The best Chinese smartphones of 2019
Chinese smartphones have emerged from a murky past of iPhone clones and shady software to become a new force in the global market. These phones tend to be a lot cheaper, even accounting for import costs, but often have at least equally good build quality and features. The number of great Chinese phones officially sold in the US is dwindling thanks to the Huawei ban, but we've put together a list of the very best of both the officially available and those you'll have to import.
Jump to section:
- Importing Chinese smartphones
- The best Chinese phones officially available in the US
- The best Chinese phones not officially available in the US
Importing Chinese smartphones
Why buy a Chinese smartphone? A question whose answer is now obvious given the success of Chinese brands on the market. Made in China devices are characterized by powerful hardware and low prices. Imported devices worthy of our recommendation will work without problems, but before buying, it is important to check the compatibility with the frequency bands of your mobile service provider.
You can buy Chinese smartphones online, at official brand sites (in the case of OnePlus) or on e-commerce sites like Amazon, for example. Buying the best-known Chinese devices is no longer a problem, but when it comes to relatively unknown brands in the US, they mostly need to be imported from far away.
Before importing a Chinese device, remember to check the reliability of the site from which you want to buy the smartphone, as well as the warranty details, customer support, and return policy in case of malfunctions. It's important to also consider relevant customs fees and shipping costs.
For those who have their hearts set on importing...Where there's a will, there's a way! Be sure to check our article on how to buy a smartphone from China for all the tips you need to make a smart purchase.
The best Chinese phones officially available in the US
OnePlus 7 Pro: always full-throttle
The OnePlus 7 Pro, the more expensive model presented together with OnePlus 7, has just arrived on the market ready to take on the big names in the industry. The design of the device has evolved and now recalls that of the most recent OPPO or Vivo (coincidentally) but with design elements that make it unique, such as the curved display and high refresh rate. The panel is a 6.67-inch AMOLED Samsung FullHD+, without a notch and capable of reaching 90Hz.
Let's move on to what's under the hood. The smartphone integrates a Snapdragon 855 processor supported by 6GB, 8GB or even 12GB of RAM and 128 / 256GB of internal memory. Running on the smartphone we find OxygenOS based on Android 9.0. Keeping the show going is the 4,000 mAh battery supported by Warp Charge. All at a starting price of $669.
The best Chinese phones not officially available in the US
Huawei P30 Pro: top camera experience
With the P30 Pro, Huawei has launched a smartphone with a camera that is second to none. The camera, developed together with Leica, has not one, not two, but three on the rear, plus an auxiliary ToF sensor. Together with the AI units of the Hisilicon Kirin 980 and the 5x optical zoom (10x hybrid and 50x digital!), creative and exciting shots are possible in a way no other smartphone can offer.
The Chinese brand has done a great job, not only with regards to build quality and specs, but also in terms of software optimization, in this case characterized by Android 9.0 Pie and EMUI. The user experience offered is excellent: the smartphone reacts quickly to any task, and the 4,200 mAh battery guarantees two days of intense use. Made official in Europe for a price of 999 EUR, it is already possible to find online in the US for $888, and this price will likely continue to sink as Huawei is stuck in the middle of a trade clash between the US and China.
OPPO Reno 10x Zoom: unmistakable style
OPPO launched the new Reno smartphone series at a dedicated event in the city of Zurich. The Reno 10x Zoom, which has a 5x optical zoom (which magically becomes 6x with the company software), surpasses Huawei's already incredible record with a 60x digital zoom. On board, we find respectable hardware thanks to the presence of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chip and 8GB of RAM.
A distinctive feature of the smartphone is the presence of a retractable "fin" that hides the selfie camera and LED flash. Also interesting is that the camera doesn't protrude, rather there is the so-called O-Dot, a small ceramic bump that protrudes from the body and protects the main camera from scratches.
Honor View 20: it has it all
The Honor View 20 is a smartphone designed for the youngest, the digital natives. Characterized by a body made of glass and aluminum, the Honor View 20 sports an elegant look resulting in an ergonomic smartphone thanks to the curved edges and the diagonal of the 6.4-inch display that is virtually bezel-less.
