5 amazing phones for under $150 you need to buy!


1464368522446162399We try to make a list of great low-cost phones each year, but this year is by far the best yet!

The following list includes new and old favourites that are available to buy now, and at these prices you would be mad not to!

5 amazing phones for under $150!

#1 Xiaomi Mi4C – $120

1475000364377650916

The Xiaomi Mi4C hasn’t received much love on international sites, but now that the price has dropped well below $150 customers around the globe are tempted by the phone.

The Mi4C was launched as a budget flagship for those wanting an updated Mi4 and didn’t want to spend too much on the Mi5. The Mi4C offers LTE support (1800/2100/2600MHz) , a Snapdragon 808 chipset, 13-megapixel main camera, 5-inch Sharp display, slim body and dual SIM support.

The most amazing feature though is the price as the Xiaomi Mi4C costs only $120 online!

#2 ZTE Nubia Z7 Max – $123

1470704642445527627

Nubia might be on version 11 of their phones, but many fans of the brand are still head over heals with the previous Z7 (which is only 2 generations old).

The Snapdragon 800 powered smartphone comes with LTE support (1800/2100/2600MHz), 2GB RAM, and 32GB internal memory. The device also boasts a 5.5-inch display.

#3 Lenovo Vibe P1 – $147

1476915384724780317

The Lenovo Vibe P1 is basically a metal clad ZUK Z1 with only a few spec changes. Like the Z1 it boasts a 5.5-inch FHD display and fingerprint scanner under the home button but features a Snapdragon 615 chipset and 2GB RAM to keep thinks affordable.

The Lenovo phone also supports LTE (1800/2100MHz), has room for up to 128GB SD cards, Corning Gorilla Glass, and 13 megapixel main cameras.

#4 Xiaomi Redmi Pro 3 – $144.99

1476647597676717678

Yup, another Xiaomi but this time its the Redmi Pro 3 with all metal body and rear fingerprint scanner. The Redmi Pro 3 has become a firm favourite with many reviews for its nice balance of low-cost and great build, plus performance is spot on too!

The Redmi Pro 3 is great for those of you wanting a smaller phone as it comes with a 5-inch panel and profiled metal body. Specs include a Snapdragon 616 chipset, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal memory, 13-megapixel main camera, and LTE (1800/2100/2600MHz).

#5 LeEco X620 – $159

1464368522446162399

This one costs a little more than $150 but that extra $9 could be money very well spent. The LeEco phone comes with an all metal body, USB Type C and a 16-megapixel rear camera (the best of this list). The front camera is also an impressive 8 megapixel, and there is a fingerprint scanner, and decent 5.5-inch FHD display too!

Dual SIM, LTE (1800/2100/2600MHz) and a 3000mAh battery make up the rest of the specification highlights!

Disclaimer: We may be compensated by some of the companies whose products we talk about, but our articles and reviews are always our honest opinions. For more details, you can check out our editorial guidelines and learn about how we use affiliate links.

Previous Meizu Boss Li Nan Leaks "Polished" MX6S
Next Elephone ELE Whisper headphones review

132 Comments

  1. Lazar Prodanovic
    October 24, 2016

    Get a fucking basic Redmi Note 3 Pro (16/2) with a silicon case and a good tempered glas screen protector for a 145$ from a same fucking sponsor instead all of those.
    http://m.gearbest.com/m-accessories-id-308843.htm

    • NextHype
      October 24, 2016

      Depends on what you’re searching for.
      Z7 Max has a way better camera and its SoC isn’t totally deprecated.

      • Lazar Prodanovic
        October 24, 2016

        Well Mi4c is probably best overly one from those presents hire but without SD card & only 16Gb of eMMC its a no go. Wouldn’t actually recommend ZTE for quality problems along with bad software support. Redmi Note 3 Pro is proven overlay good phone that is fairly popular & will have community support for the year’s to come. Camera is far from spectacular but battery life is spectacular along with rather really good performance it’s biggest flaw is lack of screen protective glass so I did calculate in & the best screan protector (not the one default offered) they have on Gearbest alone with silicone cover and all for 145$. Anyway that is the best they have to offer on Gearbest that fits into 150$ category.
        Best regards.

        • petarr90
          October 24, 2016

          I have a Redmi Note 2 for over a year now, without protective glass or foil, it is still scratch free, and it’s not like I was extra careful with it…

          • Lazar Prodanovic
            October 24, 2016

            Think that the the screen protector doesn’t cost enough to make you wonder how or what culd happen. That is completely individual for instance pair of decent headphones last for me more than a two years & same ones lasted to the friend of mine less than three months…

          • lildwell
            October 24, 2016

            Anecdotal evidence is never good.

