The day when low-cost or cheap meant poor specifications are well behind us, now it is easy to buy a cheap phone with excellent mid-range hardware. We list 10 best smartphone deals available now!
12 Best Smartphone deals
Competition in China is fierce and a price war has broken out among large and small manufactures all of whom are now offering some of the best smartphone deals in the world today. This list contains all the best smartphone deals of phones costing less than $190.
Huawei Honor 3C 2GB
It has taken Huawei a long time, but finally they seem to have gotten a grasp on 1) What customers actually want 2) How to market their phones. The Huawei Honor 3C is easily the best smartphone which Huawei have launched in recent months, and to top it off it has a great price too.
The Huawei Honor 3C is available in two versions, a $130 version with 1GB RAM, and $165 version with 2GB RAM. Both options have the same 5-inch 720p (1280 x 720) display, 5 mega-pixel f2.4 front camera, 8 mega-pixel F2.0 rear camera, 1.3Ghz quad-core MT6582 processor and support for TD-SCDMA, WCDMA and GSM networks.
CoolPad Halo F1
We recently posted a review of the CoolPad Halo F1, and can honestly say that this is another top smartphone, but believe it or not it is more affordable than the Huawei Honor and has an even better level of specification!
In China the Coolpad Halo F1 only comes in TD-SCDMA guise which has been subsidised by China Mobile to allow the phone to be priced at only $146. Even though China Mobile might be footing part of the specification is still amazing for the price.
What makes this one of our best smartphone picks is the fact that not only have Coolpad gotten the price so low, but they have also managed to squeeze in a 13 mega-pixel main camera, 5-inch 720p (1280 x 720) display, and a 1.7Ghz Octacore MT6592 processor from Mediatek!
Thankfully for those of you who don’t live in China and fancy getting your hands on the Coolpad F1, there is a WCDMA/GSM model of the phone in the works which has the same specs and same low price. What’s more Coolpad showed the phone off at CES this year meaning an official international launch could be possible!
Hasee ES0 S1
This is the first year that Hasee has been apart of the smartphone market, and they are doing their best to get write in to the mix and be part of the price war. The Hasee Ling Ya E50 S1 is the 2GB RAM version of the phone which costs only $150.
Other specifications are similar to the Huawei and include a 5-inch IPS 1280 x 720 display, 1.3Ghz quad-core MT6582 processor, 2GB RAM, 16 GB memory, Android 4.2 and a professional in app camera controls.
Gizchina News of the week
Hasee have only officially launched in China, but their laptops and PC’s are already on sale around the world, here’s hoping that the E50 has the same fate and it truly is one of the best smartphone options on the market today.
iNew V3
The iNew V3 full review can be read here, but if you don’t have time for that let us just say that it is easily one of the best smartphone options money can buy. The device has a slim stylish design, combined with a stunning 5-inch OGS, Gorilla Glass display and quad-core processor.
The iNew V3 also has a 13 mega-pixel main camera, 5 mega-pixel front, USB OTG and NFC.
GuoMobile G1
The GuoMobile G1 is a phone that we are personally familiar with but with a design similar to the HTC One their low-cost phone is quite the looker. Interesting design decisions include dual SIM support accessed on the left via sim trays, and a side mounted micro USB give the G1 a unique feel.
According to the official specs this Qualcomm Snapdragon powered phone has 1GB RAM, 16GB memory, alloy 7.8mm body, and 2.4mm bezels on either side of the 5-inch qHD display. The GuoMobile G1 is has an 8 mega-pixel rear camera, 2 mega-pixel front an is certainly one of the best smartphone options in this price bracket.
iOcean X7HD
iOcean have taken their best smartphone of 2013 and given it a mid-range makeover. The iOcean X7HD has the same body and dimensions as last years flagship phone but with a more price conscious specification allowing the price to come in at below $180!
The 5-inch display on the iOcean X7HD is a 1280 x 720 IPS unit with 3.26mm bezels on either side. a 8 mega-pixel camera takes u the year while a 5 mega-pixel front with 79 degree lens is on selfie duty.
