Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $200 – May 2017


Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $200 – May2017

Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $200 – May2017

Chinese smartphones under $200 are probably the best devices you can get cost-to-performance wise. We find what we could call 2016 flagships and newer phones that are more power efficient overall. Knowing this, let’s see what the month of May has in store for us!

Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $200

1. Lenovo ZUK Z2

Lenovo Zuk Z2

You are probably not surprised at all of finding the ZUK Z2 on this list. Even after about a year from its launch, this phone is still a best buy. Packing the never dying Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, the ZUK Z2 can still be considered one of the best phones on the market, if you then take into account its ridiculously low price, there are almost no reasons not to get one, if you aren’t very picky, of course.

The ZUK Z2 sports a smaller 5.0-inch Full HD display, a 13MP rear camera that can shoot 4K videos at 30fps, an 8MP front-facing shooter, 3500mAh battery and runs Android 7.0 Nougat.

2. LeEco Le Max 2

LeEco Le Max 2 X829

Yet again, another phone that will probably make it on this list for some more months — the LeEco Le Max 2. This device packs the same powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage combo, but instead comes with a bigger 5.7-inch display with a resolution of 1440 x 2560 a.k.a. 2K.

LeEco’s Le Max 2 features a 21MP camera on the back, with f/2.0 aperture, OIS and dual tone LED flash. It can record 2160p videos at 30fps and 720p at 120fps slow mo videos.

The phone is fueled by a 3100mAh capacity battery and runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box.

3. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (MediaTek Helio X20)

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 mtk

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Even though it has been launched back in August 2016, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is still a great deal. Packing a mid-range MediaTek Helio X20, 3GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, the Redmi Note 4 brings good performances and user experience while keeping prices low.

Read Also:  Xiaomi POCO C50 is set to launch at the end of November

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD display, 3GB of RAM and 64GB of memory, there’s also a 4GB RAM version but that goes above the $200 mark. Camera wise, the phone packs a 13MP camera with f/2.00 aperture and PDAF autofocus, the selfie shooter is instead 5MP.

While not equipped with one of the most power efficient SoCs, the Redmi Note 4 (MTK) still delivers a great autonomy, mostly due to its big 4100mAh built-in battery.

4. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Snapdragon 625)

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 global

The Snapdragon version of the Redmi Note 4 is a less powerful but more efficient version of the MediaTek model. Indeed they share pretty much the same hardware, exception made for the internal CPU, which is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 using 14nm manufacturing process, thus making it less power hungry than the MediaTek counterpart.

We still find 3GB of RAM but internal storage drops to 32GB if you want to stay well below $200. Cameras are still 13MP for the back and 5MP for the selfie shooter, also the battery capacity is the same at 4100mAh.

5. UMi Plus E

umi plus e

We decided to also include a smartphone from a smaller Chinese brand, the UMi Plus E. This phone shines for its power efficient MediaTek Helio P20 CPU and an insane 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal memory, which is a killer combo for under $200.

The UMi Plus E comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD Sharp display with a 2.5D Arc coating, a Samsung 13MP rear shooter with PDAF autofocus that can record 4K videos and a 5MP front-facing camera.

UMi’s Plus is also fueled by a big 4000mAh capacity battery and runs  Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box.

Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $200 – Conclusion

Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $200 – May2017

So that was it; Do you guys agree with our picks? Would you switch a phone for another? Or would you just add some more? Let us know in the comments section below!

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28 Comments

  1. Mike
    May 5, 2017

    Don’t forget the Nokia re-issue 😉 haha

  2. Mário Carvalho
    May 5, 2017

    If the Umi Plus E had a better camera, it would be the best smartphone under €200.
    Let’s wait for the Umidigi 2017 version and see if they also switch to a Sony sensor.

    • Muhammad Yasir
      May 5, 2017

      how bad is the Plus E camera ?

      • Mário Carvalho
        May 5, 2017

        From the reviews I’ve seen, it’s just like any chinese mid-range phone.
        If the camera was like the Leeco Le Max 2, it would be a great phone.

