AnTuTu has released its top 10 most value for money smartphones which topped the chart in the month of March 2017. The list is only a little different from that of February, with a few new entrants to the chart. The chart is made mostly of flagships that have been in the market for a while.

The top 3 spot is still inhabited by the same models from last month, that is the Lenovo ZUK Z2, The LeEco Le Max 2 and Le 2 in the same order. It is really no surprise that the Lenovo ZUK Z2 still tops the chart as it still offers flagship specs at a budget price tag. The ZUK Z2 (3GB + 32GB) which is equipped with Snapdragon 820 processor is currently priced at 1199 Yuan. This price tag makes it the cheapest flagship and arguably offers the best value for your money. The ZUK Z2 is closely followed by the LeEco Le Max 2 (4GB + 32GB) which is priced at 1399 Yuan. The third position is occupied by the LeEco Le 2 (3GB + 32GB) whose price has further dropped to 899 Yuan.

The LeEco Le S3 is a new entrant, pushing the Le Pro 3 out of the fourth spot to the fifth. The Le Pro 3 may have dropped to the fifth position because of the 100 Yuan increase in its price tag which now sits at 1899 Yuan. With a Snapdragon 821 processor + 4GB RAM, the price is still a bargain.

The rest of the list is made up of the Xiaomi Mi 5 at the sixth spot while the Snapdragon 821-powered Smartisan M1 is at number 7. LeEco and Coolpad’s collaborative work, Cool1 Dual occupies the number 8 position. At number 9 is the Smartisan M1L packing a Snapdragon 821 chip and finally, the Xiaomi Mi Note 4 completes the top 10 chart.

Read Also: Xiaomi Mi 6 Specs Confirmed on AnTuTu, Scores 170k

While the list might look like it is packed with smartphones that are unavailable outside of China, a good number of these cheap flagships can actually be purchased by intending buyers from different countries around the world. They can then be shipped to your location and sometimes the shipping is free of charge. One amazing online shop in China that stocks most of these veteran flagships is GIZTOP. You can give it a try and be rest assured of the safety of your order.

The post AnTuTu Most Value For Money Smartphones in March appeared first on Gizmochina.

It appears LeEco is not done for the year as a new phone has been spotted online getting its 3C certification. The phone with model number LEX850 sports a 5.7” 2K display, a Snapdragon 821 processor clocked at 2.34GHz, and has dual 13MP rear cameras. There is 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage on board and a 3900mAh battery to supply power.

Looking at the screen size and the 2K resolution, I won’t be surprised if this is an upgraded version of the Le Max 2 as that is the only phone from LeEco with a 5.7” 2K display.

There is also a GeekBench listing of the LeEco LEX850 dated 14th of October showing the phone sporting 6GB of RAM, Android 6.0, and a MSM8996 processor clocked at 2.19GHz. Does it mean there will be a Snapdragon 820 version of this phone? We can not confirm yet.

The certificate from the ministry of information also shows another device with model number LEX950 which is expected to be a more powerful variant of the LEX850.

READ MORE: LeEco Le Pro 3 Review: Le Superphone or Not

Sources say LeEco has scheduled the launch of their other dual camera/AI phone, the LeEco Dual 3 which sports a custom Helio X27 chip for later this month. There is a possibility that this new device may be released on the same day. The LEX850 will be available in coffee gray, gold, and two other colours when it launches.

The post LeEco LEX850 with Dual Cameras, Snapdragon 821, and 5.7” 2K Display Gets Certification appeared first on Gizmochina.

Seems the Chinese smartphone makers are on a price reduction spree, ahead of November 11 which is a popular sales day in China. Just moments after the Lenovo ZUK Z2’s price was massively slashed, another flagship device has seen a reduction in its price. This time around the LeEco Le Max 2.

The Le Max 2 comes in two memory versions, a base version with 3GB RAM and a higher model with 4GB RAM. The high-end 4GB RAM which was previously priced at 2099 Yuan ($310) has now gotten a reduction in its price on Taoboa, with up to 600 Yuan off. The flagship is now up for 1,499 Yuan ($221).

Specs wise, the LeEco Le Max 2  sports a 5.7-inch display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. There is a Snapdragon 820 chipset inside which powers the device as well as 4GB RAM on the higher version. The Le Max 2 features 32GB of internal storage and a 3100mAh battery under its hood. On the camera end, there is a massive 21MP rear camera sensor and an 8MP front-facing sensor inside the device. Other features include a fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C interface, full network support, dual SIM / dual standby.