The phone is powered by the wonderful 1.3Ghz MT6582 quad-core Mediatek processor, with 1GB RAM, 4GB memory plus there is room for dual sim cards and a SD memory card. The iOcean X7 HD is available through most larger online resellers now.
Go to page to of the 12 best smartphone deals under $190 [templatic_button link=”https://www.gizchina.com/2014/02/07/12-best-smartphone-deals-190-available-now/2/” size=”large” type=”basic”] Page 2 [/templatic_button] [templatic_contentbox type=”normal” title=”6 more phones listed on page 2!”]
Continue to the next page for 6 more best smartphone devices including models from;
- Thunderbird.
- Huawei.
- Beidou.
- Lenovo.
- ZTE.
- ETC
Go to page to of the 12 best smartphone deals under $190 [templatic_button link=”https://www.gizchina.com/2014/02/07/12-best-smartphone-deals-190-available-now/2/” size=”large” type=”basic”] Page 2 [/templatic_button] [/templatic_contentbox]
Why the Lenovo A820? Not a bad phone, but you can even get the Lenovo S920 for under $190 now, and the A850 is currently much more popular than A820. The only thing going for the A820 is the slightly better camera (but without flash) and that there are editions for China Telecom and China Mobile if you need that.
I own the iNew V3, and am quite happy with it. However, with current prices I might think that the Honor 2C 2GB, ZTE Geek and Halopad F1 are more bang for your buck.
P.s How do i turn off the touch vibration on the keyboard?
Settings > Language and Input > press the settings icon next to Android Keyboard (AOSP) > Uncheck Vibrate on keypress
no Jaiyu????
Nope but they made our Iconic phone list https://www.gizchina.com/2014/02/06/8-iconic-chinese-smartphones-time/
Again no Star HD5000 and no Tronsmart TS7 (MT6582) although they beat atleast 80% of the phones from this list when it comes to price/performance…
Instead we get TDSCMA-only phones (Red Hot Chili Thing), genereally unavailable phones (Huawei Honor 3C) and eyewash phones (iNew V3) as “best sub 180$ deals”
Relax. Personally, I prefer all the phones that Andi recommended over the two you mentioned because the Tronsmart has an older processor and the Star looks pretty cheap. I do understand where you’re coming from, I just don’t think those two phones are really the best for under $190.
the new tronsmart ts7 has an mtk6582 processor..and is about 149 dollars..
As mentioned, the Tronsmart TS7 is available with MT6582 as well and as I already own it, I can confidently say, that it is a very good phone for the given price tag of ~150$
It is especially better than the iNew V3, which has bugs (OTG/NFC sometimes not working, home button sometimes not reacting) a weak battery and false declaration of dimensions (not nearly as thin as advertised) for ~180$
Several flaws with this list.
1.Huawei are on the list twice with the same phone,so it is really a list of 11.
2.Thunderbird?No model number,no additional information,and were supposed to find it?
3.The Lenovo is a one trick pony with the camera,it shouldn’t have made the list.
4.the Coolpad is Octacore,therefore,the rest of the list should have octacores,or similar bench-marking/hardware.Thus it is a list of two,if you count the ZTE Geek
5.I can’t buy anything on this list except the iOcean internationally,which defeats the point.
1) The Huawei is on the list twice as the 2GB is hard to get, but the 1GB is quite easily available internationally (as mentioned)
2) The Thunderbird is called “Thunderbird” in English. A full article will be coming soon.
3) The last time we wrote a list readers asked “why no Lenovo”. The Lenovo listed here isn’t a bad phone and is available well below the $190 price.
4) This is a list of phones under $190, not only that but phones which international readers are actually able to buy. Not a list of Octacore phones, this will be coming soon.
5) With an international readership we have to write about what is available regardless of location. All but the TD-SCDMA phones are available outside of China, and the others are available in locations where GizChina readers come from. The iOcean, ZTE Geek, Huawei Honor 3C 1GB, Lenovo, are all easily available, the rest are only available in certain areas.
