Smartphones priced between $100 and $200 are probably in the sweet spot as far as Chinese devices go. You can indeed get incredibly good phones at very affordable prices for most people with very little to no risk of getting disappointed. Does that sound appealing to you? Then let’s check out what the top 5 Chinese smartphones for under $200 are for the month of February 2018.
Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $200
1. Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
While it doesn’t shine for its specs, the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus is still a good phone for those who must have an 18:9 display aspect ratio phone and want to stick with Xiaomi’s quality and support. The handset does indeed come with a 5.99-inch 18:9 1080x2160px display and is powered by the really energy efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage (expandable).
The Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus also packs a 12MP rear camera with an F/2.0 aperture, a 5MP selfie snapper and a large 4000mAh capacity battery. It supports 4G LTE networks but band 20 is not among the supported ones.
2. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
If you don’t really care about having an 18:9 aspect ratio display and you’re only after a great bang for the buck phone, then the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is still something you could consider. Xiaomi’s budget killer comes with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage (expandable).
The smartphone rocks a 5.5-inch FHD IPS display, a 13MP rear shooter (either a Sony IMX258 or Samsung S5K3L8) with F/2.0 aperture which can shoot videos at 120fps, and a 5MP selfie snapper.
The Redmi Note 4 also boasts a large 4000mAh capacity battery which paired with the efficient CPU delivers outstanding autonomy; in its Global Edition the Note 4 supports a large number of 4G LTE bands.
3. Xiaomi Mi A1
Still in Xiaomi’s portfolio but coming with a stock Android ROM on top, we have the Xiaomi Mi A1. The handset is basically a more premium Redmi Note 4 as it boasts the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 paired with 4GB of RAM and 32GB (or 64GB) of internal storage.
What makes the A1 a better choice (for some) over the Note 4 – other than running stock Android – is the presence of a secondary rear camera. This will allow you to snap nice professional-looking photos with a low depth of field (bokeh) effect, much like what you can do on the more expensive Xiaomi Mi 6. The two rear cameras both have 12MP resolution and they can record 4K videos or slow-motion ones at 120fps. The selfie snapper is instead a 5MP Samsung S5K5E8.
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The Xiaomi Mi A1 packs a 3080mAh battery and supports a wide variety of 4G LTE networks as it comes in a Global Version.
4. Huawei Honor 7x
If you can afford to spend a little extra cash on your next phone then do it and get yourself the latest Huawei Honor 7x. Honor’s recently launched budget device comes with good performing hardware, including a Huawei HiSilicon KIRIN 659 coupled with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (expandable), plus it features a large 5.93-inch FHD+ 18:9 display and the dual camera setup Huawei is famous for.
The rear camera combo is composed of a main 16MP shooter with F/2.2 shooter that can record 4K videos and a secondary 2MP to create photos with the fancy bokeh effect; meanwhile at the front we find an 8MP shooter with F/2.0 aperture.
The Huawei Honor 7x is fueled by a 3340mAh capacity battery and it supports 4G LTE connectivity on many networks, sadly for Europeans there’s no band 20 support.
Alternatively, check out the Huawei Honor 9 Lite coming in the same price range but downgraded to 3GB of RAM (in the cheapest variant).
5. Meizu M6S
Another great device that’s been launched recently is the Meizu M6S. The phone comes with a powerful and efficient Samsung Exynos 7872 hexa-core CPU along with 3GB of RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of internal storage.
Meizu’s latest handset does of course feature a trendy 5.7-inch 18:9 display with a resolution of 720x1440px, meanwhile on the back with find a 16MP shooter with F/2.0 aperture and PDAF. Selfies are taken care from an 8MP camera at the front.
Lastly, the smartphones packs a 3000mAh battery, runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box and it supports most 4G LTE networks around the globe.
Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $200
With the latest Meizu M6S we wrap up our monthly rendezvous. Let us know down below if you think any other device deserves a spot in our top 5 list under $200. See you next month!
Meizu should be banished from any top 5 list, the software is buggy and lagging behind in security updates, and they dont release sources so you are stuck with not even a year of updates.
Not true
what about nubia m2 with amoled, dual cams, 4gb ram and redmi 5 price tag?
Meizu should be banished from any top 5 list, the software is buggy and lagging behind in security updates, and they dont release sources so you are stuck with not even a year of updates.
Not true
what about nubia m2 with amoled, dual cams, 4gb ram and redmi 5 price tag?
Redmi 5 plus has band 20, just bought one for myself.
Redmi 5 plus has band 20, just bought one for myself.
Can we get this list in terms of Band support? I need a phone with band 3 ,20 and 28.
Can we get this list in terms of Band support? I need a phone with band 3 ,20 and 28.