- 2 days ago
Move aside Fifa - there's a new World Cup in town
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00:00I have tracked down 16 of the latest smartphones from all around the world, including countries
00:04that I had no idea even made phones, and each device will represent its home country.
00:09So all 16 will be battling it out in a proper knockout bracket tournament to determine the
00:14true winner of the Smartphone World Cup.
00:16So let's kick things off with our opening match.
00:19Korea, represented by Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra, up against Japan, who's responsible
00:26for the brand new, pretty controversial Sony Xperia 1 Mark 8.
00:36And here's what's tricky.
00:38Both sides have the same core formation, same chip, same size battery, but it's just, they
00:43play different strategies.
00:45It's like Sony's playing defense.
00:46Their entire mission is to protect the things that everyone else has dropped.
00:51Like this phone still has a headphone jack, a micro SD card slot, and dual front-firing
00:55speakers, which actually sound amazing.
00:58While Samsung has relegated those things, but they've traded them for this all out barrage
01:02of software features.
01:04There is nothing that you can't do on a Samsung flagship with more regular updates than Sony.
01:09And then because there's no chunky speakers, you get this larger edge to edge screen that's
01:13industry leading in all sorts of ways, including this.
01:17And so what I'd say breaks the deadlock here is the cameras.
01:20While the Sony is capable, as you might have seen with some recent controversies on X, it's
01:26also less dependable than Samsung's camera.
01:28I think the reliability of Samsung's super refined image processing makes this a better
01:33phone for most people, which means Sammy's throw into the quarter-final and Sony's taking
01:38a quiet coach back to the hotel.
01:39And that takes us to match two, India, home of the Lava Agni 4.
01:53Up against Turkey with their General Mobile's Phoenix 2 Pro.
02:01And you'll notice something immediately unusual about this matchup.
02:04These look like the same player.
02:06Both of these phones, released by separate companies in separate countries, are the same
02:10size, the same color, with the same camera bump.
02:13They even both have their own versions of an AI virtual pet.
02:17Lava dog, tell me a joke.
02:19My name is Vyo AI, not Lava Dog.
02:21I am happy to tell you another joke.
02:24Why do not scientists trust atoms?
02:26Because they make up everything.
02:27I've heard that joke before, but I've heard it with correct grammar, also does not sound
02:31like a dog.
02:32Right, General Mobile's cat, tell me a joke.
02:35Why did the cat sit on the computer?
02:37Because it wanted to keep an eye on the mouse.
02:39Did it tell me a cat joke because I called it a cat?
02:41Did it tell me a cat joke?
02:43Because it is a cat.
02:44So, because neither of these countries has managed to build their own end-to-end supply
02:49chains, the companies in these countries are having to source their devices from a Chinese
02:54supplier.
02:54And they're then just slightly tweaked and rebranded for their home crowds.
02:59And both of these just so happen to have had the same supplier.
03:03But that doesn't mean it's a draw.
03:04Because there's an astronomical difference in price.
03:08While the Turkish phone retails for the equivalent of $998 on their website, the Indian Lava
03:14is $316.
03:16I would guess partly because India's smartphone market is super competitive, so you actually
03:21can't take customers for a ride.
03:22But then also because Turkey applies an absolutely enormous consumer tax to smartphones.
03:28Well, that's a bit of an overgone.
03:30Like if we convert the retail price of an iPhone 17 Pro Max to dollars from both countries, in
03:34India you'll be parting with just under $1,600, which is already a lot, but Turkish customers
03:39would have to dish out nearly $2,900.
03:43This Indian Agni does start with a little less RAM than the Turkish phone, but the price
03:47gap between these two is unignorably huge.
03:51So India's through.
03:51But if match two is like spot the difference, then match three is spot the similarity.
03:57Because we've got the United Arab Emirates with their flagship company, Thuraya.
04:06Versus France and their cross call.
04:16In a way, this is the battle of the gimmick.
04:19UAE is a satellite phone, so it works like a regular device with a SIM card.
04:23But then if I eject this mahusive antenna, it can also, when you leave cellular coverage,
04:28switch to satellite mode to carry on calls, SMS, and location tracking.
04:32And it works.
04:33We went extremely remote and still got signal.
04:36And then France's device is a rugged phone.
04:38It's not defined by any one single killer feature like UAE's, but I genuinely think
04:43I've never seen this rugged concept done better than it is here.
04:46When you put the two side by side, it is so clear just how much more thought the French
04:50company has put into its design.
04:52Same with the software, which feels more polished and custom, as opposed to the Thuraya that feels
04:57rustled together at half time as an afterthought.
