If you read Gizmochina chances are you love smartphones. However, not everyone can afford to buy flagships that can cost $1000. In this article, we are going to take a look at great budget phones that cost just about $200 or less but they bring a lot of value to the table. We honestly believe these are the best budget smartphones of 2018 yet.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

As usual to Xiaomi, you get great specifications for the price. I have a lower-end model but I suggest you pay $30 more for an extra gigabyte of RAM and 64GB of storage. I just love the new Snapdragon 636 chipset since it both power-efficient and it can handle 3D games very well.

As far as design goes, we have a typical Xiaomi phone that is made out of metal and the overall build quality is excellent.

For the price of about $200, you get a premium-looking phone with excellent display, great specs, very good overall performance, one of the best cameras, a fantastic battery and many extras like the IR blaster, a headset jack, very good loudspeaker and so on.

Overall, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 is yet another great budget smartphone. Despite a few minor flaws, I can easily recommend this as one of the best budget smartphones you can buy at the moment.

You can now get the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 for just $189.99.

Xiaomi Redmi 5

Xiaomi Redmi 5 is one of the cheapest budget phones you can buy but it offers a lot of value for the price. The phone is made of metal and plastic, it has great specs, modern 18:9 aspect ratio display and nice cameras.

The phone handles graphically intensive games really well and it does not get very hot while gaming either. Really impressive considering the Snapdragon 400-series processor.

You can now get the Xiaomi Redmi 5 for just $149.99 which is one of the best deals you can get.

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus

If you want a bigger and better version of the Redmi 5, the Plus model is worth checking out.

The Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus follows the trend of 18:9 displays by offering a large panel that is pretty sharp and vibrant for everyday use.

The highlight of the specs is the Snapdragon 625 chipset that has already proven to be a capable performer when it comes to gaming and especially when it comes to power efficiency.

Obviously, you get a nice metal design, great build quality, very good cameras and a lot of extra features for the price of just $189.99.

Xiaomi Redmi S2

Even though the Xiaomi Redmi S2 is not our top recommendation when it comes to budget phones as we usually suggest taking a look at other Xiaomi phones, the device still has plenty to offer for the price. Same as other Xiaomi phones, the S2 offers a Snapdragon 625 chipset. It also has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Moreover, the phone has a pretty good camera on the back and on the front. You can now get the Xiaomi Redmi S2 for just $159.99.

Nubia M2

Nubia is the ZTE’s spinoff company that has been making phones for quite some time.

We don’t have a full-screen design but the Nubia M2 is just gorgeous. It’s all metal, it has nice a really nice combination of black color with gold accents and nicely chamfered edges. The display is easily one of the best in this price range. The AMOLED panel has deep blacks, punchy colors and good contrast.  Snapdragon 625 is known not only for its superb power efficiency but also for great overall performance. You also get 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM.

Overall, the Nubia M2 is a great budget phone. I love its design and excellent build quality, great overall performance, solid cameras and a very good battery life. The only thing that may disappoint you is outdated Android 6 but at least the phone is very snappy. To be honest, I didn’t expect much from this phone but after using it for a couple of weeks, I can easily recommend it as one of the best phones in this price range as it offers a lot of value for the price of just about $160.

Nubia Z17 Mini

Nubia Z17 Mini is yet another great budget option. The phone costs about $235 but it offers quite a powerful Snapdragon 652 chipset, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, a 5.2″ display and all of that is packed into a compact all-metal body.

Nubia Z17 Lite

We do not want to look like we are promoting Nubia brand but they have quite a few phones that were released some time ago but now they offer a lot of value for the price. The Z17 Lite is a great example. It is similar to the Z17 mini in a lot of ways but key differences include a larger 5.5″ display and a bit more powerful Snapdragon 653 CPU. In addition, you get 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The phone now costs just $169.99 which is just a steal.

Meizu Pro 6 Plus

Meizu Pro 6 Plus was released quite some time ago as a budget flagship phone but you can now get it for just $198.90

You may ask why you would want to buy an older phone but for less $200 you get a 5.7″ 2K resolution Amoled display, all-metal build, Samsung Exynos 8890 Octa Core processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Finally, you get an excellent 12MP Sony camera and a huge 3400mAh battery.

Meizu M6 Note

The Meizu M6 Note has a classic all-metal design, a huge battery, decent specs and more for less than $200.

The M6 Note does not follow the trend of the full-screen budget phones. Instead, it sports a more traditional design with a 5.5” 1080p LCD display that has reasonably small side bezels. Moreover, the phone has a rather compelling dual camera setup that consists of one 12MP shooter with bright f/1.9 aperture lens and another 5MP snapper. Other specs include  a Snapdragon 625 chipset, 3/4GB RAM and 32/64GB of storage.