        • G-John
          October 24, 2016

          Yes, lack of protective glass is a big undoing for Xiaomi. I bought a redmi note 2 and the screen was shattered by the second week. I replaced it but then shattered again after 1 month. I wanted to stick with Xiaomi but they have skipped protective glass up to the redmi note 4 and that makes it a no-go for me. I have been using a letv x600 and loved the experience so I’m upgrading to the x620. Hopefully Xiaomi will listen and add protective glass, even if its dragontrail. For now my future is with LeEco but I hope that they bring back OIS (from gen 1 phones), add SD storage and improve software processing of images (like xiaomi from RN2 onwards) … but not ruin the natural colors by trying to make them too vibrant

        • NextHype
          October 24, 2016

          Bad quality problems and software support from ZTE ?
          Nubia Z7, Z9 and Z11 were praised by everyone at launch, they have mostly good reviews and almost zero bugs out of the box. As for the software support, the community is well alive, even for the Z7 (go check XDA) as you can find a stable CM13 for Z7 Max…

          BTW, I’ll buy one for my GF this week and if you were right I’ll come back here crying 😉

          • Lazar Prodanovic
            October 24, 2016

            Ok not stellar quality, yes bad official support regarding the software & certainly not a big developer community behind to be honest not even Xiaomi have a rather that good developer community behind it but that also depends of popularity of particular model. Redmi Note 3 Pro is a rather very popular model this year (because it’s affordability & what it offers for the price) so it will have a rather good 3rd party development support next two years.

    • balcobomber25
      October 24, 2016

      You mad bro? Redmi Note 3 Pro is a decent phone but it really depends what people are searching for. Not everyone wants a 5.5 phone and not everyone was impressed with the RN3 Pro either.

      • Lazar Prodanovic
        October 24, 2016

        You know that I am.
        Question who’s the best phone for under the 150 green bag one’s on the Gearbest!
        So please show me a better one.
        You had a problematic one as I remember. I don’t want to impress anyone but rather getting them to have a real decent & long lasting experience with it.
        After all you know how they say beggars are not choosers. The Readme Note 4 is not a better option in my opinion & costs 50$ more, Zuk 2 is but that is another price category $260.
        We are, me and you particularly hard to satisfy consumers but I don’t want to go into details would be enough to say how they still didn’t make a phone that I would consider full satisfactory.

        • balcobomber25
          October 24, 2016

          I don’t have the RN3 Pro, MaxPower does and he doesn’t like it. The best phone for under $150 will be different for each and every consumer, there is no one correct answer.

          • Lazar Prodanovic
            October 24, 2016

            Well I told you from what is available at the Gearbest.
            I do think it’s a stellar choice at least for this money.

  2. VMortens
    October 24, 2016

    Bought Z7 Max for my wife – still a heck of a phone for 118$ on BG ( I like this, so would always prefer them over GB).

  3. October 24, 2016

    Just to be clear, you mean the Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro – not the Xiaomi Pro 3 – don’t think there is such a model. It is confusing as there are so many Xiaomi models with similar names. There is the more expensive Redmi Pro with a 5.5 inch display and the Redmi 3 Pro with a 5 inch display – this is the cheaper one and is a variation on the Redmi 3. To add to the confusion there is also a Redmi 3s, a Redmi 3x and a Redmi 3s Prime!

    • balcobomber25
      October 24, 2016

      He means the Redmi 3 Pro. Xiaomi’s names can be confusing.

  4. Marius Cirsta
    October 24, 2016

    I just bought a Redmi Note 3 Pro ( 2 GB RAM, 16 GB ROM version ) for a friend with $120 on fastcardtech… hell of a deal.

  5. Chickens
    October 24, 2016

    Redmi Note 3 Pro looks good too but reviews say its camera is not that good. I’m in between the Mi4c and the Z7 Max. They say Mi4c has the better camera while Z7 Max has the better headphone audio. Unfortunately Mi4c does not have an SD card slot. Maybe I’ll wait for Christmas sales.

    • VMortens
      October 24, 2016

      I bought the Z7 Max for wife. Banggood and Gearbest hav’em for a really nice price – under $120. It’s better equipped than Mi4c, but has slower SoC. Camera is not far behind.

      • Chickens
        October 24, 2016

        How’s the headphone audio? How would you compare it to other phones?

      • goodwill
        October 24, 2016

        I got the z9 mini. pretty good phone too! the custom support is off the roof. I’d say 2nd after oneplus phones for me. oneplus has the best custom support

  6. NextHype
    October 24, 2016

    Not a single Elephone device listed here ?
    Is Elephone finally a brand not worth buying ?

