The Xiaomi Mi 6 will go on sale tomorrow. From the look of things, it is bound to be in short supply for a while. If you are even able to get your hands on a unit, you will probably be paying a lot more than you should. The price from third party resellers falls between $450 and $470 depending on the storage. That is a lot compared to the ~$421 official price for the 128GB model and ~$363 price for the 64GB variant.

The Mi 6 is one of the few Snapdragon 835-powered smartphones announced so far but not everyone is crazy about the new processor. There are other powerful phones in the market that will handle whatever you throw at them. Some sell for less than the Mi 6 and some even have features missing on Xiaomi’s new flagship. Plus you can get any one of these smartphones without breaking a sweat.

Below is a list of five smartphones we believe are great alternatives to the Xiaomi Mi 6.

OnePlus 3T

The OnePlus 3T is one of the best smartphones in the market right now. It is a combination of great specs, impressive software, and affordable pricing. Just like the Mi 6, the OnePlus 3T also has 6GB of RAM and is available in the same 64GB and 128GB  storage variants.

Although its display is bigger at 5.5-inches, it has Gorilla Glass 4 protection, a feature that is repeatedly missing on Xiaomi’s flagship phones. The 3T can also be updated to Android Nougat 7.1.1 and to be honest, we know Oxygen OS is a lot smoother than MIUI. Let’s not forget Dash Charge which is way faster than the QC 3.0 on the Mi 6.

For $439, you can pick up the 64GB model of the OnePlus 3T or you can wait till the 128GB model is in stock and grab it for $479.

Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus

One of the unique selling points of the Mi 6 is the dual rear cameras, however, this isn’t Xiaomi’s first dual camera smartphone. The Redmi Pro and Mi 5S Plus are the first and second respectively.

While the Redmi Pro is no longer in production, the Mi 5s Plus still is. It won’t take bokeh pictures like the Mi 6 because it uses the monochrome + RGB format for its dual Sony IMX258 13MP cameras but you can be assured of taking sharper images.

Earlier today, Xiaomi announced a price slash for the 4GB + 64GB and 6GB RAM + 128GB variants. The former now sells for approx. $315 and the latter which has the same memory configuration as the high-end Mi 6 is priced at approx. $355. You can also grab the 3GB + 64GB model for roughly $250.

Giztop has the phone for $369 (4GB +64GB).

Missing out on the blue and gold color of the Xiaomi Mi 6? Then grab the case above on AliExpress and worry no more.

Xiaomi Mi MIX

Don’t be surprised that the alternatives we are suggesting include Xiaomi phones. Xiaomi is good at providing flagship specs at a low price, so whatever we are recommending as an alternative to the Mi 6 shouldn’t put a hole in your pocket.

The Mi MIX will turn more heads than the Mi 6 and that’s because of its bezel-less display. The Mi MIX is the concept device that made it out of the factory and onto store shelves. Its 6.4-inch display is a beauty that extends to the edges of three of its four sides, giving you more screen estate while still maintaining a small footprint.

It is powered by the Snapdragon 821 processor like the other two phones above and is available with either 6GB of RAM + 256GB ROM or 4GB RAM + 128GB ROM. The former will cost you around $600 on Aliexpress while the 4GB variant can be gotten for about $550. Did I forget to mention that the Mi MIX has a ceramic body? So you don’t need to wait for the ceramic version of the Mi 6 which won’t be on sale tomorrow and will be released in limited quantities.

Huawei Honor V9/Honor 8 Pro

This was the first flagship of the year and a pretty device from Huawei too. The Honor V9 has a 2K display, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and dual rear cameras that takes 3D photos and offers the same performance as that of the Huawei P9 just without the Leica branding. Reviews say the low-light performance is nothing short of impressive. You also can’t go wrong with the blue and red color variants of this phone.

The Honor V9 was released internationally as the Honor 8 Pro but pricing is a bit different for both. The 6GB RAM Honor V9 will cost you between $525 to $560 on Aliexpress depending on the color while the 4GB variant sells for between $450 to $500.

Note that the Honor V9 is currently available in our own shop as well (giztop) for $479 (6GB + 64GB).

The Honor 8 Pro sells for a lot more in Europe. It has 64GB of storage instead of 128GB like the Honor V9 but keeps the RAM at 6GB. Price is a whopping £474 (~$611).

LeEco Le Pro 3

The Le Pro 3 closes the list. Just like the rest of the devices above, it also has 6GB of RAM and comes with either 64GB or 128GB of storage. Powered by a Snapdragon 821 processor and 4070mAh battery, the Le Pro 3 is the only alternative that doesn’t have an audio jack like the Mi 6. However, LeEco makes up for it with its CDLA technology. The phone also comes with Dolby Atmos Audio which improves the audio quality.

The LeEco Le Pro 3 wouldn’t have made our list if not for its low price as its the only phone on this list that is not running Android Nougat or has an update planned for it.

The 6GB RAM + 64GB Le Pro 3 sells for between $315 and $350 while the 4GB RAM version with 64GB of storage is priced at about $290.

Honorable Mention: ZTE Axon 7S

The original ZTE Axon 7 was released back in June 2016 with a Snapdragon 820 processor and 4GB of RAM. It also got a Nougat update back in February that made it Google Daydream compatible. While there has been no news of a ZTE Axon 8, we were surprised when ZTE silently released a new phone a few weeks back. That phone is the ZTE Axon 7s and it gets a honorable mention on our list.

The Axon 7s retains most of the design from the Axon 7 but is now powered by the Snapdragon 821. The RAM has been increased to 6GB and storage is 128GB.

The other major upgrade in the Axon 7s is the dual rear cameras.You still get that 20MP 1.25µm camera but it is now paired with a 12MP Sony IMX368 1µm sensor. What’s more, the Axon 7 has a microSD slot too, a feature none of the other phones on this list has and also retains the stereo speakers though they have been redesigned. The price is still unknown for now but it is expected to be around $500.

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