Related: LeEco Le Max 2 Review – A Real Flagship Killer of 2016?

Here’s another Snapdragon 820-powered flagship being offered and priced like a budget smartphone. Isn’t that just amazing? Hopefully, more brands would follow suit ahead of November 11, so get your credit cards ready for what should be a fun double 11 sales.

The post LeEco Le Max 2 with 2K Display, 4GB RAM Now 1,499 Yuan ($221)! appeared first on Gizmochina.

It is evident that flagship devices are becoming cheaper by the day. Recently the ZUK Z2 which was released around July this year starting at 1599 Yuan was being offere for 1299 Yuan. For a Snapdragon 820-powered smartphone, that is a bargain price. This time around the LeEco Le Max 2 is reported to have gotten its price slashed to 1299 Yuan ($192) on Suning Tesco Lynx official flagship store.

This isn’t the first time the Le Max 2 is seeing some adjustments in its price as the device’s prie had in the past been reduced. The last was down to 1549 Yuan ($233) off Taobao which was the cheapest until now. This offer seem to be a promo offer with some conditions attached to it but if you are interested, head over to Suning Teso Lynx official flagship store.

Read More: LeEco Unveils Top-End Le Max 2 With 6GB RAM & 128GB storage

The LeEco Le Max 2 holds the record as the first device to sport the Snapdragon 820 chipset from Qualcomm. The flagship rocks a 5.7-inch display with 2k resolution, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of non-expandable internal storage, as well as a 3,100mAh battery with support for fast charging. In addition, the dual-SIM device packs a 21MP rear camera and an 8MP selfie sensor upfront. The Le Max 2 is devoid of the 3.5mm audio jack and instead has a USB Type-C port for headphones and a host of connectivity options are available on the device.

The post LeEco Le Max 2 Price Slashed, Now 1299 Yuan ($192)! appeared first on Gizmochina.

How about Snapdragon 821 for 299$ ? Or a very well build smartphone with Helio X20 + 4GB Ram for 200 $ ? Yes this price range is where the fun begins, where competition brings us to amazing phones for every taste out there  and shows us how much more interesting the future of the smartphones might be.

So let’s begin..

Vernee Apollo Lite

209 $

Display: 5.5 inch FHD 1920x1080p Sharp IGZO

CPU: MTK Helio X20

RAM: 4GB LPDDR 3

ROM: 32GB eMMC 5.1 (up to 128GB)

Rear Camera: 16.0MP Samsung S5K3P3 sensor, 6P lens, ISOCELL , RWB

Front Camera: 5.0MP Samsung S5K5E2 sensor

Battery: 3180mAH Li-polymer

OS: Android 6.0 out of the box (Vernee OS, CM)

Features: Type-C port (supports Type-C earphone, 3.5mm jack retained), Pump Express 3.0 quick charging (5 minutes charging = 1 hour calling), LED notification, Metal unibody, 0.1s fingerprint ID (ISP smart chip, smart key), OTG, Gyro, E-compass,（2.4G/5G）WIFI, Dual SIM Dual standby / SIM + SD card, Open Kernel Code

Dimensions : 15.20 x 7.60 x 0.90 cm, 178g

GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz; WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100MHz, FDD LTE: B1/B3/B7/B20

This one is a real champ for this price. I had the chance to review one of the “gray” Apollo Lite myself and I must say, build quality is top-notch, one of the best colors on a metal body smartphone. 5.5″ Sharp IGZO screen is amazing, Helio X20 is enough almost for every duty including games. Speaking of MediaTek Helio X20 and X25 series, I think there is no need to spend money for Helio P10 based smartphones anymore (might be exceptions of course, personal taste for example), why ? Please check the picture below :

I have Apollo Lite for almost a week and it had 2 OTA updates in this time, this shows us that Vernee is serious about rom business too, this is an important topic as you all may agree. Paying for hardware is something but paying for good ROM is more important in most cases. Well optimized software that can use all the hardware features without any problems is very precious. So if you have around 200$ to send for a new series smartphone, Vernee Apollo Lite won’t disappoint you.

