Best of 2015: Phones (Poll)


2015 saw a tonne load of phone launches, from companies across several target groups. While most Chinese phones bet on having a lower price, some aimed to impress with their feature sets.

GizChina staff picked 20 of the best phones launched this year across several price ranges, specification sets, etc.

It is now your turn to help give this list some order by voting for your favourite phone!

So let’s get started.

THE BEST PHONES OF 2015

Best of 2015: Phones

What we did was we first cumulated a list of the best 20 phones from this year and then marked each phone with who of the two, between Andi and myself, made the addition.

The list is here for you to see:

Gizchina News of the week


Sr. no Model Voted by
1 Letv X600 Both
2 Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 Yash
3 Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Both
4 Meizu MX5 Yash
5 Xiaomi Mi Note Andi
6 ZUK Z1 Andi
7 Asus Zenfone 2 Andi
8 Lenovo K3 Note Yash
9 Lenovo Vibe X3 Andi
10 Xiaomi Mi 4c Both
11 Elephone Trunk Yash
12 OnePlus 2  Andi
13 Ecoo E04 Yash
14 Xiaomi Redmi 2 Yash
15 Huawei Mate S Andi
16 Elephone P6000 Yash
17 JiaYu S3 Yash
18 OnePlus X Andi
19 Coolpad Note 3 Yash
20 Blackview BV5000 Andi

Very clearly, Xiaomi rules this list with five entries; Lenovo, Elephone and OnePlus have two while every other phone in the list is from a different company.

Over to you

Here we ask you to vote for what you think should be the number one phone on this list. We’ll then publish the results in the first week of January.

Meanwhile, if you’re lost for context, feel free to click on any phone’s name to read its review! Vote here:

[poll id=”3″]
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258 Comments

  1. Ivo001
    December 28, 2015

    This should have been separated in different price categories.

  2. newphoenix
    December 28, 2015

    Xiaomi Redmi Note 2, because of the price/value.

    • Xalis
      December 28, 2015

      There isn’t anything even close to the Redmi Note 2, right now it sits at $130 shipped, but few weeks ago it was as low as $120.

      Price, performance and quality, if it only didn’t look like a $130 dollars phone, but I guess is fine since it’s actually a $130 dollars phone.

  3. MaxPower
    December 28, 2015

    there’s a thing that i don’t know how to explain and i invite anybody to reply to me with any kind of suggestion.

    It’s about Huawei.
    there’s only one Huawei phone on the list and it didn’t even get plenty of votes.
    Now, numbers are saying that Huawei is the best Chinese company out there (speaking of sales)
    so what’s the real deal behind it?

    • Rob
      December 28, 2015

      Probably because they are so expensive and most people will likely vote on the price/spec ratio which makes it hard to bet against either Xiaomi or Letv coming out top here.

      • MaxPower
        December 28, 2015

        I’m not sure it’s about price.
        according to many Chinese phone enthusiasts 2014 best phone was Vivo XShot which wasn’t cheap at all.

        • Rob
          December 28, 2015

          That’s why I said price /spec ratio, the xshot is a great phone with an excellent camera that is hard to beat at any price. Personally speaking this year had been rubbish for phones, hasn’t been a single phone released that has appealled.

          • MaxPower
            December 28, 2015

            agree with you.
            they made good solid phones but none of them shines, especially if we consider what Samsung did with their S6, or Note5.

            This year my kudos goes to LeTV.
            I’ve been very pessimistic about their launch and they came out with 3 nice phones for a great price.
            few months later they opened a US store and after CES 2016 they might start selling phones in the US too.
            I’m following them with a lot of interest.

            • Rob
              December 28, 2015

              Totally agree, got the X600 for a friend and apart from the seller completely screwing up the ROM (I haven’t managed to sort it yet) the phone is really nice and fast with a decent build quality. It got my vote as I don’t believe there was anything better this year. I’m actually looking forward to seeing some reviews of the Qiku Q terra and Shallots metal as they both look really promising especially since Cong said they used a liquid cooler for the SD810! Really intrigued to see how well it works as I’ve not heard of anyone using it before in a phone.

            • MaxPower
              December 28, 2015

              liquid cooler? no kidding!!!

              i feel 2016 is going to be different.
              While 2015 was the year of mid-rangers this new one will be the year of flagship phones.
              Hoping to see Vivo and Oppo coming back too

            • Rob
              December 28, 2015

              I think there are going to be a few 6″ phones coming out next year (I’m looking at you Vivo Xplay 5s!) as there’s been a few already over the last month or so. Hopefully something with the SD820 or X20, 2K 6″ screen, stereo speakers, excellent camera and a nice light ROM with solid build is what I’m after, been dreaming about something like this all year and have a feeling 2016 is gonna make my dreams come true! lol Lets hope Chinese manufacturers start releasing phones with different specs instead of 10 almost identical models like they seem to have done this year.

            • Lazar Prodanovic
              December 28, 2015

              Don’t full your self. Mid range & especially upper mid range will continue to dominate & expect lot less real Flagship’s.

            • MaxPower
              December 28, 2015

              it depends on where you live.
              Defo not where i live (US)

            • Lazar Prodanovic
              December 28, 2015

              Truth is a little different even in US now when you actually got to pay for the phone on contract.
              For instance most of big brands are distancing them self from the flagship’s as all of them got burned out in 2015 with them including even Samsung. Why? Beats me. Either they miss calculated demand or something else. Anyway when you miss with a flagship it hurts as hell as the loses are huge. On the other hand they didn’t had any problems with sails of mid range models.

              At the end if you set last year models on that list along with MI Note & redmi 2 in a mid range or high end mid range offering you will get to the 5 vs 5 result. Numerous friend.

            • MaxPower
              December 28, 2015

              well, it’s all about what people see i guess.

              on my personal view i haven’t seen any mid-ranger out there.
              they are all flagship, or last year flagship that still sell well and one (the redmi 2) which is a low-tier, not a mid-range for sure.

            • Lazar Prodanovic
              December 28, 2015

              I agree about Readmi 2 & from our point of view it’s a like that but I added something to the previous coment you should read.

              Edit:
              Now ask your self how their is not a one phone from Huawei on that list & it’s a second largest manufacturer in the world.
              Conclusion is simple who ever made that list have a huge lack of brain’s. Even 4th grader would make a more realistic one.

            • MaxPower
              December 28, 2015

              we can share our opinions but that list has been made by numbers: plain and simple.

              that was the list of most selling phones(models) and not manufacturers

              Apple (2nd largest manufacturer) has been bouncing between the first and second spot just selling one model.
              Only recently they are making 2 of them.

              on the other hand Huawei (3rd largest manufacturer) sells roughly 20 different phones worldwide and that gained them to reach the third spot as world largest manufacturer.
              (total sales)

              the point is that if you take the best selling huawei phone (i don’t know which model is, but that’s irrelevant ) the sales of that single phone are lower than any of those 10 I’ve listed above (source fortune.com)

              for this reason that list makes sense to me, it’s a legit source, i have no reason to doubt numbers.

              Also Samsung, Apple and Huawei are public so you can easily access to their numbers.
              Xiaomi isn’t, but there are different sources of serious analysts that can confirm their numbers which are very close to the real ones.

            • Lazar Prodanovic
              December 29, 2015

              I gave you a 2.5B reasons to doubt that list that makes a rightly 1 3rd of a world population. & the source you mentioned as a trust worth is far from that. Even if you use let’s say analytic number’s from Wiki (that are up to 2014) it would be with a grain of salt, but at least you would have a total of shipped units for Samsung & Apple (enough to dismiss that list anyway) as the most of manufacturers in China & India are not obtained as for the lack of analytic sources among other reasons. At the end it’s a simple deductive logic that you need to follow forming your own judgment.