The strong point of the smartphone, in addition to software that runs smoothly without problems, is the performance offered by the Kirin 980 and the 48MPmain camera equipped with AI. The SoC, supported 6GB or 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of internal memory, makes it quick to switch between apps and multitasking. The selfie camera, hidden in a punch hole in the display, will not disappoint you. It's a complete and relatively inexpensive package not to be missed.
Xiaomi Mi 9: best quality-price ratio
Xiaomi is renowned for offering top-of-the-range devices well below the prices offered by the competition. Xiaomi Mi 9 is currently the most interesting device of the manufacturer, and you'll find it online for around $479 (6GB RAM / 64GB storage model). A discounted price for an almost uncompromising flagship!
This Mi 9 is equipped with a 6.39-inch screen with 1,080 x 2,340 pixel resolution with a small drop-shaped notch. If the Mi 8 didn't convince you because of its design, things got better with this new model. In terms of performance, we find the Snapdragon 855 with 6GB of RAM and 64 / 128GB of internal storage. The triple camera includes a 48-megapixel main sensor, a telephoto lens and a wide-angle lens, all aided by the AI.
Realme 3 Pro: the cheapest of the lot
OPPO's Realme 3 Pro takes on the Redmi Note 7 for the title of best mid-range buy, and it's clear that it's aimed toward the mid-to-low end segment of the market. While the brand has been available in Europe for a short while, it has yet to make it to the US. You can get the device there for around 170 EUR (from June 5, 2019), which is equivalent to $190.
This Realme 3 Pro has excellent specifications for the price at which it is offered: a Snapdragon 710, 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The 4,045 mAh battery guarantees excellent battery life and it recharges in a flash thanks to the support for VOOC 3.0 charging. The screen measures 6.3 inches and intruded by a tiny drop-shaped notch that certainly won't bother most users. With FullHD+ resolution it is also great for viewing multimedia content.
Have you imported a Chinese smartphone? Let us know what you think of it in the comments!
I imported a Redmi Note 7, it's a good phone with good cameras. I wish it had Android One but MiUI is okay. It was inexpensive for the Hardware it offers. Mine is 4GB RAM and 128 GB Storage. It's fast and smooth, camera take photos quickly with HDR and Night pictures available. On the whole It is an excellent buy.
Well I stand corrected, because my favorite devices from China (ZTE / Honor) were purchased by looking at them at Best Buy / Fry's Electronics! When you take that out of the equation? Purchasing a no-contract device phone becomes "what is available in a shop" instead of "what is available on Amazon only".
I can watch video reviews all day long, back to home a device up close in your hands? That truly seals the deal (and I guess that's why I have a Motorola G7 - no I'm not happy North America was denied the G7 Plus!)
Honor 7X (or it's Huawei equivalent) works for me (and I'm not a millennial (lol)👍
My phone company refused to support my phone and I was lied to about new phone! Yes I hate google! How do I get a phone like yours?
I am not good with technology and I don't want to be tricked again!
Can you provide any links to how to buy a this kind of non- google phone. Aka no google browser or google play required working the phone. Any succinct questions to ask phone company. Thank you for your help in this matter Sorin.
Keeping track of all these websites is difficult so you can post to me any way you can Sorin as I am not sure how this all works. This time checked to notify me in this matter. Thanks for helpful comments. No thanks I don't want to hear anything more related to keeping google!
Cubot X18 Plus as been my latest phone,bought off Gearbest,its a Super 6" screen with a 4000 battery,and the batterylife is amazing less than £100,Worth buying i promise you
ZTE Axon 7
#nuffsaid
MI 6 is a great smartphone.
I'm surprised that Cubot phones are not mentioned ? They seem quite easily available in the UK. We have been using 3 Cubot phones in our business for over 3 years now and they just seem to work and keep on working . We changed due to frustration using the branded others just seemingly always falling down when you really need them most out on the road.
