Top 5 Chinese Smartphones Under $200 – August 2017


Best Chinese Smartphones Under $200

Welcome back to our monthly rendezvous with the best smartphones China has to offer. August sets the arrive of new handsets with the now spreading MediaTek Helio P25 chipset and few other older glories. If you’re looking for a great smartphone for under $200, then keep reading!

Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $200

1. Ulefone T1

Ulefone T1 Presales

Let’s start the ball rolling with the first MediaTek Helio P25-equipped device on the list — the Ulefone T1. The handset is the latest flagship from the Chinese company to hit the market and it comes with the previously mentioned CPU paired with a whopping 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage (expandable).

The Ulefone T1 does look a lot like a OnePlus 5 aesthetically, with the same full metal body and dual camera setup on the top left corner which sport 16MP and 5MP resolution; meanwhile at the front we get an 8.0MP selfie shooter.

The handset features a 5.5-inch Full HD display, all the sensor you need, dual band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1, packs a 3680mAh battery and runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. The T1 is one of the smartphones that supports the most amount of 4G LTE bands with a total of 25 frequencies; band 20 is obviously among them.

2. Vernee Mars Pro

Vernee Mars Pro

The Vernee Mars Pro is the second smartphone in here to come with MediaTek’s power efficient Helio P25, also this one — just like the previous Ulefone T1 — is accompanied by 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage (expandable).

The smartphone doesn’t sport a completely new design but is instead based on the original Vernee Mars, but that isn’t necessarily bad. You still get a sleek looking phone with a great build quality and relatively slim bezels, with the fingerprint scanner being placed on the side. The Sony IMX25 rear camera can snap 13MP photos, at the front we instead have a 5MP Samsung S5K5E2 sensor.

The Vernee Mars Pro features the usual 5.5-inch Full HD display, Bluetooth 4, various sensors and a 3500mAh capacity battery. 4G connectivity is quite limited but it does support band 20.

3. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X

Looks like we can’t get rid of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X, which probably only a Note 5 could replace, but that day hasn’t arrived yet. So let’s go once again through the selling points of this fantastic budget phone.

Gizchina News of the week


The Redmi Note 4X comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD display and boasts the super power efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, which paired with the big 4100mAh built-in battery gives the handset an outstanding battery life. Other specs include 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage (for the top version).

Cameras are a 13MP Sony IMX258 on the back with F/2.0 aperture and a 5MP selfie snapper; the smartphone can record slow motion videos at 120fps as well.

Lastly, the Redmi Note 4X features WiFi AC, Bluetooth 4.2 and supports various 4G LTE networks but band 20 isn’t among them.

4. Maze Alpha

Maze Alpha

The Maze Alpha has finally been released to the public and it seems to have been well received. The 6-inch Xiaomi Mi MIX inspired phone is one of the best looking devices on sale at less than $200, even though its bezels probably aren’t as thin as advertised, but you get what you paid for.

Specs aren’t even bad all things considered, with the power efficient MediaTek Helio P25, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage (expandable). The 6-inch Full HD display is also coated in 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4 and the back is made of glass which looks amazing when clean and a fingerprint magnet after some use.

The Maze Alpha comes with a 13MP + 5MP rear camera setup and a 5MP selfie shooter. It packs a 4000mAh battery, runs Android 7.0 Nougat and supports 4G LTE connectivity, including band 20.

5. ZUK Z2

Lenovo Zuk Z2

For last we’ve saved one of the flagships from past year — the ZUK Z2 . The handset boasts the still powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The Z2 is also a great option for those looking for a smaller phone as it sports a 5-inch Full HD display.

On the camera side, we find a 13MP Samsung S5K2M8 sensor which can shoot videos at 120fps, and an 8MP OmniVision OV8865 selfie snapper on the front. The smartphone, packs a 3500mAh battery, supports WiFi AC and lots of 4G LTE networks but there’s no band 20 among them.

The ZUK Z2 is also a small exception to the rules as it doesn’t necessarily cost less than $200, but we believe you should cash out some extra bucks to get a definitely better device. In the same price range you could also get a LeEco Le Pro 3 or a LeEco Le Max 2, both sporting Snapdragon 820.

Top 5 Chinese Smartphones for Under $200 – Conclusion

Best Chinese Smartphones Under $200

What do you guys think of this month’s picks? Would you have done differently? Let us know in the comments below!

Disclaimer: We may be compensated by some of the companies whose products we talk about, but our articles and reviews are always our honest opinions. For more details, you can check out our editorial guidelines and learn about how we use affiliate links.

