We already made a list of our best phones of the year 2020, which you should read if you have not. While we were compiling that list, there were some devices that we shortlisted but that didn’t make the final cut. It turns out that some of these devices can actually be classified as “underrated” as they didn’t make it out of China, got little attention when they were announced, or were overshadowed by other phones. So here is our list of the Most Underrated Phones of 2020.

Sony Xperia 5 II

Sony’s flagship phones usually get overshadowed by competitors for reasons such as price, features, or a combination of both, and the Xperia 5 II is a prime example. This 6.1-inch phone stands out in a market flooded with phones whose screens are just a few inches shy from entering the 7 inches turf. While it is as tall as a lot of other phones, no thanks to its 21:9 aspect ratio, this also means it is narrower making it more comfortable to hold.

The phone’s specs are good but when compared to the competition where you have phones with bigger batteries, faster-charging technologies, and more affordable price tags, then a compact-sized phone such as the Xperia 5 II will not be on your shortlist.

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Meizu 17 Pro

This year, the Meizu 17 Pro was one of the two smartphones announced by the former top Chinese manufacturer; the other being the standard Meizu 17. This flagship is one of the best-designed phones announced this year.

Unlike most phones with a punch hole at the top left corner or center, the Meizu 17 Pro has its own at the top right corner. Not only does the hole have a really small diameter, but the bezels are also some of the thinnest you will find on a smartphone. Meizu completes the design with a ceramic back, horizontally arranged rear cameras, and a ring LED flash.

Even though it packed amazing specs out of the box, it got more features via OTA updates such as an increased refresh rate (from 90Hz to 120Hz) and video stabilization for all cameras. Unfortunately, the Meizu 17 Pro and its sibling, both gorgeous and with impressive specs, did not get a global release.

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Vivo X50 Pro/Vivo X51 5G

Vivo is known for making phones with a premium design, impressive cameras, a mid-range chipset, and a high price tag, and the Vivo X50 Pro or Vivo X51 5G is one of such devices.

Its first-of-its-kind gimbal system brought a new type of stabilization to smartphone cameras. The whole 48MP quad-camera system is quite impressive and the camera arrangement is one we have seen other manufacturers copy. However, its high price tag, not unjustified for its pioneering technology, puts it in direct competition with more affordable flagships that offer a better all-round experience.

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EDITOR’S PICK: Vivo X60 series brings the Exynos 1080 to market while focusing on camera performance

Redmi 10X Pro 5G

The Redmi 10X Pro 5G is a mid-range phone that packs features you will usually find on premium mid-range phones and flagships. This Dimensity 820 5G phone, which is exclusive to China, has a telephoto camera with OIS and 3x optical zoom! That is a big deal when you realize that flagships such as the Mi 10 5G and Mi 11 don’t have a telephoto camera but this sub $350 phone does.

Lenovo Legion Phone Duel

The Legion Phone Duel was Lenovo’s first gaming smartphone. It was also the first phone powered by a Snapdragon 865+ processor. For its first attempt, Lenovo did a lot of things differently. From adopting a side pop-up selfie camera to placing the rear cameras in an unusual position, and using two USB-C charging ports to achieve its 90W fast charging technology.

Like other gaming phones, the Legion Phone Duel has trigger buttons, RGB lights, a high refresh rate display, and great stereo speakers. While it did launch in Europe in October, gaming smartphones are still a niche category, so they usually get overshadowed by other flagships that pack better features overall and are not as expensive.

Nubia Play

The Nubia Play 5G launched in China in April, and on a spec by spec comparison, it is better than the OnePlus Nord which is our selection for the best budget 5G smartphone.

This 6.65-inch phone with a 144Hz AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 765G processor, 48MP quad rear cameras, and a 5100mAh battery with 30W fast charging had a launch price of ¥2399 (~$339 as of April) for the base model that has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage!

It did get a global launch but as the Red Magic 5G Lite and with some toned-down features such as a 120Hz refresh rate, 18W charging, and a much higher price tag.

Red Magic Lite / Nubia Play

Mi 10 Youth 5G

The Mi 10 Youth 5G launched in China as an affordable version of the Mi 10 series. Prior to its announcement, Xiaomi had announced an affordable Mi 10 phone called the Mi 10 Lite 5G that was only sold in international markets. Both the Mi 10 Lite 5G and Mi 10 Youth Edition share not only design almost the same specifications but Xiaomi gave the latter a camera upgrade in form of a periscope telephoto camera with OIS, 5x optical zoom, and 50X digital zoom.

