In 2015, 7 of the top 10 smartphone manufacturers in the world were Chinese OEMs, and apart from their popularity in China, companies like Lenovo, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Huawei, and others have been making in-roads into competitive markets like the US, Europe, and India. We've covered these companies and their popular offerings extensively here at Android Authority, and you can check them out in the links below.
However, China is home to a slew of other great smartphone manufacturers as well, that, while quite popular in their home market, aren't as well-known internationally. That's certainly not because of the lack of a good product, with devices that offer everything you'd expect from a flagship smartphone, including solid specifications and features, all at a very affordable price point. The phones listed above definitely qualify as some of the best Chinese Android smartphones, but for this roundup, we attempt to showcase some of these lesser-known OEMs and their devices. Let's take a look!
OnePlus 3
OnePlus did a great job at hyping up its 2015 flagship, the OnePlus 2. After missing the mark in a few key areas like camera and software performance, though, it was very clear the company still had a lot of work to do.
Fast forward to 2016 and we now have the OnePlus 3. Not only does it fix many of the issues we had with the 2, it also brings some new software and camera features to the table that are definitely worth checking out.
With the OnePlus 3 you get a thin, all-metal unibody design, a Snapdragon 820 processor, a massive 6GB of RAM and a perfectly capable 16MP rear camera. The battery is a little smaller this time around, but it does come with Dash Charging technology that will be able to get you a 60% charge in just 30 minutes. Oh, it has NFC too!
The best part? You can buy it right now for just $399 without and invite. That's right – OnePlus has finally done away with the dreaded invite system for good.
Specs
- 5.5-inch Optic AMOLED display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 401ppi
- 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor
- 6GB of RAM
- 64GB of on-board storage, no microSD expansion
- 16MP rear camera, 8MP front camera
- Non-removable 3,000mAh battery
- Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
- 152.7 x 74.7 x 7.35mm, 158g
Read more
- OnePlus 3 review
- OnePlus 3 announced: everything you need to know
- Flagship spec showdown: OnePlus 3 vs the competition
- OnePlus 3 vs OnePlus 2 quick look
- What would you change about the OnePlus 3?
Huawei P9
Huawei's new P9 flagship certainly ticks a lot of the right boxes. It has a fast processor, plenty of on-board storage, a big battery, and it's very thin. It also runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Huawei's EMUI 4.1 software overlay.
Huawei has also partnered with Leica, the German camera maker, to bring a solid camera experience to the P9. It has a 12MP dual lens camera setup on the rear, complete with an f/2.2 aperture and uses 1.25-micron Sony IMX286 sensors. Seriously, you won't be disappointed with the camera experience on the P9. As noted by our own Gary Sims, the Huawei P9 is a great smartphone for camera enthusiasts and a good device for smartphone enthusiasts. It's not a complete overhaul from the company's P8 flagship from last year, but it is a huge step up.
Specs
- 5.2-inch IPS-NEO LCD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 423ppi
- 2.5GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 955 processor
- 3/4GB of RAM
- 32/64GB of on-board storage, microSD expansion up to 128GB
- Dual 12MP rear cameras, 8MP front camera
- Non-removable 3000mAh battery
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- 145 x 70.9 x 7mm, 144g
Read more
- Huawei P9 review
- Huawei P9 hands-on and first impressions
- Huawei P9 and P9 Plus officially announced
Xiaomi Mi 5
The Xiaomi Mi 5 launched back in February 2015 with killer specs, a beautiful design and a cheap price tag. Although its lack of U.S. availability and 4G LTE support are a major hurdle, there's certainly a lot to love about the Mi 5.
It has Qualcomm's powerful Snapdragon 820 processor, plenty of RAM and on-board storage, as well as a great 16MP camera and all-day battery life. And compared to many similarly spec'd smartphones on the market, it's quite inexpensive, too.
Specs
- 5.15-inch IPS LCD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 428ppi
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor
- 3/4GB of RAM
- 32/64/128GB of on-board storage, no microSD card expansion
- 16MP rear camera, 4MP front camera
- Non-removable 3,000mAh battery
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- 144.6 x 69.2 x 7.3mm, 129g
Read more
Huawei Mate 8
Huawei recently unveiled its latest flagship smartphone, the Mate 8. Featuring an extremely premium build, market-leading performance and great battery life, this is one heck of an Android device. Huawei still has yet to make the Mate 8 available in the United States, but that caveat is easily bypassed when buying the device from Amazon or any other online retailer. Luckily Huawei decided to include just about every band needed to connect to U.S. carriers' networks, so if you do choose to import, you likely won't have many problems on the connectivity front.
All in all, the Mate 8 is one of the better Android devices we've used in recent memory. It has a big 6.0-inch display, fast Kirin 950 processor, plenty of on-board storage and a decent camera. It's also running the latest version of Android, which is a nice touch. Huawei's software overlay may not be the most appealing to folks in the U.S., but that's really one of the only downsides we have with the device.
