We finally have a bit of a refresh of our top 5 list for under $200. The major update is the recently launched Xiaomi Redmi Note 5, which – of course – makes it on the list. Let’s see what else will tag along with Xiaomi’s mid-ranger for the month of April.

Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $200

1. Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

As we just mentioned, the latest Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 deserves a spot on our April list and it’ll probably take long before it leaves it. Xiaomi’s handset is powered by the really powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 along with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (also available in 4GB/64GB). The hardware will push a large 5.99-inch LCD IPS display with a resolution of 1080 x 2160 px (FHD+).

The Redmi Note 5 comes with a main 12MP rear shooter accompanied by a 5MP sensor to create photos with a shallow depth of field effect, meanwhile selfies are taken care from a 13MP snapper.

The smartphone packs a big 4000mAh battery, runs MIUI based on Android 8.0 Oreo and supports a wide selection of 4G networks in its Global version.

2. Lenovo S5

Lenovo’s answer to the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 – the S5 – is also proving itself to be a great alternative. The smartphone comes with a 5.7-inch screen, an 18:9 aspect ratio and a 2160 x 1080 resolution encased in a full-metallic Series 6000 aluminum unibody. The Lenovo S5 is powered by a Snapdragon 625 chip coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. There is also the 4GB RAM variant coupled with 64GB or 128GB of storage.

Other specs include a 13MP rear shooter with F/2.2 aperture, a 16MP selfie snapper, a 3000mAh battery, 4G connectivity, Android 8.0 Oreo and the much requested USB Type-C port for charging and data sync.

3. Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus

Going back to the segment king – Xiaomi, we find the Redmi 5 Plus. The handset comes with a large 5.99-inch 18:9 1080x2160px display and is powered by the really energy efficient but old 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.

 

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. ZTE Blade V9

Finally, we have the ZTE Blade V9 making it again on the list. The smartphone is still hard to find and it doesn’t shine for its internal hardware as it comes with a mediocre Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 CPU paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage (expandable).

Where the ZTE Blade V9 does better is design: the phone sports a beautiful 5.7-inch FHD+ 18:9 display with some rather thin bezels; and camera: there is a main 16MP rear shooter with F/1.8 aperture and a secondary 5MP sensor to create photos with bokeh effect, plus an high resolution 13MP selfie snapper.

ZTE’s Blade V9 also supports a wide variety of 4G LTE networks (including band 20), it packs a relatively good sized 3200mAh capacity battery and runs Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box.

Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $200

Here we conclude our monthly rendezvous for the month of April. If you’ve found your next mid-ranger comment below, otherwise let us know which smartphone under $200 you’d have liked to see on the list.

Check out our sub $100 March list if you’re on a tight budget!