The Mi 10 Youth 5G was supposed to launch in international markets as the Mi 10 Lite Zoom but that didn’t happen. We do not know if Xiaomi has canceled it or it decided to push the launch to next year.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi Mi 11 arrives with the Snapdragon 888, a top-tier display, Harman Kardon speakers, and more

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Lenovo Legion Phone Pro is the company’s gaming smartphone and comes with top-of-the-line specifications and some impressive features. It also has dual front-facing speakers and a quad-microphones setup with Qualcomm’s noise reduction technology.

Now, DxOMark has published a new report related to the smartphone’s audio performance and gave it 59 points, with playback being rated at 64 and recording at 44.

The phone’s score of 59 points puts it in the lower ranks of devices for audio performance. However, the audio score for gaming use-case is better. Comparing it to other gaming smartphones, the Asus ROG 3 scored 75 points while Nubia Red Magic 3S scored 64 points.

The report from DxOMark says that the phone good dynamics performance. But, it says that tonal balance is off due to the lack of clarity. It notes that treble is muffled while the mid-range is inconsistent and the bass gets distorted even at nominal volume.

EDITOR’S PICK: Huawei confirms selling its Honor subsidiary to Zhixin New Information Technology Co. Ltd

The Lenovo Legion Phone Pro was launched in August this year, marking the brand’s debut in the gaming smartphone category. The device features a 6.65-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 144Hz.

It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus flagship platform with up to 16GB of RAM and 512 GB of internal storage. The device comes packed with a 5,000mAh battery that supports 90W fast charging technology.

The device is equipped with a game acceleration engine (GAE) and has ultrasonic buttons on both sides to start the game acceleration engine. During gaming, players can quickly switch perspectives through the shaking of the phone. As for the pricing, the 8GB RAM variant starts at 3,499 yuan (~$521) in China.

UP NEXT: Google Pixel 5 suffers from an issue with system volume, which is scaring users

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Some of the most powerful Android phones yet are gaining gaming smartphones which usually come with overclocked CPUs and equipped with the right hardware to prevent overheating which such overclocking could result in. The Lenovo Legion Duel is undisputedly one of the most powerful gaming smartphones around considering it runs on the latest Snapdragon 865+ chipset paired with a whopping 16GB of RAM.

The phone is currently available in China and Europe but is yet to be launched in India. That may change soon as the product page for the Legion Duel has gone live on Lenovo India’s official website. The page presently contains a caveat that the phone is not sold in India but the listing sure suggests that the flagship gaming machine will hit the Indian market pretty soon.

The Lenovo Legion Duel Gaming phone was first launched in August and happens to be the first smartphone in the brand’s Legion series. In terms of the specifications, the device packs a 6.65-inch AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 144Hz. The phone emerged as the first model powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 865 Plus flagship platform. It equally packs a 5000mAh battery and supports 90W fast charging.

In addition, the Legion Duel Gaming Phone is equipped with a game acceleration engine (GAE). At the same time, long-press the ultrasonic buttons on both sides to start the game acceleration engine, making the game experience more enjoyable. During gaming, players can quickly switch perspectives through the shaking of the phone. User can also quickly probe the environment around and perceive the enemy’s location.

The Lenovo Legion Duel Gaming phone has a starting price of 3499 yuan (~$521) in China but this is for the 8GB RAM version. The smartphone comes with a pricing of 999 euros (~$1,170) in Europe for the 16GB RAM and 512GB flash storage version.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi XiaoAI Speaker Art Battery Edition launched for 399 yuan ($59)

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The Legion Duel phone by Lenovo was made official in China in July. The beefed gaming smartphone has now landed in Europe with a pricing of 999 euros (~$1,170). The shipments of the Legion Duel will begin on Oct. 15 in the European markets.

The Lenovo Legion Duel which is priced at 999 euros can be availed through for installments of 250 euros (~$293) in some European markets. Early-bird buyers can make use of the LEGIONEARLYBIRD promo code to avail a Lenovo Smart Clock wroth 90 euros (~$105) or the Lenovo Yoga ANC on-ear headphones worth 150 euros (~$176).

In the European markets, the Lenovo Legion Duel will come with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of massive UFS 3.1 storage. While the phone sells with 90W fast charging in China, the European edition ships with 65W rapid charger. The Legion Duel is also expected to hit other markets like the Middle East, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. However, the Chinese firm is yet to confirm the arrival of the gaming phone in these markets.