04:59France is better on paper too, it's got a bigger battery, it's got double the storage,
05:03it's got a lower price too.
05:05And then just seriously thoughtful touches, like not one, but two programmable action buttons,
05:10one on each side.
05:11That it comes with this X-Blocker mounting system that lets you connect the phone up to
05:16tripods and bikes.
05:17And that because USB-C ports are one of the biggest points of vulnerability, a cover for
05:22yours.
05:23And then this entirely new X-Link connector that lets you transfer data and do a whole lot
05:28more just using this waterproof magnetic contact point.
05:32I think it's pretty clear that France has made the better product here.
05:36So into the quarterfinals you go.
05:38But that brings us to one of the clear heavyweights in this tournament, China, walking out with
05:43the Oppo Find X9 Ultra.
05:56Now to put some respect on the HMD name, the Skyline's got some genuine consumer friendly
06:02perks.
06:03There's a microSD card slot and the back cover pops off so you can swap out the battery
06:07or even the screen by just unscrewing them.
06:10And obviously it's far more affordable than this Oppo.
06:13This is a $400 mid-ranger versus a $1,200 flagship.
06:17But even factoring in the price, the Skyline really is like bringing a plastic spoon to
06:23a gunfight.
06:24Even when compared to other phones at its own price, it's just lacking.
06:28The camera does not feel good enough for $400.
06:32I mean, seriously, like, what is that?
06:35The battery life and the chipset are disappointing.
06:38And it's all crammed into a package that's the worst of both worlds.
06:42Rounded corners on the screen, but sharp jutting corners on the body.
06:47Meanwhile this Oppo is very much at the bleeding edge of its price category.
06:51With not one, but two 200-megapixel cameras.
06:54One of the biggest batteries that you can get on a phone at 7,050 milliamp hours.
06:59And the fastest chip too.
07:01This thing ain't just a striker.
07:02It's the entire front three.
07:05Which makes it incredibly tough competition to come up against in HMP's first round.
07:09But all's fair in love and ball.
07:13Finland's road ends here.
07:14And that takes us to the bottom half of the bracket with two almost polar opposite devices.
07:19Germany's VOLA Quintus, a privacy-focused phone for people who want to disconnect from
07:24Google.
07:25And everything else.
07:29And against them, Sweden, whose Doro phones are specifically designed to get older people
07:35more connected.
07:36Okay, well, the Germans clearly have taste.
07:39You know the Germans always make good stuff.
07:41With this jet black stealthy looking thing that really has the right aesthetic for a security-focused
07:46digital detox device.
07:47And there's clearly some thought gone into this software they've built.
07:50Like how the homepage is springboard.
07:52Where you just scribble in your thoughts.
07:54And that can go straight into either an internet search or a note to be saved on the device.
07:58So you write first and then decide what you want to do with that writing.
08:01VOLA doesn't ask you to make any accounts or log into anything.
08:05And the absolutely insane thing is that while this is currently running Android with a skin,
08:09it can also just dual boot into an entirely Google-free Ubuntu operating system.
08:14Which makes this Doro look pretty lame by comparison.
08:18Obviously it's not trying to be as cool.
08:20It's for your grandad.
08:21But grandads can still appreciate a bit of intentional software design.
08:25Everything about this just feels so budget.
08:29How they've given you a physical home button but still left the digital one on two.
08:33How laggy and slow this software is.
08:36How they've not even properly programmed it to be aware of its own screen corner radius.
08:41So part of your battery percentage and notifications are sometimes just cut off.
08:46Credit where due.
08:47This alert button is a genuinely good idea.
08:50To be able to get help when needed.
08:51Even if grandad will probably spend half his time trying to take a photo with it.
08:55But overall, it's a win to Germany.
08:58And an L for our elders.
09:00I hear this next country is hosting some other type of World Cup this year.
09:04Can't remember what it's for.
09:05It's Mexico.
09:06And they're Lanix Alpha 6.
09:12Up against the Netherlands with the Fairphone Gen 6.
09:23This is the first time I'd say I'm really disappointed.
09:27This Lanix has zero redeeming qualities.
09:31I mean, it is only $205.
09:33But even then the screen looks incredibly soft.
09:36And it genuinely feels like not one person checked this software before shipping.
09:41I mean, just look how much space is taken up by the UI in the camera.
09:44Why do the apps almost touch the search bar when you go into the app drawer?
09:48Who decided to leave just one icons gap on the homepage to finish the line?
09:53And then you realize that on top of that, while this is clearly designed to look like three cameras,
09:58this one's a flash and this one's an IR depth sensor.
10:01So it's one rear camera and not a very good one.
