The best smartphones you've probably never heard of

Best smartphones you've probably never heard of

You know the major players in the smartphone game: the best mobile phones in the world today are made up of all the big names from Apple to HTC, Samsung to LG and beyond.

But what about those smartphones not popular in the Western markets? Just because a handset isn't popular here, doesn't mean its not one of the best. Some mobile phones are just a little misunderstood.

Here we've collated some of our favourite smartphones from around the world into a list of phones you've probably never heard of.

Each phone in the list has a major unique selling point included to prove why we think it's worthy of its position and we've included the main market each handset is available.

Some of the availability is difficult to nail down and it may be possible to ship a couple of the handsets over for a slight cost.

It's quite interesting to see some of the more popular phones at the corners of the earth we don't always cover.

THL 5000

Poor battery life is one of the biggest gripes for smartphone users and THL wants to make that problem history. The THL 5000 packs a - you guessed it - 5000mAh battery into a reasonably compact body meaning it won't be bulging out of your pocket all that far.

It comes with a 5-inch IPS display with a 1080p resolution, a 2GHz octa-core MediaTek processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage with microSD expansion up to 32GB.

Rounding off the specs is a 13MP rear camera with a powerful 5MP front facing snapper for selfies. All in all it's an impressive Android handset and the vastly improved battery life is a big selling point.

• Price: $259 or £166


• Availability: US and UK


• USP: More battery power

IUNI U2

Top end specs at a low end price, that's the smartphone dream. Chinese manufacturer IUNI has made headway in this game with the new U2 handset that is available in selected Asian markets.

Inside is a Snapdragon 800 chipset, 3GB of RAM, a 16MP snapper and there is even a 4.7-inch 1080p display to power it all.

All of this is wrapped in a form that channels the design of the HTC One M8 crossed with a OnePlus One.

The best part though is the super low price for a flagship with high-end specs, no-one can ever sniff at that.

• Price: INR 11,340 (about $181, £123)


• Availability: India and selected Asian markets


• USP: Super low price considering specs

Lumigon T2 HD

Lumigon aims to satisfy the stylish consumer using buzzwords like "elegant" and "exclusive look" throughout its press materials.

As much as we detest the language, we have to admit the Lumigon T2 HD has a nice design with water and dust resistant technology built in without compromising the stylish look.

There's a 4.3-inch display with a 720p pixel resolution, a Snapdragon processor clocked at 1.7GHz and 2GB of RAM.

Storage goes up to 128GB with a 13MP camera on the back and it's running Android 4.4 KitKat. The Danish price of the phone comes in at 4449 Danish Krone, and a straight up conversion makes that about £438 in the UK but it hasn't been officially launched here.

• Price: DKK 4.449 (about £483) or $578


• Availability: Denmark, US and other European markets


• USP: Stylish design

LG Fx0

If you want a unique looking smartphone, look no further. LG's first ever Firefox OS device comes with a translucent back cover.

It may not be to everyone's taste but it'll make some look twice and it's the highest spec handset running on the Firefox OS to date. The home button even comes with the Firefox logo ingrained.

In terms of specs it has a 4.7-inch IPS display on the back with a Snapdragon 400 chipset inside clocked at 1.2GHz alongside 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage.

On the back is an 8MP rear camera and a 2.1MP selfie snapper sits on the front, plus the whole thing is powered by a 2370mAh battery.

• Price: N/A


• Availability: Japan


• USP: Firefox OS

Fairphone

Fairphone has one key aim, to create a smartphone restricted to "ethically sourced" materials. The company aims to create a smartphone using only conflict-free resources as well as paying workers a reasonable wage throughout the production process.

You have to admire the intention behind it and the specs aren't half bad with a 4.3-inch IPS LCD display, a 1.2GHz quad-core MediaTek processor and 1GB of RAM.

It runs on the Fairphone OS based around Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and has 16GB of storage with microSD support up to 64GB, an 8MP rear shooter and a 2000mAh battery.

• Price: £250 on a 24-month Co-Op Contract


• Availability: UK, restricted stock


• USP: Ethically sourced

Coolpad Magview 4

Coolpad's Magview 4 was one of the best selling smartphones in China last year and proved popular for its top notch performance.

Under the hood is a Tegra 4 processor clocked at 1.8GHz with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of on-board storage.