            • MaxPower
              December 29, 2015

              dude, you have to be right at any cost don’t you?
              you speak about China and India like the third world where you can’t get any data.

              that list is made with sales numbers (where we both can’t doubt) and analytic numbers (the reason why we see Xiaomi in there)

              you can talk about whatever you want, but unless you don’t provide me something concrete to justify what you’re saying then i have more reasons to trust a list which was made public on a trustworthy website rather than a guy who comments on a blog.
              Isn’t this enough?

              now, I’m offering you a chance to write down your top 10 of the most phone models sold in 2015
              and please add a source (“because i say so” isn’t enough, at least until you earn a reputation)

              I don’t want to hear any other bullshit. write down your list with the source otherwise i won’t even read it.

            • balcobomber25
              December 29, 2015

              Damn you schooled him!

            • MaxPower
              December 29, 2015

              damn, i know we live in a world were there’s a conspiracy behind everything and the “doubt” is the fuel of knowledge but he went beyond that.

              “the mid range market will continue to dominate…”

              it don’t know if it will in the future but it didn’t happen in the past for sure (and numbers say so)
              Apple and Samsung are the proof.

              “That list doesn’t include China and India”

              false again, there’s Xiaomi in that list, which should be enough to understand that at least China is included.

              “That list has made by a 4th grader”

              yet another bullshit, it was written on fortune.com where the author wouldn’t risk their reputation (and money) to write a non-documented report.

              i really don’t get it what he was trying to do there rather than trying to be right at any cost.

            • balcobomber25
              December 29, 2015

              That list was done by Counterpoint Research. They are a market research firm like IDC. They have a lot more weight in the industry than random Wiki (highly unreliable) numbers or whatever he was trying to get at.

            • balcobomber25
              December 29, 2015

              Every list I have seen is similar to the one Max pasted, if you have something different from a reputable source I would love to see it.

              China and India sales are tracked by IDC (whose lists are similar to the one above), they are not 100% reliable but they are pretty close. At the end its either you believe the industry insiders who track these things for a living or you form your own judgment without any evidence at all to back it up.

            • balcobomber25
              December 28, 2015

              I don’t see any of the big brands distancing themselves from their flagships. What I have seen is newer phones being released for a cheaper price from brands like Samsung and LG. But that’s more the time of the season than them distancing themselves. Last years flagships are on their final legs with CES right around the corner. A few months from now all anyone will be talking about in the US is Galaxy S7 and LG G5.

            • Lazar Prodanovic
              December 29, 2015

              Well they are all cutting the production of flagship’s & concentrating more on lower end models, mostly mid range ones.

              https://theoverspill.wordpress.com/2015/09/01/premium-android-hits-the-wall-the-q2-2015-smartphone-scorecard/

              http://www.phonearena.com/news/Report-Samsung-to-focus-on-budget-phones-cut-total-smartphone-shipments-in-2016_id76914

              & I can continue with link’s as much as you want.

              A one advice to you. Don’t bullshit a bullshiter.

            • balcobomber25
              December 29, 2015

              I guess you don’t actually read your links:

              “Having said that, the company still is counting on its flagship models like the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge to help it stay on top of the global smartphone market.”

              And one advice to you. Don’t bullshit someone who actually reads links.

            • Faisal Shaharyar
              December 29, 2015

              not quite right they will still concentrate on the flagship… its a rat race for the top slot my man…

    • yalok
      December 28, 2015

      Looks like they missed Huawei P8, G8, 7i, Honor 7, Nexus 6P, Mate 8, X5, G7 Plus.

      • balcobomber25
        December 28, 2015

        Yea I don’t know how they P8 doesn’t make it but they include two Elephones and a Blackview. That is just hilarious.

    • Faisal Shaharyar
      December 28, 2015

      hey What about Honor series… Honor 6 and Honor 7.
      they are really good spec/price/perform… wise. even they are not included..
      this baffles me.

      • balcobomber25
        December 28, 2015

        Honor 6 was a 2014 phone.

        • Faisal Shaharyar
          December 29, 2015

          yeah right
          but what about Honor 6+.

          • balcobomber25
            December 29, 2015

            Also a 2014 phone was released December last year.

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      December 28, 2015

      They raised up prices a lot in this year wile they didn’t get any better than before so they are not exactly a much of a value of any kind any more.

      • MaxPower
        December 28, 2015

        so what’s their secret?
        they are the first manufacturer in a country (China) where there’s the hardest competition.
        Is it brand loyalty?

        • Lazar Prodanovic
          December 28, 2015

          Certainly not a costumer loyalty.
          It’s complex;
          they are known as a quality manufacturer & as a brand,
          They made a good distribution network in EU (including & couple of research centers) & they are making one in India & naturally their is Google Nexus that opened them a back door & to the other markets like US (from which they where banned).
          Naturally there are & manufacturing capabilities that they have.

          I don’t like Huawei much & it’s from private experience but that’s a completely different story.
          I guess in the end they actually got lucky as for instance roses are not blaming to Lenovo that is similar to Huawei in many ways.
          When someone rises so high their is only one way to go & thats downhill.

          • balcobomber25
            December 28, 2015

            Huawei was never banned in the US, they withdrew voluntarily after their were widespread reports that linked them to spying accusations, which have never been proven. They are making a huge push to reenter the US market and have already signed deals with three of the top 4 US cell providers: ATT, Tmobile and Sprint. Verizon will be selling Huawei branded accessories such as mobile hotspots and dongles.

            • Lazar Prodanovic
              December 29, 2015

              Those deals aren’t made yet & I am aware they are repairing to come back in to US. Ok they weren’t based just satanized & official Chinese government ordered them to pull back. By the way that really makes a big difference with baning. Actually I still claim they ware banned by pressure from US government on the Chinese government that ordered (& you listen to them as a Chinese citizen if you want your head to stay where it is) them to leave. Now when they raised the prices they will be allowed to go in with no problems. Do you see a connection?

            • balcobomber25
              December 29, 2015

              They are launching the Honor series for the US market at CES this year. They were banned (Along with ZTE and a few others) from bidding on US Government contracts, but that had nothing to do with phone sales in the US. That is a completely separate issue. The US Government would need a lot more than rumors to completely ban them from sales in the US and if they were banned it would take a lot longer than a year for them to be allowed to sell in the country again. Given what we are seeing now that didn’t happen.

              I’m not sure what you mean by “they raised the prices”. Huawei phones have always been very expensive compared to other brands.

    • Tajwar
      December 28, 2015

      I think it’s their very (super) aggressive marketing, here in Italy they are practically everywhere ;billboards, carrier leaflets, even freaking youtube ads u name it. I’m not 100% sure but it might be a reason.

      Ps. Uh and the nexus 6p

      • MaxPower
        December 28, 2015

        that was a valid point.

    • balcobomber25
      December 28, 2015

      Huawei is one of the big three along with Lenovo and Oppo that are sold in almost every Asian country and several continents around the world. I often see any one of these listed as the best because most have never used Xiaomi or LeTV etc.

      As for Huawei itself I love their phones and would include the P8 over the two crap Elephones on this list but they can be very expensive and their software isn’t always the best.

  4. MaxPower
    December 28, 2015

    Balco would be surprised about my vote.

    I voted for the MX5 which i consider the best rounded phone out there (considering the price of it).

    • December 28, 2015

      It’s actually really nice. Especially after Flyme 5.

      • balcobomber25
        December 29, 2015

        They just released a new OTA today as well. I have been surprised with how well this phone has been supported. Especially after the horror stories I heard about Meizu.

        • December 29, 2015

          Despite wanting to use it as my main phone I can’t, thanks to the kind of job I have… That said, the Gionee Elife E8 review is going to be delayed a bit too (courtesy the Redmi Note 3)

          • balcobomber25
            December 29, 2015

            Grr you’re killing me with these delayed Gionee reviews.

