Every time there is tension on Indo-China Border, there is a call, especially on social media, for a massive backlash against Chinese brands in India especially non-Chinese smartphones. The recent atrocious face-off of at the Galwan Valley in Ladakh over border issues and the coronavirus pandemic triggered such Anti-China sentiments.
Many users in India have been blatantly asking for a boycott of Chinese Brands and products, including apps and smartphones, that have so far enjoyed the love, affection, and addiction of Indian citizens.
Movements like boycott “Made in China”, “Boycott China” boycott TikTok, ‘Remove China Apps‘ is trending in India. It is advocated and supported by famous Indian social innovator and education reformer, Sonam Wangchuk who is also one of the leading voices of the ‘Boycott China’ movement.
In one of his videos, he appealed, to Indian citizens that this is people’s fight, along with the Indian Army to counter China.
Home Ministry has issued directives for uninstalling many apps originated in China which has security and privacy issues. It is also supported by Indian Intelligence agencies.
All these situations and issues demand to look for alternatives to popular Chinese smartphones.
China, with its cheap labor, the abundance of rare earth metals(raw material for electronics, integrated circuits, processors, etc) and economic policies, has become a manufacturing hub of the world and is still increasing its capacity.
As a result, it can make electronics that are far more affordable than those produced in other countries and offers its customers value for money products.
One cannot deny the fact the Indian smartphone market is dominated by Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus, OPPO, Vivo, Huawei, Infinix, Tecno, and Motorola.
You might be wondering that there’s nothing at par with these Chinese smartphones. Well, there is. Maybe the home-grown Indian brands take time to match up but there are a handful of brands from Europe, Taiwan, Korea, and the USA that can be good alternatives.
Brands like Finland-based Nokia/ HMD Global, South Korea’s based Samsung and LG, US-headquartered Apple, Taiwanese ASUS, and Japan’s Panasonic as the other alternative prominent players in the Indian smartphone market.
In this article, we have listed the popular Chinese smartphones in the different segments and an alternative for you to consider. If you are considering buying a non-Chinese smartphone in Indian Market or if you have a Chinese smartphone with a budget in your mind, then check out our alternative to the Chinese smartphone list.
Table of Contents
Entry Level Smartphones under Rs 10000 (Budget Segment)
Realme Nazro 10A
This is the most popular budget smartphone with a 5000 mAh battery and reverse charging feature where the mobile itself can be used as a power bank to charge the other devices.
Good for people who like to play games as it has Media Tek Helio G70 SoC processor (Weaker than MediaTek Helio P22). It sports a 6.5-inch High Definition Plus displays having 720×1600 screen resolution which is protected with Gorilla Glass 3.
This Chinese smartphone also hosts a fingerprint sensor and face recognition that works quickly and seamlessly.
It has a triple card slot and AI triple rear camera which can be a slight disappointment. It has a 12-megapixel primary camera with PDAF and AI beautification, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. But you cannot get a better smartphone at this price range.
It also comes with Bluetooth 5, Wi-Fi 802.11n, and GPS. It is mainly available in two colors- So white & So blue.
Panasonic Eluga Ray 610
You get a smartphone with all the necessary features at less than 10K in Panasonic Eluga Ray 610. It is powered with powerful MediaTek Helio P22 Cortex A53, 2 GHz Octa-Core processor which is good for gaming.
It is featured with a 6.22-inch slim bezel IPS LCD display with a resolution of 720 X 1520 pixels and has a pixel density of 270 PPI. It comes with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage which can be expanded up to 512GB.
But the camera quality may slightly disappoint you compared to other Chinese products like VIVO/OPPO. The primary camera is 13MP+2MP auto-focus sensor with Digital Zoom, Auto Flash, Face detection, Touch to focus and the back/secondary camera is 13MP sensor.
It comes with a 4000 mAh Li-ion battery that is good for a whole day heavy usage.
This Japanese smartphone has other important features like Wi-Fi, 4G, mobile hotspot, Bluetooth v5.0, MicroUSB, and GPS. It is available in two colors- blue & Black. Considering the price it is the best phone in this budget.
Panasonic Eluga Ray 610 vs Realme Nazro 10A
Other Alternatives to Entry Level Segment Smartphones
- Nokia 2.3
- Samsung Galaxy M10s
- Samsung Galaxy A10s
- LG W30
Mid Tier Smartphones Under Rs 20000 (Mid Range Segment)
Realme 6 Pro
This quite bulky and heavy Chinese smartphone is powered by the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G SoC processor with Adreno 618 as GPU, which runs smoothly without any lag. It can run lag-free PUBG Mobile and Asphalt 9 games smoothly.
