Let's figure out which company's smartphone is better

The smartphone market has already reached a certain level of saturation and has revealed consumer preferences, so it is quite difficult for manufacturers to stand out from the crowd. Some of them continue the “arms race”, some companies have focused on design and ergonomics, and there are others who are trying to expand their range through niche solutions. To make the review as impartial as possible, manufacturers are arranged in order of decreasing sales volumes in Russia in quantitative terms.

SAMSUNG
The most popular smartphone manufacturer

The market leader also takes first place in the number of families, lines and model series.

Flexible displays promised by Samsung that we still haven't seen.

Moreover, recently the company decided to name its smartphones in strict accordance with the “Occam’s razor” principle, i.e. without multiplying the number of marks beyond what is necessary. Well, it’s very convenient - once you figure out their positioning, and then you just navigate by year. Of course, this joke does not apply to flagships, so there is only one numerical index (at the time of updating the article - 9).

Premium segment fairly divide the S and Note model ranges. Both families are equipped with efficient Super AMOLED displays, the disadvantages of which include only a Pentile-type matrix with a characteristic ladder, and powerful hardware, whose performance is even excessive today. If we can characterize the differences between these models in a few words, the Note is designed for a stylus and has a larger display.

Behind average price category Now the Galaxy A line is solely responsible, the main talent of which is the ability to shoot well. And to emphasize this fact, the flagship model of the family was equipped with four rear cameras. So to speak, for all occasions.

Well "budget", in the understanding of SAMSUNG. The letter J rules the roost here, and the variety of variants of its “spelling” can be the envy of more than one manufacturer. The emphasis in this line is on practicality.

In the photo: Samsung Galaxy A9 2018 model

APPLE
Trendsetter in the field of high technology

The trendsetter in the field of high technologies and prices for relevant products does not need any special introduction.

Apple legend - Steve Jobs.

Stylish design, a convenient operating system of our own design, the highest quality of devices and, of course, an extensive application store make Apple phones a kind of standard of mobile devices - an object for imitation, fanatical devotion or the same radical rejection.

We won’t once again inflate the holivar about which iPhone is the best and most successful, we’ll just note that the lifespan of most Apple gadgets is really impressive and, at the time of updating the article, the sixth, seventh, and eighth model series are selling quite well.

Concerning new products. The budget niche is now occupied by the iPhone Xr. And the fact that the money asked for this model is more than enough to buy the flagship of any B-brand - fans of the apple brand will always find something to justify. In fact, we have before us exactly the same middle class that the company formally did not have before. At the same time, we still haven’t seen a replacement for the truly affordable iPhone SE.

Among the most significant changes in the 2018 Apple lineup is undoubtedly the appearance of dual-SIM iPhones. Unfortunately, domestic telecom operators do not support the eSIM version they use, and all interested parties need to look for the iPhone Xr or iPhone Xs Max for the Chinese market. Regarding the possibility of memory expansion, Apple’s fundamental (negative) position has not gone away, but the severity of this problem is gradually fading away due to the growing availability of cloud services and increasing content storage limits. In other aspects, the changes are predominantly quantitative: faster, stronger, etc.

The photo shows the Apple iPhone Xs model

HUAWEI

The Chinese company HUAWEI has recently taken third place among manufacturers in terms of smartphone sales globally, while its share continues to grow rapidly. Moreover, according to the results of the 2nd quarter of 2018, it even overtook Apple and climbed to the second step of the podium. And already in the summer, one of the company’s top managers directly stated that they would undoubtedly become “number two” next year, and maybe even displace Samsung.

Huawei production buildings.

Be that as it may, no other manufacturer has such a wide range of smartphones. On a shelf with a sign "main flagship" The Mate line of smartphones has settled - the embodiment of all the best and most advanced that Huawei had at the time of development of the next generation. Below are sequentially placed the “simpler” flagships - the older models of the P family and the Honor sub-brand. The first is achieved not by the number of representatives, but by their ability to take photographs. The strengths of the second one are its impressive design and attractive quality/price ratio. However, they also film “honors” quite decently. It is noteworthy that the company has already used all its resources to name inexpensive models of this line.

As middle class Huawei has the Nova family. Moreover, within the framework of its third generation, models on a variety of hardware platforms peacefully coexist within the same price limits.

The photo shows the Huawei Mate 20 Pro model

Budget The Huawei Y line is nothing outstanding - ordinary workhorses with their own pros and cons.

LENOVO & MOTOROLA

The smartphones of this company systematically won the sympathy of customers and are no longer associated in our minds with “overt China.” All the more offensive is the strange “crisis of the genre” that has engulfed the manufacturer, and the almost complete absence of new models. They seem to be announced, but they don’t reach the windows of our stores. The closest thing to them was an interesting device running “pure” Android, equipped with a particularly capacious battery - Motorola One Power.

The photo shows the Motorola One Power model

The fate of the former flagship line Moto Z is unclear. The former, because there are rumors that from the entire Moto family it is planned to leave only the G series on a budget (G6) or mid-level platform (as is expected for the G7), and move the leader “under the canopy” of the Lenovo brand. Again, with a downgrade. Lenovo's K and S lines will now be responsible for the segment of low-cost devices.

As for the high place in our ranking of the best smartphone manufacturers, the current position of the Lenovo & Motorola tandem was achieved by the results of the analytical agency StatCounter, according to which smartphones of these brands generate more than 5% of mobile web traffic. And what is especially interesting is that the corresponding figure is only increasing every year.

