TOP 10 budget smartphones for 2019

When deciding to purchase a smartphone, users focus on their own budget capabilities. It takes a lot of time to correctly select a gadget that fully meets the needs of the client. It's nice to become the owner of a device remarkable for its characteristics for not very big money. Around the middle of 2016 best smartphones budget line are no more than 13-15 thousand rubles. Our rating includes budget smartphones of this price category.

Budget smartphone - does not mean that bad

The secret of developers

The first question the buyer asks himself when starting to choose a new smartphone is whether it is possible to purchase a reliable and productive device for a fairly modest amount. The answer to this question lies on the surface. The Chinese expansion of the global handheld electronics market over the past three years has significantly reduced the prices of productive smartphones with excellent chips:

• Qualcomm.
• MediaTek
• HiSilicon.
• Allwinner.

The structure of the global smartphone market

We will make a reservation right away that most of the TOP 10 good budget smartphones in the ranking are from Asian companies. The brands Xiaomi, Honor, Huawei and Meizu are the absolute leaders in the Chinese market of budget smartphones. They produce five to seven great models a year. Thanks to this, their share in the global sales volume is steadily increasing.

Comparison of the main characteristics of the best budget smartphones:

At the bottom of the rating are excellent quality smartphones and inexpensive smartphones. All four brands, however, have flaws that prevent them from rising higher. Over time, they will be replaced from the rating by newer devices of a similar class. But they rightfully occupy their places on the list.

ZTE Blade V8 Lite

Price: 8 000 rub.

The creators of Blade V8 Lite at the presentation positioned the new product as a purely youth product, the ideal “first smartphone”. Gloss design of the tube gives the characteristic curvature of the back wall. Thanks to this, the smartphone is very conveniently located in the hand, does not slip and does not fall out.

The unremarkable characteristics of the electronic filling (MediaTek MT6750 processor and Mali T860MP2 video accelerator) indicate the desire of developers to simplify the work with the phone as much as possible. Of modern technology, engineers have endowed the device with the ability to unlock using a 3D fingerprint scanner. For an inexpensive smartphone, frankly, this is a luxury. ZTE's signature shell, Mifavor 4.2, complements the likes of this inexpensive and practical gadget.

ZTE Blade V8 Lite

He deservedly falls into the top ten best state employees of 2018. But only the last, for two reasons:

• small amount of RAM and internal memory.
• a battery with a capacity of 2500 mAh, at the level of the year before last year's high-budget Chinese smartphones.

Nokia 2

Price: 7 990 rub.

Of the available smartphones that have appeared on the market over the past six months, Nokia 2 is perhaps one of the most interesting specimens. The all-metal aluminum frame along with Corning Gorilla Glass reliably protects the case and screen from defects.

Microsoft has pleased users with the manufacturing technology of the display of low-temperature polysilicon composition. The screen, regardless of lighting stability, has excellent brightness and contrast characteristics. In combination with a high battery capacity and outstanding RAM and internal memory data, an excellent device is obtained for a very modest amount.

Nokia 2 Dual Sim

The phone has features that significantly reduce the number of potential buyers:

• One main camera with a very modest by modern standards very resolution (8 megapixels).
• The design is not distinguished by remarkable new products and does not shine with an external gloss.

Nokia 2 is an ideal option for use in a working environment, the classic “second smartphone”.

Xiaomi Mi A1

Price: 13 000 rub.

The smartphone, which in subsequent ratings will undoubtedly climb higher. The guarantee is the reputation of the manufacturer. Xiaomi engineers with astonishing agility issue several excellent devices a year.

While mass potential buyers warns against the acquisition of Mi A1 the need to switch to bare Android. But by the sum of the advantages, the smartphone is really included in the top five budget gadgets from Xiaomi:

• The presence of the international version of Android 7.1.
• Excellent characteristics of RAM and internal memory.
• OmniVision OV12A10 dual color sensor in the camera with 26 mm (f / 2.2) and 50 mm (and f / 2.6) lenses.
• Capacious battery.

