with a higher resolution. However, leaks suggest this is a new imaging pipeline where the physically smaller 200-megapixel sensor actually collects more light than a 1-inch sensor.
Here too, the telephoto camera will represent a crucial upgrade. Oppo is reportedly eyeing a 50-megapixel snapper that can deliver an unprecedented 10x optical zoom, almost double compared to heavyweights like the iPhone 17 Pro and Google Pixel 10 Pro. Within the zoom range of 230-460mm, it could deliver almost lossless recording output over long distances.
Oppo has already confirmed a huge battery for the phone, with a capacity of well over 7,000mAh, and this is sure to come with rapid fast charging technology. As for the launch date, the company is reportedly aiming for a March unveiling of the Find X9 Ultra.
Vivo X300 Ultra
Vivo has been making camera-centric phones for years and has actually brought some camera breakthroughs into the mainstream. When the Vivo X200 Ultra was launched earlier this year, it received rave reviews. When I tried it out for a few weeks, I was blown away by the phone’s 200-megapixel folding lens zoom system.
It also turned out to be one of my favorite ultra-wide cameras in this segment, even though the main camera was in a league of its own. Image experts at DigitalCameraWorld called it “more camera than phone,” while DXOMark ranked it top for still image capture.
The successor is once again developing into an imaging giant. Leaks suggest that the upcoming Vivo
The latter will reportedly deliver 4x lossless zoom in the sensor, while the ultrawide snapper will support a 50-megapixel sensor. The rest of the package will be pretty impressive too. We’re also hearing rumors of a 2K 120Hz OLED screen, a 7,000mAh battery, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset. The phone is already on the regulatory lists and it looks like a global launch is imminent.
It would be interesting to see what new imaging features Vivo offers on the X300 Ultra and how it will compare to the Oppo Find X9 Ultra and the Xiaomi 18 Ultra. But the message is clear: there is hardly any room for mediocrity anymore.
Apple rolled out a long-awaited major overhaul this year with the iPhone 17 Pro, meaning the successor will be an iterative model with less flashy upgrades. As for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung doesn’t seem to be delivering any exciting upgrades. I’m just curious to see how these two giants will push the boundaries of innovation next year, but for me they’re certainly not worth getting excited about given the better options from the East.
