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Best Chinese Phones You Can ACTUALLY Import To The UK
Richard Goodwin
26/09/2017 – 10:47am
If you’re after an Android phone, but you want to pay like WAY LESS then you need to get into importing phones from China
Importing phones from China sounds complicated. But in reality you’re not going to become some kind of merchant with a warehouse. Far from it in fact. All you’re doing is leveraging “other” buying platforms and saving a bunch in the process.
China is the biggest phone market on the planet. Bar none. And China has a multitude of phones we don’t ever get access to here in the UK. The most obvious is brands like Xiaomi. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what’s available.
Why would you import a phone from China? Simple: to save A LOT of cash and get a fully functional Android phone with great specs for around half the price of a similar phone in the UK or USA.
There are caveats, of course, like needing to make sure it will work with networks in your country, but all of this can be checked out before you pull the trigger on a purchase – just check which bands they support and then see what networks are compatible with it. Most handsets bought via GearBest are limbered up for international usage.
So, now we got that out of the way, what are the best Chinese phones you can buy right now?
Let’s do this.
Xiaomi RedMi Note 4X – The Perfect Galaxy Note Antidote
Like your Android phones big, but don’t want to spend a lot of money? Meet the Xiaomi RedMi Note 4X, an Android phone with a price tag so small, you could be forgiven for thinking Xiaomi is a front for something other than selling phones.
Xiaomi is one of the most well-known native Chinese brands in the UK and US. Often referred to as the Apple of China, Xiaomi has built its business around making high-end phones and selling them at the same price as budget Android phones.
And, no, I don’t know how it does it, either. I mean, just look at these specs:
- Display: 5.5 inch FHD 2.5D Arc screen
- CPU: Snapdragon 625 Octa Core 2.0GHz
- GPU: Adreno 506
- System: Android 6.0 ( MIUI 8.1 )
- Camera: rear camera 13.0MP with AF and flashlight + front camera 5.0MP
- Bluetooth: 4.2
- Navigation: GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
- Sensor: Accelerometer, Ambient Light Sensor, Gravity Sensor, Gyroscope, Infrared, Proximity Sensor, Fingerprint Sensor
- SIM Card: dual SIM dual standby, Micro SIM + Nano SIM cards
And then look at this price: you can pick up the Xiaomi RedMi Note 4X for just £118 right now via GearBest.
Meizu Pro 6 – Like The iPhone 6s, Just With Better Specs
The Meizu Pro 6 is a straight-up copy of Apples’ iconic iPhone 6s design. It looks brilliant, featuring everything that makes Apple’s design so premium, only this phone is powered by Android and costs considerably less.
But don’t be put off by its lower price point, the Meizu Pro 6 can trade blows with some of the biggest Android phones around. The specs are killer and this handset also features HD audio via its impressive DAC converter, so music sounds EPIC.
It also has a banging camera, mountains of RAM, and a gorgeous display that’ll keep you engaged when viewing content or media. Basically, this phone is pretty darn exceptional, so if you want the best, just for a lot less, then you need to be looking at the Meizu Pro 6.
Meizu Pro 6 Key Specs
- CPU/Memory: Mediatek MT6797T Helio X25, 4GB RAM
- Screen: 5.2in, 1080p AMOLED
- Storage: 128GB internal
- Camera: 21MP, f/2.2 with phase-detect autofocus & laser autofocus, dual-tone LED flash
And best of all is the price; you can pick up one of these handsets for under £300, making it one of the best value phones around right now.
VIVO XPLAY 5 Elite – A BEAST of EPIC Proportions
If this phone looks familiar to you, don’t worry – it should. Based on Samsung’s iconic Galaxy S7 EDGE design, the VIVO XPLAY 5 Elite, like its muse, is a powerhouse of performance combined with good looks and well thought out features.
It features 6GB of RAM – that’s right, SIX –, 128GB of storage, a high-end Qualcomm CPU, and a brilliant camera. This is one of the more expensive handsets on this list, but once you use it you will know where all that extra cash went.
VIVO XPLAY 5 Elite Key Specs
- CPU/Memory: Snapdragon 820, 6GB RAM
- Screen: 5.43in, 1440×2560 curved AMOLED
- Storage: 128GB internal
- Camera: 16 MP, f/2.0 with phase-detect autofocus, dual-LED flash
You can pick this phone up for around £600, depending on where you shop. My advice would be to use BANGGOOD, as it tends to have the lowest prices and big, Amazon-style deals on a regular basis.
I’ll add more to this list as I experience them, but for now, these are your best options when looking to import a Chinese phone.