Chinese no-name phones

[Eidolon]

ZTE and Huawei - though fairly recognizable now - were unheard of on the UK high street just a few years ago, but back in their native China there are a multitude of domestic phone manufacturers that we've never heard of. Star, Zopo, Changhui, Guophone - there are many more, knocking out all sorts of Android-based phones that sometimes look similar to popular phones from the likes of Samsung and LG.

That being said though, ultimately most of the premium brand phones from the likes of LG and Asus are made in China anyway, and these Chinese brands tend to use mass-produced off the shelf parts. And for the money some of them are surprisingly good, spec-wise at least. Take a look at this random example:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-inew-i2000-Android-4...



This is the Inew I2000. It's a 5.7”, Quad-core 1.2ghz phablet/phone with dual SIM slots, 1Gb RAM, 8Gb storage, 2800mAH battery (two of them), a 1280x720 screen, which runs Android 4.1.1 Jellybean. The price? £189. If this had an Asus or LG badge it’d probably be more like £400.

What do you think? Would you run a mile or is there anything to these?

Edited by Eidolon on Thursday 14th March 01:17

[Rowan138]

they are sometimes good, but often rubbish. the build quality is debatable and support for software can be sketchy at the best of times. also there is a reason for the two batteries, it means the battery life is AWFUL. expect a day out of these, maybe less!!!

[redtwin]

I would have one, but only if I could try a working model before buying from UK supplier. No way I would chance spending that kind of money on a complex phone from a China based supplier. I already have a headache thinking about the hassle it would be for them to authorize return and issue a refund.

[ZesPak]

Hmm, I'd be very wary, but then I ordered an Oppo Find 5 the other day. I only did this after reading up, watching reviews,... I'd do the same.

These phones may look great in the "bang for buck" ratio, but specs are far from everything. Pick up a medion 13MP compact camera and compare it to a Lumix 8MP camera and it'll fall short in display, build quality, support and, most importantly, picture quality.

For example, a screen has so many variables that aren't shown in the spec sheets. The only two measures you see are the resolution and, if you're lucky, brightness. Having a washed-out screen that is 1/2" below the surface, with a viewing angle of about 6°, that doesn't care whether you're touching it or not, could make any smartphone experience a PITA. And that's only the screen.

This is not just about the unknown stuff, but any smartphone brand is guilty of this, even A-brands like cheap Samsung smartphones .

So: independent reviews would be my bet. I WOULD buy stuff that I didn't test myself, but I'd never buy stuff I heard absolutely nothing about. Saving a few quid is hardly worth it imho, especially in this age of information/the internet.

[slomax]

my housemate has one of the Star HTC copies.....

it could well be this one but im unsure:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Android-tablet-MTK6575-Cor...

Anyway- when it came i was surprised how good quality the Build was- really excellent- seems as good as HTC or Samsung.

he will get 1.5-2 days out of the battery- so its comparable to the big brands of similar type.

box and presentation was fantastic too- although no branding.

If i was in the market for one- looking at his, i would have no issues with ordering one too.

im going to stick with a keypad + small screen for the time being though- i like the battery life of 6 days

[agxster]

What about how much radiation these phones emit?

[TallPaul]

Rowan138 said:

also there is a reason for the two batteries, it means the battery life is AWFUL. expect a day out of these, maybe less!!!

So better than an iphone then?

[ZesPak]

TallPaul said:

So better than an iphone then?

, the iPhone is amongst the better of the smartphones, only a handful of smartphones beat it in battery life (nexus 4, htc one, galaxy note 2 and a couple of others). I don't think these Chinese ones will be anywhere near iPhone battery life.

[LordFlathead]

agxster said:

What about how much radiation these phones emit?

They're not too bad. My wife likes the phone because she it's useful being able to read in bed with the lights turned off

[205alive]

Lots of wild claims about sh!t build quality etc etc. Look up dracotec on Amazon and look at the number of UK buyers who are more than happy with the specs of these phones.

I'm posting via a dual core, 1ghz, hdmi, 4.6" screen phone delivered about a week ago for £120 including shipping and duty. A better spec phone is now available for less. That phone in the OP is massively overpriced.

