Best Chinese smartphones in 2023: 10 favourite picks

Life without smartphones is quite hard to imagine for anyone. Smartphones have become as necessary as food and water for most of us. Be it for personal use, or professional, the livelihood and well-being of most people depend on a good smartphone. Additionally, smartphone gaming is becoming a profession for some and an exciting hobby for most. This requires the smartphone to be up to date with new technologies. To cater to all these requirements, smartphones are becoming increasingly expensive.

Hence it is time to look for better cost-effective options. It is common knowledge that Chinese smartphones are a lot cheaper than others. Although it is less expensive, the quality, however, is maintained. Nowadays, many Chinese smartphone brands have also become tough competitors for other mainstream ones. With these smartphone brands offering many advanced features and higher build quality in wallet happy rates, many consumers are opting for them. Be it a flagship OnePlus smartphone or a more budget-friendly Redmi phone; there is a smartphone for every consumer.

Many Chinese brands offer innovative technologies on their phones, such as Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos audio or Harman speakers. This makes them an attractive option for many consumers. Today, we will list the best among the plethora of options based on technologies used, user ratings, price and more.

1. OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G

This smartphone is among the most affordable yet feature-packed among Chinese smartphones in India. It has a mammoth 5000mAh battery that lasts long gaming or streaming hours, with 33W SUPERVOOC fast charging support. With its 64MP AI triple camera setup, bokeh portrait shoots are more realistic with finer details. It also has a Dual View Video option to record video with the help of both front and back cameras simultaneously.

A hefty 6.59" 120Hz display with energy-saving LCD makes viewing FHD+ content a delight yet not hugely draining the battery. It has 128GB of storage that could be extended up to 1 TB. It is one of the top-rated Chinese smartphones on Amazon currently. For all those looking for an affordable yet powerful smartphone, this is the one for you.

Specifications

• Brand: OnePlus
• OS: OxygenOS 12.1
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G
• Display: 6.59 Inches; 120 Hz Refresh Rate
• Rear Camera: 64MP; 2MP Depth Lens and 2MP Macro Lens
• Front Camera: 16MP
• RAM and Storage: 6 GB, 128 GB

2. Vivo T1x

This phone comes with a high-performance, power-efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor providing ultimate performance. A 6.58” Super FHD+ display makes for ultra-clear visuals. For all gaming enthusiasts, this phone comes with a four-layer super cooling system to handle the heat, offering brilliant and smooth gameplay. Its 5000mAh massive battery makes for more prolonged uninterrupted usage. With its 50MP fantastic night camera, photos and videos are of high quality, whether in day or night lighting conditions. This smartphone is an excellent option for game lovers.

Specifications

• Brand: Vivo
• OS: Android 12
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 680
• Rear Camera: 50MP; 2MP Macro Lens
• Front Camera: 8MP
• RAM and Storage: 4 GB, 64 GB

3. OnePlus 11 5G

This flagship phone comes with the latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2 processor with 16GB RAM to offer smooth and lag-free operation. A 6.7” AMOLED display with QHD resolution and Dolby vision support creates a delightful viewing experience. A Hasselblad triple camera system provides the images' hyper-real colour and HDR clarity. There is also a dual-camera video option to record both front and back cameras simultaneously, which makes this ideal for many bloggers.

Specifications

• Brand: OnePlus
• OS: OxygenOS 13
• Chipset: Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2
• Display: 6.7 Inches; 120 Hz Refresh Rate
• Rear Camera: 50MP; 48MP Ultra-wide Lens and 32MP Telephoto Lens
• Front Camera: 16MP
• RAM and Storage: 16 GB, 256 GB

4. Xiaomi 12 Pro 5G

This is one of the high-end Chinese smartphones on Amazon. A large 6.73" WQHD AMOLED display in conjunction with Dolby vision and HDR10+ technologies makes this a true showstopper display. Added microlens technology improves light emission efficiency and reduces power consumption by 9%. A Harmon/Kardon tuning for the quad stereo speakers gives a wholesome sound experience. In addition, Dolby Atmos support makes for high-resolution audio. With a triple 50MP camera setup have brilliant photos in Ultra-wide angle, wide angle or telephoto shots. All in all, this feature-packed smartphone is for those who love photography.

Specifications

• Brand: Xiaomi
• OS: MIUI 13, Android 12
• Chipset: Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
• Display: 6.73 Inches; 120 Hz Refresh Rate
• Rear Camera: 50MP; 50MP Ultra-wide Lens and 50MP Telephoto Lens
• Front Camera: 32MP
• RAM and Storage: 12 GB, 256 GB

5. Redmi K50i 5G

With this smartphone, you can enjoy seamless gaming and high-performance multitasking due to its MediaTek Dimensity 8100 processor. It comes with 6.6” FHD+ with 144Hz maximum refresh rate along with Dolby Vision support producing accurate and vibrant colours. The dual stereo speaker with Dolby Atmos support creates an immersive sound experience. This phone also has a massive 5080mAh battery and 67W TurboCharge to keep the phone working for longer hours. You can also enjoy flagship haptics using the X-axis vibration motor in this smartphone. Overall, this performance-heavy affordable smartphone is an ideal choice for many people.

