China appears to be more loyal to locally-made mobile phones than global major manufacturers like Apple and Samsung, as several handsets made by companies based in the country have made it to the top 10 most popular smartphones. In fact, Xiaomi's latest flagship, the Mi 5 tops the list, beating the popular budget handset, the Redmi Note 3, which is in the second spot.
According to Ann Bunny evaluation Weibo post (via PriceRaja and PhoneArena), the Xiaomi Mi 5 is the most popular smartphone in China as of May, followed by the Redmi Note 3 from the same company. Another device, the Mi Max, made by Xiaomi is also on the list. The Meizu Pro 5, Meizu MX5, and 360 N4 are among the most popular handsets in China, and Samsung Galaxy S7 edge is the only device made by a non-Chinese company to make it to the list.
The Xiaomi Mi 5 comes in three variants — a 32GB storage and 3GB RAM model priced at 1999 Yuan (around $300), a 64GB internal memory and 3GB RAM model with a price tag of 2,299 Yuan (around $351), and a 128GB storage and 4GB RAM variant priced at 2,699 Yuan (around $413).
It has a fingerprint sensor, sports a 5.15-inch full HD screen with 1,920x1,080 pixel (428 ppi pixel density), powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow based MIUI v7.0, and a 3,000mAh with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology. It also has a 16MP Sony IMX298 main camera with f/2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus, OIS, dual-LED (dual tone) flash, 1/2.8" sensor size and 1.12 µm pixel size, and a 4MP front-snapper with f/2.0 aperture, 1/3" sensor size and 2µm pixel size.
On the other hand, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is a budget smartphone available in two variants – a 16GB internal memory and 2GB RAM model with a price tag of Rs. 9,999 and a 32GB internal memory and 3GB RAM model priced at Rs. 11,999.
The device sports a 5.5-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 1,080x1,920 pixels (403 ppi pixel density), powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor, runs Android 5.0.2 lollipop based MIUI 7.0, and memory expandable up to 256GB. It also has a 16MP main camera with f/2.0 aperture, a 5MP secondary camera with f/2.0, and a 4,000mAh battery.
