Update: We no longer recommend Cubot Smartphones to our UK readers. Please check out the following articles:
- Best UK Budget Smartphones
- Top 5 UMiDigi Phones
- Best Smartphones for Awesome Battery Life
- Top 15 – Drop-ready Rugged Phones
Cubot has released more than a few new smartphones over the last 6 months and that’s why we’ve created this ‘Top 5 – Cubot Phone Guide‘.
This guide is here to help you decide if there’s a Cubot phone out there that’s perfect your smartphone needs.
Nobody wants to buy a new smartphone only to find out it’s already a year old. Or worse, that it’s slow, poorly built and quite frankly, a junk phone.
But can we trust the smaller mobile brands like Cubot?
Is a question I hear a lot, as well as “are Cubot phones reliable?” and “Surely you can’t get a decent mobile phone at that price!?”
Well, the simple answer is yes. Yes you can.
Cubot has been working hard over the last couple of years to overhaul and improve its smartphone range. While they’ve always reliable, their 2017 smartphones lacked style compared to brands like UMiDigi.
Their most recent phones features better displays, improved designs and best of all… they keep the wallet-friendly price-tags.
So how do you get your hands-on a Cubot smartphone?
In the past, you had to crawl eBay or shop overseas to buy a Cubot mobile. Now you can find them at your local Amazon.
Top Tip: The best deals still come from the import market, where they often have sales of up to 50%. The downside… longer delivery times.
So let’s get to it, here are The Best Cubot Smartphones Available in 2020.
Cubot X20 Pro – New Flagship
It’s official! Cubot has released its new flagship device. Replacing the X19 is the all-new glass iPhone 11 clone-phone, the Cubot X20 Pro!
Clone-phone or not, I’m not complaining when you can have Apple’s good lucks combined with Cubot’s ultra-low pricing. The camera setup on the X20 Pro isn’t to be sniffed at either.
You can read our full review here: Cubot X20 Pro Review.
The Cubot X20 Pro is battling it out in the same price-bracket as our other Favourite Budget Phones.
Cubot X20 Max – Available Now
Cubot P30 – The Best Choice Cubot Phone
Why not save yourself a big chunk of cash by opting for the Cubot P30 instead of the Cubot X20 Pro.
While you are getting a slightly slower Android experience, you’re still getting the same triple rear Sony camera setup, great battery life and the same excellent WiFi and 4G dual-SIM connectivity.
The display is Full HD, vivid and works well outdoors thanks to a high max-brightness. In your hand, the 6.3″ Cubot P30 is actually easier to manage as its 20 grams lighter than the X20 above.
We highly recommend the Cubot P30 as a great Android budget choice that doesn’t compromise.
Cubot Power – The Beast (Performance + Battery Life)
Relegating the Cubot H1, H2 & H3 to smartphone graveyard is the Cubot Power. Inside we find an enormous 6000mAh battery that will easily last you for 2-3 days charge-free. You can even charge your other gadgets via the inbuilt OTG feature.
Related: Smartphones With Amazing Battery Life (5000mAh+)
Although the Cubot Power is a battery-life focussed smartphone, it has managed to stay slim at only 10mm’s thick. And it doesn’t skimp when it comes to performance either. Featuring the excellent Helio P23 processor, coupled with 6GB’s of RAM and 128GB’s of storage, you could say it’s Power-house.
If the Power sounds like a good fit for you, first check out our full Cubot Power hands-on review.
Finally, the Cubot Power offers a bright, vibrant and crisp full-HD display. Viewing angles are excellent and build quality is spot on. Originally on selling at the time of release for around the £249.99 mark, you can now pick one up for half that.
Cubot X19 – The All-Rounder
Available in a stunning twilight gradient or a high gloss black, the Cubot X19 encapsulates what you’d want from a low-cost smartphone. It’s Stylish, Lightweight, Speedy & Cheap.
The Helio P23 Octa-core mobile CPU offers excellent performance which is backed up by a healthy 4GB’s of RAM. Storage-wise, the 64GB’s on offer is more than enough space, but if needed, you do have the option to add a micro-SD card (Max 128GB).
The display is super crisp thanks to Full HD resolution and also offers punchy colours, excellent brightness and slim bezels.
The final big positive you’re getting with the Cubot X19 is a large 4000mAh battery. No need to worry about running out of juice halfway through the day with the X19.
Other key features include: an RGB notification LED, USB Type-C and a bloatware-free version of Android 9.