10:06This is such a no-show from Mexico that the Netherlands' Fairphone, just by being at least
10:11decent and extremely pro-consumer with its almost limitless repairability,
10:16can stroll right through into the next round.
10:18Final two matches now before we get to the quarters.
10:21It's the home team, nothing, and their Phone 4A Pro from England.
10:24Come on and gun!
10:27Against Taiwan, makers of the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra.
10:33You gotta give credit to nothing.
10:35They're probably the most refreshing brand in the game right now.
10:39They're making something that's actually interesting to look at and talk about in the big 2026.
10:44Whereas the Zenfone 12 Ultra is perhaps the most stale ultra phone I have ever seen.
10:50The design is incredibly boring.
10:52The software's boring.
10:53The display is boring.
10:54It's genuinely a less good display than the nothing phones.
10:57A device that's half its price.
10:59And even the cameras, which are usually the headline of any Ultra phone,
11:03they're just nothing to write home about.
11:04This phone's main camera is the same as this phone's main camera.
11:08And Asus's image processing is just not as advanced as their competitors.
11:12So it makes sense why this is one of the last phones that Asus made
11:16before getting out of the game earlier this year.
11:19And look, I think it's pretty fair to say that this nothing phone is gimmick heavy.
11:24It's got this wacky design, this glyph matrix interface that lets you run any number of these
11:28glyph toys on it.
11:30And the essential app builder, where you can just add in a little text prompt and generate
11:34these little widgets.
11:35Not to mention a 140 times max digital zoom, which is a little silly and extra.
11:41But the best thing about this is that you can take all of that away.
11:44And this is still just a rock solid piece of hardware that feels polished.
11:50So the home crowd gets its moment.
11:52Easy win for England in my books.
11:54Which leaves us with the US, represented by the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL.
11:58I had to keep iPhones out of this.
12:00They're like entering an NFL team into a soccer tournament.
12:03And that is beefing it out with Indonesia's Advan Matcha.
12:06Which is one of the top performance focused devices made in the country.
12:10That I'm gonna guess doesn't taste as good as it sounds.
12:13But with a little digging, it turns out that unfortunately,
12:17this is just another example of a cookie cutter sourced phone.
12:20Funnily enough, from the exact same supplier that India's lava seems to use.
12:24I can literally see a phone on the lava website that looks identical.
12:29It's just disappointingly uninspired.
12:31It literally has the same AI cat as Turkey, just with a different name.
12:35Actually, why don't we put it against Gemini, just in case it's better.
12:38Generate me a logo for a video I'm making called the Smartphone World Cup.
12:44I don't have the ability at the moment.
12:45I expected no more.
12:47Sure, here is the image.
12:48Gemini's done it. That is sick.
12:50Can you start a timer for five minutes?
12:52I'm sorry. I don't have the ability at the moment.
12:55Bruh.
12:56I've started a timer for five minutes.
12:58I guess this is a good example of how, when it comes to smartphones,
13:01buying from global companies is generally a good choice.
13:05It's these companies who have access to all the best components,
13:08and who can afford to actually create and integrate their own features.
13:12These are the ones training their own world-class players from scratch.
13:16These are the ones grabbing any available human off the street
13:19and sticking them in a football shirt.
13:21So the US swaggers into the quarters as the Indonesian matcher retires.
13:26Maybe to a coffee shop near you.
13:29So, it's the quarter-finals. The losers are looking pretty deflated.
13:33Tough day for you guys. How are you feeling?
13:35Well, you know, at the end of the day, it's a game of two halves.
13:38At the end of the day, you've got to put in 110% at the end of the day.
13:41Yeah. Yeah, I'm sorry about that.
13:46And for the winners, the stakes are getting ever higher.
13:49Because now it's Korea versus India.
13:51Samsung S26 Ultra versus Lava Agni 4.
13:54We already know that the Samsung is one of the best high-end phones on the planet.
13:58So, really the question here is, is the Lava one of the best affordable phones on the planet?
14:04I don't know, Jeff.
14:05Well, its screen is amazing.
14:07Very punchy, 120Hz refresh rate.
14:09It's pretty cool that they give you 256GB of fast storage minimum.
14:13And even the MediaTek chip that you get inside of here for $316 is a hell yes.
14:19It's all looking up for lava.
14:21Until you open the camera app.
14:23And honestly, this was always coming.
14:25Because here's the thing.
14:26A good screen, or a good battery, you can basically buy.
14:29Spec the phone with a decent component, and you're most of the way there.
14:33A good smartphone camera, though, is only achieved with immense amounts of software tuning.
14:38That's the bit that gets skipped over when you're buying off-the-shelf,
14:40ready-made devices like this.