    • MattD
      October 24, 2016

      I thought the same exact thing ? i expected some list with good phones and than “oh, there are also this week’s elephone flagships, they are worse in every each aspect than other entries, but they piad to be in the list”

    • Wolvie
      October 24, 2016

      YES ELEPHONE IS A BRAND THAT IS NOT WORTH BUYING AT ALL, Capeesh ????

      And don’t tell me you are one of the fake poster paid by Elephoney also ????

      Finally a better review from gizchina.

      • NextHype
        October 24, 2016

        I understand that you’re annoyed but learn to read between the lines, please ^^

  7. fido futte
    October 24, 2016

    And all old and outdated phones by now.

  8. Steve B
    October 24, 2016

    PPTV King7, Ramos Mos1 Max, Yotaphone II and Qing Cong Shallots Metal. All interesting and relative bargains at the moment.

    • MattD
      October 24, 2016

      Shallots is the 6753 version, right?

      Also, yotaphone is full of spyware… Pptv is a revisited elephone vowney, but it’s not bad at that price, maybe the best out of those you mentioned

      • Steve B
        October 24, 2016

        PPTV / Elephone Vowney? Don’t see the connection or similarity at all. Having got both the PPTV and the Ramos, the Ramos is actually the better buy due to battery and even larger screen, but both are great for the money if you specifically want 6″+.

        • MattD
          October 24, 2016

          From what i know, pptv was about to make something like letv, but than dropped the project… However, the phones were built by a third party company, which I suppose is elephone because aesthetically it’s similat to vowney, and there are traces of elephone in the rom (like elephone ringtone).

          Again: the cong shallots metal you mentioned is the mt6753 version, right? It’s not the announced-and-never-released sd810 version, is it?

          • Steve B
            October 24, 2016

            The PPTV looks nothing like the Vowney, can’t see any similarity. HK Elephone Comm Tech manufacturing might have had a hand, but I don’t think they offer any other 6″ phones?
            Obviously the Shallots is not a never released version. It’s the pink one.

            • MattD
              October 24, 2016

              Just to be clear: I’m not saying the king7 is a rebrand, just elephone build it and you can tell it… The hardware is similar to vowney, the look is closer to p8000 and it has that “elephone-something style”…

              I thought I really skipped the actual launch of shallots’ flagship… Actually, I was somehow hoping it a bit! ? is it still a good deal with a 6753 chip? I haven’t read anything about it

            • Steve B
              October 24, 2016

              I think it is (or was, less so as the £ continues to sink), if you don’t mind pink, the silver version is a fair bit more. Like the others in my list though it’s just something different to the usual suspects (in the main list). Build looks good and the 6753 is solid and reliable and still found in more expensive newer offerings. A longer term gamble maybe, but the mainstream names are rarely a safe bet.

            • MattD
              October 24, 2016

              I know, I’m growing a little tired of how every list like that always ends up with a “redmi note 3 pro, there’s no other phone possible” ?

              6753 is not bad, but I’m tired of that too: too many phones with that soc, and not enough with p10 and x20… Particularly the p10 has better performance and far better power consumption for a similar price, so I’m starting to avoid every phone with that older soc

    • Raky_b
      October 24, 2016

      any of them has any support from XDA, english language and updates!?

      • Steve B
        October 24, 2016

        PPTV and Ramos come with English as standard. As all are available from international resellers, I’m sure the others will as well.
        The Ramos Mos1 Max (from Banggood at least) uses ArmPhone branded software and has no OTA. PPTV I guess will all depend on whether PPTV stay in the mobile business, which is debatable. But they both work well and are roughly 1/3 original selling price, so I’m happy.

  9. Muhammad Yasir
    October 24, 2016

    is this article dedicated to mee ?!

    feels like it … beacause ;
    TODAY , its my SECOND Disqus Birthday GUYS !

    @sburley:disqus @disqus_hFOS6jWFnn:disqus @disqus_kRjJc8pQ09:disqus @vmortens:disqus @lazarprodanovic:disqus @mariuscirsta:disqus

  10. balcobomber25
    October 24, 2016

    This isn’t a bad list but there are a lot of phones for $150 today.

    • Chickens
      October 24, 2016

      Any recommendations for a good one with a good camera and audio?

    • Luciano
      October 24, 2016

      Hi Balco, what do you think about the Z11 Mini S which has been revealed a few days ago. Specs: http://www.gsmarena.com/zte_nubia_z11_mini_s-8387.php

      I am really tempted to get Z11 Mini S or Redmi Note 3 Pro Special Edition.

      SD625 seems to be power efficient and the Z11 Mini S has a 3000mah battery so I guess that the battery life will be excellent. Moreover the size of the Z11 Mini S is compact when compared to the Redmi Note 3 Pro. Nubia phones have generally very good camera. All that being said, RN3P is a lot cheaper.

