With the large amount of flagships coming out these weeks you might want to wait a little longer before getting a new high-end phone. If you cannot wait though, here’s a list with the 5 best Chinese phones now on sale for less than $500!
Best Chinese Phones for Under $500
1. Xiaomi Mi 10T
Let’s kick off with the Xiaomi Mi 10T, an ordinary looking phone with a gaming heart under the hood. The Mi 10T does indeed pack the last gen flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 CPU along with an extra high refresh rate 144Hz panel with a size 6.67-inch and FHD+ resolution. Thus you’ll get a silky smooth gaming experience with no compromises on the look of the device, unlike other gaming phones.
You’ll also be able to enjoy photography with its main 64MP sensor, paired with a 13MP ultra wide lens and a 5MP macro camera. Meanwhile in the front we find a single 20MP selfie snapper.
Finally, the Xiaomi Mi 10T packs a quite large 5000 mAh battery with suport for 33W fast charging; it has NFC and an IR emitter.
Best Chinese Phones for Under $500
2. Honor Play 4 Pro
More of a photography lover? Then the Honor Play 4 Pro is a great option to consider. Honor’s flagship is indeed equipped with some high-end camera hardware including a primary 40MP Sony IMX600 large size sensor with f/1.8 aperture paired with an 8MP 3X periscope camera; both featuring OIS (optical image stabilization). For selfies, we have a 32MP selfie snapper and a secondary 8MP ultra wide lens.
The Honor Play 4 Pro is also a solid performer with the powerful Huawei Kirin 990 chipset; coupled with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage (expandable).
Finally, the smartphone is fueled by a 4200mAh capacity battery with support for 40W fast charging and sports an NFC module.
3. Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G
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If you’re willing to give up some flagship horse power in order to save a couple hundred dollars, the Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G is definitely an option to consider. For around $300 or less you do indeed get a still very powerful Snapdragon 750 CPU with 5G functionalities; 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage (expandable).
The more affordable Note 9 Pro 5G by Redmi also manages to pack 6.67-inch display with a refresh rate of 120Hz and 240Hz touch sampling.
As for photography, the smartphone adotps a whopping 108MP Samsung main sensor, an 8MP ultra wide angle lens, 2MP portrait and 2MP macro cameras. For selfies we have a single 16MP snapper.
Other features include a 4820mAh capacity battery, 33W fast charging, NFC, 3.5mm audio jack and an infrared emitter.
Best Chinese Phones for Under $500
4. Realme Q2
Similarly to the Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G, the Realme Q2 is another smartphone that won’t make you regret going with a mid-to-high range chipset. The MediaTek Dimensity 800U CPU inside the Realme Q2 is indeed quite powerful and is coupled with a 6.5-inch Full HD+ display sporting 120Hz refresh rate and 180Hz touch response rate.
As for the cameras, in the punch-hole at the front we have a 16MP selfie snapper; meanwhile on the back, we have a main 48MP camera, paired with an 8MP ultra wide lens and a 2MP depth sensor.
Finally, the Realme Q2 boasts a quite large 5000mAh juice pack with support for a 30W fast charging.
5. Ulefone Armor 10 5G
Last but not least, we have one of the few rugged phones to ever get in the top 5 under $500 – the Ulefone Armor 10 5G. Ulefone’s latest rugged phone is indeed the smartphone to buy if you value toughness more than anything else while still expecting an above average user experience.
In fact, under the rugged body, the Armor 10 5G packs a MediaTek Dimensity 800, thus bringing 5G connectivity, along with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage (expandable).
The smartphone also features a large 6.67-inch display with Full HD+ resolution and punch-hole in the center within which we find a 16MP selfie snapper. As for the rear cameras, we have a main 64MP sensor, paired with an 8MP ultra wide, a 5MP macro and a 2MP depth sensors.
Other specs include a large 5800mAh capacity battery with support for 15W wireless charging and NFC features.
Check out our sub $200 list if you’re on a tighter budget!
