Best Chinese Phone For 2021

Best Chinese Phone For 2021 - Your Choice Way

Chinese phones offer incredible value for money. Here are the best Chinese phones you can buy in the UK in 2021.

Buying from China often gets a bad rap: we've all got stories of times we've bought something online and received something entirely different in its place or, worse, the item doesn't arrive at all. But don't tar Chinese tech with the same brush: Chinese phones now top all our major smartphone charts.

While Huawei without Google services is no longer the attractive proposition it once was in the UK, many other Chinese brands have stepped up to fill its place. From Xiaomi to OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Vivo and others, these phones typically offer incredible value for money, with the premium build quality and feature set you'd expect from the top Android phones, but at a price point much lower.

Below we've assembled some of the best Chinese phones you can buy in the UK today. If these prices are above your budget, also check out some of the best budget Chinese phones.

1. Oppo Find X3 Pro

1. Oppo Find X3 Pro
Pros
  • Best-in-class display
  • Excellent battery life
  • Phenomenal cameras
Cons
  • No periscope lens
  • Some performance throttling
£1,099 (about $1,500)

The Find X3 Pro is deliriously expensive and not ashamed of it. But if you are willing to spend this kind of money, right now it is exactly where we would spend it. The display is the best around, the charging speeds and battery life are both exceptional, and the core specs are hard to fault - though we're hoping firmware updates will shore up the shaky thermals a little.

The camera will be a large part of the appeal here, and Oppo’s struck a smart balance. The main and ultrawide lenses excel, and though some will miss the periscope, the included telephoto is great at lower zoom levels. Our only real hesitation is the microlens - fun to play around with, but you do have to wonder how much it adds to the overall cost of the hardware, and how often you’re really likely to use it.


2. Xiaomi Mi 11

2. Xiaomi Mi 11
Pros
  • Fast performance
  • Great camera
  • Attractive design
  • Phenomenal value
Cons
  • MIUI still sorta sucks
  • No IP rating
  • No telephoto camera
From €749 (around $900)

The Mi 11 is a fantastic bit of hardware for the price. The fastest chipset around, a beautiful display, and strong cameras are all packaged within a lovely bit of industrial design.

Some will miss the IP rating, though for me the bigger downsides are the choice of a macro over a telephoto lens, the only average battery life, and a software experience that still lags behind the key rivals.

Read our full Xiaomi Mi 11 review

3. OnePlus Nord 2

3. OnePlus Nord 2
Pros
  • Excellent software
  • Great design
  • Strong all-rounder
Cons
  • Only 90Hz display
  • Slightly thick
Unavailable in the US

An outstanding follow-up to 2020's best mid-range phone, with great performance, 5G, OnePlus's signature Oxygen OS user experience, and a near-flagship main camera. What's not to love?

What the OnePlus Nord 2 really demonstrates is the company's ability to prioritise the features that users are looking for right now and wrapping them up in an attractive package with a compelling price point.

The Nord 2 misses out on flagship niceties like wireless charging and waterproofing, but those are really the only compromises made here.

Read our full OnePlus Nord 2 review

4. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra

4. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
Pros
  • Incredible specs and display
  • Powerful camera
  • 67W charging
Cons
  • Ugly, over-sized camera module
  • Big and heavy
  • MIUI not for everyone
Unavailable in the US

The Mi 11 Ultra packs some of the absolute best hardware out there, from top internal specs to a powerful camera, beautiful display, and fast charging using both wired and wireless methods.

There are down sides though. The sheer price is an obvious one, as is the fact there is no promise of software updates, but honestly the design is a bigger flaw. The Mi 11 Ultra is not only big, but thanks to the ungainly camera module it is also simply quite ugly.


5. OnePlus 8 Pro

5. OnePlus 8 Pro
Pros
  • Finally adds waterproofing
  • 30W wireless charging
  • Excellent camera
Cons
  • No telephoto camera
  • large build
$899 (8GB/128GB) | $999 (12GB/256GB)

OnePlus has now released its OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro, but this older model remains the best in our opinion.

The OnePlus 8 Pro was arguably the company's first full flagship, finally incorporating long-requested features like wireless charging and an IP68 waterproof rating to make it a genuine contender with Samsung's top flagships.

