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Here are the coolest phones that aren’t officially available in Canada

Check out some of the phones we missed out on in 2020

In Canada, we’re able to purchase smartphones from carriers like Bell and Rogers and directly from manufacturers like Samsung and Apple.

Some phone makers like Asus and TCL also sell their handsets in Canada through retailers like Staples and Amazon. This gives us access to handsets from several brands, including Samsung, Apple, Google, Huawei, LG, Nokia, Alcatel, TCL, Asus, OnePlus and more.

However, there are still a variety of handsets that aren’t easily attainable in Canada. For example, Sony no longer sells its handsets here, and Chinese brands like Oppo, Xiaomi and Vivo have never officially sold their devices in North America.

This story looks at the handsets I wish were released here. It’s worth noting this list doesn’t include every single notable smartphone that’s not available in Canada, like Microsoft’s Surface Duo or the Vivo X50 Pro+.

Huawei Mate 40 Pro+

Huawei typically brings all of its smartphones to Canada, but in 2020 the company’s Mate 40 series didn’t come here. This includes the Huawei Mate 40 Pro+, a handset that features an elegant design alongside the top-of-the-line specifications that make it one of the best phones hardware-wise that you can’t get in Canada.

Huawei Mate 40 Pro+

Display

6.76-inch (1344 x 2772 pixels), 90Hz, OLED

Processor

Kirin 9000 5G

RAM

12GB of RAM

Storage

256GB of storage

Dimensions (in.)

162.9 x 75.5 x 8.8mm

Weight

230g

Rear Facing Camera

50-megapixel (f/1.9, wide), 12-megapixel (f/2.4, 3x zoom), 8-megapixel (f/4.4, 10x zoom, periscope), 20-megapixel (f/2.4, ultrawide), TOF 3D (depth)

Front Facing Camera

13-megapixel (f/2.4), TOF 3D (depth)

OS

Android 10 / EMUI 11

Battery

4400mAh battery

Network Connectivity

GSM/HSPA/LTE/5G

Sensors

Face ID. Fingerprint (in-display), accelerometor, gyro, proximity, compass`

SIM Type

Nano SIM

Launch Date

Misc

66W fast charging, 50W wireless charging, 5W reverse charging,

Display

Huawei Mate 40 Pro+

6.76-inch (1344 x 2772 pixels), 90Hz, OLED

Processor

Huawei Mate 40 Pro+

Kirin 9000 5G

RAM

Huawei Mate 40 Pro+

12GB of RAM

Storage

Huawei Mate 40 Pro+

256GB of storage

Dimensions (in.)

Huawei Mate 40 Pro+

162.9 x 75.5 x 8.8mm

Weight

Huawei Mate 40 Pro+

230g

Rear Facing Camera

Huawei Mate 40 Pro+

50-megapixel (f/1.9, wide), 12-megapixel (f/2.4, 3x zoom), 8-megapixel (f/4.4, 10x zoom, periscope), 20-megapixel (f/2.4, ultrawide), TOF 3D (depth)

Front Facing Camera

Huawei Mate 40 Pro+

13-megapixel (f/2.4), TOF 3D (depth)

OS

Huawei Mate 40 Pro+

Android 10 / EMUI 11

Battery

Huawei Mate 40 Pro+

4400mAh battery

Network Connectivity

Huawei Mate 40 Pro+

GSM/HSPA/LTE/5G

Sensors

Huawei Mate 40 Pro+

Face ID. Fingerprint (in-display), accelerometor, gyro, proximity, compass`

SIM Type

Huawei Mate 40 Pro+

Nano SIM

Launch Date

Huawei Mate 40 Pro+

Misc

Huawei Mate 40 Pro+

66W fast charging, 50W wireless charging, 5W reverse charging,

With four cameras alongside a time-of-flight sensor, a Kirin 9000 5G processor, 12GB of RAM with both Face ID and an under-display fingerprint scanner, the Mate 40 Pro+ is an excellent piece of hardware.

Like some other China-based phone brands, Huawei’s Mate 40 Pro lacks the Google Play Store and instead offers the company’s own App Gallery. The App Gallery offers tons of apps and is the third-largest app marketplace in the world.

Asus ZenFone 7 Pro

Last year, the Asus ZenFone 6 was one of my favourite phones. I love the idea of a handset that doesn’t feature a front-facing camera and uses its rear-facing shooter for better selfies. Plus, the display is unobstructed by a notch or camera cut-out, and I remember I couldn’t stop looking at the phone. So, it broke my heart when Asus didn’t bring the successor to Canada.