Full review : http://www.gizmochina.com/2016/08/07/vernee-apollo-lite-review-one-pleasant-surprise/

Coolpad Cool1

209$  3GB/32GB, 225$  4GB/32GB, 259$ 4GB/64GB

Display: 5.5 inch FHD 1920x1080p 450nit

CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 Octa Core

RAM: 3GB/4GB

ROM: 32GB/64GB

Rear Camera: Dual 2 x 13.0MP back camera, Camera Maximum resolution: 4160×3120, Camera maximum recording capacity: 4K / 1080P @ 30fps, Slow recording capacity: 720P @ 120fps, F2.0 large aperture, PDAF, ball-type closed-loop motor, quick focus, Color temperature flash, back-illuminated CMOS

Front Camera: 8.0MP, F2.2 large aperture, 80 ° super wide-angle lens

Battery: 4060mAh Li-polymer

OS: EUI 5.6 base on Android M OS

Features: Type-C port, OTG, Gyroscope, NXP smart PA TFA9897, AAC Speaker BOX, LED notification, Fingerprint recognition, Infrared remote control.

Dimensions : 152 x 74.8 x 8.2 mm, 167g

GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz; WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100MHz, FDD LTE: B1/B3/B5/B7/B8

New kid in town from the marriage of LeEco and Coolpad, the Cool1. With the experience of Coolpad in camera department, this new model is trying to give customers Dual Camera setup for an affordable price powered from Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 octa-core CPU. Design is better than LeEco series for my taste, seems more compact with round corners and very good metal construction body. I wish they had a color option like Apollo Lite’s gray or even matte black. 4060mAh battery will help you to carry your Cool1 at least whole day with heavy usage without worrying about power. Cool1’s dual camera setup is like that we have seen on Huawei P9 before, one is RGB camera, second shoots only black&white. The result is better low light performance, sharper images and unique effects of course.

As for Rom department, we know LeEco takes this seriously and software updates mostly are coming in right time.

Xiaomi Redmi Pro

224$ 3GB/32GB, 254$ 3GB/64GB, 300$ 4GB/128GB

Display: 5.5 inch FHD 1920x1080p LTPS-AMOLED

CPU: Mediatek MT6797T Helio X25 | MT6797 Helio X20 Deca-core 2.5 GHz – Exclusive edition | 2.3 GHz – High edition |  2.1 GHz – Standard edition

RAM: 3GB/4GB

ROM: 32GB/64GB/128GB

Rear Camera: Dual Setup, 13 MP Sony sensor and 5 MP Samsung sensor

Front Camera: 5MP, f/2.0 lens

Battery: 4050mAh Li-polymer

OS: Android 6.0 – Marshmallow

Features: Finger print sensor under home key front, OLED screen, TYPE-C connector, metal unibody, microSD – upto 256 GB.

Dimensions : 151.5 x 76.2 x 8.2 mm, 174 g

GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz; WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100MHz, FDD LTE: B1/B3/B7

Xiaomi version of affordable Dual Camera setup and first metal unibody metal body model of the maker, the new Redmi Pro. The contender of Cool1 in this price range with rear dual cameras. If you like front replaced finger print sensor more, if you like deep blacks more (who doesn’t ?), if you don’t mind about the maker of the CPU, i’m saying that because there still many people who just buy Qualcomm processor  based phones, then Redmi Pro is your choice. This phone uses MediaTek’s high-end line (until X30/X35 comes to market) Helio X20 and X25, both as an option. Both are equal or better CPU’s then Qualcomm’s 652. Rest is like always,  taste. As for rom/software support Xiaomi is way in front of every maker, has world’s biggest forum support behind. If you want to buy high end model with X25 + 4GB Ram + 128GB Rom, this will cost you 300$ and there you might consider other alternatives too. Base model seems most logical as Redmi Pro offers SD card slot for storage upgrade. Dual camera setup differs from Cool1’s, Redmi Pro’s setup has 2 RGB (color) cameras, main is 13MP, second “depth” camera is 5MP.