      There are other choices too like the Xiaomi MI5S but the grey version with black front has been released yet. I don’t know when this model will be released and at which price. Resellers ask $50 more for that version.

      A few sellers on Ali has the Nubia Z11 Mini S with a price around 240€. The base model of the MI5 (32GB) is sold at that price too. I prefer the build quality of the MI5S more.

      Difficult to make the right decision, maybe i should wait for the review of the Nubia Z11 Mini S.

      Thanks in advance!

      • balcobomber25
        October 24, 2016

        I would wait for the reviews of the Z11 Mini S. On paper it sounds like a good phone but you never know especially with ZTE.

        • Luciano
          October 24, 2016

          Yeah I think it is a wise decision. The only problem is the software optimization too. Like I said above if I have to pay around 240€ for the Nubia Z11 Mini S, it would be better to go for the Xiaomi MI5 base model or the 64gb version by adding more money.

          Maybe Xiaomi will announce other devices tomorrow.

          • Jh1
            October 24, 2016

            I’m still waiting for reviews on the z11 mini s, and more info on the mi5c/meri (hopefully tomorrow with note 2 release). Not sure if you’re interested at all, but the zuk z2 can be found as cheap as $205. Not my cup of tea, but it’s a heck of a phone for that price.

            • Luciano
              October 24, 2016

              Hi Jh1, hope you are well. I am waiting for reviews too regarding the Nubia Z11 Mini S for the camera part, battery life and software. That being said, I have been able to find it on Ali for a price around 240€ which is the price of the base model of the Xiaomi MI5. I am not interested by the Zuk Z2, I am sure it is a great phone but the community/support behind it isn’t huge. Maybe Xiaomi will reveal the Redmi 4 with the MI5C/MERI.
              Have you ordered the Redmi Pro?

            • Jh1
              October 24, 2016

              Thanks, Luciano. Hope you are good as well. I agree that the zuk doesn’t appeal to me, but thought I’d throw it out there. I haven’t ordered the redmi pro, waiting for reseller prices to reflect the price drop. That will also give me time to hear more about the z11 mini s, and redmi 4/mi5c/meri.

            • Luciano
              October 25, 2016

              Hi, I am fine thanks. Unfortunately no Redmi 4/MI5C/Meri. You wouldn’t believe it but Ibuygou advertised the Nubia Z11 Mini S at $469! Those resellers smoke too much in my opinion. Hope that more trusty resellers on Ali will have the Nubia Z11 Mini S in stock so the price will be stable. It is a shame that the Le Pro 3 doesn’t have a full black front to hide the horrible black borders around the screen. I would have gone for it without any hesitation! As for the Nubia Z11 Mini S, I think that we will have to wait for one or two weeks before we see a review in English. Let’s wait and see!

            • Jh1
              October 25, 2016

              $469!?! That’s insane. I’ve seen it at $240 in a few place. The pro 3 isn’t bad, but I was a little let down by Linus’ review. Was expecting better camera performance. They definitely need to make it in black. I’ll keep and eye out for reviews of the mini s and let you know if I see anything.

    • Luciano
      October 24, 2016

      MI5S hasn’t been released yet…

      • balcobomber25
        October 24, 2016

        Who said it was?

        • Luciano
          October 24, 2016

          Sorry I was talking about the grey version of the MI5S with black front which hasn’t been released yet.

          • balcobomber25
            October 24, 2016

            That’s typical of Xiaomi, they usually only release one or two colors of a phone at a time.

  11. Lazar Prodanovic
    October 24, 2016

    Get a fucking basic Redmi Note 3 Pro (16/2) with a silicon case and a good tempered glas screen protector for a 145$ from a same fucking sponsor instead all of those.
    http://m.gearbest.com/m-accessories-id-308843.htm

    • NextHype
      October 24, 2016

      Depends on what you’re searching for.
      Z7 Max has a way better camera and its SoC isn’t totally deprecated.

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      October 24, 2016

      Well Mi4c is probably best overly one from those presents hire but without SD card & only 16Gb of eMMC its a no go. Wouldn’t actually recommend ZTE for quality problems along with bad software support. Redmi Note 3 Pro is proven overlay good phone that is fairly popular & will have community support for the year’s to come. Camera is far from spectacular but battery life is spectacular along with rather really good performance it’s biggest flaw is lack of screen protective glass so I did calculate in & the best screan protector (not the one default offered) they have on Gearbest alone with silicone cover and all for 145$. Anyway that is the best they have to offer on Gearbest that fits into 150$ category.
      Best regards.

