Despite being the world’s manufacturing hub, from manufacturing iPhones to Macbooks, China has traditionally been associated with cheap knock-offs. But that’s changing now, with the likes of Huawei, Xiaomi, Gionee, OnePlus and other major Chinese manufacturers stepping up to the plate with flagship-rivalling smartphones being sold at disruptively low prices.
Huawei Honor 7i
Huawei is on a roll. With several quality smartphones like the Honor 6 Plus and the Honor 4x already selling well, the 7i is destined to come here.With a unique 13 megapixel f/2.0 aperture camera that flips out, turning into a selfie cam, that too with an attached flash. Not only that, the pivot stays in place at any angle, so you can use your phone as a stable platform to take pictures.It also takes a design leap by placing the fingerprint sensor on the side. But besides that, the specs are quite mid-range with a 1080p 5.2 inch screen and Snapdragon 616 processor and 3GB of RAM.
Gionee E8
The follow up to Gionee’s stellar E7 is one of the likeliest candidates to come here, with numerous teases already out. With a cleaner look than its predecessor, the E8 sports a 6-inch 1440×256 resolution display and MediaTek’s Helio X10 quad core cpu at 2 Ghz, along with 3 GB of RAM.
The camera is a 23.7 megapixel is a six element lens monster with optical image stabilisation, superfast autofocus two tone flash and the ability to interpolate pixels into a 100 mp picture.
Also there’s 4k video recording with lossless zoom, and the selfie camera is an 8 megapixel shooter. The phone comes with a 3,250 mAh battery and finally, Lollipop.
LeTV Le Max
If there is one phone that should hit immigration pronto, is the the Le Max from LeTV – a true monster of a phone in every respect.Let’s start with that giant 6.33-inch display with virtually no bezels, as the screen goes almost edge to edge with a 2k resolution, the phone packs a 64-bit Snapdragon 810 with a whopping 4GB of the fastest LPDDR4 RAM.And wait, there’s more – the Le Max packs the new Sony IMX230 superfast focusing image sensor in its 21 megapixel rear camera. The front camera is that large sensor ultrapixel camera for clear selfies even in low light situations.
The Le Max packs in a special audio processor for those audiophiles, Digital to Analog converter and AKG-tuned audio to deliver crisp, clear sound. The Le Max is rumoured to retail at around Rs 25,000 pretty soon.
Xiaomi Mi Note Pro
With Xiaomi’s meteoric rise to fame in India, a new Mi phone is undoubtedly on the horizon, and that is the Mi Note Pro. Clad in a metal body with a curved glass back.
With a large crisp 5.7 inch QHD Sharp/JDI NTSC, a larger version of the Mi4’s stellar display. Powered by the Snapdragon 810 processor with 4GB of fast LPDDR4 RAM.
With 64GB of in built storage, a 13 megapixel rear camera with six element lens and two tone flash and an 2 micron pixel (Ultrapixel) front camera at 4 megapixels.The Mi Note Pro could be the phone to take Mi deeper into the Indian market, something the Mi4 could not manage.
ZTE Nubia Z9
The ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini is already out, and that means the beautiful edgeless Nubia Z9 is not far behind. Clad in an sexy metal chassis, the phone packs a borderless display held together by some kind of technological wizardry.
With the frame actually an interactive touchpoint that lets you to squeeze or slide over to perform actions. The rear camera is an optical image stabilised 16 megapixel camera and with a wide angle 8 megapixel selfie camera.
The 5.2-inch display is at a manageable Full HD, with the new Snapdragon 810 processor and 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM. With an audio processor for crisp sounds.
With these specs, the Nubia Z9 should have been the phone that ZTE should have bought here, to make a big impact. A true winner.
Huawei P8 Max
Huawei China has already launched the P8 and the P8 Max, the latter sporting a massive 6.8 inch Full HD LTPS LCD display with a 1500:1 contrast ratio and an 83% screen to body ratio with nearly imperceptible bezels in a full metal body used in aviation construction.
Powering it is the new Kirin 935 64-bit octa-core processor, 3 GB of RAM, 64 GB internal storage with an expandable MicroSD slot. The primary camera is a 13 megapixel shooter with optical image stabilisation, dual LED flash, and the front camera is 5 megapixels. To power the mega display is a 4360 mAh battery.
The phone has a 1 watt RMS loudspeaker with a massive sound chamber and smart amplifiers directing the sound. The P8 Max along with the Le Max could pave a way for a new generation of audiophile phones in India.
Doogee F5
The oddly named Doogee F5 is slated to become man’s next best friend. Pun unintended. The F5’s got a unique take on the fingerprint sensor.
According to various reports coming out of China, the phone takes you to different screens depending on how much time you place your finger on the sensor.
The specs though are the same story you see everywhere, 1080p 5.5 inch display running on a MediaTek MT6753 system on a chip, 3 GB of RAM and 13 Megapixel rear camera and 5 MP front camera. Now in this entire list, the F5 has the least probability of coming here, but there is hope.
Sharp Aquos XX
The Aquos has been leading the charge with sexy sleek, almost impracticable edgeless display. While the specs of the first batch phones were quite common place, the XX pushes the phones into flagship territory.
With a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset, 3GB of RAM. Powering a S-PureLED 5.7 inch display with a 1080p resolution and a 13 MP rear camera, the phone is a stunner with the power to boot. Selfiephiles will be disappointed with the 2.1 MP camera offering. But without a doubt, the phone has style.