Full review : http://www.gizmochina.com/2016/08/29/xiaomi-redmi-pro-review/

LeEco Le 2 Pro

229$

Display: 5.5 inch FHD 1920x1080p 

CPU: Mediatek MT6797T Helio X25

RAM: 4GB

ROM: 32GB

Rear Camera: 21 MP, f/2.0, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash, 1/2.4″ sensor size

Front Camera: 8.0MP, F2.2 large aperture

Battery: 3000mAh Li-polymer

OS: EUI 5.6 base on Android M OS

Dimensions : 15.60 x 7.80 x 0.75 cm, 185gr

GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz; WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100MHz, FDD LTE: B1/B3/B7

Complete package with 4GB Ram, 32GB Rom, very good workmanship/quality, plus powerful engine with Helio X25. LeEco Le 2 Pro is naturally in our list. Beeing developer friendly, bootloader  can be unlocked with a simple fastboot command, not only this model, talking about every LeEco models, has many custom ROMs online, LeEco community is growing among power users.

Full review : http://www.gizmochina.com/2016/05/10/leeco-le-2-review/ .

Nubia Z11 Mini

239$

Display: 5.0 inch FHD 1920x1080p 

CPU: Qualcomm MSM8952 Snapdragon 617 (Octa-core (4×1.2 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.5 GHz Cortex-A53))

RAM: 3GB

ROM: 64GB, microSD up to 256 GB

Rear Camera: 16 MP, f/2.0, 1/2.8″ sensor size, 1.12 µm pixel size, geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, panorama, HDR

Front Camera: 8 MP, f/2.4, 1.4 µm pixel size, 1080p

Battery: 2800mAh Li-polymer

OS: Android OS, v5.1.1 (Lollipop)

Dimensions : 141.4 x 70 x 8 mm , 138gr

GSM 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100;  TD-LTE B38/39/40/41; FDD-LTE B1/3/7

What do you want from a smartphone these days ? Picture (camera) quality and very good sound output are enough for you ? You want these specs in a very good looking 5″ screen phone right ? Then go grab a Nubia Z11 Mini and all done. The little brother of Z11 family shares same 4-axis OIS Sony IMX298 sensor with its big brother Z11 and Xiaomi’s Mi5, flagship grade camera performance, both pictures and videos (4K). For music lovers AKM’s latest audio chipset is onboard too. Being a former DJ myself, I always test audio outputs of smartphones in first place. Nubia’s powerful and clean sound output been always my favorite and Z11 Mini carries this tag too.  You love taking many pictures and videos and listen to music, this means you need storage too, 64GB onboard + microSD up to 256 GB are more than enough. Build quality of Z11 Mini is one of the best in the market, worldwide. Rom updates ? This is where ZTE comes behind its competitors, usually slow. Had mobile data bug in Z9 series, I hope they will take more care with new Z11 models.

Qiku 360 N4S

239$

Display: 5.5 inch FHD 1920x1080p 

CPU: MTK Helio X20

RAM: 4GB

ROM: 32GB, microSD up to 128 GB

Rear Camera: 16 MP, f/2.0, ISOCELL, PDAF, geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, panorama, HDR

Front Camera: 8 MP, f/2.0

Battery: 5000 mAh Li-polymer

OS: Android 6 Marshmallow

Dimensions : 151.3×74.6×8.35mm, 169gr

GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz; WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100MHz, FDD LTE: 1800/2100/2600MHz

Take Nubia and Meizu, mix them, you get 360 N4S design. Full metal body, 2.5D glass on top, high build quality. Put a Helio X20 CPU with 4GB Ram and 32GB Rom (microSD up to 128 GB) in it and power all these elements with a 5000 mAh battery (biggest capacity in our list, higher than Mi Max, coming next). How does it sound ? Price should be normally a bit lower, but this phone is very hard to find, so if you want an alternative you need to pay 239$ for this beast. Cameras look very good on paper. An infrared remote control is a bonus too. 360 N4S runs its own OS, 360 OS 2.0.

Xiaomi Mi Max

219$ 3GB/32GB Snapdragon 650, 259$ 3GB/64GB Snapdragon 652

Display: 6.44-inch, full HD (1920×1080 pixels)

CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 650/652

RAM: 3GB

ROM: 32GB/64GB, microSD up to 128 GB

Rear Camera: 16 MP, f/2.0, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash

Front Camera: 5 MP, f/2.0

Battery: 4850 mAh Li-polymer

OS: MIUI 8 based on Android 6.0 OS

Dimensions : 173.1 x 88.3 x 7.5 mm, 203gr

GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz, WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100MHz, LTE-FDD: 1800/2100/2600MHz (B1/B3/B7)

I love big screen ! I always did, and now I’m using a Mi Max as my daily phone (first time using a Xiaomi), 3GB/64GB with Snapdragon 652 CPU, bought it for 259$ and I must say worth every penny. If you like big screen phones too, there is nowhere else to look, with 4850 mAh huge battery Mi Max will suit your needs in a quality metal body, having everything including infrared remote control and a good camera (good for my taste, can shoot good pictures in dark room with dual flash). Audio quality is surprisingly very good too. I tested Mi Note Pro’s ES9018 DAC last week, Mi Max’s output is nothing less, high output with clean sound. This big fellow is made for multimedia for sure.

