Dual-SIM Reviews & Buying Advice

The Mi 11 is a fantastic bit of hardware for the price. The fastest chipset around, a beautiful display, and strong cameras are all packaged within a lovely bit of industrial design.

Some will miss the IP rating, though for me the bigger downsides are the choice of a macro over a telephoto lens, the only average battery life, and a software experience that still lags behind the key rivals.

Read our full Xiaomi Mi 11 review

After 2020’s disappointing Galaxy S20 Ultra, Samsung has finally earned the name with a follow-up that delivers almost everything you could want from an Android flagship – admittedly at a price that only a few can afford, and in a form factor that will simply be too big for some.

The camera is now probably the best in any phone, with a 108Mp main shooter backed up by an ultrawide and two telephoto lenses at different zoom levels.

The expansive 6.8in display delivers both high WQHD+ resolution and adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz, and with new S-pen stylus support it comfortably fills the productivity niche of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra too.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra review

The Oppo Find X3 Pro is a phenomenal phone by any measure. The 6.7in 10-bit 120Hz QHD+ panel is one of the best displays in any phone right now and Oppo backs it up with 65W wired and 30W wireless charging, a 4500mAh battery, and a top-tier camera that boasts 50Mp sensors on both the main and ultrawide lenses.

You’ll have to live without a periscopic zoom lens – the telephoto here is a measly 2x zoom – but Oppo instead includes a novel microlens camera capable of microscopic super-closeups. That’s not the only oddity, as the design itself is utterly unique thanks to a seamlessly sloped camera module built right into the glass of the phone’s body.

For pure performance the Find X3 Pro is also hard to beat, with all of the above plus a Snapdragon 888 chip, 512GB storage and 12GB RAM. You just have to be willing to pay the price, as it doesn’t come cheap.

Read our full Oppo Find X3 Pro review

The Mi 11 Ultra packs some of the absolute best hardware out there, from top internal specs to a powerful camera, beautiful display, and fast charging using both wired and wireless methods.

There are down sides though. The sheer price is an obvious one, as is the fact there is no promise of software updates, but honestly the design is a bigger flaw. The Mi 11 Ultra is not only big, but thanks to the ungainly camera module it is also simply quite ugly.

Read our full Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra review

On the surface, Samsung has brought better specs – including 5G as standard and the latest Snapdragon 888/Exynos 2100 chip – to the table for less than the asking price of the 4G-only build of the Galaxy S20.

In actuality, it’s prioritised those upgrades to ensure the S21 appears as relevant and current as possible, without going out of its way to really set the bar for forthcoming 2021 rivals.

The Galaxy S line’s unofficial position as the ‘default alternative’ to those who don’t want an iPhone isn’t likely to change with everything the Galaxy S21 has to offer, and for most users, this is still as much of a well-rounded, capable and reliable device as the S20, S10 and beyond have been.

If you’re looking for Samsung to push the flagship phone envelope, however, the Galaxy S21 isn’t the phone to do it.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S21 review

An outstanding follow-up to 2020’s best mid-range phone, with great performance, 5G, OnePlus’s signature Oxygen OS user experience, and a near-flagship main camera. What’s not to love?

What the OnePlus Nord 2 really demonstrates is the company’s ability to prioritise the features that users are looking for right now and wrapping them up in an attractive package with a compelling price point.

The Nord 2 misses out on flagship niceties like wireless charging and waterproofing, but those are really the only compromises made here.

Read our full OnePlus Nord 2 review

The OnePlus 8 Pro is arguably the company’s first full flagship, finally incorporating long-requested features like wireless charging and an IP68 waterproof rating to make it a genuine contender with Samsung’s top flagships.

Understandably, the price initially went up accordingly, but it still represents serious value by flagship standards, and you will save at least some money by opting for OnePlus over most other manufacturers. (Since the release of its successor, its price has thankfully dropped).

The 8 Pro camera is OnePlus’ best yet, and while it still lags behind rivals slightly in software the hardware is among the best around, which has helped to close the gap considerably. Throw in 5G, a great design, and the best Android skin around and the OnePlus 8 Pro is easy to recommend to anyone who can afford it.

The OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro might now be in our midst too, but they left us feeling cold to the point that we’d still suggest pointing your wallet/purse towards an 8 Pro or 8T, for the time being.

Read our full OnePlus 8 Pro review

The ZTE Axon 30 Ultra is a stunning proposition and offers buckets of value. It’s a genuinely exciting flagship smartphone in practically every department: it’s lightweight, feels great in the hand, the 144Hz 6.67in AMOLED display is detailed and crisp, the Snapdragon 888 allows it to perform like a gaming phone and, well, that camera setup is incredible.

Comprised of three 64Mp snappers and a 5x telescope lens, the Axon 30 Ultra’s rear camera offering is versatile, and unlike some, images captured across all sensors are comparable in terms of quality, detail and colour balance.

There are plenty of creative shooting modes available to make the most of the system, and it caters to videographers with [email protected] video recording too.

The results are comparable to those taken on ultra-premium smartphones like the Galaxy S21 Ultra and iPhone 12 Pro, but with one key difference – it’s hundreds of pounds/dollars cheaper.

The software could do with a visual tweak here and there and there’s no wireless charging, but those are minor complaints in what is an otherwise phenomenal 2021 flagship.

Read our full ZTE Axon 30 Ultra review

The Poco X3 Pro is a phone designed for Android gamers or power users on a budget, though it might also appeal to those who want to go big on specs in order to futureproof their phone.

If pure performance isn’t your priority, then you can find phones that are slimmer and lighter, with better camera performance, for around the same price.

What you won’t find is any phone that can match this pound for pound right now. This is near-flagship processing power in one of the cheapest phones on the market, and it’s almost ludicrous that Xiaomi has pulled it off.

Read our full Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro review

The Redmi Note 10 Pro is essentially an upgraded Poco X3 NFC with a nicer display and better camera.

The 6.67in 120Hz panel boasts AMOLED tech, meaning superb contrast and vibrant colours. The 108Mp lead camera, meanwhile, excels and comes accompanied by a pair of secondary snappers that exceed expectation.

Fun extras like 33W fast charging, a headphone jack and even an IR blaster elevate the Redmi Note 10 Pro from good to great budget offering, considering what Xiaomi’s incorporated here.

Read our full Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro review

While the standard 4G-only Mi 11 Lite is already an impressive feat of engineering, thanks to its slim profile, the fact that this 5G equivalent isn’t really any thicker, larger or heavier, despite delivering even more power, is an impressive achievement in and of itself. It packs in more than just faster cellular connectivity, too, with a superior chipset and a few other extras that collectively render it a more powerful and competitive mid-range entry.

Mi 11 Lite 5G offers up a pleasingly well-rounded experience and heaps of performance for the price. However, it does occupy a crowded mid-range space, where devices are vying for interest based on standout features, without demanding flagship prices.

As such, if you’re looking for the thinnest phone worth buying right now, this is it. If that waistline isn’t one of the biggest driving forces behind your purchasing decision, though, there are a number of competitors for around the same money that will also fit the bill.

Read our full Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G review

Ignore the price and the OnePlus 8T doesn’t feel like a desperately exciting upgrade from the 8 in some respects. But once you realise the price has dropped the phone begins to look much more compelling.

120Hz and 65W charging are welcome upgrades, even if they’re the sort of techie features that most users likely won’t care about too much. The software changes brought about by Android 11 are also almost all welcome, not least the…