Understandably the price has gone up accordingly, but it still represents serious value by flagship standards, and you will save at least some money by opting for OnePlus over most other manufacturers. (The OnePlus costs less still, though you'll have to give up a few features and downgrade the display and cameras.)

The 8 Pro camera is OnePlus' best yet, and while it still lags behind rivals slightly in software the hardware is among the best around, which has helped to close the gap considerably. Throw in 5G, a great design, and the best Android skin around and the OnePlus 8 Pro is easy to recommend to anyone who can afford it.

Read our full OnePlus 8 Pro review

6. ZTE Axon 30 Ultra

6. ZTE Axon 30 Ultra
Pros
  • Incredible camera
  • Stunning screen
  • Svelte design
  • Great value
Cons
  • No wireless charging
  • No microSD slot
From $749

The ZTE Axon 30 Ultra is a stunning proposition and offers buckets of value. It’s a genuinely exciting flagship smartphone in practically every department: it’s lightweight, feels great in the hand, the 144Hz 6.67in AMOLED display is detailed and crisp, the Snapdragon 888 allows it to perform like a gaming phone and, well, that camera setup is incredible.

Comprised of three 64Mp snappers and a 5x telescope lens, the Axon 30 Ultra’s rear camera offering is versatile, and unlike some, images captured across all sensors are comparable in terms of quality, detail and colour balance.

There are plenty of creative shooting modes available to make the most of the system, and it caters to videographers with 8K@30fps video recording too.

The results are comparable to those taken on ultra-premium smartphones like the Galaxy S21 Ultra and iPhone 12 Pro, but with one key difference – it’s hundreds of pounds/dollars cheaper.

The software could do with a visual tweak here and there and there's no wireless charging, but those are minor complaints in what is an otherwise phenomenal 2021 flagship.


7. Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro

7. Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro
Pros
  • Phenomenal performance
  • Big 120Hz display
  • Long-lasting battery
Cons
  • Big and bulky
  • No 5G
  • Average camera
From £229 (around $320)

The Poco X3 Pro is a phone designed for Android gamers or power users on a budget, though it might also appeal to those who want to go big on specs in order to futureproof their phone.

If pure performance isn’t your priority, then you can find phones that are slimmer and lighter, with better camera performance, for around the same price.

What you won’t find is any phone that can match this pound for pound right now. This is near-flagship processing power in one of the cheapest phones on the market, and it’s almost ludicrous that Xiaomi has pulled it off.


8. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro

8. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
Pros
  • Stunning 120Hz AMOLED display
  • Long battery life
  • Excellent cameras
Cons
  • No 5G
  • No OIS
  • Huge camera bump
  • MIUI not for everyone
$379

The Redmi Note 10 Pro is one of the best budget phones you can buy, with Xiaomi delivering exceptional value for money.

Highlights here start with the stunning screen offering AMOLED technology and a 120Hz refresh rate, and continue with an excellent set of cameras. The headline is a 108Mp whopper which is backed up by a reasonable ultra-wide and a surprisingly decent telemacro.

There are smaller delights too such as the inclusion of a headphone jack, Arc fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers and even an IR blaster. Battery life is also strong (Xiaomi includes a 33W charger in the box), and core specs are decent with a Snapdragon 732G ensuring smooth performance.

Our only real gripe is a lack of support for 5G.


9. Realme X50 Pro

9. Realme X50 Pro
Pros
  • Impressively affordable
  • Incredible performance
  • 65W charging
Cons
  • Not waterproof
  • Camera setup could be improved
N/A

Realme's first 5G flagship (and second-ever flagship phone) is an impressively affordable device that doesn't skimp on high-end specs and features.

The Realme X50 Pro forgoes aspects like IP water resistance and a thin body, but in return sports the latest and greatest Snapdragon 865 chipset, 5G, up to 12GB of RAM, fast UFS 3.0 storage and insane 65W 'SuperDart' fast charging, which delivers 60% charge in just 15 minutes and a full charge in only 35.

Best of all, the X50 Pro costs around half that of most top-tier Android flagships.