Full review : http://www.gizmochina.com/2016/06/12/xiaomi-mi-max-review-lot-xiaomi/

LeEco Le Max 2

239$

Display: 5.7 inch 2560×1440 Pixel

CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 64bit, Quad Core, 2.15GHz

RAM: 4GB

ROM: 32GB

Rear Camera: 21MP 6P, f/2.0 for 4K video

Front Camera: 1.4μm 8MP f/2.2

Battery: 3100 mAh Li-polymer

OS: eUI Android 6.0 OS

Dimensions : 15.68 x 7.76 x 0.80 cm, 185gr

GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz; WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100MHz, FDD LTE: B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/20/25/26

Wellcome to the first league, talking about CPU and GPU power. Are you an Antutu freak too ? Then you should start from here.

Quote : ” Do we need so much power in our cell phones ? Can software follow this hardware power ? These are only phones, ok smart phones with operating systems in it, but what are we doing with them when its about CPU power ? Using 10 applications same time ? Playing 2-3 power hungry games same time ? Not enough..? We need somehow take this power out of these little gadgets to our desktops and push their limits with much more options like creating. After then, this “race” about making more and more powerful CPU’s for phones can come to a logical state. And when those days come, every one of us will use just one ARM powered PC for every computer based job, our Qualcomm’s, MediaTek’s or Fusion’s…”

130K is the minimum score of Snapdragon 820, best CPU that Qualcomm has made till now (+821). And you can grab it just for 239$ thanks to LeEco. The only phone in our list that has a 2K screen in 5.7″ size, if you care about that, this is your only choice, a good one indeed. Lossless audio over Type-C, excellent build quality, awful color options

Full review : http://www.gizmochina.com/2016/05/28/leeco-le-max-2-review-beauty-meets-power/

ZUK Z2

259$ (4GB Ram)

Display: 5-inch, 1080p Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels)

CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 64bit, Quad Core, 2.15GHz

RAM: 4GB

ROM: 64GB

Rear Camera: 13 Megapixel, Samsung ISOCELL sensor, f/2.2

Front Camera: 8MP

Battery: 3500 mAh Li-polymer

OS: ZUI 2.0 base on Android 6.0 OS

Dimensions : 141.65mm x68.88 mmx8.45mm, 149gr

GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz , WCDMA: Bands: 850/900/1900/2100MHz, LTE FDD: 1/2/3/4/5/7/8

And the fun continues. Ok you want Snapdragon 820 but 5.7″ screen is too big for you ( Le Max 2 ), how about a 5″ in a matte black metal frame ( my favorite ) and front finger print scanner ? And a bigger battery compared 3500mAh to 3100 mAh ? + 32GB more storage for 20$ more ? Here is your phone, ZUK Z2 from Lenovo. Still no official multilanguage ROM from the maker, but there are custom ZUI based ROMs supporting your language, or even CM14 Android 7 if you are familiar with flashing ROMs ( if you are not we will help you with our guides for sure ). It’s good to have community behind a model and Zuk Z2 does that. Best 5″ that 259$ can buy for sure.

Full review : http://www.gizmochina.com/2016/06/27/zuk-z2-review-beautiful-fast/

Xiaomi Mi5

269 $

Display: 5.15 inches, 1080p Full HD 

CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 64bit, Quad Core, 1.8GHz

RAM: 3GB

ROM: 32GB

Rear Camera: 16 MP, f/2.0, 1/2.8″ sensor size, 1.12 µm pixel size, geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, panorama, HDR

Front Camera: 4 MP, f/2.0 – , 1/3″ sensor size, 2µm pixel size, 1080p@30fps

Battery: 3000 mAh Li-polymer

OS: MIUI 8 Android 6.0 – Marshmallow

Dimensions : 144.6 x 69.2 x 7.3 mm, 129g

GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz, WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100MHz, LTE-FDD: 1800/2100/2600MHz (B1/B3/B7)

