1. Xiaomi

Best known for: smartphones, speakers, smart bands, earphones, TV's.

Fun fact: Valuated at more than US$46 billion, 3rd largest smartphone producer in the world after Samsung and Apple.

It's hard to shop on AliExpress, and not know about Xiaomi.

According to IDC, in Oct. 2014 Xiaomi was the third largest smartphone maker in the world, following Samsung and Apple Inc., and followed by Lenovo and LG. Xiaomi became the largest smartphone vendor in China in 2014, having overtaken Samsung.

Xiaomi's success can be attributed to one simple strategy: producing high-quality goods at acceptable prices.

Compared to the $300+ Samsung Galaxy J7 2016, sub-$200 Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro is lighter, has a bigger battery (4100 vs. 3000), comes with a better display (IPS vs. TFT) and a higher PPI, has a newer chipset (Qualcomm 8939 Snapdragon 616 v2 vs. 615 on Galaxy) and, to top it off, Redmi has a fingerprint scanner, which is typically only available on the higher-end phones in the Western market.

Xiaomi also makes awesome speakers (my review of a Xiaomi Bluetooth speaker), smart bands (Mi Band and Mi Band 2, smart TV boxes, and award-winning earphones.

2. Huawei

Best known for: smartphones, speakers, power banks.

Fun fact: As per the latest rankings by The Economist, Huawei is the number one Telecom Vendor in the world. Huawei has over 170,000 employees as of Sept. last year, 76,000 of whom work in their 21 Research & Development offices worldwide.

After 2000, Huawei increased its speed of expansion into overseas markets, by establishing an R&D center in Stockholm, Sweden.

In 2001, Huawei established four R&D centers in the United States, and joined the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). By 2002, Huawei’s international market sales had reached US$552 million.

In September 2013, Huawei opened a new Canadian office in Regina, Saskatchewan—Huawei had collaborated with the local carrier SaskTel to build its HSPA+ and LTE networks.

Speaker: http://ali.ski/gftjqW

3. Bluedio

Best known for: wireless Bluetooth headphones, wireless Bluetooth speakers.

Fun fact: Their warranty actually works quite well.

There isn't a lot that we know about Bluedio, other than they seem to have a small website with limited information, and a store on AliExpress. It doesn't seem to be a huge brand, although they are actively trying to get their name out there, and compete with the bigger Chinese names.

Their current product lineup consists of 21 product, and, according to the Facebook page, they have 30+ patents to their name.

Bluedio T2S: http://ali.ski/jElfB0; Bluedio A (Air): http://ali.ski/C34v9R; Bluedio TS3 Bluetooth speaker: http://ali.ski/C34v9R

4. KZ (Knowledge Zenith)

Best known for: budget premium-quality copper-drive earphones

Fun fact: Pretty encouraging reviews on reputable Hi-Fi.org, who tend to be quite picky.

There is no information on KZ earphones available that I could find online.

However, I did have a first-hand experience with their KZ ATE, which I used for a few months, until I accidentally ripped the cable apart by getting it stuck under my chair and standing up, while I still had them on. What I liked the most about them, is that they had very clear mids and lows, and decent highs.

Full review here.

KZ ED2: http://ali.ski/TOc3k7; KZ ED9: http://ali.ski/udU10KZ; ATE: http://ali.ski/QihvMv;

Visit KZ Flagship store on AliExpress

Vizit KZ Official store on AliExpress