    • petarr90
      October 24, 2016

      I have a Redmi Note 2 for over a year now, without protective glass or foil, it is still scratch free, and it’s not like I was extra careful with it…

    • G-John
      October 24, 2016

      Yes, lack of protective glass is a big undoing for Xiaomi. I bought a redmi note 2 and the screen was shattered by the second week. I replaced it but then shattered again after 1 month. I wanted to stick with Xiaomi but they have skipped protective glass up to the redmi note 4 and that makes it a no-go for me. I have been using a letv x600 and loved the experience so I’m upgrading to the x620. Hopefully Xiaomi will listen and add protective glass, even if its dragontrail. For now my future is with LeEco but I hope that they bring back OIS (from gen 1 phones), add SD storage and improve software processing of images (like xiaomi from RN2 onwards) … but not ruin the natural colors by trying to make them too vibrant

    • balcobomber25
      October 24, 2016

      You mad bro? Redmi Note 3 Pro is a decent phone but it really depends what people are searching for. Not everyone wants a 5.5 phone and not everyone was impressed with the RN3 Pro either.

    • NextHype
      October 24, 2016

      Bad quality problems and software support from ZTE ?
      Nubia Z7, Z9 and Z11 were praised by everyone at launch, they have mostly good reviews and almost zero bugs out of the box. As for the software support, the community is well alive, even for the Z7 (go check XDA) as you can find a stable CM13 for Z7 Max…

      BTW, I’ll buy one for my GF this week and if you were right I’ll come back here crying 😉

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      October 24, 2016

      You know that I am.
      Question who’s the best phone for under the 150 green bag one’s on the Gearbest!
      So please show me a better one.
      You had a problematic one as I remember. I don’t want to impress anyone but rather getting them to have a real decent & long lasting experience with it.
      After all you know how they say beggars are not choosers. The Readme Note 4 is not a better option in my opinion & costs 50$ more, Zuk 2 is but that is another price category $260.
      We are, me and you particularly hard to satisfy consumers but I don’t want to go into details would be enough to say how they still didn’t make a phone that I would consider full satisfactory.

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      October 24, 2016

      Think that the the screen protector doesn’t cost enough to make you wonder how or what culd happen. That is completely individual for instance pair of decent headphones last for me more than a two years & same ones lasted to the friend of mine less than three months…

    • balcobomber25
      October 24, 2016

      I don’t have the RN3 Pro, MaxPower does and he doesn’t like it. The best phone for under $150 will be different for each and every consumer, there is no one correct answer.

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      October 24, 2016

      Well I told you from what is available at the Gearbest.
      I do think it’s a stellar choice at least for this money.

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      October 24, 2016

      Ok not stellar quality, yes bad official support regarding the software & certainly not a big developer community behind to be honest not even Xiaomi have a rather that good developer community behind it but that also depends of popularity of particular model. Redmi Note 3 Pro is a rather very popular model this year (because it’s affordability & what it offers for the price) so it will have a rather good 3rd party development support next two years.

    • lildwell
      October 24, 2016

      Anecdotal evidence is never good.

  12. Chickens
    October 24, 2016

    Geekbuying has $110 Mi4c but is China Model.

    • October 24, 2016

      Might not have FDD-LTE then.
      TDD-LTE is useless outside China.

      • Chickens
        October 24, 2016

        They put in FDD B1 and B3 in the Chinese TDD specifications too. I dunno what’s the difference between them. They’re selling the Global Model for $115. Probably the ROM.

  13. G-John
    October 24, 2016

    I plan on upgrading from a letv x600 to the x620. I have come to like leEco despite a terrible initial experience with the x800 (US version) which i had before the x600 and i think the downgrade was worthwhile. However, there are some things that make the x620 not feel like an upgrade at all. x600 had a sony camera with OIS and supported MHL while the x620 goes for an OV camera without OIS and I havent seen mention of MHL (it could be present). On paper, the camera sensor looks good being based on OV’s latest Purecel Plus-S technology and some reviews have praised the phones camera performance and others not. Its possible that I’m just biased against OV because of Sony cameras being historically better (I hope history is being rewritten). I know cameras are all about optimization and most reviews i have seen were with older versions of eui and maybe camera has been optimized since. Hopefully, someone in this forum with be kind enough to do an in-depth review of the camera, including input from implementations of the same or similar sensor in other phones and give us a clear picture of how well it fares compared to the competition. This would help me get over the prejudice and avoid losing a good deal because of a non-issue.

    Camera carries a lot of weight for me when buying a phone, thats why i really want to know if going for the x620 (or any phone with OV purecel) is worthwhile, camera-wise.

    • October 24, 2016

      The Cool1 Dual has a better camera, and there are many reviews on YouTube to prove that for you.
      Only deal-breaker for me was the lack of support for fast charging.