Specs
- 6.0-inch IPS-NEO LCD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 368 ppi
- 2.3 GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 950 processor
- 3/4GB of RAM
- 32/64 GB of on-board storage, microSD expansion up to 128 GB (uses SIM 2 slot)
- 16 MP rear camera, 8 MP front camera
- Non-removable 4000 mAh battery
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- 157.1 x 80.6 x 7.9 mm, 185 g
Read more
Meizu Pro 6
Meizu may not be as well-known as some of its Chinese counterparts, but the company offers some fantastic smartphones, particularly in the ultra budget-friendly segment. That said, Meizu is making waves with their high-end offerings as well, and only a few months after the release of the Pro 5, comes the company's latest flagship smartphone, the Meizu Pro 6. The Pro 6 retains the beautiful full metal unibody construction of its predecessor.
It comes with some useful features and hardware, including its own take on Apple's 3D Touch and Huawei's Force Touch, called 3D Press, which uses additional force to pull up previews, extra menus, and other hotkey functions. It also comes with a Cirrus Logic CS43L36 audio chip for Hi-Fi audio. The Pro 6 is also the first smartphone to be powered by the deca-core MediaTek Helio X25 processor, and backing it is the Mali-T880MP4 GPU and 4 GB of RAM. Other high-end features include a fingerprint scanner up front, a USB Type-C port (USB 3.1) and mCharge 3.0 fast charging capabilities, and a 21 MP rear camera.
The Meizu Pro 6 is the complete package, with specifications and features to give any current generation flagship a run for its money, but where it has its high-end competition beat is when it comes to price, with the 32 GB model retailing for ¥2,499 (~$390) and the 64 GB variant priced at ¥2,799 (~$430). Granted, the price will be slightly higher if you're looking to import the device, but it'll still be much cheaper the most of its competitors. You can find out more about the Meizu Pro 6 here.
Specs
- 5.2-inch AMOLED display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 423 ppi
- 2.5 GHz deca-core Helio X25 processor
- 4 GB RAM
- 32/64 GB of on-board storage, no microSD card expansion
- 21 MP rear camera, 5 MP front camera
- Non-removable 2,560 mAh battery
- Flyme OS 5.6 based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- 147.7 x 70.8 x 7.3 mm, 160 grams
Read more
ZUK Z1
ZUK is a Hong Kong-based smartphone manufacturer that is backed by Lenovo, and the companies first effort, the ZUK Z1, is a solid mid-range smartphone that runs Cyanogen. Under the hood, the ZUK Z1 comes with a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, backed by the Adreno 330 GPU and 3 GB of RAM, which continues to be a reliable processing package, and using it is a smart move on the part of ZUK.
The ZUK Z1 doesn't pack a whole lot in terms of extras, but does come with a fingerprint scanner up front, which is as fast as accurate as expected. As is the case with other mid-range smartphones from Lenovo, including the Vibe P1 Turbo above, the big selling point of this device is the large 4,100 mAh battery that it packs, that allows for 2 days of battery life quite comfortably with average use. Of course, its other attractive feature is its software package, with the phone running Cyanogen OS 12.1, based on Android 5.1 Lollipop. The highly-customizable software package is one of the most liked around, and perfectly complements the older processor to allow for a smooth and snappy experience.
The Lenovo ZUK Z1 is currently priced at $300, so if you are looking for a reliable smartphone with decent specifications, great software experience, and fantastic battery life, the ZUK Z1 is a good choice.
Specifications:
- 5.5-inch IPS LCD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 401 ppi
- 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor
- 3 GB RAM
- 64 GB of on-board storage, no microSD card expansion
- 13 MP rear camera, 5 MP front camera
- Non-removable 4,100 mAh battery
- Cyanogen OS 12.1 based on Android 5.1 Lollipop
- 155.7 x 77.3 x 8.9 mm, 175 grams
Read more
honor 7
Huawei has a slew of mid-range and high-end smartphones, and the company continues to expand their portfolio with new devices ever so often. One such series is the honor line, which falls under the "premium but affordable" segment, with one of the best options from the series being the honor 7.
The honor 7 was the first smartphone of the series that made the move to a full metal unibody construction, and the backing comes with a ceramic-like finish that counters the slipperiness that is usually associated with metal phones. Under the hood, the honor 7 packs an octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 935 processor, clocked at 2.2 GHz, and backed by the Mali-T628 GPU and 3 GB of RAM. And with the software optimized for their in-house processing package, you get a smooth and snappy experience overall. There aren't a lot of extras in terms of hardware, but there is a fingerprint scanner on the back that works very well.
The honor 7 is another solid offering that gets a lot right with its beautiful display, impressive battery life, fantastic fingerprint scanner, good camera, and useful additions like the swipe gestures and the SmartKey button. The device is currently available for around $400.
Specifications:
- 5.2-inch IPS LCD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 424 ppi
- 2.2 GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 935 processor
- 3 GB RAM
- 16/64 GB of on-board storage, microSD expansion up to 128 GB
- 20 MP rear camera, 8 MP front camera
- Non-removable 3,100 mAh battery
- Android 5.1 Lollipop
- 143.2 x 71.9 x 8.5 mm, 157 grams
Read more
So, there you have it for this roundup of some of the best Chinese Android smartphones! Of course, there are numerous other Chinese OEMs with great devices out there, and we will be sure to keep this list updated. One thing worth keeping in mind is that if you do consider picking up any of these smartphones, don't forget to first check about network compatibility, as you may have trouble getting access to 4G LTE networks with these devices depending on your home market. If that isn't an issue, all of the smartphones listed above are fantastic options from OEMs that have been flying under the radar, and are definitely good choices to make.
Next: Best cheap Android phones
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