Best value phone for under £200 ($250) - ZUK Z2? Le Max 2? Umi Z?

[notindeed]

I've been looking for a new phone recently and want something for less than £200.

I want decent specs and future proofing / value for money for the price. A large screen size if possible. SD slot is nice to have although if internal storage is decent then is less of an issue.
I don't want a fingerprint reader really, although that seems less avoidable nowadays so I guess I might have to live with it. One where the fingerprint sensor isn't on a button that is required for normal operation is preferable.

In terms of best value for that price, the ZUK Z2 seems good, however it only has a 5 inch screen and I would prefer one with a slightly bigger screen (around 5.5 if possible).
Also it lacks band 20.
It doesn't have an sd slot but the internal storage is large so hopefully that shouldn't be an issue.

There is the LE ECO Max 2 but the problem with that phone is that it has no headphone socket but comes with an adaptor. Not only is that a problem when wanting to charge and use headphones, but I also imagine the adaptor breaking quite easily. Plus I don't really want to encourage this anti-consumer practice.

My father is suggesting the UMI Z to me however I don't know how Mediatek X27 compares to the Qualcomm 820.
I also heard that it is a lot less likely for people to create CFW for Mediatek phones and that things can be buggy with CFW for them?

I would basically like a phone that will be supported by CFW in the long term - as I know that for any phone you cannot rely on manufacturers to update it.
We have now reached a point where specs of phones are "good enough" so I won't really want to be upgrading after this for a while.

The ZUK Z2 can be had for about £140 - 150 and the LE ECO Max 2 about £170 - 180. I think the UMI Z is about £170 - 180 too.
**links removed by moderator**

The ZUK Z2 would be great if it was 5.5 inch and had LTE band 20 (800). That said I might end up going for it if there are no alternatives.

Does anyone have any other suggestions or comments on the 3 phones mentioned?
Or will other alternatives be coming out soon?

Thanks!

 

[12bl21]

Give you some Le Max 2 32G reference：
price：

• $199.99 https://www.joybuy.com/1315046.html
• $ 250~$300 https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU5670090
• $220~$300 https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesal...0170206222203&SearchText=LeEco+LeTV+le+max+2+

CPU: Snapdragon 820 Quad Core Up to 2.15GHz
OS: EUI 5.6( Bass Android M)
Storage：4G RAM +32G ROM
Screen: 5.7 inch 2560x1440pixels
Camera:21.0MP Back + 8.0MP front camera, Flashlight and auto focus
Others: Dual SIM Card Dual Standby( 2x Nano SIM )
Network: 2G:GSM:B2/3/5/8 (850/900/1800/1900MHz); CDMA: BC0/C1(800/1900HMz)
3G:WCDMA: B1/2/5/8; TD-SCDMA: B34/39; EVDO: BC0/BC1(800/1900MHz)
4G:FDD-LTE:B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/20/25/26 ; TD-LTE: B38/B39/B40/B41(2600/1900/2300/2555-2655MHz)
Support Multi Language & Google play.

 

[strike1976]

Zuk z2 is great phone at this price! Le max 2 battery is small for 5.7 device... Umi z? Uhmmm poor quality for me! So zuk z2 is best choose

 

[johnh3]

I would take a look at the new Vernee Apollo X. (They showed it in the MWC 2017 event) 64 GB internal memory, but you can add a micro SD card to. Big battery, and it support VoLTE (voice over LTE)

As I understand it support most of the frequencies in Europe to.
You can pre-order it at GearBest, TomTop or AliExpress.


http://2016.vernee.cc/for-best-user...nterpreted-the-design-philosophy-of-apollo-x/

In general probably a good device for the price.