Famous Xiaomi Mi5, love the black version (especially with the ceramic back). Talking of color, new Mi 5s models don’t have black as color option, why Chinese phone makers don’t use black in every model, I will never understand that. Support of MIUI community, the power of Snapdragon 820 and one of the best cameras in the market, Sony IMX298. If you are a Xiaomi fan you probably get this one under 300$, it surely deserves this money. But I must remind you this version has only 3GB Ram and Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 clocked at 1.8Ghz, not at 2.15 like others, will you feel it as less performance in daily use ? No, you will not, only less Antutu score that’s all, but why Xiaomi reduces clock speed ? To make higher models more attractive ? But it does not. Just make all the clock speeds same and the ram to 4GB in all Mi5 models, it will be easier to sell.

Full review : http://www.gizmochina.com/2016/03/13/xiaomi-mi5-review-beast-smartphone/

LeEco Le Pro 3

299$

Display: 5.5 inches, 1080p Full HD 

CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 64bit, Quad Core, 2.35GHz

RAM: 4GB

ROM: 32GB

Rear Camera: 16 Megapixel, Sony IMX298, PDAF, F2.0, 1/2.8″ sensor size, 1.12 µm pixel size

Front Camera: 8 MP, f/2.2, 1.4 µm pixel size, 1080p

Battery: 4070 mAh Li-polymer

OS: eUI Android 6.0 OS

Dimensions : 151.4×73.9×7.5mm, 175g

GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz; WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100MHz, FDD LTE: B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/20/25/26

Our final model and most powerful model as CPU and GPU power because it has a Snapdragon 821 onboard. Higher clocks of 820 give us about 20K more Antutu score. But, like I always say, scores are not the first key point when you want to buy a smartphone. Talking about LeEco Le Pro 3 it’s not just CPU power, the new model of the firm finally has one of the best cameras, Sony IMX298, finally has enough battery power 4070 mAh, much better comparing to Le Max 2’s 3100 Mah, 2.5D glass on top, which gives a much better look and feel, a new brushed metal body and all this in 7.5mm thickness, for just 299$ ! Many of you may say so why bother to make a list, this one is  a real bargain for this price, who would anyone buy a Mi5 for 269$ if you can buy this beast for 30$ more ? I agree with you, speaking of science, of course, rest is, like we always say, taste and budget (and better software optimizations)….

Every phone in our list is on par or even better (price/performance ratio) then famous phone makers like Samsung, iPhone, HTC, Sony or LG. I don’t count Google’s new Pixel line, nonsense costs for that ugly HTC made phones. So why pay 600$-900$ if we can buy almost same quality and absolute android freedom for 1/3 – 1/4 the price ?

Please don’t forget to check our new compare tool for full specs of phones at Gizmochina (phones are still being added to our database): http://www.gizmochina.com/compare/?pos=97354-99299-97579

The post Smartphone Buyers Guide: Best Value For Money Chinese SmartPhones $200-$300 appeared first on Gizmochina.

The LeEco Le Max 2 seem to be getting aclearance sales, perhaps to make way for the expected Le 2S. Not too long, the Le Max 2 got its price slashed by up to $160 on OppoMart, this time around the Snapdragon 820 powered flagship has gotten a 500 Yuan ($76) price cut on online shopping mall Taobao.

Now the Le Max 2 is available off Taobao for 1549 Yuan ($233), down from 2,099 Yuan ($315). That’s because aside the 500 Yuan initial price slash, there is also a 50 Yuan discount during purchase. So you get to pay 1549 Yuan ($233) instead of 1599 Yuan. Now, this should be the cheapest price tag we’ve seen on the Le Max 2.

The Le Max 2 happens to be the first device to sport the Snapdragon 820 flagship chipset from Qualcomm. The flagship rocks a 5.7-inch display with 2k resolution, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of non-expandable internal storage, as well as a 3,100mAh battery with support for fast charging. In addition, the dual-SIM device packs a 21MP rear camera and an 8MP selfie sensor upfront. The Le Max 2 is devoid of the 3.5mm audio jack and instead has a USB Type-C port for headphones and a host of connectivity options are available on the device.

The post LeEco Le Max 2 Price Slashed, Now Up For 1549 Yuan ($233) appeared first on Gizmochina.