      • G-John
        October 24, 2016

        Thanks for the reply Zaffar. What i was interested in most is the perfomance of the OV16880 sensor which the Le2 is equipped with. The Cool1 Dual has a sony sensor (according to the reviews which i have seen). I dont plan on spending what the Cool1 costs so i was looking for comparison within the price range

        • October 24, 2016

          So your range is within $170?
          I am looking for a phone in that range as well, so we might be looking for the same set of specs.

          • Jh1
            October 24, 2016

            There are a few places selling the cool1 dual for $165, if that helps at all. Check Kimovil

  14. VMortens
    October 24, 2016

    Bought Z7 Max for my wife – still a heck of a phone for 118$ on BG ( I like this, so would always prefer them over GB).

  15. Moose
    October 24, 2016

    Just to be clear, you mean the Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro – not the Xiaomi Pro 3 – don’t think there is such a model. It is confusing as there are so many Xiaomi models with similar names. There is the more expensive Redmi Pro with a 5.5 inch display and the Redmi 3 Pro with a 5 inch display – this is the cheaper one and is a variation on the Redmi 3. To add to the confusion there is also a Redmi 3s, a Redmi 3x and a Redmi 3s Prime!

    • balcobomber25
      October 24, 2016

      He means the Redmi 3 Pro. Xiaomi’s names can be confusing.

  16. Marius Cirsta
    October 24, 2016

    I just bought a Redmi Note 3 Pro ( 2 GB RAM, 16 GB ROM version ) for a friend with $120 on fastcardtech… hell of a deal.

  17. Chickens
    October 24, 2016

    Redmi Note 3 Pro looks good too but reviews say its camera is not that good. I’m in between the Mi4c and the Z7 Max. They say Mi4c has the better camera while Z7 Max has the better headphone audio. Unfortunately Mi4c does not have an SD card slot. Maybe I’ll wait for Christmas sales.

    • VMortens
      October 24, 2016

      I bought the Z7 Max for wife. Banggood and Gearbest hav’em for a really nice price – under $120. It’s better equipped than Mi4c, but has slower SoC. Camera is not far behind.

    • Chickens
      October 24, 2016

      How’s the headphone audio? How would you compare it to other phones?

    • goodwill
      October 24, 2016

      I got the z9 mini. pretty good phone too! the custom support is off the roof. I’d say 2nd after oneplus phones for me. oneplus has the best custom support

  18. NextHype
    October 24, 2016

    Not a single Elephone device listed here ?
    Is Elephone finally a brand not worth buying ?

    • MattD
      October 24, 2016

      I thought the same exact thing 😁 i expected some list with good phones and than “oh, there are also this week’s elephone flagships, they are worse in every each aspect than other entries, but they piad to be in the list”

    • Guest
      October 24, 2016

      YES ELEPHONE IS A BRAND THAT IS NOT WORTH BUYING AT ALL, Capeesh ????

      And don’t tell me you are one of the fake poster paid by Elephoney also ????

      Finally a better review from gizchina.

    • NextHype
      October 24, 2016

      I understand that you’re annoyed but learn to read between the lines, please ^^

  19. fido futte
    October 24, 2016

    And all old and outdated phones by now.

  20. Steve B
    October 24, 2016

    PPTV King7, Ramos Mos1 Max, Yotaphone II and Qing Cong Shallots Metal. All interesting and relative bargains at the moment.

    • MattD
      October 24, 2016

      Shallots is the 6753 version, right?

      Also, yotaphone is full of spyware… Pptv is a revisited elephone vowney, but it’s not bad at that price, maybe the best out of those you mentioned

    • bojan radovanovic
      October 24, 2016

      any of them has any support from XDA, english language and updates!?

    • Steve B
      October 24, 2016

      PPTV / Elephone Vowney? Don’t see the connection or similarity at all. Having got both the PPTV and the Ramos, the Ramos is actually the better buy due to battery and even larger screen, but both are great for the money if you specifically want 6″+.

    • Steve B
      October 24, 2016

      PPTV and Ramos come with English as standard. As all are available from international resellers, I’m sure the others will as well.
      The Ramos Mos1 Max (from Banggood at least) uses ArmPhone branded software and has no OTA. PPTV I guess will all depend on whether PPTV stay in the mobile business, which is debatable. But they both work well and are roughly 1/3 original selling price, so I’m happy.

    • MattD
      October 24, 2016

      From what i know, pptv was about to make something like letv, but than dropped the project… However, the phones were built by a third party company, which I suppose is elephone because aesthetically it’s similat to vowney, and there are traces of elephone in the rom (like elephone ringtone).

      Again: the cong shallots metal you mentioned is the mt6753 version, right? It’s not the announced-and-never-released sd810 version, is it?

    • Steve B
      October 24, 2016

      The PPTV looks nothing like the Vowney, can’t see any similarity. HK Elephone Comm Tech manufacturing might have had a hand, but I don’t think they offer any other 6″ phones?
      Obviously the Shallots is not a never released version. It’s the pink one.