            • King
              December 30, 2015

              I can imagine the look on your face…. Yash is the Vowney when it comes to Gionee reviews. 😉

            • balcobomber25
              December 30, 2015

              Yes he is! Him and I have the same feelings about Gionee so he is my go to review guy for Gionee phones.

            • December 30, 2015

              Guilty as charged!

    • balcobomber25
      December 28, 2015

      I was surprised by my vote too. If you had asked me back in July I would have never guessed a Meizu would be my favorite phone this year.

  5. The Special Juan
    December 28, 2015

    MX5 for me …I consider it the best all rounder and value. I would imagine the LEtv will win, it was given such fanfare on this site after all 🙂

  6. Tremaine Underwood
    December 28, 2015

    Damn I was kinda hoping to see the ‘almost’ forgotten about Meizu M1 Note on the list. I have had it for 6 months ago and the constant updates are awesome. i am now on Flyme 5.5, which has really added a new dimension to it. They have fixed all the major issues, the biggest issue for me was the low music volume which was fixed with 4.5. Its pretty much the perfect package now. I currently also have the Ecco e04 and there is no comparison(only con is the body, the Ecoo looks more professional). My friend has the Jaiyu S3 which is a good phone, but to me Flyme looks way more professional(especially 5.5). I prefer it to Samsungs Touchwiz and the stock andriod on the IOcean Rock(My mother has one).

  7. yalok
    December 28, 2015

    I don’t think any of the phones from the list deserves the “Best of the Year” label. Otherwise, I would vote for 8 phones from the list at the same time: OnePlus X, Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, Meizu MX5, Xiaomi Mi4c, OnePlus 2, Huawei Mate S, ZUK Z1, Lenovo Vibe X3.
    And actually, I think the best one is Samsung galaxy s6 !

    • Dante
      December 28, 2015

      awful device , owned the edge version and was disgusted by the software , multitasking capabilities , and battery life ( dont try to tell me the regular version has better battery life , its even worse) Note 5 has a better build battery , But the software problem still persist and keep me from choosing it , the hardware is super nice even though the design will become bland next year because samsung stuck with it the whole year for any mid-high end device , it will lose its oomph , for Best of the year i would choose the LG V10 even if it doesnt have the most polished software ever, Its miles ahead of the samsung plus it has a removable battery , Sd card support , much better Audio in my higher end Headphones , and better camera in low light ( trust me the differnce helps i own them both ) Sometimes i use the Note 5 just as a point n shoot , sometimes the LG G4…

      • balcobomber25
        December 28, 2015

        The regular S6 has slightly better battery life than the Edge but it is still terrible.

      • yalok
        December 29, 2015

        My (now) ex-colleague has the regular S6 and I played with it a little. He is pretty satisfied by the device. I would choose S6 over V10 or G4, because of the dimensions and looks. Every android/ios device has one or another software problem that leaves some people disappointed, so it’s not a point for me. Removable battery, sd card support, super audio I don’t need and camera performance is arguable. Battery life is a minus, but it charges quickly and I carry a power bank with me all the time.

        • Dante
          December 29, 2015

          Yea powerbanks ared becominga norm these days , but nothjing changes the satisafction of popping out a battery putting another one in and having 100% charge in less than 20 secs , yea i still didnt look if they ported cyanogenmod on the note 5 so i could use it more often , but im afraid il lose the stylus capabilities and the camera features 🙁 , really samsung still needs a lot of debloating , making an UI look lighter doesnt mean its light (when you look in the background a lot of crap is active)

  8. Ivo001
    December 28, 2015

    This should have been separated in different price categories.

  9. Guest
    December 28, 2015

    Xiaomi Redmi Note 2, because of the price/value.

    • Guest
      December 28, 2015

      There isn’t anything even close to the Redmi Note 2, right now it sits at $130 shipped, but few weeks ago it was as low as $120.

      Price, performance and quality, if it only didn’t look like a $130 dollars phone, but I guess is fine since it’s actually a $130 dollars phone.

  10. MaxPower
    December 28, 2015

    there’s a thing that i don’t know how to explain and i invite anybody to reply to me with any kind of suggestion.

    It’s about Huawei.
    there’s only one Huawei phone on the list and it didn’t even get plenty of votes.
    Now, numbers are saying that Huawei is the best Chinese company out there (speaking of sales)
    so what’s the real deal behind it?

    • Rob
      December 28, 2015

      Probably because they are so expensive and most people will likely vote on the price/spec ratio which makes it hard to bet against either Xiaomi or Letv coming out top here.

    • MaxPower
      December 28, 2015

      I’m not sure it’s about price.
      according to many Chinese phone enthusiasts 2014 best phone was Vivo XShot which wasn’t cheap at all.

    • Rob
      December 28, 2015

      That’s why I said price /spec ratio, the xshot is a great phone with an excellent camera that is hard to beat at any price. Personally speaking this year had been rubbish for phones, hasn’t been a single phone released that has appealled.

    • MaxPower
      December 28, 2015

      agree with you.
      they made good solid phones but none of them shines, especially if we consider what Samsung did with their S6, or Note5.

      This year my kudos goes to LeTV.
      I’ve been very pessimistic about their launch and they came out with 3 nice phones for a great price.
      few months later they opened a US store and after CES 2016 they might start selling phones in the US too.
      I’m following them with a lot of interest.

    • Rob
      December 28, 2015

      Totally agree, got the X600 for a friend and apart from the seller completely screwing up the ROM (I haven’t managed to sort it yet) the phone is really nice and fast with a decent build quality. It got my vote as I don’t believe there was anything better this year. I’m actually looking forward to seeing some reviews of the Qiku Q terra and Shallots metal as they both look really promising especially since Cong said they used a liquid cooler for the SD810! Really intrigued to see how well it works as I’ve not heard of anyone using it before in a phone.

    • MaxPower
      December 28, 2015

      liquid cooler? no kidding!!!

      i feel 2016 is going to be different.
      While 2015 was the year of mid-rangers this new one will be the year of flagship phones.
      Hoping to see Vivo and Oppo coming back too

    • yalok
      December 28, 2015

      Looks like they missed Huawei P8, G8, 7i, Honor 7, Nexus 6P, Mate 8, X5, G7 Plus.

    • Rob
      December 28, 2015

      I think there are going to be a few 6″ phones coming out next year (I’m looking at you Vivo Xplay 5s!) as there’s been a few already over the last month or so. Hopefully something with the SD820 or X20, 2K 6″ screen, stereo speakers, excellent camera and a nice light ROM with solid build is what I’m after, been dreaming about something like this all year and have a feeling 2016 is gonna make my dreams come true! lol Lets hope Chinese manufacturers start releasing phones with different specs instead of 10 almost identical models like they seem to have done this year.

    • Faisal Shaharyar
      December 28, 2015

      hey What about Honor series… Honor 6 and Honor 7.
      they are really good spec/price/perform… wise. even they are not included..
      this baffles me.

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      December 28, 2015

      Don’t full your self. Mid range & especially upper mid range will continue to dominate & expect lot less real Flagship’s.

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      December 28, 2015

      They raised up prices a lot in this year wile they didn’t get any better than before so they are not exactly a much of a value of any kind any more.

    • MaxPower
      December 28, 2015

      so what’s their secret?
      they are the first manufacturer in a country (China) where there’s the hardest competition.
      Is it brand loyalty?

    • MaxPower
      December 28, 2015

      it depends on where you live.
      Defo not where i live (US).

      Edit: ive actually checked the top 10 of the most selling phones in 2015 (worldwide)
      and we have:

      1:Apple iPhone 6
      2:Apple iPhone 6 Plus
      3:Samsung Galaxy S6
      4:Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
      5:Apple iPhone 5S
      6:Xiaomi Mi Note
      7:Samsung Galaxy S5
      8:Samsung Galaxy Note 4
      9:Xiaomi Redmi 2
      10:LG G4

      so numbers don’t validate what you’re saying.