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29 Comments

  1. Assefa Hanson
    August 3, 2017

    The hypotenuse is equal to the square of the sum of the other sides as for the redmi note 4x some have Samsung sensors

  2. Assefa Hanson
    August 3, 2017

    The hypotenuse is equal to the square of the sum of the other sides as for the redmi note 4x some have Samsung sensors

  3. Sansa
    August 3, 2017

    “On the camera side, we find a 13MP Samsung S5K2M8 sensor which can shoot videos at 120fps,”

    Doubt it..

    • balcobomber25
      August 11, 2017

      There’s videos on youtube that show it.

      • Sansa
        August 12, 2017

        On normal speed? Doubt it.

        • balcobomber25
          August 12, 2017

          I don’t have the phone and I cant say but reviews and videos both say it’s possible.

          • Sansa
            August 14, 2017

            Well, devicespecifications.com also says my Leeco le 2 can do 120fps @ 720p. In reality only a handfull of phones can do 60fps, let about 120fps.

  4. Sansa
    August 3, 2017

    “On the camera side, we find a 13MP Samsung S5K2M8 sensor which can shoot videos at 120fps,”

    Doubt it..

    • balcobomber25
      August 12, 2017

      There’s videos on youtube that show it.

    • Sansa
      August 12, 2017

      On normal speed? Doubt it.

    • balcobomber25
      August 12, 2017

      I don’t have the phone and I cant say but reviews and videos both say it’s possible.

    • Sansa
      August 15, 2017

      Well, devicespecifications.com also says my Leeco le 2 can do 120fps @ 720p. In reality only a handfull of phones can do 60fps, let about 120fps.

  5. NextHype
    August 4, 2017

    Why should anyone go for a Ulefone/Vernee/Maze when you can buy a Xiaomi Mi5 for $200 ? If you put Zuk Z2 in this list, Xiaomi Mi5 should be here too, IMHO.

    • Wolvie
      August 7, 2017

      Please let me know which online shop selling Mi5 at sub $200 ?

      Most of mi5 pricing is sub $300

      • NextHype
        August 7, 2017

        Banggood => $201 with coupon
        AliExpress(X Show) => $209

        Please check kimovil d0t c0m

    • balcobomber25
      August 11, 2017

      Xioami Mi5 is next to useless in the US due to the lack of the LTE bands. Ulefone T1, Redmi Note 4 and Zuk Z2 all will work in the US.

      The RN4 is an excellent phone, I use one as my work phone. The battery life is incredible and for the price the camera is pretty good. But I am very intrigued by the Ulefone T1.

  6. NextHype
    August 4, 2017

    Why should anyone go for a Ulefone/Vernee/Maze when you can buy a Xiaomi Mi5 for $200 ? If you put Zuk Z2 in this list, Xiaomi Mi5 should be here too, IMHO.

    • Guest
      August 7, 2017

      Please let me know which online shop selling Mi5 at sub $200 ?

      Most of mi5 pricing is sub $300

    • NextHype
      August 7, 2017

      Banggood => $201 with coupon
      AliExpress(X Show) => $209

      Please check kimovil d0t c0m

    • balcobomber25
      August 12, 2017

      Xioami Mi5 is next to useless in the US due to the lack of the LTE bands. Ulefone T1, Redmi Note 4 and Zuk Z2 all will work in the US.

      The RN4 is an excellent phone, I use one as my work phone. The battery life is incredible and for the price the camera is pretty good. But I am very intrigued by the Ulefone T1.

  7. Hesemonni
    August 6, 2017

    Thanks Pierre. These monthly by-price compilations are really useful with all the offerings out there.

  8. Hesemonni
    August 6, 2017

    Thanks Pierre. These monthly by-price compilations are really useful with all the offerings out there.

  9. Kwaifa Husco
    August 7, 2017

    I will be going for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X because of the 4100mAh and 4GB RAM because my priority for me buying a phone is the Battery and Ram them Camera

    Commenting from http://wikitech.com.ng/

  10. Guest
    August 7, 2017

    I will be going for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X because of the 4100mAh and 4GB RAM because my priority for me buying a phone is the Battery and Ram them Camera

    Commenting from http://wikitech.com.ng/

  11. debianxfce
    August 9, 2017

    112.44 usd Leeco Le S3 X622 beats many of these phones. Get it from Shenzen ValueDeal at aliexpress.com.

  12. Guest
    August 9, 2017

    112.44 usd Leeco Le S3 X622 beats many of these phones. Get it from Shenzen ValueDeal at

  13. Guest
    August 9, 2017
  14. Rick Flair
    September 3, 2017

    The Redmi Note 4 (x20) edition craps on all of these

  15. Rick Flair
    September 4, 2017

    The Redmi Note 4 (x20) edition craps on all of these