In the photo: Lenovo Vibe Fest.

XIAOMI

It’s quite a “people’s” brand, popular in Russia, delighting its fans not only with affordable price tags for the smartphones it produces, but also with the excellent technical characteristics of the devices themselves.

In the photo: presentation of 2017 models in Moscow

Moreover, as a rule, they are based on a modern component base, and not on outdated solutions. Research results from such reputable analytical centers as IDC, Gartner and Counterpoint Research indicate that Xiaomi is now the fastest growing global brand. As for smartphones, last year the company almost doubled its supply volumes, and at the same time its market share.

Pictured: new Xiaomi factory in India

It should also be noted that there is a steady increase in the overall quality of this brand’s products, although this statement does not yet apply to accompanying software. Including at the level flagships companies. But in terms of innovation, the latter can even serve as an example to follow. In particular, Mi8 with its dual-frequency GPS system, Mi Mix 3 with its practical slider design, and Black Shark with its convenient wireless gamepad. If you arrange the brand’s model ranges in descending order of “steepness,” you will get the following chain: Mi MIX - Mi - Mi Note - Mi A - Redmi Note - Redmi S - Redmi. Formally, to middle class This applies only to devices from the Mi Note line, but here you need to take into account that more than pleasant price tags significantly interfere with the correct positioning of Xiaomi products. For example, the Pocophone F1 model with its flagship hardware also falls into this price category.

At the moment, the most significant complaint about the Chinese company's smartphones is the stubborn reluctance of developers to equip their inexpensive devices with NFC modules.

BBK Electronics

This is perhaps the most difficult case in our review of the best smartphone manufacturers. Few people associate the brands OnePlus, OPPO or VIVO with the manufacturer of the most popular DVD players in the vast expanses of the former USSR (in the recent past), although this is exactly the reality. Of course, fans of brands can have their own opinion, but OPPO is a “daughter” of BBK and, at the same time, the unofficial parent company of OnePlus - so from a formal point of view, everything is correct.

If those same players were aimed primarily at our market, then the brand OPPO was created specifically for the American one. Smartphones of this brand are successful (in general, they occupy 4th place in the world in terms of sales), but are extremely poorly represented in our stores. The brand's products are distinguished by high-quality execution, the presence of unique “chips” and a fairly high cost. There are not very many current models.

In principle, until recently, it was possible to describe smartphones with similar phrases VIVO, with the only difference being that they were initially aimed at the Asian market. Now the appetite has grown (still, fifth place in sales) and the company is already well represented in our retail. It’s probably worth noting that this brand was the first to implement the idea of ​​a fingerprint scanner built directly into the smartphone display. VIVO's line positioning is simple: the Y series is responsible for relatively budget models, X for particularly thin ones, Xplay for productive ones, Xshot for camera phones and V for the middle class. Not without variations, but somewhere like that.

In the photo: VIVO Nex model with a retractable camera and a fingerprint scanner built into the display

OnePlus In general, it can be considered a brand of a single model represented by several generations. These smartphones are most often called flagship killers, meaning excellent technical characteristics, stylish design and more modest price tags. True, the latest version of OnePlus cannot be called inexpensive, even if one wants to.

LG

Back in 2014, the South Korean company developed and released 41 smartphone models. In 2018, the fingers of two hands are enough to count its new products. And if you believe the words of the vice-chairman of LG, said at the last CES exhibition, they now plan to update their assortment only as needed.

In the photo: presentation of the updated LG K8 model at CES 2018

First of all, this concerns flagship lines V and G. It is noteworthy that the company stopped searching for its own path in terms of design and construction and joined in replicating other people's ideas, including the notorious screen cutout and increasing the number of cameras. Of their developments, the audiophile sound path and the high level of security of smartphones remained untouched. Behind middle class LG’s Q series models correspond, but only the eldest of them, the “eighth”, fully corresponds to this positioning. From budget Among the brand's smartphones, the most interesting are devices with high-capacity batteries of the X Power family.

NOKIA

Past achievements and the aggressive marketing policy of the new owner still attract a lot of attention to this brand. Its place in our review of the best smartphone manufacturers was ensured by 2% of global web traffic, as well as almost four and a half million smartphones sold in 2017. According to the latest indicator, the Nokia brand has surpassed the achievements of Sony and Asus. In addition, the brand became the leader in the number of nominations received at MWC 2018.

In the photo: Nokia presentation at MWC 2018

At the same time, it must be admitted that the current Nokia does not stand out as particularly attractive. Perhaps the whole point is that we never saw the super-flagship promised a year ago. In the meantime, this role has to be played by the far from flawless Nokia 8 Sirocco. Understanding the positioning of devices from a well-known brand is as easy as shelling pears - the older the number after the name, the cooler the smartphone. And in order not to produce those very redundant entities, the manufacturer made an elegant decision - to denote the next generation of the model with a decimal index.

This is what the camera part of the Nokia 9 prototype looks like

SONY

Despite the extensive Xperia model range, SONY's market share is constantly declining. The company is looking for different ways to win back its customers, including through the fantastic characteristics of new smartphones.

All that was left was fire and copper pipes.

At least her last one budget line L1 has not gained much popularity among users, nor has middle class, represented by the XA family. We would venture to assume that SONY will follow the example of some other brands and focus exclusively on solutions top level and production of components. Whatever you say, SONY optical image sensors are a kind of standard of quality.