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      December 28, 2015

      Certainly not a costumer loyalty.
      It’s complex;
      they are known as a quality manufacturer & as a brand,
      They made a good distribution network in EU (including & couple of research centers) & they are making one in India & naturally their is Google Nexus that opened them a back door & to the other markets like US (from which they where banned).
      Naturally there are & manufacturing capabilities that they have.

      I don’t like Huawei much & it’s from private experience but that’s a completely different story.
      I guess in the end they actually got lucky as for instance roses are not blaming to Lenovo that is similar to Huawei in many ways.
      When someone rises so high their is only one way to go & thats downhill.

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      December 28, 2015

      Truth is a little different even in US now when you actually got to pay for the phone on contract.
      For instance most of big brands are distancing them self from the flagship’s as all of them got burned out in 2015 with them including even Samsung. Why? Beats me. Either they miss calculated demand or something else. Anyway when you miss with a flagship it hurts as hell as the loses are huge. On the other hand they didn’t had any problems with sails of mid range models.

      At the end if you set last year models on that list along with MI Note & redmi 2 in a mid range or high end mid range offering you will get to the 5 vs 5 result. Numerous friend.

      & forget about world wide in the name of that list as counting only China & India would shift this to the sub 100$ phones (that’s 2.5B of not so wealthy people I am talking about). That list can only pass as top selling phones in the US, even in Central EU list would have changed & you wouldn’t see iPhones anywhere near to the top of the list.

    • MaxPower
      December 28, 2015

      well, it’s all about what people see i guess.

      on my personal view i haven’t seen any mid-ranger out there.
      they are all flagship, or last year flagship that still sell well and one (the redmi 2) which is a low-tier, not a mid-range for sure.

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      December 28, 2015

      I agree about Readmi 2 & from our point of view it’s a like that but I added something to the previous coment you should read.

      Edit:
      Now ask your self how their is not a one phone from Huawei on that list & it’s a second largest manufacturer in the world.
      Conclusion is simple who ever made that list have a huge lack of brain’s. Even 4th grader would make a more realistic one.

    • Tajwar
      December 28, 2015

      I think it’s their very (super) aggressive marketing, here in Italy they are practically everywhere ;billboards, carrier leaflets, even freaking youtube ads u name it. I’m not 100% sure but it might be a reason.

      Ps. Uh and the nexus 6p

    • MaxPower
      December 28, 2015

      that was a valid point.

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      Huawei is one of the big three along with Lenovo and Oppo that are sold in almost every Asian country and several continents around the world. I often see any one of these listed as the best because most have never used Xiaomi or LeTV etc.

      As for Huawei itself I love their phones and would include the P8 over the two crap Elephones on this list but they can be very expensive and their software isn’t always the best.

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      Huawei was never banned in the US, they withdrew voluntarily after their were widespread reports that linked them to spying accusations, which have never been proven. They are making a huge push to reenter the US market and have already signed deals with three of the top 4 US cell providers: ATT, Tmobile and Sprint. Verizon will be selling Huawei branded accessories such as mobile hotspots and dongles.

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      Honor 6 was a 2014 phone.

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      Yea I don’t know how they P8 doesn’t make it but they include two Elephones and a Blackview. That is just hilarious.

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      I don’t see any of the big brands distancing themselves from their flagships. What I have seen is newer phones being released for a cheaper price from brands like Samsung and LG. But that’s more the time of the season than them distancing themselves. Last years flagships are on their final legs with CES right around the corner. A few months from now all anyone will be talking about in the US is Galaxy S7 and LG G5.

    • MaxPower
      December 29, 2015

      we can share our opinions but that list has been made by numbers: plain and simple.

      that was the list of most selling phones(models) and not manufacturers

      Apple (2nd largest manufacturer) has been bouncing between the first and second spot just selling one model.
      Only recently they are making 2 of them.

      on the other hand Huawei (3rd largest manufacturer) sells roughly 20 different phones worldwide and that gained them to reach the third spot as world largest manufacturer.
      (total sales)

      the point is that if you take the best selling huawei phone (i don’t know which model is, but that’s irrelevant ) the sales of that single phone are lower than any of those 10 I’ve listed above (source fortune.com)

      for this reason that list makes sense to me, it’s a legit source, i have no reason to doubt numbers.

      Also Samsung, Apple and Huawei are public so you can easily access to their numbers.
      Xiaomi isn’t, but there are different sources of serious analysts that can confirm their numbers which are very close to the real ones.

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      December 29, 2015

      I gave you a 2.5B reasons to doubt that list that makes a rightly 1 3rd of a world population. & the source you mentioned as a trust worth is far from that. Even if you use let’s say analytic number’s from Wiki (that are up to 2014) it would be with a grain of salt, but at least you would have a total of shipped units for Samsung & Apple (enough to dismiss that list anyway) as the most of manufacturers in China & India are not obtained as for the lack of analytic sources among other reasons. At the end it’s a simple deductive logic that you need to follow forming your own judgment.

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      December 29, 2015

      Those deals aren’t made yet & I am aware they are repairing to come back in to US. Ok they weren’t banned just satanized & official Chinese government ordered them to pull back. By the way that really makes a big difference from baning. Actually I still claim they ware banned by pressure from US government on the Chinese government that ordered (& you listen to them as a Chinese citizen if you want your head to stay where it is) them to leave. Now when they raised the prices they will be allowed to go in with no problems. Do you see a connection?

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      December 29, 2015

      Well they are all cutting the production of flagship’s & concentrating more on lower end models, mostly mid range ones.

      https://theoverspill.wordpress.com/2015/09/01/premium-android-hits-the-wall-the-q2-2015-smartphone-scorecard/

      http://www.phonearena.com/news/Report-Samsung-to-focus-on-budget-phones-cut-total-smartphone-shipments-in-2016_id76914

      & I can continue with link’s as much as you want.

      A one advice to you. Don’t bullshit a bullshiter.

    • MaxPower
      December 29, 2015

      dude, you have to be right at any cost don’t you?
      you speak about China and India like the third world where you can’t get any data.

      that list is made with sales numbers (where we both can’t doubt) and analytic numbers (the reason why we see Xiaomi in there)

      you can talk about whatever you want, but unless you don’t provide me something concrete to justify what you’re saying then i have more reasons to trust a list which was made public on a trustworthy website rather than a guy who comments on a blog.
      Isn’t this enough?

      now, I’m offering you a chance to write down your top 10 of the most phone models sold in 2015
      and please add a source (“because i say so” isn’t enough, at least until you earn a reputation)

      I don’t want to hear any other bullshit. write down your list with the source otherwise i won’t even read it.

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      They are launching the Honor series for the US market at CES this year. They were banned (Along with ZTE and a few others) from bidding on US Government contracts, but that had nothing to do with phone sales in the US. That is a completely separate issue. The US Government would need a lot more than rumors to completely ban them from sales in the US and if they were banned it would take a lot longer than a year for them to be allowed to sell in the country again. Given what we are seeing now that didn’t happen.

      I’m not sure what you mean by “they raised the prices”. Huawei phones have always been very expensive compared to other brands.

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      I guess you don’t actually read your links:

      “Having said that, the company still is counting on its flagship models like the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge to help it stay on top of the global smartphone market.”

      And one advice to you. Don’t bullshit someone who actually reads links. No one got “burnt” on flagships, they are among the top selling phones in the world as pointed out by Max. And with Mediatek for the first time having a flagship SoC that can actually compete with Qualcomm we are seeing cheaper flagships for the Indian and Chinese markets. There have already been about a dozen flagships confirmed for 2016 from all the top brands and even more are rumored.

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      Damn you schooled him!

    • MaxPower
      December 29, 2015

      damn, i know we live in a world were there’s a conspiracy behind everything and the “doubt” is the fuel of knowledge but he went beyond that.

      “the mid range market will continue to dominate…”

      it don’t know if it will in the future but it didn’t happen in the past for sure (and numbers say so)
      Apple and Samsung are the proof.

