Chinese smartphones 2018, ranking of the 10 best in price / quality

Chinese smartphone manufacturers managed to accomplish a miracle - to break the stereotype "Chinese means cheap and low-quality." That is, cheap remains, but the quality of products from Meizu, Xiaomi and many other brands is comparable to the quality of smartphones from European and South Korean companies.

After examining the reviews and ratings that Yandex.Market users have given to various phones, and comparing the characteristics of the most popular models, we have compiled a rating of the best Chinese smartphones in 2018 in terms of value for money.

Our picks of the best smartphones of 2018:
Brand country: European (A-class); chinese; from Aliexpress.
Brand: Samsung; Xiaomi; Sony; Huawei.
Price segment, rubles: up to 5000; up to 10000; up to 15000; up to 20,000; up to 25000; up to 30,000.
Availability: inexpensive; most expensive.
Characteristics: push-button; best camera; camera + battery; protected.
Trends: new items of the year; the most anticipated.

10. Honor 9

The average price is 21 390 rubles.

The top Chinese smartphones of 2018 are opened by a stylish and beautiful device with a sapphire blue, iridescent "body". Its 5.15-inch screen will surely appeal to those who are tired of the abundance of "spade" smartphones.

A very fast fingerprint sensor, a high-performance HiSilicon Kirin 960 chip, a large amount of RAM (from 4 to 6 GB, depending on the version), as well as 64 to 128 GB of internal memory make the Honor 9 the preferred choice in the price range from 20 to 25 thousand rubles.

The dual rear cameras feature a 12MP RGB sensor and an additional 20MP monochrome sensor. The latter is mainly needed to add depth and nuance to the photo.

Pros:

• Attractive price.
• Unusual appearance.
• Good camera compared to devices in the same price range.
• There is NFC.
• Very loud speaker.

Minuses:

• The battery only lasts for a day of work.
• The camera lacks optical stabilization.
• Very slippery body, you can't do without a cover.

9.OnePlus 3T

Average cost - 25 490 rubles

The first but not the last OnePlus among the best Chinese phones. Compared to its popular predecessor OnePlus 3, the “T” model has a darker gray finish and more storage space - a maximum of 128GB. The manufacturer did not skimp on the RAM - 6 GB.

In addition, the 3T boasts a faster Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, a larger 3400mAh battery, and a better front camera. The rear 16-megapixel camera also does not cause complaints from users.

The 3T battery still uses OnePlus proprietary charging technology, which quickly charges the battery without overheating. A full charge takes about 1 hour 35 minutes.

Pros:

• Fast processor.
• A minimum of unnecessary software.
• Convenient location of the fingerprint scanner.

Minuses:

• No memory card slot.

• Slippery and thin body.
• The camera has few settings.

8. Meizu Pro 7

The average price is 18 950 rubles.

There are few devices with a second screen in the mobile market. It is designed to provide more space on the main screen for the applications you need.

The second display of Pro 7 will broadcast the forecast of time and weather and will show the incoming alerts. The main display has a size of 5.2 inches, making the smartphone easy to fit even in a small pocket. However, you will definitely need a transparent and durable case.

The rear camera is double - 12/12 MP - and takes very high quality, detailed pictures in any light.

Chipset MediaTek Helio P25, installed in Meizu Pro 7, refers to processors of average performance and is optimized for work on mobile devices with a dual camera - for processing images from color and black and white sensors.

The 3000 mAh battery lasts for a day under high load.

Depending on the version of the smartphone, it has either 64 GB or 128 GB of internal memory, and 4 GB of RAM.

Pros:

• Very low price with good performance.
• Unusual design.
• Convenient second screen.
• Superb display with vibrant colors.

• Instant fingerprint sensor.

Minuses:

• No memory card slot.
• Slippery body.
• No NFC.

7. Xiaomi Mi Mix 2

It costs, on average, 28,950 rubles.

The luxurious 5.99-inch smartphone has a dazzling edge-to-edge display. Its cool ceramic lid collects all fingerprints, but it's also scratch-resistant and fits comfortably in your hand.

Mi Mix 2 does not have a dual camera, which is found on almost all the flagship novelties of Chinese smartphones in 2018. It has a single 12MP rear camera that takes very good, clear and bright shots in full light and mediocre ones at night. One of the main drawbacks of the front-facing 5MP camera is that you have to turn the phone upside down to take a selfie.

Mi Mix 2 is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, so even "heavy" games run without lags. For programs, 6 GB of memory is provided, and for user files - from 64 to 256 GB.