14:42So, the underdog hits the wall it was always going to hit.
14:45And Korea is in the semi-miles.
14:47This one's tighter, though.
14:48France's CrossCore, who turned this notoriously ugly, generic category of phones
14:53into something that actually feels design first, versus China's Oppo.
14:56This astronomically-specced, all-round titan of a device.
15:00Oh, God.
15:01I actually think this French brand is incredible.
15:04This entire ecosystem they've created is so polished.
15:07They've got their own power banks, their own charging docks, their own walkie-talkies.
15:11And even this power station designed to charge 10 cross-call phones at once.
15:15And it all takes advantage of this ultra-durable MagSafe-esque connector they've made.
15:20That actually has the speed of a wired connection.
15:23Just playing around with the 3D models they have on their site, too,
15:27it makes it very clear that this is a brand that just gets it.
15:30And so it kills me to say that even with that, it still doesn't beat the Oppo.
15:37France has built the perfect answer to a question that not many people asked.
15:42Really, this is for tradespeople, tree climbers.
15:45The person who will actually end up dropping their phone in a lake.
15:48Whereas the Oppo is something that you could hand to almost anyone.
15:52And they'd be pretty blown away.
15:54So France heads home, but not without a standing ovation.
15:57But now, up against Germany and their Volaphone,
16:00it's time for the Netherlands to face the music.
16:02Their Fairphone won the first round before it even tied its laces.
16:06Now is where it has to truly defend its name.
16:08And under pressure?
16:10I think the Fairphone shines.
16:12We already know the phone uses a ton of recycled components.
16:15And that the company seems to bend over backwards to offset the emissions from making the thing.
16:20Plus, the phone's insane repairability is kind of a double benefit.
16:24Because it also opens the gates for custom accessories like the finger loop and the card holder.
16:29And compared to earlier generations of the Fairphone,
16:32with this one, when you use it,
16:33it's pretty clear that you're not getting completely shafted on specs for going with the Eco Choice anymore.
16:40This is actually a very decent 120Hz OLED display.
16:43And what I think makes this just outright surpass Germany,
16:47is the Fairphone also has a minimalist UI option.
16:51You activate it with this really cool little slider on the side.
16:53And ironically, I would say this mode actually feels more polished
16:58than the phone whose entire personality is based on this concept.
17:01I do really like the idea of this German stealth machine,
17:05of being completely off the grid.
17:06Especially because I've got Surfshark VPN, our sponsor, running on it.
17:09Which means even if I do decide to springboard onto the internet, my identity stays masked.
17:14The issue is, while this was definitely more polished than the grandpa phone,
17:18it does have some rougher edges.
17:20Like, the camera app looks like it was built by a vibe coder in one prompt.
17:24And I think it's pretty ironic for a phone claiming to have removed Google,
17:28that they couldn't even manage to remove this butterfly wallpaper every time you swipe to go home.
17:33So the Fairphone's gonna take the W.
17:35Because I could also just get Surfshark on this too.
17:38And it'll build me an entirely anonymous online identity.
17:41Name, email, phone number, and more.
17:43And if you go to surfshark.com and use the code BOSS,
17:46you'll get a massive four additional months on top of a two year subscription,
17:50to cover your whole family and maybe your country too.
17:54In the match of England's Nothing Phone Foray Pro,
17:56against the US's Google Pixel though,
17:58you might think, well, obviously, the Google Pixel's gonna take this.
18:02Pixel gets the latest software updates day one.
18:05It's got zero bloatware.
18:06It's got so many cutting edge Gemini features,
18:09like how it just knows what music is playing around you and will show you,
18:13without you needing to go into an app to listen for it.
18:15Or how with Admi, you take the group photo, swap places with the photographer for a second one,
18:20and your phone fuses them so that nobody gets left on the bench.
18:23But here's what I would say.
18:25I think the Nothing Phone Foray Pro punches above its weight.
18:28It's got a good enough display, battery, design that I would actually recommend it as one of
18:33the go-to mid-rangers right now, even if the normal non-pro 4A is its even better value cousin.
18:39The Pixel though doesn't punch above its weight.
18:43In fact, anytime I want to recommend this to someone, unlike the Nothing Phone Foray,
18:47I always have to caveat the Pixel a little.
18:50I have to tell people, yes, the software experience is world class,
18:53but it's dramatically less powerful and less suited for gaming than its peers,
18:58and its battery doesn't last as long.
19:00So when you're factoring in value, I think nothing knocks out the US,
19:04booking England's place in the semis.
19:06I'm not biased.
19:07I swear.
19:09But it's time for those semis.
19:11I have been dreading this one.
19:13Korea versus China.