      “That list doesn’t include China and India”

      false again, there’s Xiaomi in that list, which should be enough to understand that at least China is included.

      “That list has made by a 4th grader”

      yet another bullshit, it was written on fortune.com where the author wouldn’t risk their reputation (and money) to write a non-documented report.

      i really don’t get it what he was trying to do there rather than trying to be right at any cost.

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      Every list I have seen is similar to the one Max pasted, if you have something different from a reputable source I would love to see it.

      China and India sales are tracked by IDC (whose lists are similar to the one above), they are not 100% reliable but they are pretty close. At the end its either you believe the industry insiders who track these things for a living or you form your own judgment without any evidence at all to back it up.

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      That list was done by Counterpoint Research. They are a market research firm like IDC. They have a lot more weight in the industry than random Wiki (highly unreliable) numbers or whatever he was trying to get at.

    • Faisal Shaharyar
      December 29, 2015

      yeah right
      but what about Honor 6+.

    • Faisal Shaharyar
      December 29, 2015

      not quite right they will still concentrate on the flagship… its a rat race for the top slot my man…

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      Also a 2014 phone was released December last year.

  11. MaxPower
    December 28, 2015

    Balco would be surprised about my vote.

    I voted for the MX5 which i consider the best rounded phone out there (considering the price of it).

    • Yash Garg
      December 28, 2015

      It’s actually really nice. Especially after Flyme 5.

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      I was surprised by my vote too. If you had asked me back in July I would have never guessed a Meizu would be my favorite phone this year.

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      They just released a new OTA today as well. I have been surprised with how well this phone has been supported. Especially after the horror stories I heard about Meizu.

    • Yash Garg
      December 29, 2015

      Despite wanting to use it as my main phone I can’t, thanks to the kind of job I have… That said, the Gionee Elife E8 review is going to be delayed a bit too (courtesy the Redmi Note 3)

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      Grr you’re killing me with these delayed Gionee reviews.

    • King
      December 30, 2015

      I can imagine the look on your face…. Yash is the Vowney when it comes to Gionee reviews. 😉

    • Yash Garg
      December 30, 2015

      Guilty as charged!

    • balcobomber25
      December 30, 2015

      Yes he is! Him and I have the same feelings about Gionee so he is my go to review guy for Gionee phones.

  12. Aa
    December 28, 2015

    I voted for Redmi 2 because it is the most compact on the list with 4,7 inches. 😀
    Others are mostly 5,5 inches and there is a few 5 inches.

  13. The Special Juan
    December 28, 2015

    MX5 for me …I consider it the best all rounder and value. I would imagine the LEtv will win, it was given such fanfare on this site after all 🙂

  14. Naaga Viper
    December 28, 2015

    irelevant

    • Naaga Viper
      December 28, 2015

      I have Oneplus two, but in my opinion a good phone with a VERY GOOD price is Infocus M810 with Snapdragon 801.
      Why is not in your top ?

      • Lazar Prodanovic
        December 28, 2015

        No suport, stuck on KK but fantastic price.

        • King
          December 30, 2015

          No ROMs either. That damn phone needs ROMs.

      • Assefa Hanson
        December 28, 2015

        it had alot of bloatware

  15. Tremaine Underwood
    December 28, 2015

    Damn I was kinda hoping to see the ‘almost’ forgotten about Meizu M1 Note on the list. I have had it for 6 months ago and the constant updates are awesome. i am now on Flyme 5.5, which has really added a new dimension to it. They have fixed all the major issues, the biggest issue for me was the low music volume which was fixed with 4.5. Its pretty much the perfect package now. I currently also have the Ecco e04 and there is no comparison(only con is the body, the Ecoo looks more professional). My friend has the Jaiyu S3 which is a good phone, but to me Flyme looks way more professional(especially 5.5). I prefer it to Samsungs Touchwiz and the stock andriod on the IOcean Rock(My mother has one).

  16. Lazar Prodanovic
    December 28, 2015

    You made a 20 picks. One is just to litle for me.
    I voted for a Zenphone 2 as it disrupted the upper mid range class and it’s still hell of the phone for the money even it have its own flows as camera & not such a great display.
    Second pick is the JiaYu S3 (advanced) as a really solid mid range & with a good user experience it provided. Who booth it when it got out really got a phone of the year.
    3rd pick is a Readme Note 2 as for its price for the value, LeTV S600 is better build, it dose cost more but without SD card it simply can’t get my recommendation.
    At the end let’s mention & couple of phones that didn’t get on your list; Alcatel Idol 3 5.5″ (for its speakers & display), Alcatel Flash 2 (for its back camera in the price category) & InFocus M810T (even without suport with K.K. & problems with LTE modes in software it’s a hell of a phone with outstanding build quality).

    This is just my opinion of view.
    Best regards.

  17. Sere83
    December 28, 2015

    Suprised to see the redmi notes so high, they look pretty average to me, I would have put mx5, letv x600 and mi note top 3

    • Dante
      December 28, 2015

      “they look” this phrase is pretty much pointless in this case

    • balcobomber25
      December 28, 2015

      Redmi Note is one of the best phones under $200 you can buy that is why it is high on the list.

    • Faisal Shaharyar
      December 29, 2015

      you have to take into consideration price and performance ratio as well as you can see the performance of Letv one or x600 is equal to mx5 but its costs less than mx5.

  18. Muhammad Yasir
    December 28, 2015

    MX5 all the way , as its the ONLY phone with Laser Auto focus which retails for a ridiculously low price tag atm !

    • Dante
      December 28, 2015

      look at the software 🙁
      the optimization of the cam
      the battery and heatup issues that people reported and No OIS , PDAF is a pretty good type of autofocus too,I used every mx phone up until the mx4 pro but their mediatek phones feel pretty rushed
      (except the m1 note) The Mx4 was very good at the beginning for me but it became worse as time flew on , the downside is that i cant flash cyanogen on any new meizu , i loved the mx1 , 2 and mx3 but now i feel that they kind of changed their scope , they kinda released only 1 dwvice per year and this year they released M1 Note , M1 , M2 Note , M2 , Mx5 , Metal , Pro 5 . Theyve changed a lot and i hope the newest flyme will fix my ol dusty mx4 and mx5 and mx4 pro ( yes i have been this desperate in the past year for a good meizu device) people say that the Pro 5 has a lot fixed , and i am tempted to get one for the specs , but this year i bought too many phones , and i kinda dont like (talking by budget means ) my tradition of owning every meizu flagship device besides other 3-4 flagships every year 🙁

      • balcobomber25
        December 28, 2015

        I have owned it since July, not sure where you heard any of the above but here is my results:

        – The camera has been better with each new update, I would say it is best on the list especially when paired with Open Camera.

        – I havent had a single battery issue. I get around 2 days of mixed use and my quick charge time is around 50 minutes for 0-100%.

        – I do a lot of video editing which is one of the most processors intensive things you can do on a phone. It heats up about as much as any other phone with a high end SoC. It is no where near close to the SD810 though.

        • Dante
          December 29, 2015

          i agree that the sd810 heats up by 3-5 degrees more than the X10 , but the camera has a pretty meh shutter speed , but i also agree that it got alot better from the beginning ( when i received it in july i think) the camera was worse than my mx4 , yea and the battery life is pretty meh compared to the G4 which was kind of trivial for me lol

          • balcobomber25
            December 29, 2015

            SD810 heats up by a lot more than 3-5 degrees more. Their is no issues with shutter speed on the MX5. Battery life on the G4 is about the same as the S6 which is terrible thanks to that 2k display and small battery size (for a 2k phone) of 3000mAh. You must have a defective MX5.

            • Faisal Shaharyar
              December 29, 2015

              i agree with you all the way, i am not sure if Dante has used the pro mode on the camera, it gives you lot of features with level of ISO choice, exposure etc. making it very similar to Nubia Z9 camera software.