I have a mate 9, following on from my old note 4. Its been very good, love the flat screen, battery time is great, last all day and more. No issues with hd display, on normal day to day use i cannot tell the very slight difference to qhd. Having used one i would definitely consider the next model over a Samsung.
Chinese phones can sometimes be good or bad as Ebay is offering loads for sale, they All seem to use Stock Android, its the pricing of these phones that makes consumers give these phones a chance or buy these phones as back up phones, Cubot phones is the one i check up on, as they offer Dual sim cards, Removable Batteries and Micro Sd Card slots, they seem to be very affordable phones and with decent cameras and show improvement every year plus reliable phones, even you tube shows reviews of there phones and would recommend them to anyone
I guess you could always argue about the selection being made here, and yes several other phones are also worth mentioning (personally I really like my Vernee Apollo). However, the article focuses only on hardware but a phone consists of software too. Sometimes the chinese phones contain quirky software and special Android adaptations that are far from perfect. In my experience those who offer a stock Android version are the best. Also, stay away from phones that still use Android 5.1 or even 5.0.
All those details are very important and when companies today lunch a new device they show all of those qualities to the public; all the possibilities and technology the device is capable of and the chipset. Most of the major players like apple, Samsung and LG (and many others) manufacture their devices in the east Asia; Singapore, China, Korea, etc. this happens mostly because the manufacturing costs in this area are much lower and that with many years of experience the plants and workers there acquired knowledge that allows them to make better, smarter phones. Many of the Chinese phones in the market even surpass the known brands like the famous Apple. The Chinese brands are manufactures in the same plants as the oversea brands’ phones are. The branding issue brings us to an entirely different subject – marketing and publicity. I will publish a separate article about the subject later on.
Today, thousands of people personally import cheap Chinese mobile phones using the large e-commerce sites available like aliexpress.com, Chinese-phone.com, ebay.com, amazon.com (and those are just the larger ones).
If I gave you a chance to forget about the brands, and value the phones only by their quality and their component’s quality. How would you feel?
I believe you would have used the same methods as I do – price vs performance.
I presented before two Smartphone's to compare. One of them is a known brand’s phone and one is a Chinese company’s phone.
Well as per wholeseller of worldwide in mobile phone category i can say there is a phone from oukitel model u20 plus which has dominating price and best features dual camera and all check it out at shoptadka.com
I would include the ZTE Axon 7. Excellent build quality; 820 processor with 4Gb of ram and 64Gb of expandable storage; dual, front-facing speakers; non-intrusive software skin; excellent 5.5 inch display; solid battery; decent camera; and $400 price (got mine on sale for $350). Really solid device.
I had xiaomi mi 3 , very good stable phone, still can use it at this moment and it will work impressive . I had to give up on it because of 16 gb memory with no sd card ( the biggest minus) , the design , look like a brick , no 4 g ( but 4g developed afther that) and no fast charging , but like i said very.. Very good phone at his price 220 euro new with warranty in my country.
I have replaced with a meizu pro 5 , and the cpu is not clocked at 2.5 , that is a erorr..cpu is a Octa-core (4x2.1 GHz Cortex-A57 & 4x1.5 GHz Cortex-A53) .
I saw that in the Chinese top is mentioned meizu pro 6 at place 5 in the top. Well definitely pro 5 is above pro 6 , in almost any way (exynos vs mediatek, DAC vs no, 5.7 vs 5.2 , sd card vs no - very important )so i think pro 5 is neck to neck with
one + 3, and we don't talk about benchmarks just day to day ussage. Of course one + have new chipset and will perform better in benchmark . And when you put the price 330 euro ( bought at a good discount) with 2 years warranty in my country with 550 ( one + 3 ) i think we know who is 1 st place , off course that is my opinion. I tested the xiaomi mi 3 and the pro 5 in different aps , the diffrence was insesisable , the pro 5 was an upgrade? Well yes , with all the features ..design, 4g, sd card, fast charging, DAC But in the end the price matters. Mi 3 good as his price at that time way above galaxy s 4 at half price, pro 5 same as the Samsung Galaxy note 5 with + and - on both sides at almost half price .
That is the beauty of Chinese phones , high specs at low price.