Asus ZenFone 7 Pro

Display

6.67-inch (1080 x 2400) OLED, 90Hz refresh rate, HDR10+

Processor

Snapdragon 865+

RAM

8GB of RAM

Storage

256GB of storage

Dimensions (in.)

165.1 x 77.3 x 9.6mm

Weight

230g

Rear Facing Camera

64-megapixel (f/1.8) + 8-megapixel (f/2.4, 3x zoom) + 12-megapixel (f/2.2, ultrawide)

Front Facing Camera

OS

Android 10

Battery

5,000mAh

Network Connectivity

GSM/HSPA/LTE/5G

Sensors

Fingerprint (side-facing), accelerometor, gyro, proximity, compass`

SIM Type

Nano SIM

Launch Date

Misc

Motorized rear-facing camera that flips up

Display

Asus ZenFone 7 Pro

6.67-inch (1080 x 2400) OLED, 90Hz refresh rate, HDR10+

Processor

Asus ZenFone 7 Pro

Snapdragon 865+

RAM

Asus ZenFone 7 Pro

8GB of RAM

Storage

Asus ZenFone 7 Pro

256GB of storage

Dimensions (in.)

Asus ZenFone 7 Pro

165.1 x 77.3 x 9.6mm

Weight

Asus ZenFone 7 Pro

230g

Rear Facing Camera

Asus ZenFone 7 Pro

64-megapixel (f/1.8) + 8-megapixel (f/2.4, 3x zoom) + 12-megapixel (f/2.2, ultrawide)

Front Facing Camera

Asus ZenFone 7 Pro

OS

Asus ZenFone 7 Pro

Android 10

Battery

Asus ZenFone 7 Pro

5,000mAh

Network Connectivity

Asus ZenFone 7 Pro

GSM/HSPA/LTE/5G

Sensors

Asus ZenFone 7 Pro

Fingerprint (side-facing), accelerometor, gyro, proximity, compass`

SIM Type

Asus ZenFone 7 Pro

Nano SIM

Launch Date

Asus ZenFone 7 Pro

Misc

Asus ZenFone 7 Pro

Motorized rear-facing camera that flips up

The Asus ZenFone 7 Pro has everything I loved about the ZenFone 6 and more. With three rear-facing shooters, a 90Hz refresh rate and a Snapdragon 865+, the ZenFone 7 Pro is undeniably awesome. Plus, it won YouTuber Marques Brownlee’s (MKBHD) best smartphone camera contest, which features a comparison of various phones snapping the same pictures until a winner is decided. In this test, the ZenFone 7 Pro won against notable smartphones like the Pixel 5 and Huawei’s Mate 40 Pro.

LG Wing

Recently, LG started a new ‘Explorer Project,’ a mobile category that’s aimed at discovering new ways consumers can interact with mobile devices.

LG Wing

Display

6.8-inch 1080 x 2460 pixels, P-OLED Secondary Screen: 3.9-inch 1080 x 2460 pixels

Processor

Snapdragon 765G

RAM

8GB of RAM

Storage

128GB, 256GB

Dimensions (in.)

169.5 x 74.5 x 10.9mm

Weight

260g

Rear Facing Camera

64-megapixel (f/1.8, wide) +12-megapixel (f/1.9, ultrawide) + 12-megapixel (f/2.2, ultrawide

Front Facing Camera

32-megapixel (f/1.9)

OS

Android 10

Battery

4,000mAh

Network Connectivity

GSM/HSPA/LTE/5G

Sensors

Fingerprint (in-display), accelerometor, gyro, proximity, compass`

SIM Type

Nano SIM

Launch Date

Misc

Secondary rotational display, motorized pop-up selfie shooter

Display

LG Wing

6.8-inch 1080 x 2460 pixels, P-OLED Secondary Screen: 3.9-inch 1080 x 2460 pixels

Processor

LG Wing

Snapdragon 765G

RAM

LG Wing

8GB of RAM

Storage

LG Wing

128GB, 256GB

Dimensions (in.)