Xiaomi Mi A1

Two facts are somewhat eroded by the pleasant impression of the novelty:

• Low resolution (5 megapixels) and the quality of shooting in poor lighting at the front camera.
• Refusal to install top-end electronics.

The Snapdragon 625 processor and the Adreno 506 video chip are a lot more modest than even the year before last year's Mi Max phablet. However, the victims are justified when you consider that the price of A1 is three times cheaper than an iPhone.

Honor 7A Pro

Price: 8 800 rub.

Closest to the middle of the ranking is the device from a subsidiary of the Chinese electronic giant Huawei - Honor 7A Pro. Given its cost in the Russian market, there is only one significant drawback. The volume of operational (2GB) and built-in (16GB) is clearly not enough for all the tasks that a smartphone can perform.

The undoubted advantages of the device include:

• Reinforced frame housing, resistant to significant loads.
• Aspect ratio 18: 9.
• The ability to connect via Bluetooth simultaneously with two devices. Through synchronization on two gadgets, you can listen to the same music track.

Honor 7A Pro

The amount of memory can be increased up to 256 GB. Two cameras (13 and 8 megapixels) perfectly cope with the functions of photo and video shooting in various conditions. Engineers managed to achieve low power consumption when working with costly applications and gaming.

The proprietary shell Emotion UI is a great addition to the experience of getting to know the gadget. Honor 7A Pro - it is very inexpensive, and very decent in quality.

Meizu M5s

Price: 8 990 rubles.

Not possessing the outstanding characteristics of hardware and multimedia, in one the phone is undeniably ahead of analogues of other manufacturers. Thanks to the use of a bi-directional charging unit, filling the battery is 60% faster than in other smartphones.

For 9 thousand rubles, the user gets an excellent budget option with a number of indisputable advantages:

• UV protection with Flyme mode.
• Stylish body with aluminum base.
• Good camera with phase detection autofocus.

Meizu M5s

The disadvantage of a smartphone is its low battery life. The mCharge device is used largely because the battery has a very high discharge rate. Even in standby mode, when the power consumption is almost at zero, the battery charge is reduced. This is a significant minus, because of which the smartphone cannot advance higher in the rating.

Huawei P Smart

Price: 13 990 rub.

The first smartphone in the ranking, the average price of which exceeds 10 thousand rubles. Huawei P Smart has a split screen feature. Now, simultaneously with viewing the content, you can perform utilitarian tasks, for example, send and receive e-mail. By analogy with the Honor 7A Pro, a dual Bluetooth contact function is implemented. For users who are actively using the gadget to do business, the NFS feature will undoubtedly be useful.

Huawei P Smart

A number of shortcomings of the smartphone does not allow it to rise higher in the top of budget models:

• Low autonomy (in combined mode - less than a day) due to the small battery capacity.
• Braking in high modes when using the screen in "heavy" games.

The last factor suggests that the generally excellent proprietary processor Kirin 659 loses to its counterparts from Snapdragon.

Meizu M6s

Price: 14 990 rub.

The best-selling gadget line Meizu. Thanks to the use of 18: 9 proportions, the developers increased the amount of information on the screen by 15%. In the hand, the metal case of the smartphone is very comfortable. The “trick” of the device is the use of a pressure sensor. With one hand, using the Flyme OS panel and the mBack button, the owner is able to control all the basic functions of the smartphone. Samsung's Exynos 7872 processor in combination with the Mali-G71 MP1 graphics chip gives good performance.

Meizu M6s

The Meizu M6s has a number of indisputable advantages:

• MCharge Battery Fast Charging Technology. Using an 18-volt power supply, you can charge the battery up to 50% in just 15 minutes.
• Use in the main 8 megapixel camera CMOS sensor.
• Auto-adjust photo settings in beauty mode.

The main disadvantages of the smartphone:

• Low resolution display screen. 1440 × 720 pixels do not allow users to fully enjoy the richness of color reproduction.
• Small battery capacity. However, the fast charging mode partially eliminates this defect.

