With 2 of the big Chinese releases completed and only Oppo left to launch the N1, we thought we would ask “Which Chinesephone would you choose?”.
Even if you aren’t planning to buy a new phone, or weren’t looking to spend so much money on a new Chinese phone, we want you to take part in this and give your reasons to what you would choose and why.
For myself it is the second time I have had to choose between Xiaomi, Oppo and Meizu. I chose Xiaomi last time and I have already made my decision on which my next phone will be, but I wanted to go through these 3 brands and their new phones to see which you would buy and give reasons for my next choice.
Let’s start with the company who have done the best internationally and the only one of the 3 who hasn’t launched it’s new phone yet, Oppo!
Oppo
Oppo have been making phones for the Chinesephone market for years, but only got serious when they launched the first Find phone 3 generations ago. The original Find was an alloy device with slide out Qwerty keyboard and their first phone to run Android. The Finder 3 came next with a 6.65mm body, and now we have the quad-core Find 5 with 1080 display.
Oppo are the only one of the 3 who are actively marketing their phones internationally,and encourage user input and support independent development of custom ROMS and tweaks.
Oppo N1
Although the Oppo N1 hasn’t been launched yet we know enough official details about it for me to know I don’t want it. We know for a fact it will have the new N-lens system, rear touch screen, 5.9-inch display and Oppo’s new Color ROM. We also know it won’t have a Snapdragon 800 chip as Oppo have told us!
For me the size of the screen coupled with the detachable rear lens system is enough for me to decided I don’t want this phone. 5.9-inch on it’s own wouldn’t be that bad, but with the lens system we are talking about a seriously large piece of kit! I’m turned off and so are many other possible Oppo N1 customers.
Meizu
When I first started GizChina I quickly learned about Zhuhai based Meizu and became an avid fan of the brand. They were doing things that no other Chinesephone company were doing, and producing device that rivalled Samsung and Apple at a time when the world saw Chinese phones as nothing but cheap knock offs and I admired them for it!
Meizu MX3
The MeizuMX3launched on Monday of this week and was the first next-gen handset to launch. The MX3 looks like a bigger version of the MX2 and many people have accused Meizu of being lazy and lacking innovation, but this is unfair.
Gizchina News of the week
Meizu have taken the MX2 and refined it and made some risky decisions that they believe will create the ultimate Android phone. The MX3 has a 5.1-inch 15:9 ratio display and they chose an 8 mega-pixel camera with F2.0 aperture, bucking the trend of more mega pixels equals better images.
The MX3 is priced well and has a powerful Octa-core processor, 2GB RAM and stylish design, it is a great phone! But I won’t buy it either, not because of the phone but because I have no feeling towards the brand anymore. I wouldn’t be excited to own a Meizu and I’m not interested in their Flyme ROM.
Xiaomi
Xiaomi are the youngest of the 3 brands but are the fastest growing and most exciting to watch. Although their phones are only available in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, the company have caught the attention of the world with fast growth, new hires (Hugo Barra from Google), exciting launches and true loyal fans.
Xiaomi Mi3
You have probably guessed that I would choose the Xiaomi again, but it’s probably not for the reasons you think.
The Xiaomi Mi3 is the most powerful phone here, possibly the most powerful available today, yet it is also the cheapest! The choice of either a Snapdragon 800 or Tegra 4 processor is enough to get gamers excited, an excellent 13 mega-pixel camera produces great images while allowing the phone to remain phone size.
But the reason why I will ultimately buy the Mi3 is not for the price or the performance, it is for the excitement and the feeling to be a part of a fun and fast-moving brand. Xiaomi’s marketing is exciting and their product range is growing from strength to strength and includes TV’s Android boxes, accessories, toys, clothing and of course phones.
Xiaomi are a hype machine which makes them exciting to watch. Meizu unfortunately have Jack Wong who sounds like a bitter old man, and Oppo don’t allow hype to grow but prefer to stamp out possible leaks rather than let them spread and build excitement (very honest of them but not exciting for the fans).
If Meizu had Xiaomi’s marking, fan base and excitement I would probably go for the MX3, if Oppo had a smaller phone and were more exciting to watch then the Oppo N1 could have been a choice, but as it stands today I will buy the Xiaomi Mi3 (64GB, Snapdragon 800).
Which phone would you choose?
Which phone would you choose? Choose the phone you like for your own reasons, perhaps you like big screens (Oppo N1), beautiful design and build (Meizu MX3), or you want the most bang for your buck (Xiaomi Mi3). Or maybe you are like me and prefer one brand over the others.
Whatever your choice of next Chinesephone or reason, let us know in the comments below.
Oppo for me I’d say. Still cheap compared to international markets with exceptional build quality.
Really depends what happens with the Nexus 5 though
First I wanted Oppo, mainly due to international support, until they revealed the size. Now it’s more likely going to be the Xiaomi. And what I understand they are planning on international release also
Xiaomi without doubt the prettiest!