All prices include VAT and customs (either shipping from EU warehouse or duty-free shipping from China). Those prices can be found at online stores like eBay, Gearbest, Banggood, etc. 1 PLN ~ €0.25 / ~£0.2
Around 350 PLN
Xiaomi Redmi 6A 3/32
- Leeco Letv Le2 / S3 / 2 Pro / Cool1 4/32 GB (they are all essentially the same)
If you are using Huawei P8 Lite, Samsung Galaxy J5, or any other mainstream smartphone that was priced at around 800-1000 PLN 3 years ago, those phones will be a massive step-up in every aspect (including the camera).
Redmi 6A offers many modern features like AI face unlock, 18:9 screen aspect ratio, portrait mode, and will be getting system updates for years to come.
Leeco phones on the other hand do not have those modern features, but are significantly more powerful, especially when it comes to graphics processing. 4 GB RAM will also allow to have more apps opened in the background. It won't be getting any updates, but Android 7 is modern enough, that all applications run without any issues.
Around 550 PLN
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI (known as Redmi Note 5 Pro in India) 4/64 GB
- Huawei Honor 9 Lite 4/32 GB
Redmi Note 5 AI has a processor that is in many applications on pair with Samsung Galaxy S8 (first 4 cores are identical), a camera that is on pair with Mi Mix 2 (Xiaomi's last year flagship), metal body, one of the best quick charge standards, and since a few weeks it is possible to install Google Camera without root (this allows for spectacular photos even in extremely low-light scenes). Graphics performance is not as good as in flagships, but it's still the best in this price range. It has but one disadvantage - lack of NFC module (for mobile contactless payments).
Huawei Honor 9 Lite is just ever so slightly worse in almost every aspect - the processor is just one tier down, Huawei camera's Night Shot is not quite as good as Night Sight, and there is less internal memory (32 rather than 64 GB, but memory can be expanded with microSD card in both phones). However it does have NFC module. So if you leave your wallet at home too often and want a dependable way to make mobile payments, Honor 9 is the best solution for around 550 PLN.
Around 800 PLN
- Xiaomi Mi Note 3 6/128 GB
- Honor 8X 4/128 GB
If compromises are not your second nature, and you don't want a phone that's "in most aspects" or "almost as good" as flagship, you need to buy a flagship. One of the best sellers from last winter - Xiaomi Mi Note 3 (alongside it's smaller brother Xiaomi Mi 6) was the first Xiaomi phone to have a camera that would challenge other giants. In many professional benchmarks it performed on pair with iPhone 8 and Samsung Galaxy Note 8. The processor is not "like in flagships" - it is the processor found in many flagships from late 2017 and early 2018. RAM and storage are also plentiful. NFC is there. The only downside may be a design (as it does not look as flashy as many modern premium smartphones)
Honor 8X has less RAM and slightly weaker processor. How on earth is it an alternative to a flagship? It shines in 2 areas. There is video recording with fantastic image stabilization and slow motion. And there is design, which not only has top tier premium built quality, but also shouts "I'm fashionable". 4GB RAM is also acceptable as long as you don't open more than a dozen or so apps in the background. NFC is also there, in case you were wondering.
Around 1050 PLN
- Xiaomi Poco F1 6/128 GB
- Huawei Honor Play 6/128 GB
One of the most powerful performers on the market (all internals are exactly the same as in Samsung Galaxy Note 9), one of the best cameras on the market (exactly the same as in Google Pixel 3), great built quality (made out of carbon fibre - more resistant to scratches and drops). There is even a headphone jack and SD card slot. What more could you possibly want? You could want NFC module, and this phone doesn't have one.
With Huawei Honor Play vs Xiaomi Poco F1, it's similar story to Huawei Honor 9 Lite vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 5. Huawei is almost just as good, and it does come with NFC. If you want maximum performance - go with Xiaomi. If you can settle with slightly inferior phone overall, but need NFC - go with Huawei.
Around 1300 PLN
- Mi Mix 2s 8/256 GB
- Huawei P20 6/128 GB
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s has more RAM, more storage and supports wireless charging.
Huawei P20 takes better photos (for most of 2018 it was ranked as 2nd best camera phone ever, losing only to its bigger brother Huawei P20 Pro).
They both are true modern flagships (and therefore don't have headphone jacks or SD card slots). They both offer pretty much the best performance you can get. They both have NFC. And it's not like Xiaomi takes bad photos - it's still better than iPhone X.