If you are boycotting Chinese goods, these non-chinese smartphones are great alternatives to consider.
The atrocious face-off at the Galwan Valley in Ladakh with Chinese forces which resulted in more than 20 Indian soldiers laying down their lives has led to a massive backlash against Chinese brands, especially Chinese smartphones and apps that so far enjoyed the love, affection and addiction of Indian citizens. With Indian Intelligence agencies flagging apps originating in China and asking users to not use them, it’s also time to look at alternatives to popular Chinese smartphones.
China, with its economic might, has rapidly expanded its manufacturing capacity, and as a result, is able to make electronics that are far more affordable than other those produced in other countries. But, does it mean there’s nothing at par with these Chinese smartphones? Turns out, there is. While the home-grown Indian brands may not match up yet, there are a handful of brands from Korea, Europe, Taiwan and the United States that can give them a run for their money. In this feature, we will list out the popular Chinese offering in each segment and suggest an alternative for you to consider.
Popular:
Realme Narzo 10A, Redmi 8A Dual
The Realme Narzo 10A runs on the MediaTek Helio G70 SoC which is quite powerful for a phone priced this low. It can even support today’s heavy games like CoD: Mobile and PUBG Mobile. The phone rocks a 6.5-inch IPS LCD display with only HD+ resolution. The triple camera setup at the back is led by a 12MP primary camera, along with two 2MP cameras for macro and portrait photos. However, the camera isn’t quite reliable, especially in low light. Realme offers 3GB RAM and 32GB storage in the phone and a 5000mAh battery inside. While this is indeed from a Chinese brand, the phone itself is manufactured in India.
The Redmi 8A is made by Xiaomi, a popular Chinese brand in India that enjoys the highest market share in India. The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 439 and rocks a 6.2-inch HD+ display. There’s a dual-camera setup at the back with a 13MP primary camera and a 2MP depth sensor.
Alternative:
Samsung Galaxy M20
The Galaxy M20 is manufactured by Samsung, a Korean brand, in India. It’s a little more compact with a 6.3-inch TFT display but FullHD+ resolution, which increases the PPI making the panel appear sharper. The M20 also takes a different route with the camera, which we believe is a little more useful than having a macro lens. The M20 rocks a 13MP primary camera along with a 5MP ultrawide lens. The selfie camera is also larger with an 8MP shooter. The performance is where the phone falters in the face of its Chinese competition. The Exynos 7904 is no match for the Helio G70, but it can get you through the day with casual usage. However, battery life is equally long at 5,000mAh. Going with this, you will end up sacrificing powerful performance but gain in terms of more useful camera options and a sharper display.
Popular:
Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro Max, Realme 6 Pro
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro series, especially the Max variant is quite popular in India because of the high price to performance ratio it offers. In fact, most Xiaomi and Realme smartphones in the sub-20k segment undercut the competition with powerful hardware.
