Chinese android phones

Anyone had a positive experience with Chinese android phones?

My LG L5 e612 just died (purchased about 2 years ago for $150...it was terrible)

I am looking for a replacement (5" screen, OK resolution, 512+ RAM) for $150 or less. The main use of phone will be web browsing.

I would love to hear some suggestions or experiences people have had.

If you want something reliable you could get a used Nexus 4.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nexus-4-LG-E960-16GB-Black-Unlocked-Worldwide-GSM-AT-T-T-Mobile-Smartphone-/131305073645?pt=Cell_Phones&hash=item1e92646bed

4.7 inch screen, great for web browsing and general app use.

As someone who has bought and used one a word of caution.

The Chinese cell phone market is a mess. There are a lot of manufacturers, using different chipsets (MTK) from the more popular manufacturers in the West, the build quality varies wildly and it's a hassle having to find out which networks are supported by a phone. Also, custom ROM support for these phones, a major draw for Android, can be non-existent. And in general, support for these phones is terrible outside of China.

On the plus side, the MTK chipsets aren't that much weaker than the standard chipsets but a lot cheaper, the Chinese love their gimmicks, and it's great tinkering with the phones. For a relatively cheap price, you will have a unique phone that you can mess with fairly well.

Honestly, if you just want a hassle-free cheap phone, I would suggest the new second generation Moto G: 5" 720p screen, quadcore Snapdragon processor, 1GB RAM for $179.99 off contract. No 4G support though.

The ZTE Blade 4G is a pretty decent Android-phone. I'm pretty sure it's Chinese. A cheap rip-offy type phone anyhow. The display, battery and camera are all very good for the price range (140 euros, which is like 170 dollars or something). Has a quadcore processor (Snapdragon I think) and a gig of RAM.

@gaff said:

I can second the Moto G. I have used one for around 6 months and had no problems with it at all.

The only other thing to be aware of is the second generation doesn't have expandable storage.

Thanks for the advice. I have been looking at the moto G as lots people say they are great. But they are $200 AUD here in AUS. I don't need 4G and as long as the phone comes with droid 4.4 I wont want to install ROMS etc. Though build quality is a concern. What phone did you get Gaff?

One of my co-workers use a ZTE that's actually not terrible. I'll try to get the model from her tomorrow.

I think these Chinese android phones are not that reliable. I tried one and I stopped using it because I didn't enjoy everything.

I am pretty happy with my OnePlus One, though Chinese it is above your $150 mark. You are getting a lot for $299,-. I would even go as far that hardware wise (and OS depending on taste) it is better than the iPhone 6 plus.. So not all that is Chinese is bad.

Everything is better than the iPhone 6 plus...

@ravingham91: i got a used s3 in great condition from craigslist

Best bet is probably a ZTE, moto G, or a used s3.

@ravingham91: Hmm, not getting mentioned using @ is a terrible way to get noticed :P

Personally, I got a ZOPO C2 Platinum. The build quality was OK, not top of the line, simple plastic but didn't feel shoddy. One problem though: that phone ships with Android 4.2, which is outdated at best and upgrading it to anything higher required a lot of fiddling, which did not do the phone any favours, stability wise.

And that's my problem with most Chinese made Android phones: unless there is a healthy support for third party ROMs, keeping the phones up-to-date with the latest Android builds is a pain in the ass. Support will almost always be in Chinese and rather than keeping existing models updated with the latest Android builds, most manufacturers will just put out another model.

Personally, I would suggest something from the bigger brands. I've heard OK things about the Xiaomi Hongmi (I would suggest keeping their custom MIUI interface: it works fairly well and gets updated frequently, currently based on Android 4.4, I think), or ASUS (the Zenfone 5 reviewed OK, and looks interesting to me?).

Xiaomi is a Chinese brand which actually has great specs for somewhat of a low price.