Devices priced between $100 and $200 are probably in the sweet spot as far as Chinese smartphones 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!
Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $200
1. Redmi Note 7
Let’s get things started with the phone to buy under $200, we’re obviously talking about the Redmi Note 7. With this handset Xiaomi basically killed any competition in its price range but for the sake of the “top 5” we’ll also include other – probably less appealing – options.
So what does this so hyped up phone brings to the table? The Note 7 comes with a large 6.3-inch display of Full HD+ resolution with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. Beneath the screen with then find a powerful Snapdragon 660 coupled with a minimum of 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, which is expandable via microSD.
The main selling point of the device is the camera though, coming with a resolution of a whopping 48MP, the Redmi Note 7 has no rivals in its price range. The 48MP provide extra sharp photos when the subject is well lit, while in darker scenarios the pixels are combined into larger 1.6um ones for better quality. At the front, we find a 13MP selfie snapper.
Finally, the smartphone packs a large 4000mAh capacity battery typical of the series, along with an USB Type-C port, which is actually something we’ve never seen before on a Redmi device.
2. Honor 8X Max
With its price dropping below the $200 mark, the Huawei Honor 8 Max has become a really interesting alternative in its price range, at least for phablet lovers. The 8X Max does indeed sport a massive 7.12-inch FHD+ display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 CPU which coupled with the massive 5000mAh battery should bring pretty epic screen-on times.
In the camera department the 8X Max packs a 16MP f/2.2 main shooter paired with a 2MP secondary to snap photos with bokeh effect, at the front we instead find an 8MP selfie snapper with f/2.0 aperture.
Other features on the Honor 8X Max include 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage which is expandable, 18W fast charging and Android 8.0 Oreo as the OS out of the box.
3. Honor 8X
Just like the 8X Max above, also the more compact 8X is a great option for less than $200. This more pocket friendly 6.5-inch phone is powered by a better performing Huawei HiSilicon KIRIN 710 CPU along with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD).
Cameras on the 8X also appear to be better on paper at 20MP of resolution and f/1.8 aperture for the main rear shooter, 2MP for the secondary, meanwhile a 16MP snapper at the front will take care of selfies.
The Honor 8X then comes with a good sized 3750mAh capacity battery, FM radio support and runs Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box.
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4. Lenovo S5 Pro GT
Launched in December of 2018, the Lenovo S5 Pro GT is probably one of the more overlooked phones recently released. The S5 Pro GT is basically a beefed up version of the S5 Pro, this new variant packs a much more powerful Snapdragon 660 CPU, while price has been kept around the same.
Along with the Snapdragon 660, we find a minimum of 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage that is expandable via microSD. The smartphone then sports a large 6.2-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and Full HD+ resolution.
Cameras on the S5 Pro GT include a main 20MP shooter coupled with a 12MP secondary camera, with selfies taken care of by another dual camera setup of 20MP and 8MP resolution.
The Lenovo S5 Pro GT comes packing a 3500mAh battery which can be charged through the USB Type-C port at the bottom and runs Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box.
5. Nokia X5
Are you still feeling nostalgic about Nokia? Then help bringing back the Nokia brand to its former glory by checking out one of their latest budget phones – the Nokia X5. The handset boasts a powerful MediaTek Helio P60 CPU along with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.
Cameras include a main 13MP sensor with F/2.0 aperture and a secondary 5MP to create photos with bokeh effect. On the front we instead find an 8MP snapper with F/2.2 aperture.
The Nokia X5 comes with a 3050mAh capacity battery and runs Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box.
Honorable Mention
Xiaomi Mi A2
If you don’t like any of the options above, the slightly older but yet powerful Xiaomi Mi A2 is definitely still something worth considering. Xiaomi’s Android One phone comes with a great Snapdragon 660 CPU, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (sadly not expandable).
It packs an averagely sized 5.99-inch display sporting FHD+ resolution along with an 18:9 aspect ratio.
Cameras on this mid-ranger killer include a main 12MP on the back with f/1.75 aperture and a secondary 20MP shooter with the same large lens; on the front we instead have a 20MP selfie snapper.
The Xiaomi Mi A2 packs a 3010mAh capacity battery and as we previously mentioned, runs stock Android 8.0 Oreo.
Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $200
With the smartphone above we conclude our monthly rendezvous for the month of february. 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.