Cubot R19 – The Budget Beauty
The R19 is Cubot’s latest all-display budget smartphone. With a tiny camera cutout at the top, the HD display becomes the design wow-factor.
If you find most modern smartphones too big, then the modest 5.71″ display will be a big bonus. Another benefit of the smaller display (1520×720 resolution) is that it scores an impressively crisp retina PPI of 295.
Taking a look at the R19’s performance and we see that it’s powered by one of MediaTek’s newer A-range Helio CPU’s. These chips are designed to achieve the optimal balance between entry-level battery life and smooth Android 9 performance.
And that’s good news as the Cubot R19 has a modest 2800mAh lithium-ion cell. Backing up the A22 CPU is a generous 3GB’s of RAM and 32GB’s of onboard storage (expandable up to 128GB Micro-SD). It’s a true Dual-SIM device, with dedicated ports for 2x Nano-SIM and 1x SD Card.
Summing up, the R19 offers a decent entry-level display packed into a small form factor phone. While the fastest Cubot phone, the performance is solid and also features Cubot’s signature bloatware-free version of Android 9.
Cubot P20 – Still Excellent Value
Update: The Cubot P20 was one of our favourite 2018 smartphones. I’ve left it in this list as even in 2019, it still has a lot to offer, but now at an even lower price-point.
The P20 was Cubot’s first smartphone to feature a top notch. Love it or hate it, it’s a vital step on the way to truly bezel-less smartphones.
If you want to know everything there is to know about this phone? Check out our full: Cubot P20 Hands-on Review
The huge 6.18″ display is again Full HD offering great viewing angles and colours that pop. While not one of MediaTek’s Helio range, the 8-core MT6750T (1.5GHz) processor is more than capable of running Android smoothly. It features a big.LITTLE architecture which in simple terms means; you get improved battery life.
Using a slimmer screen design than the Cubot Power, the P20 comes with a 19:9 aspect ratio. This means that even at 6.18″ it’s still easily held in one hand.
Related: The Cubot P20 made it into the Budget Section of the Best Bezel-less Smartphones. Check out the competition.
Cubot has also managed to keep the P20 slim with a thickness of only 8.5mm. All while squeezing in an impressive 4000mAh battery that’s fast charge-ready. And wait there’s more. It’s impressively light at just 156 grams.
Other key features include Full UK 4G Support, 20MP Samsung camera, 13MP Selfie, 128GB expandable memory card slot and a bloatware-free version of Android 8.
Get your Cubot P20 while it’s hot!
Cubot Max 2 – Your Netflix Companion
The bigger the better right? Well, how does a 6.8″ smartphone sound?
That’s exactly what you get with the Cubot Max 2. Competing against the likes of the Xiaomi Mi Max 3, the Max 2 hits the sweet spot with mid-level performance and a massive 5000mAh battery.
Related: Smartphones with EPIC Battery Life
It’s disappointing to not see a Full HD at this size display. With a resolution of 1352×640 stretched across 6.8 inches, we see a fairly low pixel density of 219. This doesn’t affect videos too much, but up close, text lacks sharpness. On the plus side, the display is bright with vibrant colours.
Performance-wise, the Cubot Max 2 uses the capable Helio P22 chipset combined with 4GB’s of RAM. This allows the Android 9 OS to run smoothly even with lots of apps open at once.
The onboard storage is 64GB’s, and once again, it’s expandable by up to 128GB. Although you will have to sacrifice the 2nd SIM slot in favour of a Micro-SD Card.
The Cubot Max 2 is a good alternative if you’re budget won’t stretch to the Full HD Xiaomi Mi Max 3.
Cubot Quest – The Tough Phone
Cubot has been making tough & rugged smartphones for a few years now, but none have ever matched up to the fierce competition from Doogee & Oukitel.
It’s good news this year though, as the Cubot Quest made it into our list of the Best Tough & Rugged Smartphones.
The quest takes a different approach to its tough phone aiming itself firmly at the budget end of the market. You can think of the Quest as a smaller version of the Cubot X19 above. Performance-wise the two phones are very similar.
However, the Cubot Quest offers: NFC, an IP68 Waterproof rating and protection against extreme weather conditions and drops.
Related: View all of our Waterproof Smartphones.
Leave a comment below with your favourite Cubot smartphone!
Thanks for taking the time to read this guide, if you found this article useful please share and feel free to ask any questions or share your experiences with Cubot phones in the comments below.