        • Muhammad Yasir
          May 6, 2017

          lol , people have bashed the le max 2 cam for POOR video quality and stupid low light perf

          • Mário Carvalho
            May 6, 2017

            Can you show reviews saying that?
            I can show you several reviews with good camera results from the Le Max 2 and medium results from the Umi Plus E.

  3. Muhammad Yasir
    May 5, 2017

    no honorable mentions ?!

    disappointing !

    • MIUI Android
      June 6, 2017

      you are blind 🙂

      • Muhammad Yasir
        June 8, 2017

        dafq are you talking about

        also you’re a month late !

        where are the mentions , eh ? show it if you’re so confident

  4. Mike
    May 5, 2017

    Don’t forget the Nokia re-issue 😉 haha

  5. Mário Carvalho
    May 5, 2017

    If the Umi Plus E had a better camera, it would be the best smartphone under €200.
    Let’s wait for the Umidigi 2017 version and see if they also switch to a Sony sensor.

    • Guest
      May 5, 2017

      how bad is the Plus E camera ?

    • Mário Carvalho
      May 5, 2017

      From the reviews I’ve seen, it’s just like any chinese mid-range phone.
      If the camera was like the Leeco Le Max 2, it would be a great phone.

    • Guest
      May 6, 2017

      lol , people have bashed the le max 2 cam for POOR video quality and stupid low light perf

    • Mário Carvalho
      May 6, 2017

      Can you show reviews saying that?
      I can show you several reviews with good camera results from the Le Max 2 and medium results from the Umi Plus E.

  6. Guest
    May 5, 2017

    no honorable mentions ?!

    disappointing !

    • MIUI Android
      June 6, 2017

      you are blind 🙂

    • Guest
      June 8, 2017

      dafq are you talking about

      also you’re a month late !

      where are the mentions , eh ? show it if you’re so confident

  7. Alen Kalac
    May 6, 2017

    Yes, I agree. I have one from list: LeEco Le Max 2

  8. Светозар Ганчев
    May 6, 2017

    I am glad to see the ZUK Z2 on top as it is a but underrated. I had it for some time and I confirm it is a beast, of course with a custom ROM and there is really a great developer community. Only downside is display is too small for me and also quite slippery.
    Now I am rocking the Global Redmi Note 4 (custom ROM of course), nice phone, but a bit sluggish.

  9. Chickens
    May 6, 2017

    Was hoping for a bit more details and more phones. I thought some would get some mentions, like Honor 6X, LeEco Cool 1 or ZTE Axon Elite.

    Also more details like Zuk Z2 not having Band 20.

  10. Alen Kalac
    May 6, 2017

    Yes, I agree. I have one from list: LeEco Le Max 2

  11. disqus_6ilTsM3usk
    May 6, 2017

    I am glad to see the ZUK Z2 on top as it is a but underrated. I had it for some time and I confirm it is a beast, of course with a custom ROM and there is really a great developer community. Only downside is display is too small for me and also quite slippery.
    Now I am rocking the Global Redmi Note 4 (custom ROM of course), nice phone, but a bit sluggish.

  12. Chickens
    May 6, 2017

    Was hoping for a bit more details and more phones. I thought some would get some mentions, like Honor 6X, LeEco Cool 1 or ZTE Axon Elite.

    Also more details like Zuk Z2 not having Band 20.

  13. Lasse k
    May 9, 2017

    What about Redmi Note 3 pro Snapdragon edition, great Phone only downside the camera low light performance

  14. Guest
    May 9, 2017

    What about Redmi Note 3 pro Snapdragon edition, great Phone only downside the camera low light performance

  15. Sansa
    June 7, 2017

    Be aware that there are 2 kinds of the “Le Max 2”. One is the x820, the other x829. The x829 does NOT have the band 800Hz.

  16. Sansa
    June 7, 2017

    Be aware that there are 2 kinds of the “Le Max 2”. One is the x820, the other x829. The x829 does NOT have the band 800Hz.