Antutu usually releases the top 10 phones for each month based on performance and they’ve made the list for the phones that scored the highest in July.

Taking the lead which shouldn’t be a surprise is none other than the OnePlus 3. The OnePlus 3 which scored a total of 140288 points features a Snapdragon 820 processor clocked at 2.2GHz, 6GB of RAM, and 64GB of ROM.

Coming in second is Vivo’s X5 Play Elite with a score of 138706. The X5 Play features the same processor as the OnePlus 3, but it is clocked lower at 2.15GHz. It also features 6GB of RAM but doubles the storage to 128GB and comes with a curved 2K display.

The LeEco Le Max 2 is the third best smartphone scoring almost 700 points less than the Vivo (138026). The LeMax 2 uses the Snapdragon 820 SoC with the same clock speed as the Vivo, 6GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. There is a 4GB RAM version with 32GB ROM as well and with the same 2K screen as its sibling.

RELATED: Huawei Mate 9 With Android 7 Spotted on GFXBench

ZTE’s Nubia sub-brand comes in at number 4 with the standard edition of the Nubia Z11. The phone scores a total of 137,685 points and is equipped with the same processor as the top 3, but features 4GB of RAM and 64GB of built-in storage.

Other phones that made it to Antutu’s list includes the Lenovo sub-brand ZUK Z2 Pro, Xiaomi’s Mi 5, the Samsung S7 Edge, Apple’s iPhone 6S and the Axon 7. Apple rounds off the list with their most recent phone, the iPhone SE.

The post Antutu’s Top 10 Smartphones of July 2016 Based on Performance appeared first on Gizmochina.

The Snapdragon 821 is the successor to the Snapdragon 820 and it’s expected to start showing up in phones by August. However a new LeEco phone showed up online today sporting the new processor. The phone which shares a lot of similarities with the LeEco Le Max 2 might possibly be an upgraded version of the flagship device.

The phone is said to feature 8GB of RAM (just when we are still debating if 6GB of RAM is an overkill) and will purportedly have a 25MP rear camera. Renders of the phone shows it will come in white, red (which looks cooler than rose gold by the way), and blue; feature a fingerprint scanner positioned below the camera and cost 3000 CNY ($455).

The post LeEco Rumored To Launch 8GB RAM Phone With Snapdragon 821 processor appeared first on Gizmochina.

LeEco released quite a few phones this year and the Le Max 2 is probably the best out of their smartphones’ portfolio. It has awesome looks, flagship-grade specs and a lot more to offer.  Learn more in the full review.

Thanks to Letvmart.com for sending LeEco Le Max 2 for a review.

Coupon code for Le Max 2: LMT30 ($30 off on letvmart.com)

LeEco Le Max 2: VIDEO REVIEW

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LeEco Le Max 2 Review: UNBOXING

What you are getting in the box include a fast charger, USB C cable, USB C to 3.5mm headset jack adapter, SIM ejector and some paperwork. Last but not least you are getting a soft TPU case.

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: SPECIFICATIONS

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: DESIGN and DISPLAY

In terms of the design, Le Max 2 is very similar to our previously reviewed Le 2 and make sure to check that review out.

The phone sports a 5.7”  2k resolution display, which is very sharp, vibrant and it has a decent sunlight legibility.

Because of a large display, the phone is quite huge and it is very hard to manage it in one hand.

We have an all-metal unibody design and the edges of the backplate are slightly curved and thus it is easier to hold it.

We have an 8MP front firing shooter and non-customizable LED notification light.

The capacitive buttons are nicely backlit but the backlight is not visible outdoors.

As far as optics, we have a beefy and slightly protruding 21MP shooter with OIS, f/2.0 aperture, PDAF and dual-LED flash.

The fingerprint scanner is very fast and accurate, and it works straight from the standby mode. Keep in mind that you have to update your software to the latest version as the early software build had some fingerprint scanner issues but right now the issue has been solved.

One of the most interesting aspects of this phone is that it does not have a headset jack. Instead, LeEco assures that this phone is capable of providing even better audio experience via the USB C port as it uses a new CDLA music standard. I have to tell you that the sound quality via the earphones is very good and the volume output is loud.

The IR blaster is here to control devices like TVs. The sound quality from the loudspeaker is significantly better than on Le 2. Sure, the quality is not ideal but the sound is crisp and it has a decent amount of depth. Also, the loudspeaker can get really loud. However, I don’t like the placement of it as you can easily cover it (bottom left).

