With flagships getting more expensive every year, it’s become basically impossible to find any under the $500 price tag. That said, due to the launch of new chipsets such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 and the MediaTek Dimensity 1100, we can still get peak performance while staying below $500. With that in mind, let’s now have a look which are the best Chinese smartphones that made the list this month!
Best Chinese Smartphones for Under $500
1. iQOO Neo5
Kicking off with the latest iQOO Neo5 which brings a very complete package overall. The smartphone is powered by a Snapdragon 870 along with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. This hardware fuels a 6.62-inch AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz; while the touch sampling rate tops at 300Hz.
Photography wise, we find a main 48MP Sony IMX598 image sensor, paired with a 13MP ultra wide angle lens and a 2MP B&W sensor. Meanwhile for selfies we have a single 16MP snapper.
The iQOO Neo5 is packed with a decently sized 4400mAh capacity battery with support for a whopping 66W fast charging and NFC is present.
Best Chinese Smartphones for Under $500
2. POCO F3
Next, we have the new POCO F3 which also comes with a Snapdragon 870 SoC. The chipset is then coupled 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, to power a large 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED E4 panel with a refresh rate of 120Hz and touch sampling rate of 360Hz.
As for photography, the POCO F3 comes with a main 48MP sensor, an 8MP ultra wide lens and a 5MP macro camera. At the front, we have a 20MP snapper for selfies.
Finally, the smartphone encases a 4520mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging; along with NFC and an IR emitter.
Best Chinese Smartphones for Under $500
3. Vivo S9
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The latest Vivo S9 is another great alternative in this price range if you value selfies and thinness. The smartphone does indeed feature dual front cameras along with dual front LEDs hidden in the upper edges and it’s also quite slim at just 7.4mm.
The smartphone then packs a “compact” 6.44-inch AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution and brings the powerful MediaTek Dimensity 1100;along with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.
As for photography, the two selfie snappers mentioned earlier have resolutions of 44MP for the regular and 8MP for the ultra wide one. On the back we instead find three sensors of 64MP for primary, 8MP ultra wide and 2MP macro lens.
Finally, the device is fueled by a 4000mAh capacity battery with 33W fast charging support and there is NFC.
Best Chinese Smartphones for Under $500
4. POCO X3 Pro
Next, we have the more affordable POCO X3 Pro for around $280 and that includes 256GB of internal storage along with 8GB of RAM. Meanwhile powering it up we have a still very good performing Snapdragon 860.
The display on the POCO X3 Pro is a 6.67-inch panel with Full HD+ resolution and a refresh rate of 120Hz (touch sampling 240Hz).
Meanwhile to snap photos we find four rear cameras with resolutions of 48MP for main, 8MP for ultra wide, 2MP for macro and 2MP depth sensor. At the front we have a single 20MP snapper.
Finally, the X3 Pro features a large 5160mAh capacity battery with 33W fast charging support. Other features include NFC, 3.5mm audio jack and an infrared emitter.
Best Chinese Smartphones for Under $500
5. Ulefone Armor 11 5G
Last but not least, the Ulefone Armor 11 5G is the best performing rugged phone currently on the market with its powerful MediaTek Dimensity 800 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a whopping 256GB of internal storage (expandable).
The handset comes with compact 6.1-inch display which encases a 16MP camera in the notch at the top. Meanwhile on the back we find a main 48MP sensor, paired with a 13MP ultra wide lens, a 5MP macro sensor and a 2MP depth sensor.
The Ulefone Armor 11 5G is fueled by an extra large 5200mAh capacity battery with support for 18W wireless charging and NFC.
Check out our sub $200 list if you’re on a tighter budget!
Not the best at all.