Made in China: TOP 5 mid-range smartphones from China

The recipe for creating the Mi A1 model is simple — first you need to enlist Google's support for the participation of a newly-made smartphone in the Android One programme, and then it is enough to take as a basis any of the fresh solutions (in this case Xiaomi Mi 5x 64 GB ) and re-release it on pure Android, i.e. without the proprietary MIUI shell.

The "bare" version of the "operating system" without unnecessary applications is the main requirement of the Android One programme. It includes low-cost smartphones that will be guaranteed to receive up-to-date OS updates among the first for a long period of time, which is aimed at improving their functionality. However, Xiaomi Mi A1 is comparable rather to the middle class of smartphones, which is clearly indicated by the hardware installed on its board and the equipment of the device with a trending dual module of the main camera.

The gadget got a "filling" with a margin of safety for the future — a Qualcomm 625 processor (8 cores with a clock frequency of 2 GHz) and 4 GB of RAM. She is able to turn over current applications without thinking much about their resource consumption. In the AnTuTu performance test, the smartphone earns a little more than 60K points, which once again confirms its compliance with the average segment.

With cameras, the model is doing well. Its main photo module is based on two 12-megapixel sensors equipped with optics with different focal lengths (26 mm and 50 mm in the equivalent of a full frame). Simply put, one of the objects takes pictures with the usual viewing angle, and the second provides the possibility of a two-fold approximation. It is also connected to work when shooting in portrait mode, although the background blur in it is not yet implemented in the best way, as a result of which the background behind the object of the shooting is blurred unevenly.

According to the manufacturer's assurances, a powerful sound amplifier is installed in the smartphone, which can pump high-resistance headphones. And here Xiaomi did not lie — the sound quality of the Mi A1 really deserves praise. Of the interesting features of the model, it is worth highlighting the proximity of the IR port with a two-way USB Type-C port (they are spaced on different sides). The smartphone impresses with its balanced equipment and thanks to it, it bothers to pay the closest attention to its person.

The sixth generation of the popular line of mid-low-cost smartphones of the Note line from the Chinese brand Meizu has received a lot of useful updates in the spirit of the times. In particular, the device has acquired a dual main camera module and a high-performance chip from Qualcomm, becoming the first-born among Meizu smartphones with a similar processor.

It is necessary to dwell on the "iron" component of the device in more detail. The Meizu M6 Note is based on an 8-core Snapdragon 625 chip, in conjunction with which 3 GB of RAM and Adreno 506 graphics work. To a simple layman, listing the components installed on board a smartphone may not say anything, so it's worth noting a sufficient level of device performance to solve the vast majority of tasks, whether it's watching movies, browsing the Internet or gaming (most of the games will go on graphics parameters close to high).

Another "trick" of the smartphone — the dual main camera — is used to obtain artistic bokeh (spectacular background blur behind the object of the shooting). The frame is captured by two objects at once, the larger of which hides a 12-megapixel matrix with a large size of a single pixel (1.4 microns), and behind the smaller one hides an auxiliary sensor with a resolution of 5 MP. Photographs on the main camera are obtained with good enough quality of external lighting. The selfie module also does not graze the rear ones — the front of the smartphone has a 16-megapixel front-facing camera with software "improvers" of the skin of the face when taking self-portraits.

If the design of the back of the mobile gadget has changed slightly compared to previous generations of the line, then it adheres to the canons in front — a 5.5-inch FullHD screen is installed on the front panel, and under it there is a multifunctional mTouch key with a touch layer and a built-in fingerprint sensor.

The proprietary FlymeOS shell, rolled on top of the seventh Android, smartly responds to user commands and works stably. Lags and interface slowdowns are not about her. Taking into account effective energy-saving algorithms and a "non-greedy" hardware platform, the smartphone lives on a single charge of a 4000 mAh battery for about one and a half to two days of full-fledged activity. And when you need to replenish the energy reserves in the battery, support for fast charging technology comes to the rescue — one of the attributes of a modern smartphone that you want to see in all mobile gadgets.

The choice of smartphones that combine good performance and all-protection of the case is not so great. Usually you have to settle for either one or the other. One of the few representatives of the caste of protected devices with good performance is the Blackview BV8000 Pro.

The degree of protection of the smartphone from external influences (IP68) is proudly displayed on a metal nameplate under the screen. The model is not afraid of dust, dirt, diving into fresh water and falling from a two-metre height. Only the smartphone display is slightly afraid of direct impacts, but to counteract them, it is slightly recessed deep into the front panel of the case. The screen resolution corresponds to the FullHD format, and its diagonal size is 5".