The smartphone has a 3400 mAh non-removable battery, and the operating time under full load reaches 15 hours.

Pros:

• Frameless design.
• High performance.
• Affordable price.

• The set includes an excellent case.

Minuses:

• Poor location of the front camera.
• The main camera is not as good as other flagships.
• There is no 3.5 jack, although there is an adapter.

• No memory card slot.

6. OnePlus 5T

The average price is 29,580 rubles.

If you've owned a OnePlus 5 before, the “T” version will look very familiar at first glance. The appearance of the smartphone has not changed much compared to its predecessor. The chic aluminum back cover, painted in three layers, has a pleasant surface and is relatively resistant to fingerprints.

The display of the novelty shows the greatest difference with the previous model. The diagonal of the screen has grown from 5.5 to 6 inches, and the aspect ratio has been changed to the more fashionable 18: 9.

The OnePlus 5T comes with a new face recognition feature to unlock your phone. Not all the best Chinese smartphones of 2018 can boast of this feature. Moreover, this function works almost lightning fast, even in the dark. You can also unlock the OnePlus 5T using a traditional fingerprint sensor.

The Snapdragon 835 is installed as a processor in the OnePlus 5T, and the RAM is already 8 GB (in the version with 128 GB) or 6 GB (in the version with 64 GB).

The rear camera is dual - 16/20 MP, providing excellent images even in poor lighting conditions. It has a Pro mode with manual customization. And the 16MPl front sensor from Sony (IMX371) and f / 2.0 aperture makes great selfies, although, according to experts, it tends to overexpose in bright light.

The 3300 mAh battery is designed for a day and a half of intensive work.

Pros:

• Incredibly fast.
• Very attractive display.
• Nice cameras.
• Long battery life.

Minuses:

• No stereo speakers.
• No moisture protection.
• No memory card slot.

5. Meizu M6 Note

The average cost is 14,040 rubles.

M6 Note is a budget 5.5-inch phone that does not strive to impress with either its appearance or the latest features. Instead, it offers a sweet spot in both functionality and cost.

Despite the average components - Snapdragon 625, 16/32/64 GB of memory and 3 or 4 GB of RAM, the speed of the M6 ​​Note in solving everyday tasks is comparable to many flagships of 2018... In addition, this device with a 4000 mAh battery has an excellent battery life - up to 14.5 hours of continuous video playback.

The main dual camera of the M6 ​​Note with a resolution of 12/5 MP, or rather its portrait mode with bokeh effect, deserves special praise. It goes beyond what you would expect for the price. Perhaps this is because Note tends to create smooth transitions between focus areas and out of focus areas.

Pros:

• Very fast fingerprint scanner.

• Loud, juicy and clear sound from the speaker.
• Very fast charging.
• There is a slot for expanding memory.
• There is a headphone jack.

Minuses:

• The camera does not have an auto HDR mode.
• All buttons are placed on one side, which is why there are often false presses.
• The body is very slippery.
• No NFC.

4. Xiaomi Mi6

You can buy, on average, 22,290 rubles.

In the rating of Chinese smartphones 2018 in terms of price and quality, there are a lot of models from Xiaomi. This is not surprising, since the brand is known for its inexpensive and highly competitive products.

What can the 5.15-inch Xiaomi Mi6 boast of? A sleek glass and stainless steel body and a very eye-catching blue / gold version (with 128GB of storage). NFC, Qualcomm's fast Snapdragon 835 chip, six gigabytes of RAM, and 64 or 128 GB of storage for user data. The 3350 mAh battery provides two days of work with an average load.

One of the key features of the Mi 6 is its dual 12MP camera. Although this is not the first smartphone from Xiaomi to feature a dual camera, the Mi6 version has a portrait mode for the first time.

It works the same way as on the iPhone 7 Plus: you stand in front of the lens and let the phone apply the effect you want. It's much easier than previous Xioami models like the Redmi Pro, which allowed you to adjust the depth of field after shooting.

Pros:

• Thanks to its powerful hardware, this flagship phone competes on an equal footing with the Galaxy S8 and iPhone 8.
• Very fast fingerprint scanner.
• Very loud stereo speakers.
• Great dual camera.

Minuses:

• The mirrored body looks great but is very slippery.
• No memory card slot.
• No wireless charging.

3. Huawei Nova 2

It is sold, on average, for 17,312 rubles.