Editor’s Pick Lenovo launches a laptop with built-in TWS earbuds

Lenovo Legion Duel specifications

The Lenovo Legion Duel has a 6.65-inch full HD+ AMOLED display that supports a 144Hz refresh rate and is equipped with an in-screen fingerprint reader. The LegionOS based Android 10 OS comes preinstalled on the smartphone. The device is backed by a 5,000mAh battery.

The Legion Duel is one of the few Snapdragon 865+ mobile platform powered smartphones. It comes with LPPDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. It has a side-mounted pop-up selfie camera of 20-megapixel. It houses a 64-megapixel + 16-megapixel (ultrawide) rear-facing dual-camera system.

UP NEXT: Lenovo teases to launch Tab P11 Pro as a Xiaoxin tablet in China

(source 1, 2, 3, 4|via)

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Three flagship gaming phones made their debut in the same month. And two of them went official on the same day: Asus ROG Phone 3 and Lenovo Legion Duel (the latter is the very first gaming phone by Lenovo). A few days after, Nubia unveiled its new gaming device: the Red Magic 5S, which is an upgraded version of the Red Magic 5G released earlier this year in the global market. Is the Red Magic 5S at the same level as the most awaited gaming phones of the month or you would better consider the Asus and Lenovo solutions? This comparison between their specifications will clear your ideas in regards.

Nubia Red Magic 5S vs Asus ROG Phone 3 vs Lenovo Legion Duel

Design

Nubia Red Magic 5S, Asus ROG Phone 3, and Lenovo Legion Duel are real gaming phone, so they come with a gaming-centric design. But you still get premium materials, including a glass back and an aluminum frame. The most interesting is the Lenovo Legion Duel because it was designed with landscape usage in mind. It sports a side-mounted pop-up camera for live streams and you can hold it while playing games without touching the rear cameras as they are placed at the center of the phone. Thanks to a secondary USB-C port placed at the side, you can even charge the phone while playing without touching the cable.

Display

These three phones offer the best displays you can get for gaming since they have the highest refresh rate even seen on a phone: 144 Hz. Among these devices, Asus ROG Phone 3 is the one which stands out due to its full DCI-P3 coverage, HDR10+ certification and a very high brightness. Its AMOLED panel should offer a better overall quality compared to its two rivals. Right after, there should be Lenovo Legion Duel with its 144 Hz and HDR10+ AMOLED panel. In each case, you also get stereo speakers and capacitive triggers.

Specs & Software

Asus ROG Phone 3 and Lenovo Legion Duel come with a stronger hardware since they are equipped with a better processor: the Snapdragon 865+ found on these two devices offers up to 10% performance boost compared to the Snapdragon 865 found on the Red Magic 5S. On the other hand, Nubia Red Magic 5S has a more advanced cooling system including silver cooling and a physical cooling fan running at 15,000 rpm. This should be enough to guarantee great results in long gaming sessions. Naturally, Android 10 is installed out of the box.

Camera

None of these devices is a real camera phone, but the most advanced camera setup belongs to the Asus ROG Phone 3 which sports a main 64 MP sensor, a 13 MP ultrawide camera and a 5 MP macro lens, as well as a good 24 MP selfie camera. Lenovo Legion Duel lacks the macro camera, but we believe it will click better photos (especially better selfies) than Nubia Red Magic 5S.

• Read More: Lenovo’s Legion Phone Duel gaming announced: Snapdragon 865 Plus SoC, 90W fast charge, and a $500 starting price

Battery

With its amazing 6000 mAh battery, the Asus ROG Phone 3 naturally lasts more on a single charge. The silver medal goes to the Lenovo Legion Duel with its 5000 mAh battery, and it also gets the first place when it comes to charging, thanks to its 90W fast charging technology.

Price

Asus ROG Phone 3 has a starting price of €899 in the global market, while we still do not know the global prices of the Lenovo Legion Duel and the Nubia Red Magic 5S. We know that they start at €425/$500 and €460/$541 in China, respectively. Our verdict goes in favor of the ROG Phone 3 due to its big battery and the support for more external accessories. But if you are a live streamer and you want a more comfortable gaming experience, then Lenovo Legion Duel may be a better option for you.

Nubia Red Magic 5S vs Asus ROG Phone 3 vs Lenovo Legion Duel: PRO and CONS

Asus ROG Phone 3

PRO

• More external accessories
• 8K video recording
• Bigger battery
• Switchable UI

CONS

• Slower charging

Lenovo Legion Duel

PRO

• Faster charging
• Water-repellent
• Front-facing LED flash
• FM radio

CONS

• Smaller battery

Nubia Red Magic 5S

PRO

• Affordable
• Great cooling system
• Great air triggers

CONS

• Inferior chipset

The post Red Magic 5S vs Asus ROG Phone 3 vs Lenovo Legion Duel: Specs Comparison appeared first on Gizmochina.