Lenovo S5

Lenovo is known for making laptops and other electronics but they are certainly capable of producing high-quality phones. The Lenovo S5 looks very similar to the budget phones made by Xiaomi, Meizu or Nubia but the company has their own take on the UI and other aspects of the device.

The S5 rocks a 5.7″ full-screen display, a Snapdragon 625 chipset, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Also, the phone is made of metal and the build quality is nothing short of a flagship. Other key features: the phone has a dual-camera setup that consists of two 12MP shooters. Also, there is a beefy 16MP snapper on the front. Finally, a 3000mAh battery keeps the lights on. You can now get the Lenovo S5 for just $199.99 which is a great value.

Asus ZenFone Max (M1)

Asus Zenfone Max (M1) may not be the phone you’ve heard about but it actually offers a lot of value for the price of $199.99. The highlights of this device include a huge 4000mAh battery, a 5.5″ display that has 18:9 aspect ratio, Snapdragon 425 chipset, a dual camera setup and much more that is packed into a beautiful metal body. We think Asus Zenfone Max (M1) has a lot of value for the price and we definitely suggest you checking this phone out.

HUAWEI Honor 9 Lite

HUAWEI Honor 9 Lite is a solid budget phone made by Honor – the Huawei’s subsidiary brand.

As for the looks, We have a classic design as the phone uses a sheet of glass on the front and rear, a metal frame and buttons that are easy to press. It’s really comfortable to hold the phone in one hand due to that 18:9 aspect ratio display.

In terms of hardware, the phone ships with the Kirin 659 chipset, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage.

We like this phone for its beautiful design and great build quality, solid all-around performance, great cameras, good battery life and the fact that the device still has a headset jack.

You can now get the Honor 9 Lite for just $187.99.

Honor 7X

Honor 7x was released at the end of 2017 but it is still a pretty solid phone. The device sports a trendy 18:9 aspect ratio display with a good amount of brightness, punchiness, and sharpness. I love the all-metal design, excellent display, pretty good daily performance, good cameras and great battery life. Just like the Honor 9 Lite, this phone ships with Kirin 659 chipset, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage. At the moment, this phone costs $219.99. It may not be the only budget option out there but it’s definitely worth checking out.

Keep in mind that we will update this article when the new devices come out so make sure to bookmark this page and check it out from time to time! Keep in mind that I have used and reviewed most of these phones and I can personally recommend them if you are looking for a great budget device. In this article, I state my genuine opinion and I do not have any intentions to promote any brand or model. 

The post Best Budget Smartphones of 2018 (Buyer’s Guide) appeared first on Gizmochina.

Geotel is relatively new smartphone company from China that produces cheap devices. The Amigo is one of their latest models and it actually offers quite a lot value for the price of just about $100. Learn more in the full Geotel Amigo review.

VIDEO REVIEW

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXdZ-N7XXsc[/embedyt]

UNBOXING

The phone ships with all the usual stuff, no extras included.

DESIGN and DISPLAY

When it comes to the design, the Geotel Amigo is one of those rare compact phones that has 5.2” 720p display, which is actually great. It’s sharp and vibrant for both indoor and outdoor use.

The phone is made mostly of metal, except for the plastic top and bottom parts, the buttons do not rattle and in general, I don’t have any complaints about the build quality.

Just above the display, we have a 5MP shooter, which is coupled with the LED flash. Also, there is the LED notification light. On the bottom, there are on-screen navigation keys.

As for the camera, we have a 13MP shooter and dual LED flash. The fingerprint scanner may not be the fastest out there but it gets the job done and it unlocks the phone straight from the standby mode.

The loudspeaker is not going to impress you but it is decent for a $100 phone.

HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

The phone sports pretty good specs for the price. The device ships with an octa-core MTK6753 chip (1.3GHz), 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage.

The gaming performance is pretty good if you play the 3D games like Asphalt 8 on medium graphics. However, you should expect quite a few skipped frames if you switch the graphics settings to the max.

BENCHMARKS

USER INTERFACE

The Geotel Amigo ships with a stock Android 7.0 out of the box.

There are a few added features like gesture and motion controls that work pretty well but what is the most important is that the phone is really fast, fluid and responsive all the time, even after installing quite a few apps.

CAMERAS

The Geotel Amigo can take some good-looking pictures in good lighting conditions. There is a good amount of detail, the pictures look quite sharp and in general, these are decent results from a $100 phone.

However, the camera falls apart in low-light scenarios.

Selfie pictures look bad and you will find a hard time using it for social media.

