Phone reviews roundup — the best new handsets to buy in May, including two mind-blowing camera phones and an 'incredibly long-lasting Android phone that won’t break the bank'

Spring is in the air, and along with warmer temperatures and brighter evenings, the season has brought with it an array of excellent new phones. We tested nine of them, and if you scroll down, you'll be treated to a whistle-stop tour of exactly what we thought of each one.

Of those nine, there were two that scored a near-perfect 4.5 stars out of 5 in our tests. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra (not available in the US) is packed with power, boasts a stunning display, and charges super-speedily, while the Oppo Find X9 Ultra offers excellent software, superb accessories, and a big battery. However, the real standout feature in both cases was the photography setup, with these phones leveraging the expertise of camera gods Leica and Hasselblad, respectively.

Both of those models are pricey, flagship propositions. If your budget is a little more modest, fear not — we also reviewed a couple of stellar mid-range phones. The Poco X8 Pro Max delivers everything you'd want from an affordable phone, and the Samsung Galaxy A57 is similarly competent and looks great, too. Read on for your guide to which phones to buy (and which to avoid) in May.

Click 'View details' for a summary of what we thought of each phone, plus a link to the full review.

Fantastic phones for May

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