Using your smartphone while traveling is a whole other story. Roaming charges, data charges, and limited connectivity make even the simplest tasks tedious and expensive.
Choosing the right smartphone for international travel is essential for several reasons. First, it can save you money on roaming charges. Second, it can help you stay in touch with loved ones back home. Third, having a smartphone that works in multiple countries can help you navigate new places with ease.
Here are our top picks for the best smartphones for international travel.
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Best Smartphone for International Travels
1. iPhone 15
With Dynamic Island, a USB-C port for more convenient charging, and an upgraded camera with higher resolution and sharper zoom, the iPhone 15 is a significant upgrade for those who own an older iPhone. Feeling like a scaled-down version of the iPhone 14 Pro, Apple’s entry-level iPhone 15 feels like a bigger leap forward than last year’s model.
The iPhone 15 comes in two sizes. If you’re looking for something smaller, there’s the 6.1-inch iPhone 15. If you value a larger screen, there’s the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Plus.
Powered by the A16 Bionic chip, it should offer a noticeable performance upgrade for those of you who’ve been using iPhones for years. The phone also features Apple’s second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, bringing new features that should make it easier to find friends and family in crowds.
This should come in handy when traveling to unfamiliar places. The iPhone 15 is the most exciting upgrade Apple’s standard iPhone has seen in years.
2. Google Pixel 8
If you’re looking to travel and create content for the ‘gram, the $699 Pixel 8 with its enhanced AI capabilities is a great choice.
In addition to its slim design, durability rating, and reliable battery life, it can capture solid nighttime images and has a suite of editing tools to help you get the best shot possible.
For example, Best Take lets you take a series of shots of a person or group of people, then swap in different versions of the person’s head from different images in the series to get the best expression.
On the video side, there’s a tool like the Audio Eraser, another useful feature for videos that helps remove unwanted noise from the background.
3. Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max is a premium-priced, high-end smartphone with 256GB of storage that was released in September 2023. It runs on iOS and has a glass back. The battery is large enough to last a long time before needing to be recharged.
It has a large 6.7-inch OLED screen with high resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth video. The camera system is top-notch, with a 48MP primary camera and 12MP ultra-wide and telephoto lenses for high-quality photo and video capture, including 8K recording.
The phone doesn’t have a headphone jack, but it does include front-facing stereo speakers, 5G connectivity, NFC, and fast wireless charging. It’s also water and dust resistant, ensuring durability.
This phone is best suited for users who are looking for the latest technology and the best camera in a smartphone, and who prioritize premium features and performance over cost.
4. Samsung Galaxy S23+
The Samsung Galaxy S23+ is a premium-priced phone with a high-quality glass construction and a large 6.6-inch OLED screen. It runs on the Android system and has a very good camera setup including a 50-megapixel primary camera and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera, which delivers excellent photo and video quality. It has a 4700mAh battery, which provides decent battery life.
Since it is a recent 2023 model, it also supports 5G connectivity. It has a decent amount of storage and does not have an SD card slot for expansion. There is no headphone jack, but it does support NFC, Wi-Fi 6e, wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.
The device is also water and dust resistant. If you are looking for a high-performance device with a top-of-the-line camera system and the latest features, and you don’t mind not having a headphone jack and an SD card slot, the Galaxy S23+ could be the one for you.
5. Xiaomi 13 Pro
Featuring a cutting-edge system, the Xiaomi 13 Pro boasts excellent photo and video capabilities that surpass professional cameras. The brand has teamed up with Leica to present a cutting-edge 50MP triple camera that delivers unparalleled quality. It also features the largest 1-inch sensor on a smartphone, ensuring excellent detail even in low light.
This smartphone is ideal for taking selfies thanks to its high-resolution 32MP front-facing camera with smart FoV switching. It can also record in Dolby Vision and 8K video for professional cinematography.
With the excellent camera features of the Xiaomi 13 Pro, you can capture every moment in exquisite detail.
6. OnePlus 11
The OnePlus 11 is an Android phone that offers high performance in a mid-range price range. It has ample storage and great battery life. The camera system offers excellent still and video quality with features like Auto HDR and can handle advanced tasks like RAW output and HDR video.
It boasts a large 6.7-inch curved OLED display with high brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate, promising the best viewing experience. Note that there is no 3.5mm headphone jack, SD card slot, or wireless charging, which may be a major consideration for some users. It’s made of high-quality materials and comes with a high-performance charger in the box.
7. Google Pixel 7a
After a big leap forward in 2023, the $499 Google Pixel 7A is our top pick for a budget-friendly travel phone. It runs on the same Tensor G2 chipset as the Pixel 7, so it has many of the same photo-editing and language-translation features that can come in handy when traveling. Beyond that, the Pixel 7A’s 64-megapixel sensor takes great photos that rival the Pixel 7’s quality.
The Pixel 7A is also durable, with an IP67 water and dust resistance rating, and it boasts a solid battery life that’ll get you through a full day on a single charge. If you want more info, check out our full Google Pixel 7A review.
We chose Google’s budget phone over Apple’s cheaper iPhone SE. It has more cameras, a larger screen, and other features that make browsing and watching shows on the go a lot more enjoyable. If you buy the 7A with GoogleFi (Google’s cellular service), you’ll also get benefits like no roaming charges when traveling abroad.
8. iPhone 14 Pro Max
One of the coolest camera phones out there is the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max. This is the latest iPhone that was released just a few months ago, and I was able to get my hands on it. The 14 Pro is an upgrade from my iPhone 11 Pro, which is my main camera in my travel and blogging toolkit.
The iPhone 14 Pro is a regular-sized smartphone that can easily fit in a jacket pocket or a small crossbody bag. The camera has an upgraded wide-angle lens that captures great images at 3x (except for the .5x and 1x).
This camera is powerful for low-light and night photography, something that my previous smartphones lacked.
In addition to the lens, the camera settings on the iPhone 13 Pro are great. With a single click, you can set the photo tone or photo style (Standard, Vivid, Warm, Cool, or Rich Contrast) to add depth to your photos.
Conclusion
Choosing the right smartphone for international travel can be a daunting task. However, considering features like network compatibility, dual SIM capability, battery life, camera quality, storage capacity, and security features, you can find a smartphone that fits your needs.
I hope this article helped you choose the best smartphone for your travels. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have.