LeEco Le 3 pro, Vernee Apollo ? Worth buying?
You are missing zuk z2 and Zuk z2 pro. Bad article, incomplete
I think chinese phones are the best. Look at this! They are amazing, gorgeous, performant,...the best!!!
Huawei mate 8, 360 Q5 plus, ZTE Z11 MAX, Huawei note 8 etc are great new phones having nice features including huge batteries that could be added to the list. Very nice phones though underrated..
"ok Google" how many smartphones in the world ?
2 billion give or take..
i wonder how many have Chinese components..
Android without Chinese manufacturing would be like Android without Google..
Dragon is going to eat more then 90% of mobile market, where is the rest world?
Hi Mukesh, thank you for your comment. Even if a company is from another country most of their components are manufactured in China. I think the rest of the world does need to step up but the applicable countries can only be near China (geographically), at least at the moment due to availability of components.
First of all I didn't like the Title Chinese smart phones as they seemed a lot better than the so called High range Products and secondly people know all these phones why are you always repeating the articles in the site I know it's different people posting but all people see is an article so please make sure you don't repeat your articles.
Yes you are correct. However I find most the AmeriCAN reviews very biased which show that they are still just AmeriCANS. Their world is too small to accommodate the views of others and you can see that most socalled "reviewers" are just young kids without proper life experience and thus insight.
yes but who wouldnt want to review?
It is very obvious from the reviewer that AndroidPIT personnel is biased. May I speculate that it is because they don`t get kick-back from UMI etc?
Not sure where the author got his pricing info for the Lenovo Vibe P1. I followed the link and it is not priced under $160 US. It's more than Double that price and it specifically states there is NO WARRANTY. At least that's what it says on Amazon. One thing about these Chinese phone manufacturers that is very revealing and insightful. They proved that companies like Samsung and Apple along with our beloved phone carriers are overcharging us on high quality phones and if anyone just insists on having phones like that, they should get them from one of these chinese phone manufacturers. I do have to admit they are truly awesome looking. And their price points could put a real big damper on sales for Samsung, iPhone, and others. I for one would love to see the mighty Samsung get kicked back a few notches so they might gain a little more humility. I have used nothing but Samsung for my carriers for years but after friends let me see how their Meizu and Xiaomi phones functioned, I feel I've been getting ripped off for buying Samsung's top rated models. The S7 does not impress me at all. As soon as it slips out of my hand, the repair cost might be more than buying one of these phones here. I still think phones with removable backs are better. They are more easily serviced and upgraded. This new trend is gimmicky and costly. Not at all sensible from a financial standpoint and definitely not for the avid user who likes control of their hardware and software. Upgrade options among other useful things are slowly being eliminated from alot of phones and yet the cost of new phones just keeps going up. The amount of additional cost for a manufacturer to give you a high end spec and eloquent external appearance is likely only 10% of the ridiculous additional premium they add to the price to have those things. At least these phones have brought better pricing compared to well known brand name.
I fully support you. I call Samsung SamGONE and they WILL BE GONE just like Blackberry. They think that they have us but they don`t. BTW I bought a UMI Touch for $169 and it is better than most so-called high-end phones. These phones are made for peanuts and sold for an arm and a leg. bring on the Chinese (who are anyway build all the phones) phone and squash Apple & SamGONE like the gnats they should be.
In the Android world there's a phone for every budget and taste. Apple caters to the high-end market, which there will always be a demand for, and Samsung does too, including the mid to low-end market. Besides, both companies have proven hardware and software, and a boatload of money to advertise. Don't get ahead of yourself.
---
I really love each of their designs. The Zuk Z1 looks really sleek and elegant.
No <3 for ZTE ?
(I don't believe the nonsense the US Government accused this Company of)
I've had a better Customer experience with this Company so far compared to HTC, Samsung, Asus, Motorola (yeah ZTE used to make crap smartphones, but the Axon and ZMax lines are quite impressive) .....
no vernee apollo? new xiaomi
So.... No LETV Lecco 2/ MAX?
What is this.