The most awaited gaming phones of the year are finally official. Yesterday, Asus and Lenovo launched their new gaming phones on the same day. We are talking about Asus ROG Phone 3 and Lenovo Legion Duel, both offering flagship-class specifications, gaming-centric features, and several innovations for the niche. While we wait for them to be both available in the global market, we think it is time to compare their specifications in order to let you understand which is the better gaming phone for you. After checking the comparison, you can let us know if you agree with our opinions by using the comment box below the post.

Asus ROG Phone 3 vs Lenovo Legion Duel

Design

The Lenovo Legion Duel looks very gorgeous for gamers because it has been designed with landscape usage in mind. It packs a side-mounted pop-up camera which can be used for live streaming during gaming sessions, as well as a rear camera placed at the center of the phone so that the player cannot touch them while playing games. But the Asus ROG Phone 3 does not joke with its two ultrasonic gaming triggers which can split into two different keys. The Asus ROG Phone 3 has dual USB-C ports as well and it even supports more external accessories than Lenovo Legion Duel. You can get the AeroActive Cooler to improve its performance in long gaming sessions, the Kunai 3 controller, a gaming clip for console controllers, a TwinView Dock with a secondary screen, and rugged cases compatible with the cooler. With both the devices you get a desktop mode to play on external monitors.

Display

With Asus ROG Phone 3 and Lenovo Legion Duel, you get an AMOLED display with a diagonal above 6.5 inches, a Full HD+ resolution, the HDR10+ certification, and a very high 144 Hz refresh rate which you can tune to match the perfect compromise between smoothness and energy consumption. With the Asus ROG Phone 3 you even get a DCI-P3 coverage above 100% and 1 billion colors, so the Asus ROG Phone 3 looks slightly better.

Specs & Software

Asus ROG Phone 3 and Lenovo Legion Duel are powered by the new Snapdragon 865+ mobile platform by Qualcomm which offers a 10% performance boost to CPU and GPU compared to the previous Snapdragon 865. The SoC is paired with up to 16 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of internal storage. The storage is UFS 3.1, and the RAM is LPDDR5. You get very similar performances with these devices, and in each case, we are talking about top-tier flagships when it comes to the hardware department. Their user interfaces contain very interesting customizations for gamers.

Camera

On the paper, the rear camera department of the Asus ROG Phone 3 looks better than the Lenovo Legion Duel. The phone packs a 64 MP triple camera including an ultrawide sensor and a macro lens which is able to record videos in 8K resolution. But for gamers, the side-mounted front camera might be a lot more useful than a normal selfie camera like the one included in the ROG Phone 3 (for live streaming).

• Read More: Lenovo’s Legion Phone Duel gaming announced: Snapdragon 865 Plus SoC, 90W fast charge, and a $500 starting price

Battery

Asus ROG Phone 3 offers a longer battery life simply because it has a bigger battery (6000 mAh vs 5000 mAh). On the other hand, Lenovo Legion Duel can be charged a lot faster thanks to its 90W fast charging technology. If you use both its USB-C ports to charge the phone, you can fill it in just 30 minutes. Note that the 90W fast charging tech is only for the 16/512 GB configuration, while the other variants get either 65W or 45W fast charging, which is still a lot faster than the 30W fast charging tech found on the ROG Phone 3.

Price

Asus ROG Phone 3 starts from €899/$1042 (€799 for the Strix Edition with Snapdragon 865), while we still do not know how much the Lenovo Legion Duel will cost in the global market (it begins at $500 in China). I would personally go for the ROG Phone 3 because of its huge battery and external accessories, but at the end of the day, we can not pick a definitive winner of this comparison because it mostly depends on the user’s needs.

Asus ROG Phone 3 vs Lenovo Legion Duel: PRO and CONS

Asus ROG Phone 3

PRO

• More external accessories
• 8K video recording
• Bigger battery
• Switchable UI

CONS

• Slower charging

Lenovo Legion Duel

PRO

• Faster charging
• Water-repellent
• Front-facing LED flash
• FM radio

CONS

• Smaller battery

The post Asus ROG Phone 3 vs Lenovo Legion Duel: Specs Comparison appeared first on Gizmochina.