The only strange thing is that the “Japanese” themselves have still not been able to realize their own potential advantages. Continuity of traditions is wonderful. A peculiar angular design - okay, let it be a “trick” of the brand. What reason prevents you from installing more capacious batteries in SONY smartphones? This is practically half of the “negative”, and it was voiced a long time ago.

The photo shows the SONY Xperia XZ3 model

HTC

Another former leader with unclear prospects. HTC even stated that it plans to focus its main efforts on business areas that have little to do with smartphones. True, then there was talk of leaving only entry-level models from the market, and at the beginning of 2018 the manufacturer even made an attempt to revive its budget Desire line.

Photo: www.laphamsquarterly.org

HTC is assembled here.

On the other hand, many analysts again noted the clear discrepancy between the manufacturer’s price requests and the actual technical characteristics of these smartphones. The flagships remain, and everything is not so gloomy here. Moreover, if previously HTC’s traditional weak point was the camera, now the U12+ model occupies one of the top lines in the ranking of the authoritative resource DxOMark. An additional feature of the company's flagships continues to be Edge Sense technology, which has been updated to the second generation. But not everyone will like replacing mechanical side buttons with touch ones.

ASUS

If until relatively recently the company was content with the role of a manufacturer of mainly inexpensive smartphones for undemanding users, then its latest offerings can also interest fairly sophisticated “users.”

In the photo: presentation of the ZenFone 5 line at CES 2018

Continuing to develop the main ZenFone line, which received one of the most prestigious design awards in 2014, ASUS decided to expand its signature Republic Of Gamers family to mobile devices. The result of the developers' efforts is a very interesting ROG Phone, running on an overclocked Snapdragon 845, equipped with a cooling system with an evaporation chamber and boasting cool gaming accessories. As for the “regular” models, it is worth noting the relatively successful attempts of ASUS to gain a foothold in all significant segments. Generally speaking, the main complaints of Asusphone owners are the quality of the accompanying software.

GOOGLE

In fact, the first five “Nexuses” were complete copies of certain smartphones from different manufacturers, which were simply produced parallel to the originals, but under the Google brand.

Google Pixel 3 presentation

Starting with Nexus 6, there were no more “twins”, and the company’s products acquired their own individuality. It must be assumed that the abandonment of the “old” brand and the launch of the Pixel family were intended to rehabilitate Google as much as possible in every sense, and the recent acquisition of the HTC research division was intended to give weight as a serious figure in the smartphone market. Actually, this Taiwanese company helped in the development of the first generation of “pixels”, and also produces them at its own facilities.

It is noteworthy that the Nexus One is also the work of HTC. The situation obliges us, so it is even indecent for the main ideologist of the most popular mobile operating system to release unusable smartphones.

However, the company unpleasantly surprised everyone with the third generation Pixel. You might even think that Google designers had the task of setting a record in the disciplines of “largest unibrow” and “widest frames of 2018” (for the XL version and the basic model, respectively). But new smartphones have learned to shoot even better and make do with a single sensor.

The photo shows the Google Pixel 3 XL model

MEIZU

The company started out as a manufacturer of interesting and quite original music players, but its first smartphone (M8) imitated APPLE products to such an extent that the latter even looked for legal ways to completely ban sales of this model. Actually, certain features of iPhones are still visible, if not in the guise of devices from the Chinese brand, then in their Flame shell. However, many other smartphone models are guilty of the same thing.

Photo: meizu-m8.ru

Opening of another MEIZU brand store

MEIZU has released some really cool devices in the past, but has been going through some tough times lately. Its smartphones were superior to most competitors in terms of design and convenience, although the capabilities of the filling could be noticeably inferior to them. Fortunately for fans of the brand, the company was able to get together and release an excellent model, in every sense. So far this is only a flagship, but who knows...

Which brand's smartphone is better?

A very difficult time for manufacturers, forced to look for new ideas in the face of fierce competition and price pressure from numerous little-known companies, turns into an excellent opportunity for users to choose their own optimal smartphone option. Each smartphone manufacturer has its own strengths and weaknesses. Productive hardware, the highest image detail, stylish design, convenient software shell - everyone decides for themselves what is more important to them. The best thing about this situation is that there is such a choice.

Seeing the growing desire of consumers for powerful, yet affordable smartphones, the leading Chinese smartphone manufacturers of 2017 are continuing their expansion into Western and European markets. Companies such as Xiaomi, ZTE and Asus regularly delight users with new flagships and successfully compete with such “mastodons” of the mobile market as iPhone, Samsung, Sony, etc.

We present to our readers a list of Chinese smartphone brands, ranked based on global sales statistics and reviews users of various online stores and specialized portals about product quality.

Sales statistics of smartphones from Chinese brands, %

Xiaomi managed to take the mobile world by storm in 2014. Their flagship device Mi 4 was one of the best-selling mobile phones in history and paved the way for mid-range smartphones. At the moment, the company’s “piggy bank” includes such hits as Redmi Note 4, Mi5 and Mi Max. And in 2017, the range was replenished with the frameless Mi Mix with a 6.4-inch display and Mi Max2 with a fantastically durable 5300 mAh battery. And all this for a very affordable price.

Flagship of 2017 - Huawei P10

One of the most respected and popular brands of Chinese smartphones in 2017 is currently releasing devices with fast Kirin 960 processors. Such chipsets can handle the latest games and score about 53 thousand points in the AnTuTu test.

