Hello and welcome to July’s edition of our top 5 Chinese smartphones for under $500 roundup! This month, we have some new interesting additions to go along with some already solid phones which have kept their spot on the list. If you were looking for the best phone money can buy – yes, we aren’t spending more than $500 on one, then keep reading!
Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $500
1. Redmi K20 Pro
Let’s kicks things off with one of the latest phones to hit the market – the Redmi K20 Pro. Xiaomi’s sub-brand phone comes with a large 6.39-inch AMOLED panel with a real full screen design an under display fingerprint scanner. The smartphone is powered by a Snapdragon 855 coupled with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.
In the camera department we find a main 48MP Sony IMX586 shooter paired with an 8MP telefoto and a 13MP ultra wide-angle lens. Meanwhile in the pop-up camera we find a 20MP snapper.
The Redmi K20 Pro is fueled by a 4000mAh and supports fast charge at 27W.
2. Xiaomi Mi 9
If you’re a fan of MIUI you might also want to check out the good Xiaomi Mi 9. For less than $500 you indeed get the most powerful Snapdragon 855 fueling it, along with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage.
The display is also quite impressive being a big and bright 6.4-inch AMOLED of Full HD+ resolution which packs an under display fingerprint scanner beneath it. On the upper part of the display we find a 20MP selfie snapper, meanwhile on the back we have a triple camera setup. It includes a primary Sony IMX586 48MP sensor, coupled with a 16MP ultra-wide lens and a 12MP telephoto shooter.
The Xiaomi Mi 9 is powered by a 3300mAh battery with support for fast charging at 27W and fast wireless charging at a whopping 20W.
3. Vivo iQoo
Next up we have the first phone from Vivo’s new sub-brand iQOO, the Vivo iQOO. The handset is powered by the flagship Snapdragon 855 CPU along with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. We then find a large 6.41-inch Super Amoled display with Full HD+ resolution and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio.
In the camera department, the smartphone is equipped with a main 12MP sensor, a secondary 13MP sensore with ultra wide lens and a third 2MP depth sensor, on the front we instead have a 12MP selfie snapper.
Finally, the Vivo iQOO comes with a large 4000mAh capacity battery, supports fast charging at 22.5W and runs Android 9 Pie out of the box.
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4. OnePlus 7
While the OnePlus 7 Pro will probably cost more than $500 for a little while, its little brother – the OnePlus 7 – is instead now below our threshold (at least in the Chinese variant). The smartphone does pack some pretty incredible specs for the price, which paired with the curated OnePlus software makes it one of the best phones on the market.
The OnePlus 7 is indeed powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, along with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The display is 6.41-inch in size, with FHD+ res and 19.5:9 aspect ratio.
Camera wise, we find a primary 48MP image sensore paired with a 5MP secondary. On the front we instead have a 16MP selfie snapper.
OnePlus’ 7 is fueled by a 3700mAh capacity battery with support for 20W fast charge and runs Oxygen 9.0.
5. Nubia Red Magic 3
Finally, for the real gamers out there we have the latest gaming phone by Nubia – the Nubia Red Magic 3. The handset packs all the best hardware you’d want to find on a 2019 flagship phone plus some gaming related features.
Let’s start with the display, a beautiful 6.65-inch AMOLED panel with a smooth 90Hz refresh rate paired with a dual speaker setup for a really immersive gaming experience.
The smartphone is of course powered by a Snapdragon 855 CPU, up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Meanwhile cameras include a main 48MP Sony IMX586 on the back and a 16MP on the front.
The Nubia Red Magic 3 is fueled by a large 5000mAh battery and runs Android 9 Pie OTB.
Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $500
This is it for the month of July, hopefully you have found your next daily driver among our picks. If you didn’t and you’d have suggested other options, then let us know in the comments below!
