buying chinese android phone

[nitaii]

hi,
i want to buy a new chinese phone in china, cheap and best.
around 350 usd maybe.
im in hongkong, Samsungs are cheap, but not enough. im on my way to beijing.
which Chinese phone you recommend?
thank you!!

 

[Gball082]

I would get a ZTE i got one an dnt have any issues with it. Pretty cheap an not to bad at all.

 

[mikedt]

For Chinese phones in China, I'd stick with a brand you might have heard of like ZTE, Huawei or Lenovo. They produce good reliable devices and support is good as well.

 

[nitaii]

i actually have a zte u880, but its very slow and has no android market.
i know the brands, but which model?
thank you

 

[mikedt]

i actually have a zte u880, but its very slow and has no android market.
i know the brands, but which model?
thank you

What about the Huawei Ascend P1? Could be worth looking at.

If you're going to buy an Android and you want Google, buy it in HK. Android devices sold in the Mainland don't usually come with any Google stuff on them.

Have you got anything particular against Samsung, because IMO the current Galaxys are better than anything the Chinese are making.

 

[nitaii]

well i left hongkong.
the galaxys are too expensive for me, i know sumsung is the best kind, im looking for cheaper chinese stuff that is good enogh for me.
i thought the chinese stuff like 'huwai' and 'zte' can give better specs for low price, aspecealy when bought in china, am i wrong?
could i put google stuff on a chinese phone without rooting it?
thank you

 

[mikedt]

well i left hongkong.
the galaxys are too expensive for me, i know sumsung is the best kind, im looking for cheaper chinese stuff that is good enogh for me.
i thought the chinese stuff like 'huwai' and 'zte' can give better specs for low price, aspecealy when bought in china, am i wrong?

From my experience, Chinese phones tend to be made down to a price, build quality, weak specs, support, etc. I think the best of them is the Huawei Ascend series, like the P1. Also tech products, especially foreign makes like Samsung, can be slightly cheaper in HK rather than the Mainland.

could i put google stuff on a chinese phone without rooting it?
thank you

I think you've got to root them, sometimes even change the ROM completely. Which is usually much easier if you have a well known make like Huawei or ZTE. Where there's usually plenty of information available, like here on AF.

There are a few Google enabled Android phones and tablets sold in the Mainland, but you have to look for them. I recently bought a cheap (700RMB) Ampe A76 4.0 tablet locally, came with Google Play and all the other goodies.

BTW if you're in or anywhere near Shenzhen, head for the Seg Electronics Market. Some good deals to be had there. If you're in Beijing try the Zhongguancun tech mall in the Haidian district.