Also, the cameras of top-end Huawei smartphones, such as Huawei P9 and Huawei P10, received high ratings from users; they have dual cameras from the famous German manufacturer Leica and shoot, if not at the level of the latest generation iPhone, then very close to it. Many Huawei models have dual cameras with matrices from Sony, the shooting quality of which also delights the owners.

2.Vivo

Flagship 2017 - Vivo X9 Plus

Vivo was founded in 2009 as a sub-brand of BBK Electronics. The company entered the telecommunications and consumer electronics market with its landline and cordless phones. In 2011, Vivo began manufacturing and marketing its own range of smartphones.

As of Q3 2016, Vivo had a 5.9% share of the global smartphone market. In the same year, it released the V5 / V5Plus model with the world's first 20 MP dual front camera. And in July 2017, Vivo demonstrated a working prototype of a smartphone with a scanner integrated into the screen. Thanks to this innovative approach to its gadgets, the brand is unlikely to disappear from the list of popular global mobile phone manufacturers in the foreseeable future.

In June 2017, Vivo entered into an agreement with FIFA to become the official sponsor of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.

1.Oppo

Flagship 2017 - Oppo R11

In first place in the ranking of Chinese smartphone manufacturers is a relatively young company that created Oppo R5 and Oppo R5s with a 4.85 mm thick body. Oppo is the leading 4G smartphone maker in China, with a market share of 15.2%, although it is overall behind other brands such as Chinese rivals Xiaomi and Lenovo, and South Korean manufacturer Samsung.

The company's main activity is creating mobile phones with some of the best selfie cameras in the world.

There are tons of "cheap" Chinese phones out there, so what makes Oppo's products stand out?

• Firstly, the brand’s philosophy, which is to maintain very close relationships with both users and the developer communities involved in creating firmware and other “improvements” of released gadgets.
• Secondly, the company strives to update its phones on a regular basis, adding new features and changes based on the feedback received from users.
• Thirdly, Oppo engineers are not afraid to try new things and think outside the box when it comes to hardware and features.

As an example, Oppo has traditionally released various firmware updates at least once a week. While most users liked it, some also felt that the fast-changing firmware had a perpetual "beta" status. The solution was simple: Oppo now has two different sets of updates to choose from. The official release of new firmware comes out every 2-3 months. The beta path is for those who crave the latest features and don't mind a minor hit to stability in exchange for quick updates.

To summarize: the Oppo brand has great potential, produces well-made and quickly updated smartphones, takes into account the wishes of users and is an excellent alternative to more popular and expensive brands.

We have long been accustomed to the fact that Chinese equipment is a low-quality, disposable product that is assembled underground from scrap materials. In fact, this stereotype is just a myth. Nowadays, Chinese phones and tablets are high-quality, multifunctional products that can surpass many popular companies both in Russia and abroad in their practicality and quality. We cannot help but admit the fact that today many young people specifically order phones from Chinese brands, since among them there are models that are ideal in terms of price/quality ratio. We tried to figure out which Chinese phone brands are the most popular.

On 9th place brand is located JiaYu, which is the most popular among Chinese citizens themselves. In other countries, this brand is not yet in fashion, but thanks to the release of the new JiaYu G3, the brand’s position may change dramatically in Russia and European countries.

8th place the Chinese company occupies with confidence Meizu. The company is considered a leader in the production of the most powerful Chinese smartphones. Thanks to the quality, practicality, and convenience of its products, the Meizu brand is increasingly appearing in the hands of foreign owners.

On 7th place is located brand . The company's smartphones have long been familiar in the Middle Kingdom, but in small steps they are penetrating the European and Russian markets. Particularly popular are the company's older models, which have proven to be high-quality, convenient phones.

On 6th place is located a popular company in China, as well as in Russia, whose smartphones are distinguished by their high performance and varied configurations. Some of the latest smartphones from the Huawei brand are on par with the iPhone in terms of quality and functionality.

On 5th place the company is located THL, whose smartphones are leaders in display size. Thanks to the modern design, as well as adaptation to Russian and European buyers, more and more people began to buy smartphones from this company.

On 4th place is the brand ZTE. The company has established itself with new generation smartphones that have powerful processors, a large high-resolution display, and a high-quality camera with a video function. ZTE smartphones are popular mainly among young people, as they provide many opportunities that a young person needs in his busy life, at a fairly low cost.

Honorary 3rd place occupied by smartphones Zopo, which became the first smartphones with a large display. Today, Zopo produces multifunctional, high-quality smartphones with a large display, which are popular not only in China, but also in European countries.

2nd place occupied by company . The company's devices are real competitors to popular brands such as Samsung and Nokia. Lenovo smartphones surprise customers with their powerful batteries, picture quality on the display, and uninterrupted operation.

It's obvious that 1 place The company ranks among the popular Chinese phone brands CUBE. Its devices are widespread in Russia, Europe, and America in much the same way as the well-known Apple company. The company offers its customers a variety of smartphones that are distinguished by their reliable performance, large number of functions, bright large display, and capacious battery. In Russia, CUBE smartphones are already a habit; applications and websites for reviews and communication of owners are created specifically for them.

Despite the bad reputation of Chinese technology, it is important to take into account that this stereotype has long been destroyed by modern Chinese companies that produce goods comparable in quality to well-known world brands, but at the same time, the prices of such equipment are quite low. So why pay more if there is no difference?

