Despite their relative unavailability in the Western world, Chinese smartphones have developed their own cult following in North America and Europe. For a fraction of what one would pay for an iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S3, bargain hunters can have an unlocked Oppo or Huawei, for instance, shipped over, ready to use and compatible with various carriers.

Photo credit: CNMO

Newman is another one of these Chinese phone manufacturers, and unlike the brands we mentioned above, it isn’t even that well-known in its home country. Nonetheless, the upcoming Newman N2 comes with the same top-rate specs and low price that will appeal to those on a relatively tight budget.

The N2 sports a 4.7-inch screen with 1,280 x 720 resolution, a 1.5 GHz quad-core Exynos processor, 1 GB RAM and an impressive 13-megapixel camera at the back. Like the Oppo Find 5, the N2 has a 2,500 mAh battery which provides more juice than well-known devices like the Galaxy S3 and the LG Optimus G – the latter two have 2,100 mAh batteries.

On the down side, the Newman N2 ships with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and only has 8 GB internal storage to speak of.

Still, it’s a very good deal at 1,499 yuan, or $237 USD for an unsubsidized version of the Newman N2. That’s half of what you’d be paying for a 16 GB Oppo Find 5, and less than half of the iPhone 5’s suggested retail price for the 16 GB version.

The Newman N2 will be released very soon, and as it’s hardly likely to be released in Europe or America, expect to add some shipping charges to the handset’s $237 price tag.