You should also include devices like Honor 5X and LeEco Le 2.
now american will be against these phone n will comment bad.......but look at there features n price which big phone makers are providing in almost double price......u have to compromise somthing to find something cheap.....choice is ur
Hi Parvind, thank you for your comment. I am really excited about Chinese smartphones (I'm an American). I think most American people want more Chinese phones in the market but the problem is Apple uses the courts to keep competition out of the States. For anyone who wants to brush up on what Apple has been pulling in the USA, here are some links: https://www.androidpit.com/samsung-vs-apple-supreme-court and https://www.androidpit.com/before-you-switch-to-an-iphone-read-this
I read both the articles which you linked here. I think apple Inc is doing same mistake like the developed world did after 2008 world sub-prime crisis, that was Protectionism. When you do this mistake, innovation, creativity and competition stays out. Then the people ultimately suffers in democratic country where there is freedom of choice. Thus Apple Inc is not acting like a company of a democratic country, it is acting more like N. KOREA or China. Americans need to remove this smoke screen (Apple Inc) and live up to their rights. Civil societies should litigate against these wrong practices. People should get choices.
And I'm really happy to say coz it was America who taught us in India about freedom of choice. The world is with the ppl of USA. So stand firm and tell Apple Inc to not cross the line.
Cheap Chinese made smartphones are flooding in the market. But their customers support lagging. Upgrading the software is difficult. Heats up.even after upgrade,full of bugs,where the play store doesn't work.and at last I suspect spywares installed in the name of some crap apps.
Dont buy smartphones from China,they dont offer warranty,it may fail in one month and seller will laugh at you. It happend to me with DigitalGlobal (HK) store.YOu might want to request 50% refund as soon a s the phone is received to be worth the risk buying from these scammmers.
This is a nice little roundup of some great phones. If you're not convinced a Chinese phone is right for you then check out this post. why-should-i-buy-a-chinese-smartphone at blog.Chinavasion.com
Can you please start reviewing the other new phones coming out if China. They show great specs at low costs but are they any good? The likes of Ulefone, Eelephone, Doogie,Cubot etc. all look good on paper great specs even pure android on some and the costs are so low are we being ripped off by the big manufacturers or are these Chinese company making a loss to get into the market? These are real stories I would like to read and I'm sure other would too. We all want a good solid phone at a great price! Come on AndriodPit step up to the mark.
Hi Richard. Thank you for your comment. We review the Chinese phones that have potential in markets outside of China, like Xiaomi and Huawei. The others will come as they make their mark on other markets. I'm looking forward to reviewing them as much as you are looking forward to reading about them :)
But phones like Umi, Doogee and other have potential as they are available through the same channels as these, are very competitive in their price segment, just don't receive the recognition and publicity from you as the other makes. Is there any financial incentive involved that you skip some brands???
I agree Alex maybe AndroidPIT IS receiving incentives as I have UMI Touch at a fraction of the price and is good. They (AndroidPIT) skip these on purpose.
what about reviews of the other Chinese phone makers, ulefone, elephone, cubot an many others all seem good specs. Come on AndriodPit give the andriod
users some info on these rather than the mainstream who seem to be overcharging compared these phone prices. In most cases you could buy a new phone every 6 months and have change for a rainy day!
Xiaomi has been on the market for some time now and has proved to made reliable phones. With the Mi 5 it should not only be mentioned in the Chinese phones articles, but also be compared with the flagships from the main brands.
Full of the latest software! but also full of unreliability, so I'd rather pay more. The saying comes to mind, You gets what you pays for
These smartphone models are on the list of being the best smartphones in the market today. They are very high-end and something you really want to have.
Yes, I agree. High-end at mid-range prices for most of them. You can't really beat that.
I'm happy with my Alcatel OneTouch Flash phablet for about $114 with 1GB of Ram I've used here in Thailand for the last 7 months, but on my next phone I want at least 2-3 GB Ram and a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor instead of MediaTek, so I'm looking at the ASUS Zenfone Max 5.5inch HD 5000mAh 4G LTE. Does anyone recommend this Asus phone with a Snapdragon 410 MSM8916, Quad core and 2GB of Ram? It's a $140 on Geekbuy now.