We have the X15 and H1 here now (using 3). Unreservedly recommend, especially to anyone with annoying friends who flash their £49/month iPhones around. You really can then safely scoff at them as tragically gullible fashion victims.
Big fan of Cubot phones – they are solid phones without spending a silly amount – had an X15 then a Dinosaur and now got a Max. To be honest I still would’ve had the dinosaur if I hadn’t “washed” it. Not waterproof unfortunately. The X15 is our spare phone now.
Hey,
Great to meet another Cubot fan! : ) How are you finding the Max?
Let me know if you own a Cubot Phone and post your ‘Pros & Cons’ below.
As a ‘dumb’ phone user since 1994, the short battery life of smartphones was the most upsetting aspect when I researched them twomonths ago. That and the price! Cubot H1 is my first smartphone, and I’m really enjoying having a device on which I can watch TV and movies as well as use as a phone, I’ve also successfully used it as a Satnav in my car. Pros: just about everything and especially the removable 5200mah battery – I also carry a charged spare. Each battery gives a minimum of 2 days with heavy usage, normally I average about 3 days. Cons: Camera is only average – no image stabilisation. Ditto speaker quality – usable but not great. Overall, brilliant value for money at £99 from Amazon UK.
Great to hear that you’re enjoying the Cubot H1 : )
The Cubot phones are looking very interesting.
I’m a little bit surprised you didn’t include the Dinosaur in your comparison.
I cant speak for any other Cubot handset than the X15, however the lack of illumination on the 3 touch buttons is extremely annoying, making use in low lit situations a bit hit & miss.
I’d be interested to know if this has been resolved on the x16 or x17?
Hi Cabbage,
I’m totally with you. For me backlit buttons should be standard. Even the OnePlus X missed backlit buttons off.
As for the Cubot X17, no the physical buttons are not backlit, aside from this it’s a great phone though!
Hope this helps,
James @ Review Hub
From the x17, s9 and h2….. Which would you recommend?
Hi James,
If it was me, I’d wait for the Cubot S9, if Cubot delivers then it’s going to be one awesome phone. I’ve had plenty of use with the X17 which performs really well for the price.
Unless battery life is a big concern then, for me personally, the Cubot H1 / H2 are a little heavy for my daily driver.
I’d agree, the S9 does sound very promising. All we need to know is the price and when it’s coming!
My Samsung S3 is finally dying and Cubot seems like the brand to go for but I’m torn between H2 and the Dinosaur – will you be comparing these in the next week or so?
Hi,
Good question, If I had to pick between the two? then I would go for the Dinosaur purely because it has the latest Android OS 6 Marshmallow. You are dropping a little on the battery capacity but overall, specs wise, they are very similar.
If you’re moving from a Samsung to a Cubot, you might notice a slight drop in the finish quality but on the brightside you’ll save yourself a lot of money! They’re good phones, I’ve still got a Cubot S200 running smoothly from nearly two years ago.
Hope that helps and thanks,
James @ Review Hub
Hi James, Thanks for all your comments. i am interested in buying a budget cubot phone or dodgee phone, but am really confused as to which one to buy. one with fantastic camera, dual sim excluding the one needed to increase the storage. which of them them is better and which of the models would you recommend?
Hey,
Doogee & Cubot both have some great budget mobile offerings. The Cubot X17 took some great snaps during testing. Check out the full review here: https://review-hub.co.uk/cubot-x17-x16-review-10-reasons-to-buy/
Hi James
Thanks for your recommendation but a lot of customers have complained about it having malware, has this issue been resolved by the manufacturer or is there a way it can be dealt with. If not can you suggest another model that hasn’t got this problem.
Also when compared to Samsung phones which is better? can you please suggest any budget Samsung phone I can go for if I can’t get the cubot phone.
Thank
Hey,
Unfortunately some 3rd party retailers have been adding spam / malware to the phone ROMs and then shipping them on. To avoid this make sure you buy from a reputable supplier.
All the phones I received from manufacturers have been completely free of any malware so it’s not an issue I have dealt with.
The other cause for this can be overzealous Anti-Virus apps that suggest your phone is unsecure but in reality they just want you to install more of their apps and give them more control.
Samsung are a well known brand but ‘bang for yoru buck’ Cubot blow them out of the water!
Thanks,
James @ Review Hub
Hello James, I am looking for a smart phone that is similar in size to the Nokia Lumia 650. Is good for calls and texts, email and Whatd-Ap. ~That is about as much as I use it. can you recommend a Cubot phone for me please? The call quality would be a bit thing for me.