LG Wing

169.5 x 74.5 x 10.9mm

Weight

LG Wing

260g

Rear Facing Camera

LG Wing

64-megapixel (f/1.8, wide) +12-megapixel (f/1.9, ultrawide) + 12-megapixel (f/2.2, ultrawide

Front Facing Camera

LG Wing

32-megapixel (f/1.9)

OS

LG Wing

Android 10

Battery

LG Wing

4,000mAh

Network Connectivity

LG Wing

GSM/HSPA/LTE/5G

Sensors

LG Wing

Fingerprint (in-display), accelerometor, gyro, proximity, compass`

SIM Type

LG Wing

Nano SIM

Launch Date

LG Wing

Misc

LG Wing

Secondary rotational display, motorized pop-up selfie shooter

The first phone out of this project is the swivelling LG Wing. The LG Wing is cool-looking, and it offers two displays on top of one another. The front 6.8-inch screen can rotate to reveal the secondary 3.9-inch screen.

While the Wing offers a weaker processor than any other smartphone on this list, the fact it offers this swivelling innovation makes it interesting enough to be included. Additionally, like the ZenFone 7 Pro, the LG Wing’s display is unobstructed by a notch or hole punch, as the handset offers a pop-up selfie shooter.

Sony Xperia 1 II

Sony’s smartphone business officially left the Canadian market in 2019, with the company’s last handset to launch in Canada being the Xperia XZ2 series from 2018. At first, I was fine with the manufacturer’s decision to leave the country, however, Sony’s latest smartphones are pretty stellar and I wish it held out just a bit longer.

Sony Xperia 1 II

Display

6.5-inch (1664 x 3840) OLED

Processor

Snapdragon 865

RAM

8GB of RAM ,12GB of RAM

Storage

256GB of storage

Dimensions (in.)

165.1 x 71.1 x 7.6mm

Weight

181.4g

Rear Facing Camera

12-megapixel (f/1.7, wide) + 12-megapixel (f/2.4, 3x zoom) + 12-megapixel (f/2.2, ultrawide) + 0.3-megapixel (depth)

Front Facing Camera

8-megapixel (f/2.0, wide)

OS

Android 10

Battery

4,000mAh

Network Connectivity

GSM/HSPA/LTE/5G

Sensors

Fingerprint (side-facing), accelerometor, gyro, proximity, compass`

SIM Type

Nano SIM

Launch Date

Misc

1644 x 3840 pixels (643ppi)

Display

Sony Xperia 1 II

6.5-inch (1664 x 3840) OLED

Processor

Sony Xperia 1 II

Snapdragon 865

RAM

Sony Xperia 1 II

8GB of RAM ,12GB of RAM

Storage

Sony Xperia 1 II

256GB of storage

Dimensions (in.)

Sony Xperia 1 II

165.1 x 71.1 x 7.6mm

Weight

Sony Xperia 1 II

181.4g

Rear Facing Camera

Sony Xperia 1 II

12-megapixel (f/1.7, wide) + 12-megapixel (f/2.4, 3x zoom) + 12-megapixel (f/2.2, ultrawide) + 0.3-megapixel (depth)

Front Facing Camera

Sony Xperia 1 II

8-megapixel (f/2.0, wide)

OS

Sony Xperia 1 II

Android 10

Battery

Sony Xperia 1 II

4,000mAh

Network Connectivity

Sony Xperia 1 II

GSM/HSPA/LTE/5G

Sensors

Sony Xperia 1 II

Fingerprint (side-facing), accelerometor, gyro, proximity, compass`

SIM Type

Sony Xperia 1 II

Nano SIM

Launch Date

Sony Xperia 1 II

Misc

Sony Xperia 1 II

1644 x 3840 pixels (643ppi)

Gone are the days of Sony’s huge bezel phones; now the company has dramatically reduced bezels compared to its predecessors. Other phones on the market have smaller bezels, but this is a big step for the company.

The Xperia 1 II (what is this name?) features a quad camera setup, a 6.5-inch display with a 1644 x 3840 pixel resolution giving it an astonishing 643ppi density, and a Snapdragon 865 processor. It’s interesting to see Sony is still only putting side-mounted fingerprint scanners in its phones, but after using the Pixel 5 for a couple of months, I have no quarrels with handsets that lack an under-display fingerprint scanner.

ZTE Axon 20 5G

Similar to the LG Wing, ZTE’s Axon 5G doesn’t offer the best specs available on a smartphone whatsoever, but it features something new no other handset on the market offers: an under-screen selfie shooter.

ZTE Axon 20 5G

Display

6.92-inch OLED, 1080 x 2460, 90Hz

Processor

Snapdragon 765G

RAM

6GB of RAM, 8GB of RAM

Storage

128GB, 256GB

Dimensions (in.)

