The best camera phone from 2025 that you can’t buy

I have been waiting for this for a long time, but in the end I spent some time with Oppo Find X8 Ultra. I was a Big fan of Find X8 Pro It went ahead, especially the camera features, and Ultra is based on it, so I was eager to give it a spin.

Unfortunately, this is the Chinese model, so there are a few warnings for what I can test, as some of the AI ​​features will not work in other regions. But it also exposes this phone’s biggest disadvantage – you can’t buy it outside China. Let’s dive in and see what we are missing.

Find x8 ultra ditches the retro to-tone vegan leather behind Find X7 Ultra had last year. I wasn’t the biggest tab of this design, so it’s a general positive in my book. Oppo has also rounded the sides of this phone and added a nice matte finish on the back, which I prefer tremendously. The flat screen is another positive, with a 6.8-inch stretch, 120Hz update speed and a top brightness of 2500 nits. The colors really show up when you look at content on Ultra.

Another positive is the upgraded fingerprint reader. Oppo ditched the optical fingerprint reader on Find X7 Ultra for an ultrasonic option that works very well. Found the X8 Ultra also packs an IP68/69 water resistance assessment, which will protect your phone from hot water rays.

Let’s talk internally. Oppo Find X8 Ultra is driven by Snapdragon 8 elitethe same piece you find on a Gaggle of flagship in 2025. When it comes to benchmarks, it hits pretty much the numbers you expect from a Snapdragon 8 elite chip. Everything you throw on this will most easily handle with ease.

My other big favorite feature on this phone is the battery, especially 6,100 mAh silicon carbon battery. Let me tell you, this phone is hard to kill. In the days I used it, it has not been a day when it has dipped under 30%, unless I really push it. Finn X8 Ultra is an incredibly impressive smartphone considering the general design and hardware package.

But not everything is good news, and the obvious is the annoying problem of accessibility. If you want to pick up Find X8 Ultra, you will find it incredibly difficult. I asked Oppo if it should soon be launched outside China at any time, and the answer was not promising. I would not hold my breath for a global release of this.

Let me focus on another disappointment with Find X8 Ultra: The Missing Alert slider. Oppo replaced it with a unique quick button, similar to Apple’s action button. You can assign it to perform actions such as cushioning, turn on the flashlight and others. However, you cannot set it to open any app you want, so you are limited to Oppo’s standard options. Which comes well to Apple’s abilities.

It can also open the camera, which is strange because it is a dedicated button for quick camera controls. I was not a supporter of this button on Find X8 Pro, and I think it still lacks Find X8 Ultra. Oppo has not improved it, which is disappointing for this more expensive version of the device. A double pressure opens the camera and there is a touch -sensitive button that allows you to zoom in and out when taking pictures. The zooming is decent, but it only works in landscape mode, not portrait. A single press takes pictures, but you cannot change mode or change camera settings, even in Pro mode. This button is poorly thought, and its unrealized potential makes its addition so frustrating.

Button aside, and on a positive note, the camera performance on Find X8 Ultra is impressive. There are four dedicated lenses: a 50MP ultrawide, two 50MP optical telecommunications lenses (with 3x and 6x zoom areas), and a prominent 50MP an inches sensor primary camera. This snapper has a 69% larger sensor than the S25 Ultra’s and 63% larger than the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The difference is marked, especially in low light. You can also take JPEG MAX images in main mode, using one-inch sensor.

Yes, this primary camera is impressive. The details are accurate, and the dynamic area is fantastic. The images look lifelike, without over -saturation. This can be one of my Favorite phone cameras in 2025. The AI ​​zoom after 30x is surprisingly good, especially for buildings, creating usable details. 50MP Ultrawide is just as impressive, and catches good details despite a certain overmaturation.

I also love the 6x optical zoom results. The details are some of the best I’ve seen in a long time. The pictures are a little cut and a little too saturated, but I can overlook it. I have taken many shots with the 6x optical lens and love the results, especially with the telemacro ability. The details are great, and the surplus does not occur in macro mode.

When it comes to video, I still think the iPhone is the best, but Oppo has done a good job. It can potentially match the iPhone and be the best Android video phone. You can register on 4K60, with an update coming for 4K120, and matches the frame rate potential of the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The stabilization is almost gimbal -like, lubricant smooth. Switching between lenses is usually coarse, but Oppo has made it almost seamless, with only weak color change. The video details are also excellent. In daylight it handles well, and in night video it appears excellent, with large shadows and minimal noise. This could be my option for Android video right now.

Check out all the photo samples I brought in the video built in this review.

You may have guessed it already, but I love Find X8 Ultra, even with the stupid buttons and quirks. The problem is that this phone is not available in the United States. In fact, it is not available anywhere outside China, at least at this time, which is a crying shame. To get your hands on one of these, you have to import it, and sometimes, due to price and carrier compatibility, it’s just not worth the effort.

I have to give the credit here to Oppo, as it has done what Vivo and Xiaomy Also goes with its Ultra-layer flagship-on-to-push for what is possible, especially with their cameras. I hope this in turn means that Samsung, Google and even Apple note and stop playing it safely when it comes to the flagship releases.