I'd take these two phones over the Samsung Galaxy or iPhone in a heartbeat

As you may be aware, the big Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2025 event is on today (and we're covering it live as it happens), and as I am abundantly aware, both the Galaxy S24 and the iPhone 16 have a number of fans among the Creative Bloq gang.

Me? As someone who liked Soundgarden when everyone was banging on about Nirvana, preferred David Robinson over Michael Jordan and will defend the Matrix sequels until the day I die, I am completely unsurprised to find myself having a Different Opinion(tm).

In this case, it's two phones I've tested recently, and have loved, for different reasons: the Nubia Z70 Ultra and the Xiaomi 14T Pro. And here's why I'd take them over their more famous rivals (and indeed any of the best iPhones for phtography):

Their cameras are great

The Xiaomi 14 I reviewed last year is simply the greatest camera phone that's ever existed (so far), I gave it a full 5/5, which I almost never do, and the 14T Pro has come out as a more affordable version of that masterpiece. The latter isn't quite as powerful as the OG 14 but still sports the impressive Mediatek Dimensity 9300+ chipset, along with 12GB of RAM, a brilliant 4000-nit 6.67-inch AMOLED display, and the same main camera as the parent model's stunning Leica-engineered masterpiece. The telephoto, ultrawide and selfie camera take a small step down in spec, but still remain better than anything Apple has brought out. And it can shoot 8K video at 30fps and 4K at 60fps. The iPhone 16 Pro can't do the former.

Add to that the feature-rich photo and video-editing suite, with nifty HD portrait modes and even macro-shooting and animal-portrait features to make your Instagram cat-posting pop. The battery optimisation isn't fantastic compared to the 14 (or the Galaxy, for that matter), but it easily lasts me through a day of moderate-to-heavy use of the photo and video camera.

Meanwhile, the Nubia Z70 Ultra, with its 6.85-inch screen, 12-24GB of RAM and Adreno 830 GPU, takes all the camera features I was so impressed by in the Z60S Pro last year, and makes them even better. With a 50MP main camera like the Xiaomi, plus a first-time-I've-ever-seen-in-a-phone 64MP periscope telephoto as well as a 50MP ultrawide, the camera array here is simply one of the best on the market, full stop.

It also has fantastic live-preview in-camera editing options, going all in on a huge feature set that even includes live previews of kaleidoscope images using the very capable telephoto lens. Filters, adjustments and other editing options aren't just rich either, they're outright loaded. Also, 8K video at 30fps and 4K at 60fps is on board here, like in the Xiaomi.

They both have camera specs and editing suites that are either close to, on par with or better than Samsung and Apple's flagships and...

...they look more interesting too

I know a lot of people actually like, or even love, how the iPhone looks basically the same every year. I get it. I love Porsche 911s, and they have hardly changed a thing, design-wise, in over 50 years. But iPhones just don't do it for me aesthetically, emotionally, or spiritually. It's not a knock; they're just not my vibe. And the Samsung Galaxy, while more interesting to look at, is a bit, shall we say, Volkswagen to me. I don't know if that makes sense.

But anyway, I like creative design. And the nubia Z70 Ultra certainly ticks that box with aplomb. Highlighted by red flair details against a matte black surface on its power button and around the main camera lens (on a big, bold rear camera notch), its design has started several conversations as I've taken the phone out and about.

The Xiaomi 14T Pro, meanwhile, is a more reserved design compared to both the nubia and its flagship sibling, the 14, but for a near-6.7-inch phone, it feels incredibly light and manoeuvrable in hand, and the silver coating gives it a real sense of class that belies its £599 price tag. Speaking of price...

...they're also cheaper

I've never been rich. Raised on a farm and taught financial prudence and self-sufficiency since childhood (and working in publishing, which rarely makes anyone wealthy), I have grown up to appreciate a bargain when I see one. And when you can get a true flagship phone for 30-40% less than the big-name (the nubia Z70 Ultra is £749/$829 at the time of writing), or a brilliant midrange camera monster that punches far above its price class (£599 at the time of writing), I welcome anyone joining me in the Fan Club of Alternative Camera Phones.