Hi Elaine,
The Cubot X17 is a great phone. Not too heavy, really nice screen and is a big jump in speed from the Lumia 650.
If you don’t mind it being a little heavier then the Cubot Note S is a real bargain with really great battery life.
Hope this helps.
James @ Review Hub
Thank you for that James.
I will let you know how I get on.
Regards,
Elaine
Hi James, just about to get my hands on a Cubot x16, and was wondering if it’s a half decant fone my man ??? Any reviews i have managed to come across seem to be fairly complementary towards the fone. Oho, and by the way, fone is only going to cost me £50….. Any info would be most appreciated James. Thanks…… Ian……. :-) :-) :-)
I’ve had spent quite a bit of time with both the Cubot X16S & X17.
If you can get one for £50 it’s a steal. It’s a great phone for around the £100 mark. The screen looks fantastic on the X17/X16 at 1080P and it’s pretty nippy.
There’s very little difference between the X17 & X16 so check out my full review here: https://review-hub.co.uk/cubot-x17-x16-review-10-reasons-to-buy/
The Camera pics look great on the phone but if you zoom or want to print them, then you’ll start to see a lot of artefacts / distortion.
Hope this helps : )
Hi James
I’m really interested in getting a cubit phone but have no clue on which to pick!
I have been looking at the cheetahphone… how does this one compare to other latest cubot phones??
Please help would be much appreciated :))
Hey Jen,
Yeah all the Cubot phones I’ve had in here at Review Hub have been great. I’ve not had the Cheetah in for testing, but tbh most of their recent phones have very similar specs.
Hi James. Thanks for a really helpful review – buying the lesser-known brands is always a bit nervy trust, even when they’re reasonably priced. I’ve tried to investigate which of their handsets has a gyroscope built in, for use with VR; it seems the Cheetah does, according to Cubot’s website. Do you know how this compares to any other similarly priced handsets? I think the Alcatel Hero does too, which is half the price, is bigger, but may not be as good. Please advise on lower-priced VR capable (with gyro) handsets. Very much appreciated.
Hey Chris,
I haven’t had a chance to get my hands on the Cheetah 2 yet. I’d always want to see for myself whether it has a gyroscope rather than trusting the manufacturer website as with some of less popular brands they’re known to tell a few porkies!
Sy7ler’s reviews on Youtube are pretty good for showing all the different sensor types.
Thanks for the support. I heard from a buyer on Amazon who said it has one and he’d been using the handset in a VR headset… Better still, they’re available here in Kenya. The choice here is either plenty of lower-end; lesser-known brands, or only the very higher-end popular handsets. And the prices are similar, but there’s very few contracts, so it’s an outright purchase! So it’s a bonus to find Cubot here at a reasonable price. Cheers again.
Dear James,
I eventually went with the Asus Zenphone 2, since it works with a VR headset. A case of ‘not the major brand, but not an unknown other. It’s a really good handset, except the curved back means it’s a little awkward fit in the VR headset. Thanks.
Next up for search and find is a 360 camera app that looks inward, rather than outward; for photographing products in a studio. I yet to find anything. Do you have any ideas?
All good, Thanks
Chris
Thanks for helpful reviews. I’m really interested in the Cubot phones, but would like one with screen mirror feature–wifi display. It’s proving hard to get definitive answer on this.
Can you say which phones have this feature//
Hey,
Most Cubot phones I’ve tested have come with the screencast feature, but can’t vouch for all.
It might be worth contacting the manufacturers directly and asking about the phones your interested in : )
Hi James,
I’m looking for a really good budget phone that runs on Android.
I am very much leaning towards getting the Cubot Cheetah 2 because it seems to have eveything I need.
I was just wondering if it would work in the UK with my EE sim?
Could you please get back to me ASAP because it’s currently on sale.
Thanks for your time.
Hey Christian,
Thanks for the question!
Yeah the Cubot Cheetah will work fine on all UK networks. It uses the bands 1/3/7/20 or spectrum 800/1800/2100/2600 MHz.
This means it has full UK coverage : )
Check out this article I wrote for more details: https://review-hub.co.uk/will-a-chinese-smartphone-work-in-the-uk/
James @ Review Hub
Thanks for your response!
I was unsure whether this phone from abroad would cause me issues here in the UK, but you have now cleared that up.
I’m really looking forward to using this phone as it is a major upgrade from my previous Microsoft Lumia 535.