172.1 x 77.9 x 8mm

Weight

198g

Rear Facing Camera

64-megapixel (f/1.8, wide) + 8-megapixel (f/2.2, ultrawide) + 2-megapixel (f/2.4, macro), 2-megapixel (f/2.4, depth)

Front Facing Camera

32-megapixel (f/2.0)

OS

Android 10

Battery

4,220mAh

Network Connectivity

GSM/HSPA/LTE

Sensors

Fingerprint (in-display), accelerometor, gyro, proximity, compass`

SIM Type

Nano SIM

Launch Date

Misc

Has a hidden front-facing camera underneath the screen

Display

ZTE Axon 20 5G

6.92-inch OLED, 1080 x 2460, 90Hz

Processor

ZTE Axon 20 5G

Snapdragon 765G

RAM

ZTE Axon 20 5G

6GB of RAM, 8GB of RAM

Storage

ZTE Axon 20 5G

128GB, 256GB

Dimensions (in.)

ZTE Axon 20 5G

172.1 x 77.9 x 8mm

Weight

ZTE Axon 20 5G

198g

Rear Facing Camera

ZTE Axon 20 5G

64-megapixel (f/1.8, wide) + 8-megapixel (f/2.2, ultrawide) + 2-megapixel (f/2.4, macro), 2-megapixel (f/2.4, depth)

Front Facing Camera

ZTE Axon 20 5G

32-megapixel (f/2.0)

OS

ZTE Axon 20 5G

Android 10

Battery

ZTE Axon 20 5G

4,220mAh

Network Connectivity

ZTE Axon 20 5G

GSM/HSPA/LTE

Sensors

ZTE Axon 20 5G

Fingerprint (in-display), accelerometor, gyro, proximity, compass`

SIM Type

ZTE Axon 20 5G

Nano SIM

Launch Date

ZTE Axon 20 5G

Misc

ZTE Axon 20 5G

Has a hidden front-facing camera underneath the screen

The Axon 5G’s 32-megapixel front-facing camera is hidden underneath the display. It’s not totally invisible and, similar to the Predator, you can see the camera depending on the light.

Alongside the innovative hidden camera, the ZTE Axon 5G features a rear-facing 64-megapixel primary shooter, with an 8-megapixel ultrawide, 2-megapixel macro, and 2-megapixel depth sensor, 8GB of RAM, and an under-display fingerprint sensor.

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

Xioami’s Mi 10 Ultra doesn’t have the coolest features like an in-display camera or a screen that swivels, but what it does feature are a ton of high specs.

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

Display

6.67-inch (1080 x 2340) OLED, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+

Processor

Snapdragon 865

RAM

8GB of RAM, 12GB of RAM, 16GB of RAM

Storage

128GB, 256GB, 512GB

Dimensions (in.)

162.4 x 75.1 x 9.5mm

Weight

221.8 g

Rear Facing Camera

48-megapixel (f/1.9, wide) + 48-megapixel (f/4.1, periscope 120x zoom), 12-megapixel (f/2.0, 2x optical), 20-megapixel (f/2.2, ultrawide)

Front Facing Camera

20-megapixel (f/2.3)

OS

Android 10

Battery

4,500mAh

Network Connectivity

GSM/HSPA/LTE

Sensors

Fingerprint (in-display), accelerometor, gyro, proximity, compass`

SIM Type

Nano SIM

Launch Date

Misc

120W fast charging ,50W wireless charging, 10W reverse wireless charging

Display

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

6.67-inch (1080 x 2340) OLED, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+

Processor

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

Snapdragon 865

RAM

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

8GB of RAM, 12GB of RAM, 16GB of RAM

Storage

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

128GB, 256GB, 512GB

Dimensions (in.)

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

162.4 x 75.1 x 9.5mm

Weight

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

221.8 g

Rear Facing Camera

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

48-megapixel (f/1.9, wide) + 48-megapixel (f/4.1, periscope 120x zoom), 12-megapixel (f/2.0, 2x optical), 20-megapixel (f/2.2, ultrawide)

Front Facing Camera

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

20-megapixel (f/2.3)

OS

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

Android 10

Battery

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

4,500mAh

Network Connectivity

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

GSM/HSPA/LTE

Sensors

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

Fingerprint (in-display), accelerometor, gyro, proximity, compass`

SIM Type

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

Nano SIM

Launch Date

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

Misc

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra

120W fast charging ,50W wireless charging, 10W reverse wireless charging

Notable specs include up to 16GB of RAM, 8K video at 24fps, up to 120x hybrid zoom, a 120Hz refresh rate, 120W fast charging, reverse-wireless charging and more.

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