The depreciation of the yuan has led to the fact that American products are now much more expensive on the domestic market, since they are supplied in dollars. Despite the fact that prices for Chinese-made devices from Huawei and Xiaomi have not changed. This moment has led some Chinese companies to become one of the leaders among smartphone suppliers in China.

At the same time, Chinese manufacturers are becoming more competitive in the foreign market, since against the backdrop of cheaper yuan, with which they cover expenses, they receive income in dollars. Thanks to this, they have an excellent opportunity to tightly capture foreign markets. Huawei has sold almost half of its smartphones abroad and has already set its sights on conquering the Latin American market, while Xiaomi recently began its sales in Brazil and India.

Today there are a huge number of models and types of smartphones on the market, which differ greatly in quality, price and capabilities. Therefore, when deciding to purchase such a device, we recommend paying attention not only to the cost and characteristics, but also to its manufacturer. After all, if you want to have a high-quality smartphone, then the best option would be to choose a model from a well-known manufacturer that has proven itself on the positive side.

We propose to take a closer look at some Chinese smartphone manufacturers who have not only gained their competitiveness in the production of high-quality models, but are also actively gaining sales momentum in different countries.

Xiaomi

This manufacturer was founded back in 2010 in Beijing. In 2011, the company released its first phone, expanding the sales market far beyond China, and established sales in India and some countries in Southeast Asia. Thanks to this, Xiaomi has become a threat to other regional brands. At the end of this year, the company plans to take the next step - to find buyers for its products in South America and Mexico. The company wants to sell about 100 million smartphones in a year.

What is the advantage of Xiaomi? The market price of their smartphones is 50% cheaper than, for example, Samsung. Company representatives achieve this price through mass sales online, as well as through other telephone partners. Such companies do not have their own stores, only service centers.

Xiaomi started with a minimal model range, but after some time expanded its products to smart gadgets, which cost $15, while similar products cost about $100.

OnePlus

This newest Chinese company burst onto the market in 2013. The company was inspired by the example of Xiaomi to sell its devices only online and at fairly low prices. This company became international literally from day one, unlike Xiaomi.

Due to the fact that the new brand failed with the CyanogenMod firmware, the company came up with its own version of Android - Oxygen OS. Today, OnePlus is trying to retain customers who have noticed small changes and lost the familiar CyanogenMod.

Oppo

This company has not yet achieved much success overseas. Despite this, it is trying hard to compete with Apple phones by producing a wide range of high-tech models.

Oppo is targeting the fast-growing markets of Thailand, Southeast Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines. This will undoubtedly help the company become international.

Coolpad

This company is hardly one of the most advanced Chinese brands, however, it has great success in one of the Chinese provinces, where people like to buy everything at a low price and constantly bargain. Their phones have never had a beautiful and stylish design, but today only about 13% of Chinese are psychologically ready to buy smartphones costing more than $330.

Coolpad is the fifth largest phone brand in China. This was helped by the fact that the company sold a couple of tens of millions of products last year.

Now the company is taking big steps towards conquering the market abroad, declaring itself as a competitive smartphone brand.

Meizu

The company was founded in 2003. Its first creations were MP3 players and in just three years it became one of the most famous brands of these products in China. After some time, the largest manufacturers began to produce so-called “smart” mobile phones. The era of smartphones with rich multimedia functionality has arrived. Already in 2008, the company entered the mobile gadgets market.

The M8 model made its debut among the first generation smartphones. A few years later the company expanded its activities to Israel, Russia and so on.

Today Meizu is very successfully and quite quickly gaining momentum in the sales of its quality products on the world market.

JiaYu

JiaYu was founded in 2005. The company launched its activities in the city of Shenzhen, which is located in Guangdong province. But in 2009, JiaYu moved its base to Shaanxi Province (Baoji County).

The main criterion that the company follows in its work is to produce simple, convenient, technologically advanced, modern, inexpensive and highly efficient smartphones. And regardless of the cost of products from competitors, JiaYu will cost less.

In order to understand the scale of this company's business, it should be said that the number of its workers is about 800 people.

THL

This Chinese company began its successful journey in 2002 and is located in the city of Shenzhen. In addition, THL has branches in Taiwan and Hong Kong. The company's main product is THL smartphones. They are equipped with processors from the well-known company MediaTek Inc. and modern Sharp displays.

Today, THL has 333 stores throughout China, and by the end of the year it is planned to open 33 more. The assembly of THL models is famous for its excellent quality, since the entire production process is at the highest level and is monitored by a highly qualified committee responsible for product quality.

The company's network extends across Eastern Europe, South America, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia.

THL products easily compete with well-known global brands and often outperform them due to the same functional capabilities and a much more attractive price.

ZTE

This Chinese manufacturer is one of the five large companies producing smartphones in the Chinese domestic market. A large corporation was founded in 1985 in Shenzhen.

Its representatives claim that they spend 10% of revenue annually on development and research, and that the company is able to issue licenses and patents at a breakneck pace.

In the production of its products, ZTE focuses on music functionality, as well as excellent mobile Internet speed. The manufacturer also paid attention to control using gestures.

