Odd Lots · Thursday, July 23, 2026
While the iPhone remains the undisputed best smartphone in the Western world due to its ecosystem and user experience, it faces intense competition in China from manufacturers offering more innovative form factors and superior camera technology. Mark Gurman notes that companies like Samsung lead in screen technology and foldables, while Chinese brands like Vivo, Xiaomi, and Huawei excel in camera capabilities.
“In the Western world? The iPhone is unambiguously the best smartphone when you factor it in totality. But they're not the most creative phone. They don't have the best form factors, they don't have the best screen technology. I would probably give that to Samsung by a small margin.”
“You go to China, it's a whole different world. I don't think people understand that China is just literally a different planet when it comes to technology. They have foldables, they have trifolds, this, they have that, they have glasses, they have bigger tablets. They have these tabletop robotic devices on people's desks. The cameras on the phones in China you're talking about Vivo, You're talking about shao Mi Huawei. They will destroy Apple. It's a big, big difference, and so Apple needs to step it up in China when it comes to hardware.”