The first three places in the ranking are occupied by the best budget smartphones of 2018 in different price categories. What unites them is that the developers were able to surprise the fastidious market with great functionality. By its wealth, the devices are very close to the flagship line. The traditional savings in them are the capabilities of cameras and cameras.

Honor 6a

Price: 13 990 rub.

When developing the smartphone case, the engineers of the subsidiary of Huawei used the original technology of sandblasting faces. Despite the low battery capacity, the autonomy of the gadget is supported through the use of new energy-saving technology. A wonderful 13 megapixel camera deserves flattering reviews. It consists of a number of interesting new products:

• Phase autofocus mode with a minimum speed of 0.5 s.
• Five-component lens.

Honor 6A

A small amount of RAM (2 GB) is leveled out by a capacious slot for memory cards up to 128 GB. The smartphone has a technology for protection against harmful radiation. Automatic adjustment of the brightness and contrast of the screen will help to avoid the negative effects of ultraviolet radiation. If the user for some reason avoids using devices with MIUI firmware, the best option is EMUI 5.1 from Honor. It allows you to quickly jump between screens and has many flexible and very interesting settings.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

Price: 14 990 rubles.

The most expensive smartphone in the ranking does not quite reach the first place. The device is “packed” with an excellent set of functions. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor is responsible for the smooth operation. The battery capacity of the new smartphone (4100 mAh) is quietly enough for 2 days of moderate surfing. In the "game" mode, the device lasts 8-9 hours. Xiaomi traditionally supplies budget devices with the maximum set of functions that are typical for top models:

• The fingerprint scanner.
• Fast charge, despite the lack of Quick Charge interface.
• Excellent 13MP main camera.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

The traditional drawback of all smartphones in the budget line of Xiaomi is the low quality of photographs taken in low light. To get a higher standard of night photography, you need third-party applications with 2 api function - Google Camera or Snap Camera.

And one more nuance: this model has a very wide range of prices. Sometimes it reaches 3-4 thousand rubles. It is extremely unprofitable to buy Redmi Note 5 from networkers. And in company stores, stocks are selling out very quickly.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X 32Gb

Price: 12 990 rubles.

And finally, the leader of the rating is Xiaomi Redmi Note 4! How so, you ask? After all, it was released more than a year ago ... That's right! Because the good has no limits. Until now, not one of the budget employees of the “up to 15 thousand” line has been able to reach the level of “four” in level. It is more productive and autonomous than Redmi Note 5.

The camera resolution is almost the same (13 and 12 megapixels), but the CMOS matrix and effective noise canceling allow you to take excellent quality pictures in low light. The phase-detection autofocus speed (PDAF) out of competition is only 0.1 s.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X

Using the eight-core Snapdragon 625 processor in combination with a 4100 mAh battery * led to an energy savings of 20% compared to earlier budget Xiaomi models. The smartphone is completely not subject to overheating, which is how other models sin. The main "trump card" of the device in comparison with all competitors is the amazing quality of the image on the display. In terms of level, it is very close to Samsung's super AMOLED.

Of course, the leader of the rating (especially not a newcomer to the market) is not without drawbacks. Redmi Note 4 has few of them:

• The need to choose between a second SIM card and the amount of additional internal memory.
• Not very high quality video in peak modes. Affects the lack of stabilization mode.
• A small selection of settings for the built-in sound processor.
• Complex optimization and interface settings to achieve high energy savings.

Of course, the proposed rating is not the ultimate truth. The level of filling the smartphone market is such that you can find three to five devices of different brands with almost the same characteristics. Each buyer will be able to quickly choose a budget smartphone that suits him. Smartphones from top manufacturers are not intentionally included in the “budget” rating:

• Apple does not fall into it a priori - one top model per year, and the iPhone is not cheap.
• Sony and Samsung, having a wider range, are extremely reluctant to lower their price tags.

It is clear that the vast majority of smartphones in the ranking are developed by companies from Southeast Asia.