Zopo

In a sub-provincial city in China, Zopo appeared in 2011. Despite the fact that we didn’t expect to see anything special from another company producing mobile phones, this manufacturer was able to stun with its original and unexpected marketing solutions. Their representatives gave away many models of mobile phones to their clients completely free of charge. Only after this, the company conducted research into the opinions and wishes of users about the devices and took it as the basis for the future promotion of the company’s products in the mobile phone market.

And even now, after some time, the company’s devices are equipped with a rich functional base, which its representatives are constantly modernizing and developing.

Zopo phones are high quality and surprisingly low priced, making them a pretty good buy.

Lenovo

Lenovo was founded in 1984 in Beijing. Of course, one of the company's most important products was the computer. But for several years now, Lenovo has gained wide publicity among lovers of Chinese mobile phones.

The company entered the smartphone market in 2012 and very quickly transformed into a major supplier in China.

Today, Lenovo is famous for the development and production of tablets, computers, electronic storage devices and servers, smart TVs and software.

Lenovo continues to delight its users with the production of new products in the field of mobile devices and improve its approach to the development of each model.

For many years, the mobile phone market was dominated by so-called A-brands like Samsung, Apple, LG, etc. Chinese smartphones were rightly considered too low-quality, low-power and ugly. But by 2017 the situation changed dramatically. Brands such as Xiaomi have managed to raise the quality bar to the level of global giants, while maintaining a low cost. Yes, there are still cheap semi-basement companies, but there are also enough of those that could be safely recommended. It is the latter that will be discussed in the traditional rating. But first, let's remember the most famous and reliable manufacturers.

The best Chinese smartphone manufacturers

"Huawei"- one of the world's largest manufacturers of mobile devices in the middle and premium price segments. From 2007 to 2015, the company’s revenue increased 5 times, and today more than 170 thousand people work for the benefit of the company. Huawei smartphones are famous for their rich hardware, excellent build quality and innovative solutions.

"Lenovo" is a Chinese computer company registered back in 1984. In the 21st century, the company was actively gaining popularity all over the world and today is one of the leaders in the production of tablets, smartphones and laptops. In 2014, the company bought out Motorola Mobility, a well-known manufacturer of mobile devices and software for the Android OS.

"Xiaomi"- the brand entered the Russian market only in 2014, but has already managed to fall in love with many mobile device users. Thanks to ultra-affordable prices, the growth rate of popularity of Xiaomi smartphones has simply gone off scale. In just a few quarters of 2014, the company reached third place in the world in terms of smartphone sales. In February 2016, a real hit of the season was released - the Xiaomi Mi5 smartphone.

"Meizu" is a relatively young company that released the first smartphone running Windows CE 6.0 in 2009. The device was an almost exact copy of the Apple iPhone and did not gain such wide popularity. A significant jump in the company's popularity occurred in February 2015, when the Chinese company Alibaba Group invested $590 million in Meizu. The range of Meizu smartphones has increased sharply, and the brand has become one of the main suppliers of functional and at the same time very inexpensive smartphones.

"OnePlus" is one of the youngest companies among Chinese smartphone brands. Founded in 2013 by Pete Lau, a former Oppo employee. An interesting fact is that the creation of the first innovative OnePlus smartphone literally took place in real time. The company organized active feedback from users on the Internet so that people started talking about the company’s new products as quickly as possible.

The best Chinese smartphones with a good camera

3 OnePlus 6 8/128GB

Video in 4K. Optical stabilization
Country: China
Average price: 35990 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.7

A cool and organic-looking smartphone from China with a camera that is simply top-notch by the standards of its competitors. The phone has a large screen with good resolution and an AMOLED matrix (long live real black), and the camera consists of two models with 16 and 20 megapixels. The cameras also feature optical stabilization, fast autofocus and a decent macro mode. The F/1.7 aperture will certainly please lovers of portrait photography.

In addition, the cameras have 4K resolution and can record video at 60 frames per second. Reviews admire the application for creating photos - there are many manual settings and the Slow Motion function, beloved by instabloggers. Facial recognition is in place. The battery consistently lasts for a day under heavy load, and if you use the battery resource sparingly, then it will last you for one and a half to two days.

2 Xiaomi Mi A2 4/64GB

Best price
Country: China
Average price: 15840 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.9

Until recently, the Xiaomi logo on the case meant mediocre cameras in a smartphone. Now the Chinese brand has changed everything, having developed cool software and purchased high-quality optics to complete its creations. There is a dual camera of 12 and 20 megapixels, controlled by artificial intelligence. The photos are pleasing with detail, good color rendition, and noiselessness (important for shots with a sufficient level of light).

Reviews advise installing a third-party application for the Gcam camera, however, to do this you will have to get developer rights and wander around the settings a little. This utility allows you to extract the best quality photos from a Chinese phone. Whatever one may say, this is the best budget smartphone from China with a good camera. The unusual thing about Xiaomi Mi A2 is that it has absolutely pure Android on board, not covered by the MIUI shell or anything else.

1 Honor 10 4/128GB

The best ratio of price and quality
Country: China
Average price: 25950 rub.
Rating (2019): 5.0

An incredibly stylish smartphone, under the bright body of which hides a filling designed for young people. The 5.84-inch IPS screen with excellent resolution boasts a decent amount of brightness and the ability to adjust color temperature. The processor is a powerful HiSilicon Kirin 970, which can handle all popular toys and resource-intensive programs.

