From an outsider’s perspective, the stateside smartphone market looks more carrier-driven with unwavering platform loyalty and consumer preference largely constricted to two top brands. Meanwhile, those in other regions are more accepting of phones from emerging makers that conveniently undercut their mainstream counterparts, often without making many compromises. OnePlus once led the burgeoning budget flagship segment, but many of its peers from China have since joined in to take a slice of the pie. Beyond OnePlus, which expanded its US availability not too long ago, there is a whole lot of other brands that you’ve probably never heard of in the US but are thriving elsewhere.
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