Eye-popping Chinese camera phones not for Americans

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has announced a new model that appears to have one of the best camera systems on the market – but it won’t be sold in the US and probably not in India either.

On February 25, the new Xiaomi 14 Ultra and standard model Xiaomi 14 smartphones were presented at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, Spain. They had already been launched in China, but the Barcelona rollout marked their international debuts.

The 5G-compatible Xiaomi 14 Ultra features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor made by Taiwan’s TSMC using 4-nm process technology, a Leica-designed camera system with 50MP (megapixel) image sensors made by Japan’s Sony and a 6.36-inch display.

Tech news website Mashable calls it a “photography monster.” The Verge regards it as “a contender for the best camera phone of 2024” while noting that it is “going global – minus the US.” India Today writes “Xiaomi 14 Ultra looks great… but it is not coming to India.” It will, however, be sold in Europe including the United Kingdom.

The limited international distribution is generally attributed to Xiaomi’s product strategy and local market characteristics but the company has run into political trouble in both the US and India.

In January 2021, the US Department of Defense named Xiaomi as a “Communist Chinese Military Company.” But Xiaomi contested the decision and the US District Court for the District of Columbia voided the designation in May the same year.

In India, Xiaomi’s assets have been frozen, its funds seized due to alleged violation of foreign exchange regulations and its offices raided for alleged tax evasion. In response, Xiaomi accused Indian officials of threatening its executives during investigations.

That is unfortunate for