But the main feature of Honor 10 is not even in appearance, but in the cameras. The main camera is divided into two modules, which have a total of 40 megapixels. Autofocus is fast and clear, macro mode works correctly. The manufacturer regularly sends updates, including for cameras. In reviews, users note that after installing the updates, already good photographic abilities increase - the bokeh becomes more natural, the focus draws out hair in portraits more carefully, and frames in low light conditions get rid of noise. This is the best smartphone with a luscious design and up-to-date hardware that earns every ruble of its price.

The best inexpensive Chinese smartphones: budget up to 10,000 rubles

Nokia 3

Latest software
Country: China
Average price: 8297 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.4

Nokia phones can easily be called legendary. Phones, but not smartphones. The Finns missed the chance at one time and the brand was bought by the Chinese. Were they able to “shoot” with the new devices? Oh yeah! In terms of performance and screen parameters, Nokia 3 is on par with its competitors, and the body materials are even simpler - only the frame is made of metal, the back cover is plastic. But the strength of a beginner is no small – it can easily withstand falls even from great heights.

The Troika also boasts slightly more advanced communication modules. 4G LTE-A cat.4 and NFC are supported, which means you can use Android Pay. In addition, the operating system is almost “naked” Android 7.0. The speed of work is simply excellent, updates come quickly.

Advantages:

• Very nimble shell
• NFC support
• 4G LTE-A cat.4
• Rugged housing

2 DOOGEE X60L

Dual camera for an inexpensive price
Country: China
Average price: 6255 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.5

A smartphone with Android 7 and a progressive appearance. The screen is created according to the principle of infinity - there are practically no side frames, and the screen is slightly curved. The design copied from Samsung's flagship is not the only advantage(?) of this model. The manufacturer has placed a 13+8 megapixel dual camera, a 3300 mAh battery, a 4G module and GPS under the beautiful body.

The main disadvantages that are a consequence of the wildly budget price: a processor with modest capabilities, only 16 GB of permanent memory and 2 GB of RAM, the absence of a gyroscope and unstable Bluetooth. Also, the manufacturer did not worry about the quality of the software, so occasionally the smartphone “catch” glitches and does not like to be updated.

1 Vivo Y81

Premium design. Excellent technical characteristics
Country: China
Average price: 9970 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.8

A smartphone with the latest Android (8.1) and a chic appearance - minimalist frames, neat bangs at the top, thin body. The 6.22-inch screen, unfortunately, cannot boast of high resolution - it has HD, adapted for an elongated screen. But the budget-priced smartphone has a good 13-megapixel camera, 4G, GPS and GLONASS, 3GB of RAM and an 8-core processor with a good power reserve. There is face unlocking and a nice shell over the main “axis”. The speakers are loud, the build is good.

Reviews praise the battery - 3260 mAh is enough for a day of intensive work. The manufacturer is one of the top most popular brands in China, and it has recently appeared on our market. This model is the best that can be found cheaply from the Middle Kingdom.

The best Chinese smartphones with a good battery

3 Blackview P10000 Pro

The most powerful battery (60 hours talk time). 4 camera modules in total
Country: China
Average price: 14520 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.5

A brutal candy bar with the most powerful battery among the participants in our top. There is as much as 11,000 mAh, which is enough for 80 hours of listening to music. In everyday moderate-active mode, the battery will last for a week. The caring manufacturer installed fast charging so that the smartphone does not have to charge such a large battery for a day. The charging connector, by the way, is USB Type-C.

We continue to surprise: there is a fingerprint scanner, light and proximity sensors, a flashlight and a facial recognition function. Another reason to buy this particular Chinese phone: two front camera modules and two main ones. True, additional modules have a resolution of only 0.3 megapixels and are needed more to create the effect of blurring the background and showing off.

2 Xiaomi Mi Max 2 64 gb

Largest display
Country: China
Average price: 11620 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.0

To say that Mi Max 2 is specific is to say nothing. It is more powerful than its competitors. Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 and 4 GB of RAM are installed inside, and therefore all applications and “heavy” games run without problems. There is also no fault with the communication modules: Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.2, infrared. Fast mobile Internet is provided by 4G LTE-A. The cameras are also good: the 12 MP main module with f/2.2 takes very good pictures in good lighting, and the 5 MP front camera is enough for selfies on Instagram.

But the display diagonal of this monster is 6.44 inches, and therefore it is suitable for a very small category of people. To provide the screen with energy, engineers installed a 5300 mAh battery, which lasts for 2-3 days under very high load - an excellent indicator.

Advantages:

• Best in class performance
• Modern communication modules
• Great battery life

Flaws:

• Not suitable for everyone due to screen size

1 OUKITEL K10000

31.5 hours of continuous movie watching
Country: China
Average price: 11,477 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.0

OUKITEL K10000 is the best smartphone with the most powerful battery in the budget segment under 10,000 rubles. A device for real men who don’t feel any discomfort carrying a device weighing 285 grams and 14 cm thick in their pocket.

A powerful 10,000 mAh battery is the main trump card of a smartphone, which is why they actually buy it. With maximum screen brightness and Wi-Fi turned on, the smartphone will allow you to play for almost 14 hours - an excellent indicator for a budget gadget. Although, this gadget cannot be called a gaming one, the processor is still rather weak. But for listening to music and movies, you won’t find a better option. At 50% display brightness, OUKITEL K10000 will allow you to watch movies on a single charge for up to 31.5 hours.