On the front is a 5.9-inch Full HD display with an aluminium chassis covering the rest of the handset.

Currently the handset is only available in China and it isn't particularly cheap either coming in at around £361 when you convert it straight from Yen.

• Price: ¥3,980 (about £434, $642)


• Availability: China


• USP: High selling device in China

Karbonn Titanium Octane Plus

After a few years of focusing on affordable handsets, Karbonn has tried to break out into high end smartphones and did pretty well with its latest offering.

Despite sounding like something you'd place in the Hadron collider at CERN, this low-cost, high specs device managed to sell really well in India this year.

It offers an octa-core MediaTek processor clocked at 1.7GHz, 2GB of RAM and a 16MP rear camera.

There's also 16GB of internal storage with microSD support up to 32GB and Android 4.4.2 on board as well.

• Price: INR 9170 (about £99, $147)


• Availability: India and China


• USP: Sold well in China and India

Yotaphone 2

If you have heard of any of the devices on this list, it's likely this one. The Yotaphone 2 gained a lot of attention for its unique dual display design offering an e-ink back panel for certain apps and to save on the battery.

The e-ink display works with certain apps such as Facebook, Twitter, RSS feeds, messages and eBooks offering a much better battery life than your average full blown display.

That battery is a 2500mAh sensor whilst the front panel is a 5-inch Full HD display. Under the hood is a Snapdragon 801 processor clocked at 2.2GHz with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage on board. Plus we gave it 3.5 stars in our full review.

• Price: £555


• Availability: UK and US


• USP: e-ink display on rear

NEC Terrain

Look at this hulk of a handset. The NEC Terrain is designed for those who need a tough piece of kit that is likely to survive a couple of knocks and tumbles without cracking the screen easily.

Channeling the BlackBerry ethos with a full QWERTY keyboard, it also comes with a rugged body to make sure it'll survive almost any minor incident you can throw at it.

It's only packing a 3.1-inch display but comes with a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor and 8GB of memory with microSD support of up to 32GB.

Although it isn't to everyone's taste the NEC Terrain is built to last and has received rave reviews from those who need something sturdier than an iPhone.

• Price: $84.99 (about £57)


• Availability: US


• USP: Strong build

KT Tech KM-E100

Catchy name, eh? The KT phone is a South Korean exclusive and is immensely popular in the country thanks to the ever popular KakaoTalk messaging app being built in.

It also allows for owners to split the screen in two to use Facebook at the same time as messaging on the app.

Despite the phones popularity in South Korea, there isn't really much else to it. For specs it has a 4.5-inch display with a 720p resolution, a dual-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz and 8GB of internal memory.

Paired with a 2040mAh battery and Android Ice Cream Sandwich - it really doesn't sound like much, but Korea really does love it.

• Price: N/A


• Availability: South Korea


• USP: Built in messaging app

MEIZU MX4

It's not an iPhone you see before your eyes, it is in fact the MEIZU MX4. With a 5.4-inch display on the front and a octa-core MediaTek processor underneath this certainly isn't a flagship phone to be sniffed at.

There's also 2GB of RAM, storage choices up to 64GB and a varied range of colour options including grey, black, white and tan.

As for the camera it's the same 20.7MP sensor you'll find in the Xperia Z3 range with a 2MP sensor on the front for selfies.

At the moment the handset is running Android but it'll soon be getting an update with Ubuntu Phone on board as well. Plus it's the only phone on this list that is available in the UK, US and Australia.

• Price: £288, $470 or AUS 510,


• Availability: UK, US and Australia


• USP: Ubuntu Phone coming soon

Posh Mobile Titan HD E500

We'll finish things off with some good quality specs at a low cost price. Despite having one of the worst manufacturers names in recent memory, Posh Mobile has created a kickass, cheap handset in the form of the Titan HD E500.

It features a 5-inch 1080p display with an octa-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz and 1GB of RAM.

That is accompanied by 8GB of internal storage, a 13MP rear camera and Android KitKat 4.4.

The main thing here is the design though, with what Posh Mobile calls "New York urban chic" boasting a particularly thin, sleek metal design. All this comes in quite cheap at $199 but there isn't anywhere to get it in the UK, sadly.

• Price: $199 (about £135)


• Availability: US


• USP: Low price, nice design

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