            • balcobomber25
              December 29, 2015

              I don’t even use the stock app. I like a lot of control in my pics so I use Open Camera which is excellent.

            • Faisal Shaharyar
              December 30, 2015

              yes the manual mode is really good… most users like auto mode and that is why they might never know the exact performance level of their sensor and app

  19. yalok
    December 28, 2015

    I don’t think any of the phones from the list deserves the “Best of the Year” label. Otherwise, I would vote for 8 phones from the list at the same time: OnePlus X, Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, Meizu MX5, Xiaomi Mi4c, OnePlus 2, Huawei Mate S, ZUK Z1, Lenovo Vibe X3.
    And actually, I think the best one is Samsung galaxy s6 !

    • Dante
      December 28, 2015

      awful device , owned the edge version and was disgusted by the software , multitasking capabilities , and battery life ( dont try to tell me the regular version has better battery life , its even worse) Note 5 has a better build battery , But the software problem still persist and keep me from choosing it , the hardware is super nice even though the design will become bland next year because samsung stuck with it the whole year for any mid-high end device , it will lose its oomph , for Best of the year i would choose the LG V10 even if it doesnt have the most polished software ever, Its miles ahead of the samsung plus it has a removable battery , Sd card support , much better Audio in my higher end Headphones , and better camera in low light ( trust me the differnce helps i own them both ) Sometimes i use the Note 5 just as a point n shoot , sometimes the LG G4…

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      The regular S6 has slightly better battery life than the Edge but it is still terrible.

    • yalok
      December 29, 2015

      My (now) ex-colleague has the regular S6 and I played with it a little. He is pretty satisfied by the device. I would choose S6 over V10 or G4, because of the dimensions and looks. Every android/ios device has one or another software problem that leaves some people disappointed, so it’s not a point for me. Removable battery, sd card support, super audio I don’t need and camera performance is arguable. Battery life is a minus, but it charges quickly and I carry a power bank with me all the time.

    • Dante
      December 29, 2015

      Yea powerbanks ared becominga norm these days , but nothjing changes the satisafction of popping out a battery putting another one in and having 100% charge in less than 20 secs , yea i still didnt look if they ported cyanogenmod on the note 5 so i could use it more often , but im afraid il lose the stylus capabilities and the camera features 🙁 , really samsung still needs a lot of debloating , making an UI look lighter doesnt mean its light (when you look in the background a lot of crap is active)

  20. Assefa Hanson
    December 28, 2015

    What an injustice i wish you guys had the chance to test the qiku q terra, wish i saw it on this list

    • King
      December 30, 2015

      +10000000

  21. Aa
    December 28, 2015

    I voted for Redmi 2 because it is the most compact on the list with 4,7 inches. 😀
    Others are mostly 5,5 inches and there is a few 5 inches.

  22. Naaga Viper
    December 28, 2015

    irelevant

    • Naaga Viper
      December 28, 2015

      I have Oneplus two, but in my opinion a good phone with a VERY GOOD price is Infocus M810 with Snapdragon 801.
      Why is not in your top ?

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      December 28, 2015

      No suport, stuck on KK but fantastic price.

    • Assefa Hanson
      December 28, 2015

      it had alot of bloatware

    • King
      December 30, 2015

      No ROMs either. That damn phone needs ROMs.

  23. রাজু
    December 28, 2015

    No Letv X800 le1 pro?

    did you people choose blindly?

    • December 29, 2015

      It’s good but not as good as the OP2

  24. Lazar Prodanovic
    December 28, 2015

    You made a 20 picks. One is just too litle for me.
    I voted for a Zenphone 2 as it disrupted the upper mid range class and it’s still hell of the phone for the money even it have its own flows as camera & not such a great display.
    Second pick is the JiaYu S3 (advanced) as a really solid mid range & with a good user experience it provided. Who booth it when it got out really got a phone of the year.
    3rd pick is a Readme Note 2 as for its price for the value, LeTV S600 is better build, it dose cost more but without SD card it simply can’t get my recommendation.
    At the end let’s mention & couple of phones that didn’t get on your list; Alcatel Idol 3 5.5″ (for its speakers & display), Alcatel Flash 2 (for its back camera & good battery life in the price category, even display is not so good) & InFocus M810T (even without suport with K.K. & problems with LTE modes in software it’s a hell of a phone with outstanding build quality).

    This is just my opinion of view.
    Best regards.

  25. reb
    December 28, 2015

    Oh my god… Xiaomi redmi note 2 and 3 but no letv x800 or letv 1s… (facepalm xD)

  26. Sere83
    December 28, 2015

    Suprised to see the redmi notes so high, they look pretty average to me, I would have put mx5, letv x600 and mi note top 3

    • Dante
      December 28, 2015

      “they look” this phrase is pretty much pointless in this case

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      Redmi Note is one of the best phones under $200 you can buy that is why it is high on the list.

    • Faisal Shaharyar
      December 29, 2015

      you have to take into consideration price and performance ratio as well as you can see the performance of Letv one or x600 is equal to mx5 but its costs less than mx5.

  27. Guest
    December 28, 2015

    MX5 all the way , as its the ONLY phone with Laser Auto focus which retails for a ridiculously low price tag atm !

    • Dante
      December 28, 2015

      look at the software 🙁
      the optimization of the cam
      the battery and heatup issues that people reported and No OIS , PDAF is a pretty good type of autofocus too,I used every mx phone up until the mx4 pro but their mediatek phones feel pretty rushed
      (except the m1 note) The Mx4 was very good at the beginning for me but it became worse as time flew on , the downside is that i cant flash cyanogen on any new meizu , i loved the mx1 , 2 and mx3 but now i feel that they kind of changed their scope , they kinda released only 1 dwvice per year and this year they released M1 Note , M1 , M2 Note , M2 , Mx5 , Metal , Pro 5 . Theyve changed a lot and i hope the newest flyme will fix my ol dusty mx4 and mx5 and mx4 pro ( yes i have been this desperate in the past year for a good meizu device) people say that the Pro 5 has a lot fixed , and i am tempted to get one for the specs , but this year i bought too many phones , and i kinda dont like (talking by budget means ) my tradition of owning every meizu flagship device besides other 3-4 flagships every year 🙁

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      I have owned it since July, not sure where you heard any of the above but here is my results:

      – The camera has been better with each new update, I would say it is best on the list especially when paired with Open Camera.

      – I havent had a single battery issue. I get around 2 days of mixed use and my quick charge time is around 50 minutes for 0-100%.

      – I do a lot of video editing which is one of the most processors intensive things you can do on a phone. It heats up about as much as any other phone with a high end SoC. It is no where near close to the SD810 though.

    • Dante
      December 29, 2015

      i agree that the sd810 heats up by 3-5 degrees more than the X10 , but the camera has a pretty meh shutter speed , but i also agree that it got alot better from the beginning ( when i received it in july i think) the camera was worse than my mx4 , yea and the battery life is pretty meh compared to the G4 which was kind of trivial for me lol

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      SD810 heats up by a lot more than 3-5 degrees more. Their is no issues with shutter speed on the MX5. Battery life on the G4 is about the same as the S6 which is terrible thanks to that 2k display and small battery size (for a 2k phone) of 3000mAh. You must have a defective MX5.

    • Faisal Shaharyar
      December 29, 2015

      i agree with you all the way, i am not sure if Dante has used the pro mode on the camera, it gives you lot of features with level of ISO choice, exposure etc. making it very similar to Nubia Z9 camera software.

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      I don’t even use the stock app. I like a lot of control in my pics so I use Open Camera which is excellent.

    • Faisal Shaharyar
      December 30, 2015

      yes the manual mode is really good… most users like auto mode and that is why they might never know the exact performance level of their sensor and app

  28. DC
    December 28, 2015

    Why include Lenovo Vibe X3? It hasn’t been release internationally, I’ve waiting for reseller to get their stocks.