19:15Galaxy S26 Ultra versus Oppo Find X9 Ultra.
19:18Two heavyweights that you'd expect to go all the way.
19:22Because in Korea's corner, you've got Samsung's amazing One UI software,
19:26which I would actually rank higher than Oppo's ColorOS.
19:29Not to mention how valuable it is to have a phone mainstream enough that accessories are actually
19:34made for it, and one with a robust ecosystem of watches and earbuds surrounding it.
19:39And of course, the S Pen.
19:41No other company supplies a stylus of this quality that just works in the most mindless way possible.
19:47It's just, how does that weigh up against Oppo?
19:51Who I'd say has fewer of Samsung's comforts, but then two absolutely staggering standouts.
19:57A battery that lasts like four hours longer, and a camera that's just zero contest better.
20:03It's good enough that we're shooting this shot with the phone.
20:06And, you know, if he's right, it could very easily replace our mirrorless camera.
20:12Here, how does one decide this?
20:14Okay.
20:15I'm gonna say the Oppo takes it.
20:17It feels like the more ambitious phone.
20:18Samsung started to feel very iterative over the last few years.
20:22Almost like they're coasting on reputation instead of pushing for the win.
20:26So China's through to the final.
20:28But there's a very different kind of war being fought in our other semi-final.
20:32Between the Netherlands' Fairphone Gen 6, which I'll be honest,
20:35I didn't expect to make it this far.
20:37And then England's Nothing Phone.
20:38It's the matchup that we didn't know we needed, because these are both industry outsiders.
20:43Two underdogs who completely agree on the idea of standing out.
20:47But just completely disagree on how.
20:50While Nothing's game plan is very much about making phones fun again,
20:53Fairphone leans into sustainability.
20:55And even though they've already made any of this phone's 12 major components
20:59replaceable with just one screwdriver bit, they still haven't stopped driving to achieve their goal.
21:04How they give you five years of warranty compared to one on the Nothing Phone.
21:09At least seven years of Android OS upgrades compared to Nothing Phone 3.
21:13Plus the option right there on the main webpage to buy refurbished.
21:18Which is easily the most eco-friendly choice.
21:21Here's where I'm at though.
21:22I respect the Fairphone's mission a lot.
21:25But they're not a charity.
21:27They're a business.
21:28And while clearly, still, this is the more sustainable option,
21:32we should be very honest when we say that the production of neither of these phones is good for the
21:38planet.
21:38That's just not possible yet.
21:40And what's also very clear when you look at these two phones is that
21:42the Nothing Phone feels a lot closer to a flagship.
21:45Whether it's the metal body, the pretty much category-leading display,
21:49the cameras, which are not amazing but still miles better than the Fairphone's,
21:53or the chipset, which is about 40% faster overall.
21:56Plus the speakers on the Fairphone and the haptics are pretty harsh and jarring.
22:01I guess you're only doing the planet a solid if you actually keep this phone for many years to come.
22:07And I just think that a lot of people would struggle to do that,
22:10given that it already feels, while better than previous Fairphones, still somewhat dated.
22:15Me personally, I would rather buy something like this.
22:18Use it for three to four years and really enjoy that time.
22:21And then hand it down to a cousin who's not as fussy as I am.
22:25Which makes the Nothing Phone our second finalist.
22:28So, after all the trials and tribulations, just two countries remain.
22:32How on earth do we make this decision?
22:35The Uber flagship phone from our giant Chinese conglomerate,
22:39versus the surprising mid-ranger from our plucky London startup.
22:42And what makes this final so brutal is these are not just both fantastic phones,
22:48but they're also both companies that are improving the entire smartphone industry in their own ways.
22:53I feel like Oppo are quietly becoming the most viable alternative to a Samsung or a Google Pixel.
22:59They're making themselves more available around the world and
23:01just trying harder to cram as much bleeding edge tech in as possible.
23:06It's phones like this that are holding other flagships accountable.
23:09And for nothing, they don't have the scale to undertake R&D on the level that Oppo does.
23:14But just through having this clear, unique vision, they still found ways to bring value.
23:19This company's championed the idea of being able to disconnect from your tech.
23:22They've created a whole lot of competitive pressure that's forced others to keep their prices down.
23:27And if nothing else, they've just created a fun,
23:31edgy alternative for people who want something a bit different.
23:34So here's what I think clinches this.
23:36Nothing's superpower is taking great tech and making it affordable and stylish.
23:41But Oppo is pushing the entire frontier forward.
23:44They're one of the few who are actually taking the big swings and by doing so,
23:49shaping the future of smartphone tech.
23:51Which I think gives Oppo the edge and makes China world champions of 2026.
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