Our top 5 list for the month of October will not see many changes over the one from September as Chinese manufacturer seem to have been focusing in the upper mid-range segment, thus costing more than $100. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a budget phone these are probably still the best smartphones you can get. Let’s check them out, shall we?

1. VKworld Mix

The VKworld Mix – launched back in September – is the only tri-bezel-less device that made it on the list due to it’s sub-$100 price tag. The handset sports a 5.5-inch HD display and is powered by a MediaTek MT6737 processor clocked at 1.3Ghz, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage.

VKworld’s Mix packs an 8MP rear camera, a 5MP selfie shooter and a good sized 3500mAh battery in a 7.9mm slim body. The smartphone runs Android 7.0 Nougat and works on 4G networks, including Band 20, quite crucial in Europe.

2. Xiaomi Redmi 4X

This is the first time since the Xiaomi Redmi 4A Pro launched that we don’t see the handset on the list. That’s because we swapped it in favor of the more powerful Xiaomi Redmi 4X, which in our opinion is a better bang for the buck as they cost approximately the same (slightly above $100).

The Xiaomi Redmi 4X is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 CPU, 2GB or 3GB of RAM and either 16GB or 32GB of internal storage. Xiaomi’s device sports a 5-inch IPS HD display coated in 2.5D curved glass, a 13MP rear camera with F/2.0 aperture and a 5MP selfie shooter.

Besides, the smartphone also packs a massive 4100mAh battery and in its Global version supports a plethora of 4G LTE networks including band 20.

3. Uhans Note 4

The Uhans Note 4 makes a comeback to represent 5.5-inch phones which are usually lacking in our under $100 lists. The handset is admittedly a Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 clone powered by a MediaTek MT6737 clocked at 1.3Ghz, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (expandable).

On the back of the phone we get a 13MP shooter with LED flash, meanwhile at the front there’s a 5MP selfie camera. Other than that, we find a big 4000mAh capacity battery, Android 7.0 Nougat as the OS and 4G LTE support, with band 20 being among them.

4. Cubot Magic

The Cubot Magic is what we like to call the “soap bar phone”; that’s because it features a fully-curved design on all the edges and thus the resemblance to the washing material. The phone sports a 5-inch HD display with a 3D curved glass coating and GFF full lamination on top, under the hood we instead find a MediaTek MT6737 processor, 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (expandable through microSD).

In the photo department the smartphone is equipped with a dual camera setup consisting of a main 13 MP shooter with F/2.4 aperture and a secondary 2MP sensor; the selfie snapper has a resolution of 5MP.

The Cubot Magic boasts a 2600mAh capacity battery, runs Android 7.0 Nougat OTB and works on LTE connected networks, band 20 included.

5. Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A

If you don’t fancy the Uhans Note 4 we listed above but you still want a 5.5-inch phone then you can spend a couple extra bucks and get the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A. Xiaomi’s super budget-friendly device features a 5.5-inch HD IPS display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 clocked at 1.4hz, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (expandable).

The handset comes with an high res 13MP rear camera with F/2.2 aperture and PDAF, meanwhile at the front we find a 5MP F/2.0 shooter. The Redmi Note 5A packs a smaller 3080mAh battery, runs MIUI V9 based on Android 7.0 Nougat and supports lots of 4G LTE networks all over the globe, including band 20.

Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $100

This is it for the month of October. We hope you guys found your next budget phone among those we listed above. If you didn’t and you’d like to suggest a different handset to other GizChina readers, then share your thoughts down below!