The Best Chinese Smartphones You Can Buy for Under $60

Hey guys, it's Bailey from Android Authority, and today we're going to talk about some of the best Chinese smartphones you can buy for under $60. Now, I know what you're thinking - "Chinese phones? Aren't they all the same?" Well, not necessarily. While there are many great options available in both the Chinese market and worldwide, there are also some fantastic devices that offer exceptional value for their price.

First up, we have the Mesu M2 Note. This phone falls just within our price bracket at $159, but I think it's definitely worth considering. The strongest aspect of the M2 Note is undoubtedly its 5.5-inch, 1080p sharp IGZO display. It looks like it would belong on a phone costing more than twice as much as the M2 Note itself. In addition to the exceptional display, the M2 Note also offers surprisingly solid build quality and great battery life. The camera is also capable of producing some nice-looking images, although your results may vary based on what you choose to focus on due to an overly sensitive spot metering mode.

Now, I know that performance isn't always the most important factor when it comes to smartphones - especially at this price point. But the Mesu M2 Note's 1.3 GHz MTK 6753 processor does leave something to be desired. However, unless you're playing graphically intensive games or comparing it with faster devices, you won't notice a huge difference. The speaker is also fairly loud, but does sound distorted at full volume. And let me tell you, the Flyy software is a sharp departure from stock Android - I initially had some trouble installing Google services on my unit, and you may run into similar issues if you purchase a Chinese variant.

Despite its flaws, the Mesu M2 Note is an excellent choice for those who use their phones most for media consumption. The pre-installed music app even provides legal unlimited music streaming, and the option to download music for no additional charge. For the best experience, though, I would recommend picking up a pair of headphones - avoid using the built-in speakers, which can be noticeable for distortion. Overall, the Mesu M2 Note is an excellent choice for those on a budget who still want a great display and good performance.

Coming in at a very close second is the Lenovo K3 Note, priced at $153. Now, I know what you're thinking - "Is this just another phone that's similar to the Mesu M2 Note?" But actually, there are some key differences between the two devices. Most notably, the K3 Note has a 1.7 GHz MTK 6752 processor, which is noticeably faster than the M2 Note's 1.3 GHz MTK 6753. This makes it a great option for those who want to open apps or play graphically intensive games quickly.

The Lenovo K3 Note also has a good display, although it's not quite as sharp as the Mesu M2 Note's IGZO screen. The speaker output is clear and great, and the battery life is on par with the M2 Note - although you do have the option to swap out the battery if needed. However, some people may not be a fan of the K3 Note's boxy design, which can be seen as somewhat utilitarian. Additionally, there's no mention of whether or not this device will receive an Android update.

Another great option for those on a tight budget is the Mesu M2 Mini. This phone has a 5-inch screen and is powered by a 1.3 GHz MTK 6753 processor, although I was unable to find more information about its display. It also features a speaker that sounds "tiny and distorted". However, it does offer a great value for its price and a stock Android experience.