The dual-SIM card tray can take 2 nano SIM cards and both slots support 4G networks. Unfortunately, there is no microSD card slot.

The buttons are made of metal too but, unfortunately, the volume rocker rattles quite a bit.

Overall, the phone looks and feels great. It is very well built, it has all-metal design and the only shortcoming is a rattling volume rocker.

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

When it comes to hardware, LeEco Le Max 2 is just a beast. In fact, our review unit is a lower-end model, which sports Snapdragon 820 chip, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of non-expandable storage. If you even better specs, you can opt in for a 64GB model, which has whopping 6GB of RAM.

When it comes to gaming, you can be rest assured that every game will just fly.  Also, the graphics looked great on each game I tested and the phone did not heat up to uncomfortable levels. See a video review for gameplay/graphics performance.

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: BENCHMARKS

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: UI

When it comes to the user interface, we have the eUI 5.6, which is built on top of Android 6.0.

In fact, Letvmart.com shipped our review unit with fully debloated ROM with Google services and multi-languages pre-installed. I’ve tested this ROM for quite a while and it works great. If you don’t like it, you can always flash the original Chinese ROM.

What I love about the eUI is that you can quickly access settings toggles, adjust brightness, open or close your recent apps and so on, and you can do that all in one place by simply clicking a left capacitive button. As usual, we have some customization options, quite a few settings and tweaks to play with.

Most importantly, the UI is running fast, fluid and I didn’t have a single hiccup no matter how many apps were open in the background.

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: CAMERA

When it comes the camera, the stock app can take pictures very fast. We have some shooting modes, settings and some manual controls to play with.

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: IMAGE QUALITY

The daylight image quality is very good. There is a good amount of detail, colors look natural and the images look sharp. The only issue that I found is the dynamic range adjustment but the HDR mode, which has to be turned on manually, solves this issue pretty well.

The indoor and macro shots are great too. It may take a bit more time to focus but the images come out pretty sharp.

The low-light image quality is good when the objects are well-lit but the quality decreases dramatically when they are not. There could simply be more details and less noise in those shots.

I took images side by side with the Galaxy S7 edge and the difference is quite significant. On the other hand, the price difference of these phones is quite significant too. Also, I took a few shots side by side with the Letv Le 1 Pro and I can assure you that there is a significant low-light image quality upgrade.

The 4k and 1080p video quality is pretty good too except for the fact that it looks a bit shaky and there could be a little bit less noise in some of the videos. See a video review for a video sample.

An 8MP camera can take some great looking selfies but the selfie video is only 720p. Still, the footage looks quite sharp as the camera emphasized all the freckles I have on my face. Also, the sound recording quality is pretty good.

Full resolution camera samples are coming soon…

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: CONNECTIVITY

As for connectivity, I didn’t have any issues. The call quality is good, the GPS is very accurate, Wifi signal is good and Bluetooth works fine.

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: BATTERY LIFE

A non-removable 3100mAh battery powers up the phone and performance of it is good considering a low capacity and huge 2k resolution screen.

I could get over 4.5 hours of screen-on time on a mixed use, which is a decent result. However, the screen-on time reduced to around 3 hours if I used the phone very intensively (recording 4k videos, gaming, running benchmarks).

On the days when the phone ran out of juice, I could fully charge it up in 1:10 h with the supplied fast charger.

LeEco Le Max 2 Review: CONCLUSIONS

So, there you have it, LeEco Le Max 2. The phone costs less than $400 and it has a lot to offer for the price.

It all starts with a beautiful all-metal design and good build quality, very sharp display, flagship-grade specifications, stellar performance and great cameras.

However, the phone lacks microSD card slot for storage expansion, the volume rocker rattles quite a bit, and the loudspeaker is placed on the bottom left, so you can easily cover. Lastly, the phone lacks a traditional 3.5mm headset jack. It is not an issue for me as I use Bluetooth earphones but some users may not be happy about it.

Overall, LeEco Le Max 2 is a fantastic phone. Yes, it has a few shortcomings but they are far from a deal breaker. In fact, LeEco Le Max 2 is a device that can be highly recommended for those who look for a phablet with bleeding-edge specs, stunning looks, good cameras and great performance for a price to beat.

Coupon code for Le Max 2: LMT30 ($30 off on letvmart.com)

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