Yes zenfone max is in India and I've used it.. Good phone to use. Except that the processor is old so it might give some jerks with some apps. Otherewise phone is good has good battery backup and quality. Go for it 👍👍
I don't think any of these are worth the radio band support mismatches, lack of manufacturer support and similar lack of developer support. They're interesting at their pricepoints, but there is a good market-based reason they're not readily available in the US. They're simply not designed and supported for the US cellular market.
I have been using Lenovo phones, Tablets, PC and all I can tell you is any one of them are excellent price:performance ratio compared to Xiomi/HTC/Meizu but the only problem with Lenovo is their market focus, they are not keen to market in US/EU like the other Chinese brands although I can vouch that Lenovo is the better one if placed side by side except that it priced so much cheaper (the word here is "so much cheaper"). We here in Asia have been playing around wih Lenovo phones especially the MTK based ones like toys, modding them every other month and changing phones every 6 months or so.(I am on OctaCore for the past 1 year already)
But what this Kris guy didnt tell you is that Lenovo has two version of firmwares for most of their popular phones one is called the CN version (China only ) the other is ROW version (Rest Of the World) . When you buy from China there will be unscrupulous traders would probably grab a CN and shipped to EU/US instead of ROW version. The CN version DO NOT HAVE any Google Apps or they might put in a basterdise firmware called the SJCN firmware and then you're screwed. Most Vibe 2.0/2.5/3.0 indicates Lenovo for China only version exception are Vibe X. But Lenovo rooting only takes 3 minutes if MTK device but not on QualComm, but once it is rooted we can modify to our hearts content to convert CN to be pure ROW version. But be careful about ordering online from China buy through AliExpress for safe reclaim if supplier did not suply you with ROW version!
Hmm.
Well, we are hoping that these Chinese android phones will surpass the US android phones. People are expecting that these phones will be a big hit in the industry.
And where is ONE PLUS TWO?
The Chinese, as well as every other manufacture, should use global LTE chipsets so their devices can be used anywhere in the world, including Project Fi. I would have loved to have bought either an Huawei P8 Max, MediaPad X1 or a MediaPad X2. Unfortunately, none have US LTE compatibility.
The ASUS Zenfone Max 5.5inch HD 5000mAh 4G LTE on Geekbuy says its 4G FDD-LTE 1800/2100MHz is this the specs you're looking for?
You always seem to be talking about Chinese phones. Why not talk about some of the up and coming phones due out this year or next? Like the Yota phone, the Comet, and Ubik. You have talked about the Robin ( nothing new there) Give us something new instead of the SAME OLD S..T every time. These SOS recycled acritical are getting boring.
Putin phones? No thanks.
I have a zuk-z1, it's pretty good
You guys put Mi4 on the subtitle, talked about Mi4i in the text, and put the photo and descriptions of Mi4. The 'i' makes a big difference guys! And Mi4i launched this year, the Mi4 came last year! You guys should change the list to MiNote tho...
As said below, it easy to run whatever ROM you like on the Find 7. I'm on Lollipop 5.1.1 (using Nameless ROM). I flashed a custom ROM the day I received my Find 7, back in June of 2014. I have unified the storage on the device (thanks Coldbird!), and it is simply the best phone I've ever used. I also have an LG G3 which sits at home in a drawer, wishing it was a Find7.
...of course, your mileage may vary. Use what you like, and like what you use.
Recently took a punt after coming across some details on the internet. Currently we are running 2 x Cubot phones within the business - a Zorro and P6. TBH these are the first android phone we've used and it seems quite a revelation?! But we just look for usability and function - early days, so lets see how they perform over time....
Nice gadgets but none of them seems to have OTG and not even WiFi. :-)
Wi-Fi is a standard addition these days brother, so mentioning it is like advertising that a car has got a steering wheel.
Psst, the Oppo Find7 comes with Color OS, not Cyanogen. They're pretty OK with you flashing whatever you want on it though