I’m glad you brought the points up though as I imagine many other readers have similar feelings and opinions too. Cheers 🙂
Thanks for replying. I hold my point that the Coolpad and ZTE outshine the other phones on the list,but it is appreciated none the less that you take time to compile them.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment 🙂
Looking forward to reading Thunderbirdie’s article/post
Keep em’ coming Andy 😉
I miss the Zopo ZP700
Me not… there are better phones (especially in terms of the display resolution) for 10-20$ less
Not a fan of the ZP700, the Huawei Honor 3C is much better for the money. If Zopo dropped the price then it would be worth it.
Agreed but check out the Star HD5000 as well
MT6582, 1GB RAM, 8GB ROM, 5inch HD-Display, 2500mAh battery at only 139,90$ for international customers is a real bargain!
A review would be very nice and I personally feel that it definitely deserves a spot on this list 🙂
Yep, I will certainly need to give it a look 🙂
Why the Lenovo A820? Not a bad phone, but you can even get the Lenovo S920 for under $190 now, and the A850 is currently much more popular than A820. The only thing going for the A820 is the slightly better camera (but without flash) and that there are editions for China Telecom and China Mobile if you need that.
I own the iNew V3, and am quite happy with it. However, with current prices I might think that the Honor 2C 2GB, ZTE Geek and Halopad F1 are more bang for your buck.
P.s How do i turn off the touch vibration on the keyboard?
Settings > Language and Input > press the settings icon next to Android Keyboard (AOSP) > Uncheck Vibrate on keypress
When the Coolpad F1 will be WDCMA available?! Is there GPS malfunction in new 8-core chipset of MediaTek?
Soon I hope, I really fancy one for myselft.
I agree, this is the best octacore phone I have seen but useless without WCDMA. Hopefully it will support more than just 2100MHz. Brilliant article btw Andi
Thanks mate, glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Hi!, how do You know that WCDMA version of F1 is in works? I havent seen any simmilar information at another websites
it those are really best from china then im removing gizchina from my bookmars and gonna buy phone from “top” manufacturers, like i did before.
“12 Best Smartphone deals under $190” was the title..
Good, go do that now. We don’t need negative scum who don’t know how to read like you around.
no Jaiyu????
Nope but they made our Iconic phone list http://www.gizchina.com/2014/02/06/8-iconic-chinese-smartphones-time/
Again no Star HD5000 and no Tronsmart TS7 (MT6582) although they beat atleast 80% of the phones from this list when it comes to price/performance…
Instead we get TDSCMA-only phones (Red Hot Chili Thing), genereally unavailable phones (Huawei Honor 3C) and eyewash phones (iNew V3) as “best sub 180$ deals”
Relax. Personally, I prefer all the phones that Andi recommended over the two you mentioned because the Tronsmart has an older processor and the Star looks pretty cheap. I do understand where you’re coming from, I just don’t think those two phones are really the best for under $190.
the new tronsmart ts7 has an mtk6582 processor..and is about 149 dollars..
As mentioned, the Tronsmart TS7 is available with MT6582 as well and as I already own it, I can confidently say, that it is a very good phone for the given price tag of ~150$
It is especially better than the iNew V3, which has bugs (OTG/NFC sometimes not working, home button sometimes not reacting) a weak battery and false declaration of dimensions (not nearly as thin as advertised) for ~180$
Several flaws with this list.
1.Huawei are on the list twice with the same phone,so it is really a list of 11.
2.Thunderbird?No model number,no additional information,and were supposed to find it?
3.The Lenovo is a one trick pony with the camera,it shouldn’t have made the list.
4.the Coolpad is Octacore,therefore,the rest of the list should have octacores,or similar bench-marking/hardware.Thus it is a list of two,if you count the ZTE Geek
5.I can’t buy anything on this list except the iOcean internationally,which defeats the point.
1) The Huawei is on the list twice as the 2GB is hard to get, but the 1GB is quite easily available internationally (as mentioned)
2) The Thunderbird is called “Thunderbird” in English. A full article will be coming soon.
3) The last time we wrote a list readers asked “why no Lenovo”. The Lenovo listed here isn’t a bad phone and is available well below the $190 price.
4) This is a list of phones under $190, not only that but phones which international readers are actually able to buy. Not a list of Octacore phones, this will be coming soon.