Specifications

• Brand: Redmi
• OS: MIUI 13, Android 12
• Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 8100
• Display: 6.6 Inches; 144 Hz Refresh Rate
• Rear Camera: 64MP; 8MP Ultra-wide Lens and 2MP Macro Lens
• Front Camera: 16MP
• RAM and Storage: 8 GB, 256 GB

6. realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G

This is one of the high-performance smartphones in this price range because of its advanced MediaTek Dimensity 920 5G processor. A 6.4" Super AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate makes for high-quality visuals. In addition, the enormous 5000mAh battery lasts longer on one charge for uninterrupted gaming or streaming. With its 48MP triple camera, you can capture vivid and ultra-clear pictures. It also comes with an on-screen fingerprint scanner, a unique feature in this segment and price. To sum it up, this is an excellent pocket-friendly Chinese smartphone.

Specifications

• Brand: realme
• OS: Android 12
• Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 920
• Display: 6.4 Inches; 90 Hz Refresh Rate
• Rear Camera: 48MP; 8MP Ultra-wide Lens and 2MP Macro Lens
• Front Camera: 16MP
• RAM and Storage: 8 GB, 128 GB

7. Oppo A78 5G

This affordable smartphone comes with a 6.56” display with a 90Hz refresh rate providing colour-rich visuals. The large 5000mAh battery with 33W SuperVOOC charging makes for long-lasting battery usage and easy charging. With its 50MP AI camera taking a crystal-clear and high-resolution picture is a piece of cake. In addition, dual stereo speakers provide impressive audio. It also comes with the latest Android 13 OS, so the phone stays relevant for longer.

Specifications

• Brand: Oppo
• OS: Android 13
• Chipset: MediaTek 5G
• Display: 6.56 Inches; 90 Hz Refresh Rate
• Rear Camera: 50MP; 2MP Potrait Lens
• Front Camera: 8MP
• RAM and Storage: 8 GB, 128 GB

8. Vivo Y16

This is one of the few budget-friendly smartphones with a lot of features. With its Mediatek MT6765 Helio P35 processor, multitasking is smoother and faster. A dual-camera setup with 13MP primary camera captures stunning pictures and video. It also comes with a sizeable 50000mAh battery to last you longer.

Specifications

• Brand: Vivo
• OS: ‎ Android 12
• Chipset: Mediatek MT6765 Helio P35
• Display: 6.51 Inches
• Rear Camera: 13MP; 2MP Macro Lens
• Front Camera: 5MP
• RAM and Storage: 4 GB, 64 GB

9. Redmi 10A

It is one of the affordable smartphones with exciting and high-performance features. This comes with MediaTek Helio G25 octa-core processor for good efficiency and performance. In addition, with the RAM booster, the device's RAM can be boosted up to 5GB, making it a high-performance smartphone at this price. It also offers impressive battery backup with a 5000mAh battery. With a 13MP AI camera, taking good-quality pictures is extremely easy.

Specifications

• Brand: Redmi
• OS: ‎MIUI 12.5
• Chipset: MediaTek Helio G25
• Display: 6.53 Inches
• Rear Camera: 13P
• Front Camera: 5MP
• RAM and Storage: 4 GB, 64 GB

10. Redmi A1

This super affordable smartphone comes with a unique leather textured design, making it smudge-free and stylish. MediaTek Helio A22 processor for smooth multitasking capability also powers it. With a dual 8MP AI camera, taking amazing photos is no hassle. Additionally, an Android GO OS makes for a clean android experience without bloatware. It also comes with a massive 5000mAh battery to ensure longer times between charges.

Specifications

• Brand: Redmi
• OS: ‎Android Go
• Chipset: MediaTek Helio A22
• Display: 6.52 Inches
• Rear Camera: 8 MP Dual Camera
• Front Camera: 5MP
• RAM and Storage: 2 GB, 32 GB

Top three features for you

Best overall product

With a stunning design and curved AMOLED Display, the Xiaomi 12 Pro is the best smartphone in this segment and price. It also has many other exciting features, such as Harmon/Kardon audio, triple 50MP rear cameras, advanced Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processors and many more.

Best value for money

Without any questions, Redmi K50i 5G is the best one for this. It has the latest Android 13 and 144Hz Fluid Dolby Vision display and is priced at Rs. 26,999 for the 8GB RAM version. Undoubtedly worth every penny with all these and many more features.

How to find the perfect Chinese smartphone to buy?

Before buying any Chinese smartphone, the first thing to do is to look for the most common and popular brands and check out their reviews. The next step is to know your requirements. Whether you need a smartphone with a large capacity or a good camera or should it have a high-performance processor. Decide this based on your usage. After you have your requirements look for the products matching them within your budget.