2. Xiaomi 13 Ultra – Best for a limitless budget
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is the company’s most powerful phone right now, but it’s not quite the one we’d recommend to most people.
Part of that is purely practical: the phone is only officially available in China for now, although Xiaomi has thankfully promised an international launch is imminent, so it shouldn’t be coming to Europe and Asia for too long.
We expect it to be expensive, though, and between that and its sheer size, this won’t be a phone for everyone. If those don’t put you off, though, you’re in for a treat.
The Leica-branded camera is the main draw, with a 1-inch main sensor equipped with a variable aperture supported by a trio of exceptional 50Mp ultra-wide and zoom lenses, driving detailed photos, great low-light performance and beautiful natural bokeh.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip also delivers strong performance and excellent battery life, while the display is also hard to fault.