If you're interested in any of the devices mentioned in this video, please be sure to check out the full written post and full reviews for more details. All of these devices are powered by ARM and their partner ecosystem has made these aggressive price points possible. Their tech powers over 98% of the world's smartphones and we encourage you to check out the developer community if you're interested in learning about how to develop for ARM.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey what is going on guys this is Bailey with Android authority and these are the best Chinese smartphones that you can buy for under $60 just to be clear while our list does include tried and tested smartphones please do keep in mind that there are also many other exceptional offerings available in both the Chinese and other worldwide markets as always be sure to do your own research to determine which device best fits your needs and include support for your carrier before making a purchase for full resolution camera samples and benchmark scores please check out the written post by using the link in the description with that said our first recommendation is the recently released mesu M2 note although it falls just within our price bracket at $159 we feel that it stands out the most and subsequently offers the best bang for the buck the strongest aspect of the M2 notes is undoubtedly the 5.5 in 1080P sharp igz display which looks like it would belong on a phone costing more than twice as much as the M2 note in addition to the exceptional display the M2 note offers a commendable design surprisingly solid build quality and great battery life the camera is also capable of producing some Nic looking images although your results May Vary based on what you choose to focus on due to an overly sensitive spot metering mode unfortunately it's not the fastest performer on our list with a 1.3 GHz mtk 6753 processor but that's not terribly noticeable unless you're playing graphically intensive games or comparing it with faster devices the speaker while fairly loud does sound distorted at full volume and the flyy software is a sharp departure from stock Android to say the least I initially did have some trouble installing Google services on my unit and you may run into similar issues if you purchase a Chinese variant even with those flaws though the mesu M2 note is an excellent choice for those who use their phones most for media consumption because of the excellent display the pre-installed music app even provides legal unlimited music streaming and the option to download music for no additional charge for the best experience though you'll want to pick up a pair of headphones to avoid the built-in speakers noticeable Distortion coming in at a very close second is the Lenovo K3 note priced at $153 it's a not worthy alternative to the M2 note and it's also stronger in a few key areas most notably in performance with a 1.7 GHz mtk 6752 processor it's noticeably faster when opening apps or playing graphically intensive games compared to the M2 note you may have thought that the Mt 6753 would provide better performance than the Mt 6752 too but that's actually not the case the K3 note isn't just strong in performance either is that it's a good display clear speaker output and great battery life the camera also takes some impressive images and I think it has a slight Edge over the M2 note in certain conditions while the K3 notes display is good it's still far from the quality of the M2 notes display sunlight readability is just mediocre and while the speaker doesn't have nearly as much Distortion as on the M2 note it's also too quiet for some environments the battery life is on par with the M2 note and you do have the option with the K3 note to swap out the battery if needed on the downside the K3 notes boxy design may not be everyone's favorite and the software experience will vary based on reseller some units may ship without Google services While others may have lots of bloatware if you purchase the right model from the right reseller or flash a custom rom like Cogen mod however you won't have these software related issues if you're into gaming or just want the best performance possible for the price the K3 note is the phone to get for under $160 elephone may be a smaller manufacturer but the p6000 pro is perhaps one of the best bargains starting at $120 while we're using an original p6000 here the differences made in the p6000 Pro are minimal but certainly welcome changes the p6000 pro is powered by the same mtk 6753 processor used in the M2 note except that it's collect at a slightly faster 1.5 GHz this is a very small change from the original mtk 6732 used in the p6000 proper so performance should remain about the same there isn't a single standout feature on the p6000 pro but it does have quite a few positives it ships with a nearly stock build of Android 5.1 lollipop has a 3 GB Ram option for $20 more and provides good battery life the performance is also good for the price but the camera does fall behind the M2 note and K3 note quite a bit in terms of overall quality the 5-in 720p display provides a smaller form factor and the pro model is advertised to have a better brighter display this time sourced from LG the speaker is fairly loud but it does sound very tiny and distorted also it's unlikely that we'll see an Android M update for the p6000 or p6000 Pro given the prices of each phone the p6000 pro is a great buy for those who are on a tight budget or just want a smaller 5in form factor while it doesn't match the M2 note or K3 note in battery life or camera quality it does offer a more stock software experience and similar performance overall it's a good alternative if you can't afford the other two options if you're interested in any of the devices mentioned in this video please be sure to check out the full written post and full reviews for more details all of these devices are powered by arm and it's their partner ecosystem that has made these aggressive price points possible their Tech Powers more than 98% of the world World smartphones and we encourage you to check out the developer Community if you're interested in learning about how to develop for arm thank you for watching this video and please make sure to give it a thumbs up below if you enjoyed it also please make sure to subscribe to the channel if you'd like to see more content and feel free to leave a comment below finally be sure to visit the Android Authority website for additional coverage as we are your source for all things Android\n"