    • MattD
      October 24, 2016

      Just to be clear: I’m not saying the king7 is a rebrand, just elephone build it and you can tell it… The hardware is similar to vowney, the look is closer to p8000 and it has that “elephone-something style”…

      I thought I really skipped the actual launch of shallots’ flagship… Actually, I was somehow hoping it a bit! 😁 is it still a good deal with a 6753 chip? I haven’t read anything about it

    • Steve B
      October 24, 2016

      I think it is (or was, less so as the £ continues to sink), if you don’t mind pink, the silver version is a fair bit more. Like the others in my list though it’s just something different to the usual suspects (in the main list). Build looks good and the 6753 is solid and reliable and still found in more expensive newer offerings. A longer term gamble maybe, but the mainstream names are rarely a safe bet.

    • MattD
      October 25, 2016

      I know, I’m growing a little tired of how every list like that always ends up with a “redmi note 3 pro, there’s no other phone possible” 😁

      6753 is not bad, but I’m tired of that too: too many phones with that soc, and not enough with p10 and x20… Particularly the p10 has better performance and far better power consumption for a similar price, so I’m starting to avoid every phone with that older soc

  21. Guest
    October 24, 2016

    is this article dedicated to mee ?!

    feels like it … beacause ;
    TODAY , its my SECOND Disqus Birthday GUYS !

    @sburley:disqus @disqus_hFOS6jWFnn:disqus @disqus_kRjJc8pQ09:disqus @vmortens:disqus @lazarprodanovic:disqus @mariuscirsta:disqus

    • Guest
      October 24, 2016

      @balcobomber25:disqus

    • NextHype
      October 24, 2016
    • MattD
      October 24, 2016

      H… Happy disqusday, I guess? 😂

  22. balcobomber25
    October 24, 2016

    This isn’t a bad list but there are a lot of phones for $150 today.

    • Chickens
      October 24, 2016

      Any recommendations for a good one with a good camera and audio?

    • Guest
      October 24, 2016

      Hi Balco, what do you think about the Z11 Mini S which has been revealed a few days ago. Specs: http://www.gsmarena.com/zte_nubia_z11_mini_s-8387.php

      I am really tempted to get Z11 Mini S or Redmi Note 3 Pro Special Edition.

      SD625 seems to be power efficient and the Z11 Mini S has a 3000mah battery so I guess that the battery life will be excellent. Moreover the size of the Z11 Mini S is compact when compared to the Redmi Note 3 Pro. Nubia phones have generally very good camera. All that being said, RN3P is a lot cheaper.

      There are other choices too like the Xiaomi MI5S but the grey version with black front has been released yet. I don’t know when this model will be released and at which price. Resellers ask $50 more for that version.

      A few sellers on Ali has the Nubia Z11 Mini S with a price around 240€. The base model of the MI5 (32GB) is sold at that price too. I prefer the build quality of the MI5S more.

      Difficult to make the right decision, maybe i should wait for the review of the Nubia Z11 Mini S.

      Thanks in advance!

    • Guest
      October 24, 2016

      MI5S hasn’t been released yet…

    • balcobomber25
      October 24, 2016

      Who said it was?

    • balcobomber25
      October 24, 2016

      I would wait for the reviews of the Z11 Mini S. On paper it sounds like a good phone but you never know especially with ZTE.

    • Guest
      October 24, 2016

      Sorry I was talking about the grey version of the MI5S with black front which hasn’t been released yet.

    • Guest
      October 24, 2016

      Yeah I think it is a wise decision. The only problem is the software optimization too. Like I said above if I have to pay around 240€ for the Nubia Z11 Mini S, it would be better to go for the Xiaomi MI5 base model or the 64gb version by adding more money.

      Maybe Xiaomi will announce other devices tomorrow.

    • Jh1
      October 24, 2016

      I’m still waiting for reviews on the z11 mini s, and more info on the mi5c/meri (hopefully tomorrow with note 2 release). Not sure if you’re interested at all, but the zuk z2 can be found as cheap as $205. Not my cup of tea, but it’s a heck of a phone for that price.

    • Guest
      October 24, 2016

      Hi Jh1, hope you are well. I am waiting for reviews too regarding the Nubia Z11 Mini S for the camera part, battery life and software. That being said, I have been able to find it on Ali for a price around 240€ which is the price of the base model of the Xiaomi MI5. I am not interested by the Zuk Z2, I am sure it is a great phone but the community/support behind it isn’t huge. Maybe Xiaomi will reveal the Redmi 4 with the MI5C/MERI.
      Have you ordered the Redmi Pro?