Due to the large size characteristic of protected smartphones, the headphone jack and the USB Type-C port are recessed deeper into the case than usual. Complete cables are connected to them without problems, but with third-party cords, difficulties may arise. However, the rich package includes everything you need right out of the box — the Blackview BV8000 Pro is equipped with an OTG cable, a headset, a protective film, an adapter from USB Type-C to microUSB and a screwdriver. Without the latter tool, it will not be possible to install SIM cards and an external data drive.

In the depths of the case protected from external factors, a wisely selected "filling" is working as part of a well-proven MediaTek Helio P25 chip and 6 GB of RAM. She can't turn "heavy" games around, but iron handles with all everyday scenarios without the slightest hesitation. Special respect is due to the large capacity of the built-in drive (64 GB), which can be expanded by another 256 GB using the aforementioned microSD flash drive.

On the side of the phone, we managed to allocate a little space for a fingerprint scanner, by the way, not very responsive. And hidden from the user's eyes is an equally useful NFC chip for making contactless payments. There are also ordinary cameras on board the device (16 MP main and 8 MP for taking selfies). Finally, the battery of the protected device with a capacity of 4180 mAh has got support for fast charging, which is described in more detail in the framework of the material "Brief educational programme on fast and wireless charging technologies".

Frankly speaking, ZTE smartphones are not in demand among the east european public. Moreover, it is completely undeserved, as can be seen from the example of the "thunderstorm" of the middle class — the ZTE Nubia Z17 Mini model.

The smartphone is easily recognizable by its "clothes" — a combination of black or white body coloring with golden inserts distinguishes the model from the crowd of peers. Also, the signature features of his style are a red LED under the 5.2-inch screen and a similar colour edging around the main camera's objects. There are two of them on board the device and both have a resolution of 13 MP. Only one photomodule snaps pictures in colour, and the second — in black and white mode, which is done to expand the possibilities in photographing.

In general, an adherent of the genre of mobile photography has a place to turn around with the ZTE Nubia Z17 Mini. After all, a dual camera is only the outer side of the issue. The mobile gadget shoots in the "raw" RAW format, which opens up wide possibilities in post-processing of the footage. As for the selfie camera, the resolution of its matrix completely exceeds that of the rear sensor and is 16 MP.

Depending on the modification, different hardware can be installed in the smartphone: a performant Snapdragon 652/653 chip and 4/6 GB of RAM, respectively. Both the basic and more powerful versions of the mobile gadget confidently cope with performing any everyday tasks and demonstrate good performance in games. But with the responsiveness of the interface, things are worse — the NubiaUI 4.0 shell turned out to be "damp", which sometimes causes freezes and slowdowns.

Having equipped the smartphone with a two-way USB Type-C port, Chinese engineers considered it unnecessary to make a hole in the case for a 3.5mm audio jack. Instead of the standard connector for connecting headphones, the manufacturer included an adapter cord in the delivery package. In addition, the battery capacity (2950 mAh) is not exciting, which is compensated by the smartphone's support for fast charging technology. Summing up the results, the ZTE Nubia Z17 Mini claims to be a kind of mini-flagship — apparently, this is what the Mini prefix in the model name implies.

The Chinese company Huawei has very deep roots in the segment of mid-range smartphones. The brand's range of mobile gadgets includes models for every taste and colour, almost each of which has its own zest.

The first generation of the smartphone {!!! block='price' idgood='910587' !!! it turned out to be interesting, but only 9 months after the announcement, a significantly "pumped" heir was "rolled out" to replace him. With special care, it approached the question of photo capabilities: the model got both a new-fangled dual main camera and a front-facing camera with a resolution of 20 MP for taking high-quality selfies. The main photo module is built on the basis of two 12-megapixel sensors and provides the possibility of double optical zooming without loss of image detail.

The place of the 625th "dragon" in the heart of the hardware platform of the device was taken by a chip of HiSilicon Kirin 659, which is identical in performance to its own design. His company consists of 4 GB of "RAM" and 64 GB of permanent memory. Such a bundle is not the best suited for demanding games, but it shows itself very confidently in normal use scenarios.

The 5-inch screen of Huawei Nova 2 has a FullHD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) and is made using IPS technology. It conveys bright and juicy colours, and also boasts wide viewing angles. But it is not he who is more technologically savvy, but the fingerprint scanner on the back of the smartphone. In addition to protecting personal data from unauthorized access, it performs a number of other useful functions — a swipe on the surface of the fingerprint sensor opens the notification panel and flips through the photos, and clicking on the scanner replaces the shutter button in the photo mode.

With a battery with a capacity of 2950 mAh, you have to count on about a day of operation of the mobile gadget in the standard mode of use. Refilling the battery to a full tank takes a little more than an hour and a half. A slightly repulsive factor from a momentary trip to the store for a smartphone is the inflated cost of the model at the start of sales, but it is still impossible to call it sky-high.