Its obvious disadvantages, besides its heavy weight, is the camera. Macro photography is “no good”, video is shot with noticeable slowdowns, richness and detail are clearly lacking. So he is very far from a camera phone. By the way, they obviously don’t buy the OUKITEL K10000 for the camera and games.

Video review

The best Chinese smartphones in terms of price/quality ratio

3 Xiaomi Redmi 4X

Best price
Country: China
Average price: 7947 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.0

We open the category with a representative of the budget line from Xiaomi. The company's products have always stood out for their excellent price, performance and quality ratio. Redmi 4X is no exception. Yes, there are examples with a rattling camera and a slightly loose body, but other than that there is nothing to complain about.

The central processor is an 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, which provides excellent interface and application performance and good gaming performance. The company's SoC is 2 or 3 GB of RAM (in versions with 16 and 32 GB of internal memory, respectively). Modern communication modules are also used: Bluetooth 4.2, 4G LTE-A cat.4, all navigation systems are available, and an infrared port for controlling equipment. Of course, Redmi 4X has a fingerprint scanner and a capacious 4100 mAh battery - traditional features of the Redmi line

Advantages:

• Good filling
• Low cost
• Several interesting proprietary features

Flaws:

• Some copies suffer from not very high-quality assembly

2 Meizu 15 Lite 4/32GB

Nice screen. Fast charging
Country: China
Average price: 15990 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.8

The smartphone comes from China with an excellent screen with natural color reproduction, large viewing angles, and a decent amount of brightness. The sensor is responsive and does not lag. A 3000 mAh battery lasts for a day or two, and thanks to fast charging Meizu Super mCharge, the process of replenishing the coveted percentages does not take much time.

The performance is also pleasing - for this money the Chinese brand offered an eight-core Snapdragon 626 and 4 GB of RAM, which is enough not only for everyday tasks, but also for entertainment or work. The camera is good - autofocus and F/1.9 aperture allow you to create nice shots with background blur. The front camera is not far behind – it has 20 megapixels. Meizu 15 Lite deserves to be included in the top best phones from China, especially since it has few disadvantages - weak vibration and poor display protection from scratches.

1 Honor Play 4/64GB

Gaming characteristics. GPU Turbo Technology
Country: China
Average price: 20,500 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.9

A smartphone that will satisfy those who like to play on the phone. The Chinese creation is equipped with a powerful processor that can withstand the load of resource-intensive games and programs. Huawei didn’t skimp on the RAM either – it has 4 GB. The 6.3-inch screen with an excellent resolution of 2340x1080 will allow you to get the most out of video games, and the 3750 mAh battery will not allow the phone to turn off in the midst of a game.

Among other things, there is an excellent camera with two modules, loud and clear sound from the speakers, a metal body and a GPU Turbo function, which significantly increases the efficiency of the device when running hardware-demanding games. The reviews write about the nuances: it turns out that for the function to work, the game itself also needs to support this technology. So far there are few such games, but Huawei is actively negotiating with developers from the top most popular ones to distribute their innovation.

The best secure Chinese smartphones

3 Blackview BV9000

NFC. Fast charging
Country: China
Average price: 15,480 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.5

A model with near-flagship “things” inside and a budget price for an armor-piercing device. According to Blackview tradition, there is protection from water and dust according to the IP68 standard and an NFC module for contactless payment. The manufacturer rolled out its own shell on the seventh Android, pre-installing various applications. Among them there are also really useful ones like a walkie-talkie, compass, level, etc.

Reviews complain about autonomy. The battery lasts for a day with fairly active use of the smartphone. But it charges quickly - in 40 minutes at the outlet the charge is replenished to 70%. Users write that they use the gadget as their main and only phone - and are satisfied. A couple more shortcomings - the lack of a 3.5 mm jack, weight 240 grams, decent dimensions and "unfinished" firmware - Chinese roots make themselves felt.

2 DOOGEE S50 6/64GB

The most popular among secure phones
Country: China
Average price: 15950 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.8

A weighty gadget with IP68 protection. The number “6” hints at immunity to small solid particles – dust, the number “8” – at reliable protection against water even when immersed to a depth of three meters. The device is suitable for extreme sports enthusiasts, fishermen, hunters, builders as a spare phone, and also for children - after all, it is a shock-resistant device that is not afraid of falling into a puddle.

The good stuff: 5.7-inch screen, dual 16+13 megapixel camera, large battery, 6 GB of RAM, 4G support and GPS module. The bad: weight 250 grams, Android version 7.1 out of the box, problems with the software, since this Chinese manufacturer does not pay enough attention to the quality of the software component.

1 Blackview BV5800

The cheapest with fresh Android and IP68 water protection
Country: China
Average price: 9190 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.9

A smartphone from China with a brutal design, Android 8.1 inside and shock-resistant properties. The body is made of plastic, rubber and metal inserts. The frames around the 5.5-inch display are narrow, but there is no need to talk about the compactness of the body - you have to pay for shock resistance with slightly increased dimensions of the phone. Because of this, it is impossible to use a non-standard charger without an adapter, since the connector is recessed into the case, and the plugs in standard cables do not reach it.

There is a dual camera and a fingerprint scanner. The first one works well, it just turns the brightness up to the limit and doesn’t like bad lighting, while the second one is fast and correct. But the main advantage of a Chinese smartphone from the third tier is dust and water protection according to the IP68 standard, which means you can swim with your smartphone in a pool at a depth of up to three meters.