The 6.6-inch Full HD+ display with a 90 Hz refresh rate is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The 400 PPI display provides a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels with is pretty sharp.
With 64 MP quad-camera, it provides great pictures even at night. It has a 2 MP macro camera for macro shots and a 12 mega-pixels telephoto sensor that facilitates 2x optical zoom. Its front camera is 16MP.
It has a non-removable 4300mAH battery which is good for a day and a half of normal usage. The smartphone comes with a 30 W VOOC 4.0 charger that can charge the phone from 0 to 100 percent in just 65 minutes.
The side fingerprint sensor unlocks the phone quickly and gives greater security. Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res audio feature give a great experience while listening to music or watching a video.
Samsung Galaxy M31
Samsung Galaxy M31 is the best competitor for Chinese products within 20K. It sports a big 6.4-inch crispy AMOLED full-HD+ Infinity U display with waterdrop notch and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
The phone is powered by the octa-core Exynos 9611 SoC processor and Mali-G72 Graphics Processing Unit. You can very easily play PUBG Mobile and other games without any frame-drop or lag.
This South Korean smartphone host a 64MP quad-camera setup at the back and a 32-megapixel selfie shooter at the front. The rear camera setup consists of an 8 MP ultra-wide-angle sensor for wide-angle shots, a 5-megapixel depth sensor for shooting close-ups shots, and a 5-megapixel macro sensor for macro photography.
This setup provides very good edge detection and does a good job of separating the subject from the background. You can record a 4K video from the primary rear camera as well as its selfie shooter.
It can easily go on for the whole day with heavy usage and two days with normal usage with its mammoth 6000mAH battery. It has widevine L1 certification with Dolby Atmos 360 which is great for your entertainment.
The device with a sleek design and infinity U display looks quite attractive. It’s face recognition and fingerprint scanner unlocks the phone in seconds.
It has two 4G VoLTE supported Nano-SIM slots and has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. You can also expand its storage up to 512GB.
Samsung Galaxy M31 vs Realme 6 Pro
Other Alternatives to Mid Range Segment Smartphones
- Samsung Galaxy M11
- Samsung Galaxy M21
- Nokia 7.2
- Samsung Galaxy M30s
- Nokia 7.2
- LG W30 Pro
High-End Smartphones Under Rs 40000 (High-End Segment)
OnePlus 8
This 5G supported, newly designed OnePlus 8 smartphone with the latest Snapdragon 865 processor is going to replace its predecessor OnePlus 7T.
The 90-Hz curved-edge 6.55-inch AMOLED display comes with a punch-hole in the upper left corner providing a fresh look to this smartphone. The 402 PPI phone is protected by 3D Corning Gorilla Glass in addition to the pre-applied screen protector.
The smartphone has a very good thermal management design. It is featured with 6 GB of RAM and 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 sensor with optical stabilization. It also has a 16-megapixel wide-angle sensor, a 2-megapixel macro lens, and also a 16-megapixel front sensor.
It has a decently big 4,300mAh battery and has a fast-charging feature with it’s Warp Charge 30T charger.But, this Chinese smartphone lacks certain important features like IP-rated waterproofing and wireless charging.
Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite
Released in the first quarter of 2020, Samsung Galaxy S10 lite comes with a beautiful 2.5D curved 6.7-inches(17.02 cm) Full HD+ Infinity O Super AMOLED display having 87.8% screen to body ratio. This gorgeous masterpiece is almost bezel-less.
Powered with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset along with Adreno 640 GPU, it can smash any game you throw at it. It runs on Android 10 and the UI is called One, which was the result of Samsung’s partnership with Microsoft to bring better mobile integration to Windows 10.
The base variant comes with 128 GB/6 GB or 8 GB but the top variant comes with 512 GB/8 GB. The primary camera is a triple camera with 48+12+5 MP which covers from wide to ultra-wide angles.
It has Super Steady OIS which means it is quite unaffected by the movement of the phone while taking pictures. The front camera is 32 MP and here also you get the option of clicking a wide picture.
Bluetooth version is 5.0 and it includes the option of NFC as well. Sensors include Fingerprint which is under the display and an optical one along with the standard proximity, gyro, accelerometer, and compass.
The battery is a whopping 4,500 mAh but its Li-Po battery which is rigid and lightweight. Colors include Prism White, Prism Black, Prism Blue.
Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite vs OnePlus 8
Other Alternatives to High-End Section Smartphones
- Asus 6z
- ROG Phone II
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite
- iPhone 8 & SE series 2020.
- Google Pixel 3a
- Nokia 9 PureView
Premium Smartphones above Rs 40000 (Premium Segment)
OnePlus 8 Pro
The Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus has provided long-awaited features like IP-certified waterproofed (IP68 rated for dust and water resistance) and wirelessly charged OnePlus 8 Pro to its user.