At just 6.9mm thin and 143 grams, this small 5-inch smartphone is one of the smallest mobile devices on the market. At this size, the device's screen offers very bright images in everyday use. Its color reproduction is pleasant and natural.

Among the features of the Huawei Nova 2 is the presence of a very fast fingerprint sensor, around which there is a barely perceptible ring. This makes it easier for your finger to find the scanner.

The HiSilicon Kirin 659 processor has four fast and four slow Cortex A53 cores with a maximum clock speed of 2.36 GHz. With 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, this is more than enough for most games and applications.

The bottom of the Nova 2 is equipped with a high quality mono speaker.

The Nova 2 has a dual rear camera (12/8 MP). Both sensors are color, and this model does not have a monochrome sensor, as in the P and Mate series. However, the Nova 2 takes very good photos, which can be enhanced with bokeh. Portraits have their own special mode, and photos have vivid colors and fine details.

A special pride of the smartphone is the front camera with a resolution of 20 megapixels and the default background blur effect.

Pros:

• Excellent design and small dimensions.
• Very comfortable in the hand.

• Very fast fingerprint sensor.
• Intuitive and user-friendly EMUI 5.1 shell.

Minuses:

• The battery is only 2950 mAh.
• No NFC.

• In the latest games, the phone heats up, which may cause "freezes".

2. Xiaomi Mi Max 2

It is offered, on average, for 13 300 rubles.

Arguably the best Chinese smartphone of 2018 for those who choose a big screen gadget.

Mi Max 2 with 6.44 inch display is a unique device that combines the capabilities of a smartphone and the size of a portable tablet. The 5300 mAh battery provides an incredible battery life - up to 3-4 days.

The Mi Max 2 phablet is equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (a very popular chipset for smartphones in this price segment), 4 GB of RAM and 32 to 256 GB of internal storage. Thanks to this, the smartphone feels great even with a large number of open applications and does not slow down in games with "heavy" graphics.

The Mi Max 2 also supports Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0 and parallel charging. It only takes 2 hours to fully charge.

The weak point of the gadget is its 12-megapixel rear camera with f / 2.2 aperture. It allows you to take pictures with good color and contrast in daylight. But with a lack of lighting, the pictures come out mediocre.

Pros:

• Impressive design and build quality.

• Incredible battery life.
• Decent performance.
• It is possible to expand the storage for files.
• Stereo speakers have very loud sound.

Minuses:

• Average camera performance.
• No NFC.

1.Xiaomi Redmi 4X

The average cost is 9,990 rubles.

If you are thinking about which Chinese smartphone to choose in 2018, we recommend that you first of all pay attention to Xiaomi Redmi 4X. He got the first place in our top 10 not only because of the low price.

In appearance, the Redmi 4X does not resemble a budget device. Its body is made of metal, has rounded corners and fits nicely in the hand. At the same time, the smartphone weighs only 150 grams, and its thickness is 8.7 mm, which is comparable to 8 mm in Samsung S8 and 7.7 mm in iPhone X.

The smartphone has a 5-inch IPS screen that occupies 70% of the phone's surface.

The Redmi 4X is equipped with 16, 32 or 64 GB of storage for user files, 3 GB of RAM, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 chipset clocked at 1.4 GHz and an Adreno 505 GPU. The chip was released alongside the ex-flagship Snapdragon 625 in 2016. Comparing the two, the 435 is marginally better than the 625 in terms of price and energy efficiency.

One of the clear advantages of the phone is the presence of a 4100 mAh battery. In what other smartphone for 10 thousand rubles you will find a similar capacity?

The device is also equipped with Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0 and fully charges in less than 3 hours.

When you think of a budget smartphone, you probably think of an inferior camera, "just to be." But this is not about 4X. The smartphone has a 13-megapixel camera with f / 2.0 aperture, PDAF (phase detection autofocus) and LED flash. Of course, the offspring of Xiaomi is far from the recognized leaders of the camera phone market, such as the Google Pixel 2, but the pictures are quite decent.

Pros:

• There is a slot for a memory card.
• Powerful battery.
• Energy efficient processor.

• Excellent build quality.

Minuses:

• The screen resolution is not Full HD, but just HD.
• The sound, as one of the users put it, is "on the C grade with a plus."
• When you need to take a photo close up, autofocus works slowly.

• There is no illumination of the navigation keys.
• No NFC.

But even considering all the above disadvantages, Xiaomi Redmi 4X is the best Chinese phone in terms of price-performance ratio.