Read our full Realme X50 Pro review

10. Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC

10. Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC
Pros
  • 120Hz display
  • 2-day battery life
  • Excellent camera
  • Powerful
Cons
  • Thick and heavy
  • MIUI can be clunky
  • Unreliable fingerprint scanner
From £199 (around $250)

The Poco X3 isn’t perfect. The big battery makes it bulky, we don’t love the aesthetic, and not everyone will find MIUI 12 immediately intuitive. For the most part these are small complaints though, especially when stacked up against the X3’s myriad strengths: strong specs, an excellent camera, a beautiful display, and absolutely fantastic battery life.

The fact that you can get all of that for under £200 is almost unbelievable, and makes the Poco X3 a shoo-in for the best budget phone of the year.


11. Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G

11. Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
Pros
  • Respectable peformance
  • Impressively thin and light
  • Feature-packed
Cons
  • MIUI can be unintuitive
  • Better value elsewhere
  • No water resistance
£399

While the standard 4G-only Mi 11 Lite is already an impressive feat of engineering, thanks to its slim profile, the fact that this 5G equivalent isn't really any thicker, larger or heavier, despite delivering even more power, is an impressive achievement in and of itself. It packs in more than just faster cellular connectivity, too, with a superior chipset and a few other extras that collectively render it a more powerful and competitive mid-range entry.

Mi 11 Lite 5G offers up a pleasingly well-rounded experience and heaps of performance for the price. However, it does occupy a crowded mid-range space, where devices are vying for interest based on standout features, without demanding flagship prices.

As such, if you're looking for the thinnest phone worth buying right now, this is it. If that waistline isn't one of the biggest driving forces behind your purchasing decision, though, there are a number of competitors for around the same money that will also fit the bill.


12. OnePlus 8T

12. OnePlus 8T
Pros
  • 120Hz display
  • 65W fast charging
  • Android 11
Cons
  • Aging camera
  • OnePlus Nord is better value
$749 (12GB/256GB)

Ignore the price and the OnePlus 8T doesn’t feel like a desperately exciting upgrade from the 8 in some respects, but compared to the more recent OnePlus 9 it's definitely where we'd put our money.

Once you realise the price has dropped the phone begins to look much more compelling. 120Hz and 65W charging are welcome upgrades, even if they’re the sort of techie features that most users likely won’t care about too much.

The software changes brought about by Android 11 are also almost all welcome, not least the always-on display.

From a hardware perspective the camera is the only real stumbling block, made worse by the decision to include the same main lens in the cheaper Nord.

And that’s really the main challenge facing the 8T: it’s good, but pound-for-pound the Nord is still better, leaving OnePlus hoisted by its own petard.

Read our full OnePlus 8T review

Today it's easier than ever to get hold of Chinese phones in the UK, with many of the big names now officially retailing here. This means you no longer need to rely on Chinese stockists such as GearBest and Geekbuying to import Chinese phones - though you will very often still find cheaper prices when you do. (Do keep in mind that when importing phones from China to the UK you are liable for import duty at 20% of the value on the shipping paperwork.)

Oppo is listed at Carphone Warehouse, while Xiaomi and OnePlus phones are often offered on contract by the UK's major mobile operators, but often when buying a Chinese phone you will need to get a SIM-free model and then pair it with a SIM-only plan. This is more cost-effective in the long run, but does mean you have to pay the full price of the phone up front.

Lower down the smartphone food chain there are countless other Chinese brands you'll likely not have heard of, for example UMIDIGI and Bluboo, Ulefone and Elefone, Oukitel and Meizu. On paper the specifications of their phones impress, but you'll often find corners are cut in the specifications to keep down prices - they might swap in lower-power MediaTek processors and large but lower-resolution displays, for example, while NFC, wireless charging and waterproofing are rare.

On the plus side, Chinese phones pretty much always support dual-SIM (dual-standby), and often will provide this in addition to expandable storage. As they strive to mimic the market leaders, design and build quality of Chinese phones tend to be very high.

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About Wanni Arachchige Udara Madusanka Perera

Hey, I'm Perera! I will try to give you technology reviews(mobile,gadgets,smart watch & other technology things), Automobiles, News and entertainment for built up your knowledge.
Best Chinese Phone For 2021 Best Chinese Phone For 2021 Reviewed by Wanni Arachchige Udara Madusanka Perera on October 05, 2021 Rating: 5

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