4 Cool Features That Phones Have Overseas, But Not In The US

In the U.S., we have a pretty basic selection of smartphones to choose from. Yes, we have foldables like the Moto Razr+ and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and we even have a phone or two with a stylus, like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, so that's fun. But when you look across the pond (on either side) there is a wealth of smartphone variety to be had, that the U.S. simply doesn't see, which is a shame. If variety is the spice of life, the U.S. phone market could definitely use some seasoning.

I recently attended Mobile World Congress, which is a showcase of sorts for phones launching all over the world, and while I was there, I got to check out some of the phones that simply don't make it over here. It's important to keep an eye on what's going on over there, because it provides context for what we have over here — and what we don't. So, without further ado, here's a look at some of the phones you can't have, and why that's a shame.

Tecno had a few interesting offerings at MWC, including one of our best of MWC award winners, the AI Glasses. But if you took the opportunity to walk around its booth, you could see a few other cool concepts, such as a tri-fold phone concept. Of course, this particular offering comes with a healthy dose of caveats.

First, the phone was under glass, which doesn't inspire a ton of confidence. There was a second unit there that a Tecno representative could show you, but you couldn't hold it yourself. Usually that means there are very few of them that exist in the world, so you won't be buying one tomorrow on Amazon.

But tri-fold phones are not a new thing. Huawei in particular has a consumer version of a tri-fold available that you can buy, assuming you live in China and don't want to install anything from Google. Samsung also teased one with a brief graphic at Samsung Unpacked, so it's only a matter of time before they become available, and it's nice to see more than a few companies working to bring these to market.

One concept from RealMe that was on display was the RealMe interchangeable lens concept phone. This phone has a large camera bump on the back, but for the first time, it feels like it needs one. The camera bump has a 1-inch Sony camera sensor (not exposed, under glass) and a bracket that accepts Leica M-mount lenses.

The result, is you get a camera that is as versatile as your glass, plus a ton of computational power behind the lens powered by the smartphone. If you want to shoot macro shots, there's a lens for that. If you want zoom, there's a lens for that. You get the idea. The phone also has "normal" camera lenses for when you don't want to tote a camera bag with you.

This isn't a new concept. Phones in the past have had this before, but it has been a long time. It's an interesting concept for sure, and much more targeted to camera gear nerds, rather than your average consumer. But it's still a nice option to have, if you want it.

Oukitel — and don't ask me how to pronounce its name — brought a couple of cool consumer-ready products to the show, and the first one is the WP100 Titan, and boy is this device appropriately named. I just called it "the brick." The headline feature on this phone has to be the fact that it has a 33,000 mAh battery, which I'm not 100% positive can be taken on a plane. This phone isn't really meant to be on a plane, though. It's meant to accompany a hiker or camper for a long weekend.

Additionally, the phone has a built-in 100 lumen projector, so you can watch content on a larger screen. It also sports a 1,200 lumen floodlight, which can fill an area or flash SOS if you need it to, and here's hoping you don't.

The phone is incredibly bulky — roughly four times the thickness of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. It even has a polymer carrying strap on one side so you can carry it like a briefcase. I tried putting it in my pocket, and it was surprisingly not bad, but still, this is more a thing you will want to do regularly.

Another Oukitel phone — the WP200 — has a small screen on the back of it where you'd normally see the camera module. This screen pops out though into an earpiece with an LED screen on the back. The earpiece is obviously a mono earpiece — it's not intended for music necessarily but should be pretty decent for podcasts or phone calls. Plus, the screen on the back is touch sensitive so you can adjust settings in the earpiece, but that's not all.

Since the earpiece has a screen on the back, Oukitel also ships a strap with the phone that you can add to the earpiece, making it a smartwatch. Actually, it would be more accurate to describe it as a fitness band, but it has all that functionality. When it's time to charge, just pop it back into the phone so it can get topped up. This phone is basically a 3-in-1 (but not at the same time) deal, and we're here for it.