We’re feeling the heat in these days of August but that won’t stop us from providing you with a list of great phones you can currently get from China. In the sub $200 edition, we find lots of really interesting mid-rangers, which is probably where the Chinese market shines the most. If you’re looking for your next handset, then keep reading!
Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $200
1. Xiaomi Redmi Note 5
It entered the list a couple months back and it’s here to stay, we’re of course talking about the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5. Xiaomi’s mid-range killer is powered by a 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 2160px (FHD+).
The Redmi Note 5 is then equipped with a main 12MP rear shooter accompanied by a 5MP secondary sensor to create photos with a shallow depth of field effect; meanwhile a 13MP front camera will be snapping your selfies.
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. Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite
Staying in the Xiaomi family, we find the recently launched Mi A2 Lite. The smartphone is part of the Android One program, which means it comes with stock Android 8.1 Oreo, it’ll be supported for longer and get updates faster. Hardware wise, the handset comes with a large 5.84-inch FHD+ display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 along with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage.
On the Mi A2 Lite we then find a 12.0MP + 5.0MP dual camera setup on the back and a 5MP selfie snapper.
The smartphone is fueled by a big 4000mAh battery and it supports most global 4G LTE bands.
On a side note, if you’re willing to spend a little more over $200, then definitely get the bigger brother Xiaomi Mi A2 which comes with much more powerful hardware.
3. Lenovo S5
Lenovo’s addition to this list is the relatively recent Lenovo S5. The handset features a 5.7-inch screen with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a 2160 x 1080 resolution encased in a full-metallic Series 6000 aluminum unibody. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chip inside is coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. There is also a 4GB RAM variant coupled with 64GB or 128GB of storage.
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Other specs include a 13MP rear shooter with F/2.2 aperture, a 16MP selfie snapper, 3000mAh battery, 4G connectivity, Android 8.0 Oreo and the much requested USB Type-C port for charging and data sync.
4. HUAWEI Y7 Pro 2018
If you really want a Huawei phone but your budget is limited to $200, the latest HUAWEI Y7 Pro (2018) might be what you’re looking for. The Y7 Pro comes with a simple design and a full metal body within which we find a large 5.99-inch 1440 x 720 display with an 8.0MP front shooter above it. On the back we instead find a 13.0MP + 2.0MP camera combo to snap photos with a shallow depth of field effect.
The smartphone is powered by a power efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (expandable). On the handset we also find EMUI 8.0 based on Android Oreo and a 3000mAh capacity battery.
5. Lenovo K5 Play
In the same league as the HUAWEI Y7 Pro above, we find the sleek looking Lenovo K5 Play. The smartphone is indeed powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 along with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD).
Lenovo’s handset comes with a 5.7-inch display sporting HD+ resolution, a 13MP main rear camera coupled with a secondary 2MP shooter, whilst at the front we find an 8MP selfie snapper with AI beauty features and Face ID support.
The Lenovo K5 Play packs a 3000mAh capacity battery and runs ZUI 4.0 based on Android Oreo with the new U-touch gesture system.
Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $200
With the Honor 9 Lite we conclude our monthly rendezvous for the month of August. If you’ve found your next mid-ranger comment below, otherwise let us know which smartphone under $200 you’d have liked to see on the list.
What about Nubia Z17 lite? It cost less then 200$, has 6GB Ram, 64GB storage, really good camera (Internet talking), Android 7. Official Oreo not yet, but still… I think it is worth to be mentioned.
My first reaction to this article was “Where the hell is ZTE Nubia Z17 Lite?” I bought this phone a month ago and I am very satisfied so far. Specs are great, even camera is more than decent especially at daylight. Solid build and excellent design.
The deficiencies are oddly software-related (Nougat 7.1.1.). I sometimes have issues with google play store, it won’t download apps no matter what you do under various settings and it kills background processes of some apps like Viber and Sofascora if you do not use them for some time (10 hours or less in my experiences) and then you do not get notifications. It doesnt not help if you lock them in task manager. It is strange that I do not experience these issues with Whatsapp and some other apps. If ZTE manages to remove the shortages in future updates (hopefully it will update it to Android 8) the ZTE Nubia Z17 Lite would the best mid-range phone in my opinion.
I think Nubia is not the only phone that has some issues, but this is not the case here. Comparing what the phone offers it deserves to be in the top five for hardware/price relation.