  29. balcobomber25
    December 28, 2015

    I gotta go with my MX5, I have used several on this list but none have impressed me as much as this one. And as a camera first guy it has the best overall camera IMO.

    • Dante
      December 29, 2015

      The mi Note has a little better camera than the Mx5 (lil better colours and night photos) And the Vibe X3 surpasses both of these with flying colours ( checked today , would like to own one but i promised ro myself that wont buy any new phones this year) It uses the Imx 230 Has the Super Camera App built in

      • balcobomber25
        December 29, 2015

        Nah I have used all three and I still go with the MX5. Super Camera is the best camera app but you can use it with virtually any phone.

      • King
        December 30, 2015

        I was always inclined to MX5 for the camera. This is interesting though. Will have see some samples of X3 now.

  30. Assefa Hanson
    December 28, 2015

    What an injustice i wish you guys had the chance to test the qiku q terra, wish i saw it on this list

    • King
      December 30, 2015

      +10000000

  31. Phillip Kahle
    December 28, 2015

    Any phone over $350USD shouldn’t be allowed in the Poll. The reason why people buy Chinese phones is because of the features and price vs Western brands.

    • December 29, 2015

      Speak for yourself

      • Dante
        December 29, 2015

        rekt

    • riflo
      December 29, 2015

      xiaomi note is over 350

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      That’s the reason YOU buy Chinese phones. But you don’t speak for everyone here. I buy Chinese phones because I like them better. I have paid a lot more than $350 for some of them and for the price there was nothing better available regardless of country. Vivo Xshot is one example, it was the best camera phone last year regardless of price.

  32. রাজু
    December 29, 2015

    No Letv X800 le1 pro?

    did you people choose blindly?

    • Andi Sykes
      December 29, 2015

      It’s good but not as good as the OP2

  33. Guest
    December 29, 2015

    Oh my god… Xiaomi redmi note 2 and 3 but no letv x800 or letv 1s… (facepalm xD)

  34. RuR
    December 29, 2015

    Why honor 7 is not her?!?????!??!!!!

    • December 29, 2015

      We only chose phones we have actually used

  35. DC
    December 29, 2015

    Why include Lenovo Vibe X3? It hasn’t been release internationally, I’ve waiting for reseller to get their stocks.

  36. balcobomber25
    December 29, 2015

    I gotta go with my MX5, I have used several on this list but none have impressed me as much as this one. And as a camera first guy it has the best overall camera IMO.

    • Dante
      December 29, 2015

      The mi Note has a little better camera than the Mx5 (lil better colours and night photos) And the Vibe X3 surpasses both of these with flying colours ( checked today , would like to own one but i promised ro myself that wont buy any new phones this year) It uses the Imx 230 Has the Super Camera App built in

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      Nah I have used all three and I still go with the MX5. Super Camera is the best camera app but you can use it with virtually any phone.

    • King
      December 30, 2015

      I was always inclined to MX5 for the camera. This is interesting though. Will have see some samples of X3 now.

  37. Nicola
    December 29, 2015

    Lenovo k3 Note best phone for the money

  38. Phillip Kahle
    December 29, 2015

    Any phone over $350USD shouldn’t be allowed in the Poll. The reason why people buy Chinese phones is because of the features and price vs Western brands.

    • Andi Sykes
      December 29, 2015

      Speak for yourself

    • Dante
      December 29, 2015

      rekt

    • Guest
      December 29, 2015

      xiaomi note is over 350

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      That’s the reason YOU buy Chinese phones. But you don’t speak for everyone here. I buy Chinese phones because I like them better. I have paid a lot more than $350 for some of them and for the price there was nothing better available regardless of country. Vivo Xshot is one example, it was the best camera phone last year regardless of price.

  39. Creazydea
    December 29, 2015

    Nah, no metal, letv 1s, no meizu note 2

    • December 29, 2015

      LeTV 1s isn’t as good as the Le1, and Meizu Note 2 is already outdated by the Metal which neither of us have tried

      • balcobomber25
        December 29, 2015

        How is it annoying that a phone gets better with updates? Isn’t that a good thing? Or do you mean from a review standpoint?

        • December 29, 2015

          I guess what he means is that companies shouldn’t rush into a product (which is signified by it getting significantly better after software updates). You definitely want a finished product.

          • balcobomber25
            December 29, 2015

            Yea but continued support is never a bad thing. Especially given how vast Android is today, a single app can cause a major issue (usually battery related) even on a finished product. I would much rather see an unfinished product with continued support than a finished one with no support.

            • King
              December 30, 2015

              Agree. Looks like the list was put together based on experience of using the phones when purchased (without updates/patches).Continued support is great for overall customer experience.

            • December 30, 2015

              You definitely want your phone to get continued support. About the debate we’re having here, it’s not about an unfinished product with continued support vs finished with no support, but about an unfinished product with continued support vs finished product with continued support.

              We all know how important software is but if companies neglect it so much (in the beginning; just to be able to put the product in the market early) that everyone’s opinion about the product changes with some s/w updates (eg Letv Le 1s, Meizu MX5) then it’s not really something desirable.

            • balcobomber25
              December 30, 2015

              I understand what you are saying but as an owner with one of those devices I am grateful the company has continued to support it. I have had devices in the past that appeared to be a finished product on launch and then never received a single update to fix bugs that popped up later. That is actually what turned me off from Samsung, besides their juvenile looking software.

      • Creazydea
        December 29, 2015

        It makes sense. I’m using the Metal and the only shame is the YunOS.

  40. Ismit
    December 29, 2015

    The list was made at a quick coffee break

    • December 29, 2015

      Was it?

      • Ismit
        December 29, 2015

        Yes Yash i think so

        • December 29, 2015

          Not really. We tried to compile the list with phones that we’ve actually used… so maybe that’s why you don’t see some of the names you would otherwise expect. PS. I’m a chai person anyway.

  41. RuR
    December 29, 2015

    Why honor 7 is not her?!?????!??!!!!

    • Andi Sykes
      December 29, 2015

      We only chose phones we have actually used

  42. Nicola
    December 29, 2015

    Lenovo k3 Note best phone for the money

  43. Creazydea
    December 29, 2015

    Nah, no metal, letv 1s, no meizu note 2

    • Andi Sykes
      December 29, 2015

      LeTV 1s isn’t as good as the Le1, and Meizu Note 2 is already outdated by the Metal which neither of us have tried, and the Redmi Note 3 and 2 are already damn good phones with better OS out of the box. Meizu phones get better after updates which is rather annoying.

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      How is it annoying that a phone gets better with updates? Isn’t that a good thing? Or do you mean from a review standpoint?

    • Yash Garg
      December 29, 2015

      I guess what he means is that companies shouldn’t rush into a product (which is signified by it getting significantly better after software updates). You definitely want a finished product.

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      Yea but continued support is never a bad thing. Especially given how vast Android is today, a single app can cause a major issue (usually battery related) even on a finished product. I would much rather see an unfinished product with continued support than a finished one with no support.

    • Creazydea
      December 30, 2015

      It makes sense. I’m using the Metal and the only shame is the YunOS.

    • King
      December 30, 2015

      Agree. Looks like the list was put together based on experience of using the phones when purchased (without updates/patches). That is first hand experience.

      Continued support is great for overall customer experience. Pretty sure most of these phones would be supported by their manufacturers. It is also one of the criteria we look at when we buy a phone else there wouldn’t be ELE haters.

      BTW Yash … how is the ELE Trunk’s software support?

    • Yash Garg
      December 30, 2015

      You definitely want your phone to get continued support. About the debate we’re having here, it’s not about an unfinished product with continued support vs finished with no support, but about an unfinished product with continued support vs finished product with continued support.

      We all know how important software is but if companies neglect it so much (in the beginning; just to be able to put the product in the market early) that everyone’s opinion about the product changes with some s/w updates (eg Letv Le 1s, Meizu MX5) then it’s not really something desirable.