Very much appreciated.
Hello, can you advise where I can get the screen of my cubot x17 replaced. Preferrably in the UK.
Eva
Hi James,
I have a Cubot note s which I run as a secondary phone for Facebook, Audible and Garmin Smartphone Link (the latter for 8hrs/day as I’m a driver). When my 2yr contract runs out with iD on my primary phone which is a rather sad Moto G3 I intend to buy a Cubot 4g capable phone to replace both phones. I’m very interested in the Cheetah 2. I especially want a phone which has a half decent camera (I’m a photography hobbyist), has a decent battery life as I’ll be running Bluetooth and Smartphone Link for several hrs a day and is 4g capable. I’m very fond of the Cubot note s but find it a bit slow and it doesn’t have 4g or a decent camera. The Moto G3 only has 8gb storage and poor battery life hence the Cubot Note. Will the Cheetah 2 fill the gaps left by these 2 phones and are you planning to do a hands on review before July when my iD contract runs out?
Hey Cynthia,
Thanks for your question.
Yeah the Note S is on the super budget end of the spectrum in terms of performance.
I was supposed to be sent a Cubot Cheetah 2 sample for a full review but still no word so it’s probably doubtful now as it’s been out a while.
I’ve been impressed with most of the Cubot phones we’ve had in in terms of price Vs performance.
If you’re in the UK, buy it from Amazon as they’ll allow you to open and test the phone within their returns policy : )
James @ Review Hub
Hey Eva,
It’s probably going to be a long shot as the X17 is an older model.
A quick google showed up a few options. If you can source a screen replacement online via ebay you may be able to take it to a local phone repair shop and get them to fit it.
James @ Review Hub
Hey Chris,
Glad you’ve got it all working.
Yeah I think the Xiaomi Yi Cams have something where you can set up multiple slaves and create a 3D inwards type film, maybe…
I’ve got the new 4K Xiaomi 360 action cam in this week, so I’ll see if any apps comes up during the testing and keep you posted : )
Many thanks, James.
I look forward to hearing from you regarding the inward-facing camera work. I too will keep searching and let you know.
Another remarkably simple trick I’ve discovered is having one Google account across multiple handsets, so that they’re all in-sync; upto date and have the same apps, etc. This has been very handy with a set given out to my class at school.
Many thanks,
All good!
Chris
Hi James,
I have very happily found out about the Cubot phone today. Your reviews are incredibly helpful.
I am torn between the Cheetah 2 or to wait for the mythical S9.
You hinted that it might not exist.
Have you any further info about its existence and when it will come out please?
Many thanks,
Kathryn
Hey Kathryn,
Thanks! Yeah I don’t think we’ll ever see the S9, but I could be proved wrong :D
The Cheetah 2 is a good option. Or the Max if you’re looking for a big screen.
You can search for Hafury on Amazon as well. They’re a subsidiary of Cubot.
James : )
I saw the cubot h3 is coming soon, can you give a review then?
Hey,
Yeah we’d love to review the Cubot H3 here at Review Hub. We haven’t heard much from Cubot recently. If they want to reach out and send a sample unit we’d be happy to review it : )
The Max is an awesome piece of kit for the money. Ok it has it’s faults like a poor selfie camera and no built in compass which some of my apps use but for just over £100 is a bargain. Ssshhhh dont tell anyone or the price will treble
Hi Kenneth,
Thanks for your questions : )
Yeah, you’ll be fine. Virgin UK uses the following bands:
1800MHz (2G & 4G), 2100MHz (3G), 2600MHz (4G)
The Cubot Cheetah 2 has support for the following bands:
2G: 850/900/1800/1900
3G: 850/900/2100
4G: 800/1800/2100/2600 MHz
So full UK Coverage for all networks.
James @ Review Hub
Which Cubot phones have removable batteries, please?
I own a Huawei Mate 20 pro, and I know it’ll have to go in to the workshop for a technical battery connector problem, so I purchased the Cubot Max 2 to tie me over. I’ve had Cubot before and as a budget smartphone I know they’re good. They’ve improved as the Max 2 is awesome for its price. What you get is a top phone for a fraction price of the big boys. It operates slightly below par compared to my Huawei with less fancy functions, which really aren’t necessary some of them. You get a smooth performance, a big mammoth screen, and battery life is awesome too. This phone is a must have to those who are on a budget. Take my word, in my honest opinion it’s worth more than what it costs, and is in no way disappointing…