Mid-range phones to watch this spring

Many Asian phone makers like Xiaomi, Meizu, HTC and Asus offer smartphones at competitive prices. Here's a compiled list of options for value-seeking phone buyers.

 

Xiaomi Redmi

Xiaomi is a very active company that aims to create an ecosystem of connected devices. Its smartphones are part of this strategy and the company recently released two new phones in the Redmi line-up: Xiaomi Redmi Pro and Redmi Note 4. Both models come packed with features presented in a slick, in-house developed user interface.

Meizu MX6

Meizu is a less well-known than many other brands in the New Zealand market. However, this doesn't mean that you should discount Meizu's phones. The new Meizu MX6 comes with many powerful smartphone features found on the Apple iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy phones at a much lower cost. The price in NZ is predicted to be around $560 GST inclusive.

 

HTC Nexus
HTC will launch two new Nexus phones in collaboration with Google. The 5.5-inch Nexus S and the larger 5.5-inch Nexus M. Nexus phones typically offer great value and are know to leverage the latest features of the Android operating system in an optimal way.

 

Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe
Zenfone 3 Deluxe became the first phone that utilises the latest Snapdragon 830 processor. Asus phones excel in performance tests and typically are fast and reliable.

 

OnePlus 3
OnePlus 3 actually launched a few months ago, so it's not a completely now phone. However, it has already been upgraded a few times based on user feedback, so that's why it's included in this list. It retails at low as $670 including shipping and is a viable alternative to the more expensive iPhone and Samsung Galaxy phones.