I used the best camera phones, but here is why I keep coming back to Apple and Samsung

Phone Arena

13-05-2025

Flagship phones out of China all have a distinct camera edge. Some like the Xiaomi 15 Ultra have clever additions like the so called "Photography Kit", which is a camera grip that doubles as a power bank and has a dedicated shutter button and zoom controls. Super cool!
Read our in-depth Xiaomi 15 Ultra review
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra with its Photography Kit camera grip
Others, like the most recent Vivo X200 Ultra, come with even crazier accessories like a screw-on telephoto extender that results in this weird contraption that is also... the best zoom smartphone camera on the market.
The Vivo X200 Ultra with its telephoto extender (screw-on lens)
And earlier, the Vivo X200 Pro also won multiple awards for best camera phone of 2024 for a good reason — beautiful colors, large sensors and the versatility of actually useful camera presets and even bokeh simulations.
The passion these flagship Chinese smartphones have for improving the camera experience is actually quite refreshing.
The Vivo X200 Pro is a great camera, but there is a problem
But there is also one problem that I inevitably stumble upon every time I pick up one of those phones.
They are great as cameras, but... not so good as smartphones.
See because of the exclusive focus on cramming in the biggest sensors and many of them, most of these phones share one element: a giant camera island.
I don't mind it as a design element, but once you actually get to use these phones, you notice that all of that weight on the top of the phone makes for a very imbalanced, top-heavy phone that you feel might fall out of your hand... constantly!
This is especially noticeable on the Vivo X200 Pro, but also on the Xiaomi 15 Ultra. These phones just want to tip over!
And for a device you spend hours using every day, well... it's a deal-breaker.
I don't want to fight my phone every time I pick it up and worry that it might fall out of my hand because of how top-heavy it is.
If I wanted something heavy that would not feel comfortable in the hand, well, I would just carry my camera around!
And while you don't mind this for the first few days, this issue kind of grows on you and at least for me, I just start noticing it more and more. So it's actually quite liberating going back to an iPhone 16 Pro Max or a Galaxy S25 Ultra which while having excellent cameras, also have a design that is properly balanced and not extremely top-heavy.
The latest Oppo Find X8 Ultra recognizes the balance problem of modern Chinese flagships
The answer is "no". The latest Oppo Find X8 Ultra recognizes this problem of modern Chinese smartphones and the company has gone for a design that purposefully avoids the top-heavy camera component, balancing the phone much better.
Unfortunately, that specific model is the only one I've mentioned so far that is NOT getting a global release.
But the good news is that we know that at least some of these Chinese phone makers realize that going after camera quality alone can have its downsides too and are looking for ways to fix them.
While it's easy to get obsesses over specs, I'm happy to see more devices that focus on just the everyday comfort of your device.
While I do hope that mainstream phone makers draw inspiration from these camera innovations, I actually don't think that cramming in the biggest sensors and completely ignoring the ergonomics of a phone is a good idea. And that's why I keep on coming to iPhones, Galaxies and Pixels which take a more holistic view of the smartphone experience.