    • balcobomber25
      December 30, 2015

      I understand what you are saying but as an owner with one of those devices I am grateful the company has continued to support it. I have had devices in the past that appeared to be a finished product on launch and then never received a single update to fix bugs that popped up later. That is actually what turned me off from Samsung, besides their juvenile looking software.

  44. Guest
    December 29, 2015

    The list was made at a quick coffee break

    • Yash Garg
      December 29, 2015

      Was it?

    • Guest
      December 29, 2015

      Yes Yash i think so

    • Yash Garg
      December 29, 2015

      Not really. We tried to compile the list with phones that we’ve actually used… so maybe that’s why you don’t see some of the names you would otherwise expect. PS. I’m a chai person anyway.

  45. Maxixi
    December 29, 2015

    Hello, I need urgently new mobile and I´m absolute 0 into it:) Could someone please help me which one is the best choice:

    Xiaomi Mi4c

    Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 3gb

    Meizu MX5

    Thank you very much in advance for your help!!

    • Sunil Adoor
      December 29, 2015

      Meizu mx5

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      They are all good phones. Get which one you like best, you won’t go wrong with any of them.

      • Maxixi
        December 29, 2015

        Thank you very much for your answer! I`m about to buy Meizu (I think the display quality is the best) my only concern is the battery-life if you compere it to Xiaomi Note 3.

        • balcobomber25
          December 29, 2015

          I have the MX5 i easily get 2 days of battery life with normal usage. With heavy usage I get 1-1.5 days (depending on what I am doing). But it also has quick charge which makes up for any issues with battery.

          • Maxixi
            December 29, 2015

            Great, thank you sincerely!

            • King
              December 30, 2015

              In India, MX5 comes with 16gb storage only so I haven’t gone for it. If it was 32gb, MX5 is the best.

          • Karly Johnston
            December 30, 2015

            I get the same with Mi4c, it depends if he wants a big or compact phone.

            • Maxixi
              December 30, 2015

              I,m looking for best display quality phone. Xiaomi´s phones look great but I´m not sure about the display.

            • Allanitomwesh
              December 31, 2015

              Of the listed phones MX5 has the best display

            • Maxixi
              December 31, 2015

              Thank you!

  46. ouhou
    December 29, 2015

    MLAIS m52 the best of 2015 (for 119$)

    • Xalis
      December 29, 2015

      Not such a great deal now that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 is just $12 dollars more expensive but with a WAY better build quality, hardware quality and software updates.

      I owned a Mlais M52 and I consider it one of the best 5.5″ phones on this price range, but it would be madness to get a M52 over a Redmi Note 2.

      But without a doubt it deserved a honorary spot, since it was one of the highest performance phones of the year for a ridiculous low price tag, it was part of the amazing changes we saw this year on the Chinese market.

      In 2014 you would have expected to pay $200 for a phone like the M52, I’m so glad that age is over.

      • balcobomber25
        December 30, 2015

        When the M52 came out though there was no Redmi Note 2 and Xiaomi isn’t for everyone.

  47. Guest
    December 29, 2015

    Hello, I need urgently new mobile and I´m absolute 0 into it:) Could someone please help me which one is the best choice:

    Xiaomi Mi4c

    Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 3gb

    Meizu MX5

    Thank you very much in advance for your help!!

    • Sunil Adoor
      December 29, 2015

      Meizu mx5

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      They are all good phones. Get which one you like best, you won’t go wrong with any of them.

    • Guest
      December 29, 2015

      Thank you very much for your answer! I`m about to buy Meizu (I think the display quality is the best) my only concern is the battery-life if you compere it to Xiaomi Note 3.

    • balcobomber25
      December 29, 2015

      I have the MX5 i easily get 2 days of battery life with normal usage. With heavy usage I get 1-1.5 days (depending on what I am doing). But it also has quick charge which makes up for any issues with battery.

    • Guest
      December 29, 2015

      Great, thank you sincerely!

    • King
      December 30, 2015

      In India, MX5 comes with 16gb storage only so I haven’t gone for it. If it was 32gb, MX5 is the best.

    • Karly Johnston
      December 30, 2015

      I get the same with Mi4c, it depends if he wants a big or compact phone.

    • Guest
      December 30, 2015

      I,m looking for best display quality phone. Xiaomi´s phones look great but I´m not sure about the display.

    • Allanitomwesh
      December 31, 2015

      Of the listed phones MX5 has the best display

    • Guest
      December 31, 2015

      Thank you!

  48. Guest
    December 29, 2015

    MLAIS m52 the best of 2015 (for 119$)

    • Guest
      December 30, 2015

      Not such a great deal now that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 is just $12 dollars more expensive but with a WAY better build quality, hardware quality and software updates.

      I owned a Mlais M52 and I consider it one of the best 5.5″ phones on this price range, but it would be madness to get a M52 over a Redmi Note 2.

      But without a doubt it deserved a honorary spot, since it was one of the highest performance phones of the year for a ridiculous low price tag, it was part of the amazing changes we saw this year on the Chinese market.

      In 2014 you would have expected to pay $200 for a phone like the M52, I’m so glad that age is over.

    • balcobomber25
      December 30, 2015

      When the M52 came out though there was no Redmi Note 2 and Xiaomi isn’t for everyone.

  49. geek007
    December 30, 2015

    where is bluboo xtouch?

    • Julius
      December 30, 2015

      not worth even mentioning due to excessive over-promising

    • December 30, 2015

      that’s what we’re thinking too…

  50. Karly Johnston
    December 30, 2015

    The best budget phone of the year is Mi4c. SD808 for $205… tell me what beats that?

    • GoldenBoy
      December 30, 2015

      redmi note 3 if you want a 5.5″ 😛

  51. Guest
    December 30, 2015

    where is bluboo xtouch?

    • Guest
      December 30, 2015

      not worth even mentioning due to excessive over-promising

    • Yash Garg
      December 30, 2015

      that’s what we’re thinking too…

  52. Karly Johnston
    December 30, 2015

    The best budget phone of the year is Mi4c. SD808 for $205… tell me what beats that?

    • Guest
      December 30, 2015

      redmi note 3 if you want a 5.5″ 😛

  53. Allanitomwesh
    December 31, 2015

    I would not be surprised if Redmi Note 3 won, but I still voted Oneplus 2.

  54. Allanitomwesh
    December 31, 2015

    I would not be surprised if Redmi Note 3 won, but I still voted Oneplus 2.

  55. Sere83
    January 4, 2016

    Yeah as people been saying I’ve see a few reviews that say the camera is weak. Shame really meizu usually do ok camera wise although they never include OIS on their top end phones for some stupid reason. I would still prefer a meizu phone over a xiaomi any day. MIUI is so bloated and horrible nowadays, the new touchwiz, packed with pointless badly implemented features, sie tap? Terrible, swipe capacitive buttons to change screen size? also badly implemented. And the ram hogging etc…just horrible. These reviews also never show what happens after you’ve been using MIUI for a while when all the small annoying bugs begin to show up and the ones xiaomi like to add with weekly buggy updates. Flyme is a far far superior OS.

  56. Sere83
    January 5, 2016

    Yeah as people been saying I’ve see a few reviews that say the camera is weak. Shame really meizu usually do ok camera wise although they never include OIS on their top end phones for some stupid reason and often tap to focus overexposes. I would still prefer a meizu phone over a xiaomi any day. MIUI is so bloated and horrible nowadays, the new touchwiz, packed with pointless badly implemented features, sie tap? Terrible, swipe capacitive buttons to change screen size? also badly implemented. And the ram hogging etc…just horrible. These reviews also never show what happens after you’ve been using MIUI for a while when all the small annoying bugs begin to show up and the ones xiaomi like to add with weekly buggy updates. Flyme is a far far superior OS.