Mine worked flawlessly out of the box, two batteries, charged, dual Sims worked instantly, no issues at all. Fantastic performance considering the price. Sim only all the way.

Edited by 205alive on Thursday 14th March 22:56

[steveo3002]

i considered one , but the fear of if it arrives broken or faulty all the hassle of getting it sorted out

i got the nexus 4 , not too overly expensive and hopefully can get it repaired in the uk if it breaks out of warrenty

[deckster]

205alive said:

Lots of wild claims about sh!t build quality etc etc. Look up dracotec on Amazon and look at the number of UK buyers who are more than happy with the specs of these phones.

I'm posting via a dual core, 1ghz, hdmi, 4.6" screen phone delivered about a week ago for 120 including shipping and duty. A better spec phone is now available for less. That phone in the OP is massively overpriced.

Mine worked flawlessly out of the box, two batteries, charged, dual Sims worked instantly, no issues at all. Fantastic performance considering the price. Sim only all the way.

Edited by 205alive on Thursday 14th March 22:56

With respect, you've only had the phone a week. What would be really interesting would be to know your view 6 months or a year down the line, and also what happens if you need get any technical support for the phone. What's the availability of accessories like, and how quickly do you get Android updates (if at all)?

Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that these cheap imports are a rip-off or in any way less than genuine - but there are generally reasons why they are cheap.

[dtmpower]

I fully intend to purchase a domestic market (China) Android in the next few weeks.

You have to absorb some of the failings, tech support, warranty, in view of specification/price.

[Morningside]

.*bump*.
I keep looking at the Landvo L800. Is it any good?
Any idea how this 2 SIM thing works? I have seen it on quite a number of these Chinese phones. How does it swap from one to another?

[V8covin]

I was watching fake Britain on bbc the other day.They were making iphone copies.They looked the same on the outside but the specs on the box weren't the same as the actual specs of the phone and what was inside was pretty low quality.
I'd be wary of buying an no-name chinese phone of ebay that's for sure

[leglessAlex]

Surely with decent phones coming from Huawei, the Moto G & E and some Chinese phones of reasonably known quality like the THL 5000 it's kinda pointless taking the risk on an unknown brand or no brand phone? Unless they are really outrageously cheap I'd rather pay a little extra and get a phone I know is decent quality.

[dudleybloke]

Iv got a thl 5000 and its brilliant. The twin sim gives you voice, data ect on sim 1 and voice on sim 2.
when i dial it asks me which number to call off and it tells me which sim is receiving an incoming call.

[technodup]

ZesPak said:

, the iPhone is amongst the better of the smartphones, only a handful of smartphones beat it in battery life (nexus 4, htc one, galaxy note 2 and a couple of others). I don't think these Chinese ones will be anywhere near iPhone battery life.

I've also got a THL5000 and the battery wipes the floor with the iPhone. Seriously, I can forget to charge it for 3 days and it's no issue.

£150. I've had it a good few months now and struggle to find fault compared with iPhone/S5 etc. Spec is huge and value for money nothing comes close. There are ones out there cheaper again, which make you question just how much of the £600 for a big brand goes on marketing. Most of the flagships are much of a muchness in terms of features, there's been nothing revolutionary for years now, they all look and feel the same. Variations are in build quality, battery life and image, and the Chinese are well on the way to parity. Mine's a bit plasticy like HTCs were a few years ago but that would be my only complaint.

Anyone who believes they are getting four times the value/quality/features for their £600 compared to mine at £150 are only deluding themselves.

[Morningside]

dudleybloke said:

Iv got a thl 5000 and its brilliant. The twin sim gives you voice, data ect on sim 1 and voice on sim 2.
when i dial it asks me which number to call off and it tells me which sim is receiving an incoming call.

Ah I see, I wondered how the 2 SIM worked. In the end I went for a White S9500 MTK6589 quad core thing. Its supposed to have a 13MP camera () and the specs looked quite good.
I agree with the comments saying whats on the box may (and I bet will) differ from whats inside, but for a 5" phone running android for less than £50 has got to be worth a punt. And if it is a pile of doo doo I will hand it to one of the step grand children.

[enemi]

XiaoMi - 'nuff said