5) With an international readership we have to write about what is available regardless of location. All but the TD-SCDMA phones are available outside of China, and the others are available in locations where GizChina readers come from. The iOcean, ZTE Geek, Huawei Honor 3C 1GB, Lenovo, are all easily available, the rest are only available in certain areas.
I’m glad you brought the points up though as I imagine many other readers have similar feelings and opinions too. Cheers 🙂
Thanks for replying. I hold my point that the Coolpad and ZTE outshine the other phones on the list,but it is appreciated none the less that you take time to compile them.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment 🙂
Looking forward to reading Thunderbirdie’s article/post
Keep em’ coming Andy 😉
I miss the Zopo ZP700
Me not… there are better phones (especially in terms of the display resolution) for 10-20$ less
Not a fan of the ZP700, the Huawei Honor 3C is much better for the money. If Zopo dropped the price then it would be worth it.
Agreed but check out the Star HD5000 as well
MT6582, 1GB RAM, 8GB ROM, 5inch HD-Display, 2500mAh battery at only 139,90$ for international customers is a real bargain!
A review would be very nice and I personally feel that it definitely deserves a spot on this list 🙂
Yep, I will certainly need to give it a look 🙂
“The 2GB version of the Huawei Honor 3C has only just launched in China making it quite difficult to buy for international fans […]”
Andy,
When the 2GB version of the Honor 3C will be available for international customers?
I don’t believe that Huawei will launch it officially internationally, we will just have to wait for resellers to pick it up.
No Xiaomi Red Rice? Why?
The Redrice will be replaced soon, plus I wanted to introduce a few new models we hadn’t covered much before.
When the Coolpad F1 will be WDCMA available?! Is there GPS malfunction in new 8-core chipset of MediaTek?
Soon I hope, I really fancy one for myselft.
I agree, this is the best octacore phone I have seen but useless without WCDMA. Hopefully it will support more than just 2100MHz. Brilliant article btw Andi
Thanks mate, glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Hi!, how do You know that WCDMA version of F1 is in works? I havent seen any simmilar information at another websites
it those are really best from china then im removing gizchina from my bookmars and gonna buy phone from “top” manufacturers, like i did before.
“12 Best Smartphone deals under $190” was the title..
Good, go do that now. We don’t need negative scum who don’t know how to read like you around.
Guys whats the best smartphone right now under 250$ and with CE Mark on it?
I would recommwnd the Zopo ZP980+ (octa core). It’s supposed to be approximately $249.
“The 2GB version of the Huawei Honor 3C has only just launched in China making it quite difficult to buy for international fans […]”
Andy,
When the 2GB version of the Honor 3C will be available for international customers?
I don’t believe that Huawei will launch it officially internationally, we will just have to wait for resellers to pick it up.
No Xiaomi Red Rice? Why?
The Redrice will be replaced soon, plus I wanted to introduce a few new models we hadn’t covered much before.
Guys whats the best smartphone right now under 250$ and with CE Mark on it?
I would recommwnd the Zopo ZP980+ (octa core). It’s supposed to be approximately $249.
Hello, where would the Faea 2 or {2s} fit in this list?
Is its opensource enough advantage over these phones. i think of buying FAEA. Please recommend me.
When I tested the F2S I found it to be a little on the buggy side. It is great that FAEA have opened up but by the time a fully working ROM is available for these phones they are going to be seriously out of date.
So please which one would you recommend? between $190- $210
Hello, where would the Faea 2 or {2s} fit in this list?
Is its opensource enough advantage over these phones. i think of buying FAEA. Please recommend me.
When I tested the F2S I found it to be a little on the buggy side. It is great that FAEA have opened up but by the time a fully working ROM is available for these phones they are going to be seriously out of date.
So please which one would you recommend? between $190- $210
Woah, thanks for including the ZTE Geek. I hadn’t heard about it yet for some reason. What do you think; should I get the ZTE Geek or the Coolpad F1, or should I wait till something better appears?
Woah, thanks for including the ZTE Geek. I hadn’t heard about it yet for some reason. What do you think; should I get the ZTE Geek or the Coolpad F1, or should I wait till something better appears?
What is a good place do buy the ZTE Geek?
What is a good place do buy the ZTE Geek?