The front-facing LED flash lets you take selfies at night. Don’t expect great image quality but you may find it useful from time to time.

The 1080p video quality is just mediocre like on most of the cheap phones. Selfie video quality is kind of terrible.

Download full resolution camera samples

CONNECTIVITY

When it comes to connectivity, the call quality is above average, the Wifi works fine and GPS is usable for navigation although it is not the most accurate out there.

BATTERY LIFE

The 3000mAh battery performs quite well. I was able to get over 5 hours of screen-on time, which is a good result considering the fact that I used the phone quite intensively.

CONCLUSIONS

The Geotel Amigo is actually a pretty good phone for less than $100 since it has a good build quality, decent specs and display and good overall performance. Also, the main camera can take decent images in daylight but it falls apart in low-light and the selfie camera is really bad.

If you don’t mind these shortcomings, the Geotel Amigo is a decent phone for the price considering the overall package you get for less than $100.

The post Geotel Amigo Review – A Good $100 Smartphone! appeared first on Gizmochina.

Vernee is known for its budget phones and the Thor E is one of their latest models. It offers some cool features like a black and white display that saves power, a huge 5200mAh battery and a lot more for less than $120. In fact, you can sometimes get the phone for as low as $99, which makes it a bargain. Learn more in the full Vernee Thor E review.

Thanks to Gearbest for sending the Vernee Thor E for a review.

VIDEO REVIEW

UNBOXING

The phone ships with all the usual stuff that includes a fast charger.

DESIGN and DISPLAY

As far as design goes, the Vernee Thor E does not look exceptional by any means but it is well built, it uses a metal chassis, buttons and metal backplate, which is, however, prone to fingerprints like most of the glossy black surfaces.

What is surprising is that the phone is very light and thin considering its beefy 5200mAh battery. In fact, the Thor E measures at just 8.2mm of thickness.

Also, the phone is compact due to its 5” 720p display, which is definitely not the sharpest out there but it gets the job done for a cheap phone.

We have an interpolated 5MP selfie shooter and LED notification light but the capacitive keys are not backlit. However, you have an option to switch to on-screen keys and customize them.

One of the key selling points is a physical button that turns on the E-Ink power saving mode that switches a display to a monochrome mode and turns off some power hungry features. I think this is a really cool idea we haven’t seen on other cheap phones. More on this feature in the battery life section.

As for optics, we are looking at a 13MP interpolated camera that is coupled with a single LED flash. A fingerprint scanner is easily one of the best you can find on any cheap phone. It also unlocks the phone straight from the standby mode.

The loudspeaker quality is kind of poor and there are definitely some better cheap phones in this department.

HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

As for hardware, the Vernee Thor E has decent specs for the price that includes an octa-core MTK6753 CPU, 3GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage.

The phone handles 3D gaming very well. I was surprised that Asphalt 8 ran with no lag or stutter even on highest graphics, with just a few skipped frames.

BENCHMARKS

UI

I love that the phone ships with the stock Android 7 with just a few added features like gesture and motion controls that work quite well.

Also, I like that the phone is very fast on the daily basis even after installing quite a few apps.

IMAGE QUALITY

The 13MP camera can take some decent looking images in good light but since we are talking about $120 phone, they are not ideal. The main issue that I found is that the colors look a bit washed out in some of the shots and there could definitely be more detail.

When it comes to the low-light shots, they look quite terrible. Also, the selfie pictures simply look bad.

Also, the selfie pictures simply look bad.

As for the video, it is just mediocre. Same can be said about the selfie video.

CONNECTIVITY

As for connectivity, I didn’t have any issues with this phone. Wifi, GPS, and Bluetooth works fine and call quality is decent.

BATTERY LIFE

Battery life is just amazing. I kept switching from a regular to the E-ink mode and honestly, I could get like 5 days of regular use of this phone or over 10 hours of screen on time thanks to a large 5200mAh battery that can be recharged in about 1.5h thanks to the supplied fast charger.

CONCLUSIONS

Vernee Thor E is a surprisingly good cheap smartphone that has a few features that make it stand out from the crowd.

The E-ink display feature is just awesome and it saves a lot of power. If you combine it with a huge battery, you will be able to use the phone for quite a bit of time.

Also, I like the form factor, even though the Vernee Thor E is kind of plain looking. Moreover, the phone is fast and it can even handle some 3D games quite well.

However, the cameras remain the weakest point of this device but if you don’t use the phone for taking lots of images in poor lighting, the Vernee Thor E is a pretty solid phone the price.

The post Vernee Thor E Review – Unique Smartphone for just $99! appeared first on Gizmochina.