8 Pro comes with a rounded on the sides, big 120 Hz, 6.78-inch Quad High Definition plus(QHD+) AMOLED panel having 1440×3168-pixel resolution with HDR10+ support. The gorgeous 513 PPI display has a 90.8% screen-to-body ratio which is almost bezel-less and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
It is powered with an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC and Adreno 650 GPU. This device is lag-free and is excellent for high-end gaming. It runs on Android 10 and the OnePlus Oxygen 10.0.
It has a quad-camera assembly with a 5-megapixel sensor with a special filter called ‘Color Filter’ camera, a primary camera with a 48-megapixel Sony IMX689 sensor, a telephoto 8-megapixel sensor with optical stabilization and a 48-megapixel wide-angle sensor with autofocus for shooting extreme close-ups.
This camera system comes with a 3x hybrid optical zoom and up to 30x digital zoom. For selfies, this smartphone hosts a 16-megapixel Sony IMX471 sensor.But this camera system you can neither record an 8K videos nor 4K selfie videos. It is capable of recording 4K@60fps resolution videos with its quad-camera assembly.
The phone is equipped with a non-removable slightly bigger 4,510mAh battery and with its 30T standard Warp Charger 30T, you can charge it to 100 percent in under an hour. It is also featured with fast wireless charging and capable of reverse wireless charging.
Other features include Bluetooth version 5.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 A-GPS, Glonass, and standard sensors like Fingerprint, Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, light, rgbw, etc are also included. it comes in Onyx Black, Glacial Green, Ultramarine Blue colors.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus
The true definition of a bezel-less phone, s20+ is 120 Hz, 6.7 inches but because of its 90.5% screen to body ratio, it doesn’t feel that big. The display is gorgeous and comes with Glass front and glass back both being Gorilla Glass 6 with an aluminum frame.
There are two different chipset variants for it, one being Exynos 990 which is the global variant, and Snapdragon 865 which is exclusive to the USA. Exynos 990 is slightly lower when it comes to benchmark compared to Snapdragon 865, but in actual use, both of them feel flawless. It is powered with ARM’s Mali G77 Graphical Processing Unit.
The biggest pro of this phone is the camera. The primary Camera is a triple sensor which includes 64+12+12 MP. The Space Zoom allows it to zoom up to 30x and even in that range picture is clear enough.
It comes with 3x Hybrid Optic Zoom and in low light, this pro-grade camera system works wonder by capturing multiple shots at once and merging them into one stunning single shot with less blur and noise.
The video can be recorded up to 8k @24fps, 4k @30/60fps, and standard 1080p@30/60/240fps. The selfie camera is a dual one on 10 MP and it comes with a dual video call feature.
Sound on the loudspeaker is clear on even on very high volume due to the stereo speakers but it doesn’t have 3.5mm jack. Bluetooth version is 5.0 but the FM radio option is limited to the Snapdragon variant only.
Standard sensors include Fingerprint, Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, etc. It comes with pre-installed Bixby natural language commands and dictation, which can interpret and take action with given incomplete information also and unlike other smartphones, you don’t need to use set phrases.
The battery is Li-Po 4500 mAh and it has a 25W fast charging. There is an option of wireless charging as well.
It comes in Cloud White, Aura Red, Cosmic Black, Cosmic Grey, Cloud Blue, Aura Blue colors.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus vs OnePlus 8 Pro
Other Alternatives to Premium Section Smartphones
- iPhone SE 2020
- Samsung Galaxy S20 series
- Google Pixel 3 XL
Trade wars between countries keep on happening every now and then. It allows us to realize what we’ll be left with if one country’s market pulls back. In the current scenario, although Chinese phones are top-notch especially in entry and mid-range segments and not much of an effect in the premium category. However, the alternatives are almost as viable as them.
The current situation provides us the opportunity to explore new dimensions in the smartphone industry. It ranges from having a different UI, different camera, different feel of other brands, and many more.
If you are one of those who want to boycott Chinese smartphones then there are tons of brands available that you can use instead of buying phones that are made in China.
It is evident from the latest survey taken by 91mobiles that the future of the smartphone market in India is leaning towards Samsung. There is an increased growth of users converting from Xiaomi to Samsung.
List Of Best Non-Chinese Smartphones To Buy In India from Amazon
Above were the list of most popular Chinese smartphones across all the price range and there alternatives in non-Chinese brands. Hope this will be helpful in choosing your non-Chinese smartphone in your price range.
However, if you need any other help or have suggestions for us, please do comment below and we will get back to you with the best possible information and details. Your advice, comments, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated and welcomed.
