Although flagships have now become quite impossible to get for less than $500, we still find some very interesting devices in this price range. With that in mind, let’s see what are the best Chinese smartphones for under $500 for the month of May.
Best Chinese Smartphones for Under $500
1. OnePlus 9R
Let’s kick off the list with the OnePlus 9R coming with the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 870; along with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.
The smartphone then features a 6.55-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 1080x2400px resolution and HDR10+ support. The display also adopts a punch-hole in the upper left corner for the front 16MP camera. Meanwhile on the back we find a 48MP main camera, an 16MP ultra wide angle lens, a 5MP macro and 2MP depth sensor.
Finally, the OnePlus 9R packs a 4500mAh with support for 65W fast charging 65W, it has NFC and runs OxygenOS 11 based on Android 11.
2. iQOO Neo5
Next, we have iQOO Neo5 also coming with the great performing Snapdragon 870; coupled with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The handset features a larger 6.62-inch AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz; while the touch sampling rate tops at 300Hz.
As for photography, the Neo5 packs a main 48MP Sony IMX598 image sensor, paired with a 13MP ultra wide angle lens and a 2MP B&W sensor. For selfies we instead find a single 16MP snapper.
The iQOO Neo5 is fueled by a 4400mAh capacity battery with support for 66W fast charging and NFC is present as well.
Best Chinese Smartphones for Under $500
3. POCO F3
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Another great handset with the powerful Snapdragon 870 SoC is the POCO F3 from Xiaomi’s sub-brand. The smartphone also features a large 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED E4 panel with a refresh rate of 120Hz and touch sampling rate of 360Hz.
Photography wise, the F3 features a main 48MP sensor, an 8MP ultra wide lens and a 5MP macro camera. At the front, we have a 20MP snapper for selfies.
Very similarly to the two previous phones, the POCO F3 packs a 4520mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging; along with NFC and an IR emitter.
Best Chinese Smartphones for Under $500
4. Realme GT Neo
Let’s now have a look at a smartphone powered by the latest MediaTek flagship CPU, the Dimensity 1200. The Realme GT Neo is in fact the most powerful in this top 5 at least on paper with an AnTuTu score of over 700k.
The Realme GT Neo then features a 6.43-inch Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a punch-hole in the upper left corner for the 16 selfie snapper. While on the back we have three rear cameras including a 64MP primary, an 8MP ultra wide and a 2MP macro lens.
Finally the smartphone is fueled by a 4500mAh battery with support for 50W fast charging, there’s NFC and a 3.5mm audio jack.
5. Vivo S9
Last but not least, the Vivo S9 is the smartphone to go for if you really love taking selfies. That’s because device doesn’t only feature two selfie cameras, as you can clearly see in the image above, but it also integrates two hidden flashes on their sides, making it the best phone to snap selfies.
Since we’re already talking about photography, the two selfie snappers have resolutions of 44MP for the regular and 8MP for the ultra wide one. While on the back we find three sensors of 64MP for primary, 8MP ultra wide and 2MP macro lens.
The handset is also relatively compact with a 6.44-inch AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution and is powered by the quite good performing MediaTek Dimensity 1100; along with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.
Finally, the device is fueled by a 4000mAh capacity battery with 33W fast charging support and there is NFC.
Check out our sub $200 list if you’re on a tighter budget!