    • Jh1
      October 24, 2016

      Thanks, Luciano. Hope you are good as well. I agree that the zuk doesn’t appeal to me, but thought I’d throw it out there. I haven’t ordered the redmi pro, waiting for reseller prices to reflect the price drop. That will also give me time to hear more about the z11 mini s, and redmi 4/mi5c/meri.

    • balcobomber25
      October 25, 2016

      That’s typical of Xiaomi, they usually only release one or two colors of a phone at a time.

    • Guest
      October 25, 2016

      Hi, I am fine thanks. Unfortunately no Redmi 4/MI5C/Meri. You wouldn’t believe it but Ibuygou advertised the Nubia Z11 Mini S at $469! Those resellers smoke too much in my opinion. Hope that more trusty resellers on Ali will have the Nubia Z11 Mini S in stock so the price will be stable. It is a shame that the Le Pro 3 doesn’t have a full black front to hide the horrible black borders around the screen. I would have gone for it without any hesitation! As for the Nubia Z11 Mini S, I think that we will have to wait for one or two weeks before we see a review in English. Let’s wait and see!

    • Jh1
      October 25, 2016

      $469!?! That’s insane. I’ve seen it at $240 in a few place. The pro 3 isn’t bad, but I was a little let down by Linus’ review. Was expecting better camera performance. They definitely need to make it in black. I’ll keep and eye out for reviews of the mini s and let you know if I see anything.

  23. Chickens
    October 24, 2016

    Geekbuying has $110 Mi4c but is China Model.

    • Taha Zaffar
      October 24, 2016

      Might not have FDD-LTE then.
      TDD-LTE is useless outside China.

    • Chickens
      October 24, 2016

      They put in FDD B1 and B3 in the Chinese TDD specifications too. I dunno what’s the difference between them. They’re selling the Global Model for $115. Probably the ROM.

    • Taha Zaffar
      October 24, 2016

      You can check it out on http://whilemyphonework.net
      Although, I think there are not many submodels for Mi4c because I don’t see websites listing them.

  24. G-John
    October 24, 2016

    I plan on upgrading from a letv x600 to the x620. I have come to like leEco despite a terrible initial experience with the x800 (US version) which i had before the x600 and i think the downgrade was worthwhile. However, there are some things that make the x620 not feel like an upgrade at all. x600 had a sony camera with OIS and supported MHL while the x620 goes for an OV camera without OIS and I havent seen mention of MHL (it could be present). On paper, the camera sensor looks good being based on OV’s latest Purecel Plus-S technology and some reviews have praised the phones camera performance and others not. Its possible that I’m just biased against OV because of Sony cameras being historically better (I hope history is being rewritten). I know cameras are all about optimization and most reviews i have seen were with older versions of eui and maybe camera has been optimized since. Hopefully, someone in this forum with be kind enough to do an in-depth review of the camera, including input from implementations of the same or similar sensor in other phones and give us a clear picture of how well it fares compared to the competition. This would help me get over the prejudice and avoid losing a good deal because of a non-issue.

    Camera carries a lot of weight for me when buying a phone, thats why i really want to know if going for the x620 (or any phone with OV purecel) is worthwhile, camera-wise.

    • Taha Zaffar
      October 24, 2016

      The Cool1 Dual has a better camera, and there are many reviews on YouTube to prove that for you.
      Only deal-breaker for me was the lack of support for fast charging.

    • G-John
      October 24, 2016

      Thanks for the reply Zaffar. What i was interested in most is the perfomance of the OV16880 sensor which the Le2 is equipped with. The Cool1 Dual has a sony sensor (according to the reviews which i have seen). I dont plan on spending what the Cool1 costs so i was looking for comparison within the price range

    • Taha Zaffar
      October 24, 2016

      So your range is within $170?
      I am looking for a phone in that range as well, so we might be looking for the same set of specs.

    • Jh1
      October 24, 2016

      There are a few places selling the cool1 dual for $165, if that helps at all. Check Kimovil

  25. Ionut Johnny
    October 25, 2016

    Need more than 5, 10 minimum.

  26. Ionut Johnny
    October 25, 2016

    Need more than 5, 10 minimum.

  27. fido futte
    October 31, 2016

    Note :Not for EU market – B20 is missing

  28. fido futte
    October 31, 2016

    Note :Not for EU market – B20 is missing

  29. Jhonny
    October 31, 2016

    For 150$ u should get at least 3-4 GbRam, 32 Memory, octa /deco core, FHD.. at least.. For example Oukitel U15S have all this and its only 159$

  30. Jhonny
    October 31, 2016

    For 150$ u should get at least 3-4 GbRam, 32 Memory, octa /deco core, FHD.. at least.. For example Oukitel U15S have all this and its only 159$