12 best smartphones under 30,000 rubles

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

The problem of choosing a productive smartphone is often not dependent on the search for benefits. Even with enough money, people often overpay for a brand or perceived functionality, leaving the really worthwhile options out of the box.

The editors of the magazine decided to help you in choosing an excellent, productive gadget, and left a list of the 12 best smartphones worth up to 30,000 rubles. The main selection criteria were:

1. reviews from real users;
2. comparison of technical characteristics of models with each other on the portal https://rankquality.com/smartphones/;
3. price factor;
4. expert opinion based on the results of open testing of smartphones in benchmarks.

Rating of the best smartphones up to 30,000 rubles

Nomination	a place	Name of product	price
Rating of the best smartphones up to 30,000 rubles	1	Honor 20 Pro 8 / 256GB	RUB 28 490
	2	Xiaomi Mi 9T 6 / 64GB	RUB 18,590
	3	HUAWEI Mate 20 6 / 128GB	RUB 29,400
	4	Samsung Galaxy A70	RUB 18,990
	5	Honor 20 6 / 128GB	RUB 21,690
	6	Meizu 15 4 / 64GB	RUB 17,890
	7	Vivo V15 Pro	RUB 25 490
	8	Samsung Galaxy A50 6 / 128GB	RUB 19,978
	9	Sony Xperia 10 Plus	RUB 21,100
	10	Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite 6 / 128GB	RUB 16 889
	11	Apple iPhone 6S 32GB	RUB 19,990
	12	OnePlus 6T 8 / 128GB	RUB 27,000

Honor 20 Pro 8 / 256GB

Rating: 4.9

Remember when we said that if you add a couple more gigs of RAM to Honor 20, you get just the perfect device? Bingo! Honor 20 Pro is something that will be relevant for at least another 3-4 years (almost like iPhone 6S, only better). On the technical side, nothing has changed: just go down to the 5th place and read all the specifications for this model, replacing 6 GB of RAM with 8. However, the absence of changes does not mean that everything else remains intact.

The increase in memory, including internal memory up to 256 gigs, led to an inevitable increase in battery capacity to compensate for the difference in power supply. As a result, we get the same 128-132 hours of listening to music or about 24 hours of active surfing through applications. It is good that the developers did not make the difference more tangible and limited themselves to replacing 3 components. This gave us the opportunity to purchase the perfect smartphone for up to 30,000 rubles.

Advantages

• the same advantages as the 5th representative of our rating;
• increased amount of RAM and ROM;
• increased battery capacity.

disadvantages

• not found.

Xiaomi Mi 9T 6 / 64GB

Rating: 4.8

The second place in the ranking goes to the excellent smartphone Xiaomi Mi 9T, which has seen the main feature of the phones Vivo. We are talking about a hidden 20 megapixel front camera that pops out when you switch to the appropriate shooting mode. It should also be said about the rear triple camera with matrices of 48 + 8 + 13 Mp, supporting optical zoom 2x and having laser autofocus. This model is based on a Snapdragon 730 chip, an Adreno 618 video processor and 8 GB of RAM, which makes it possible to run top-end gaming news and applications with large databases.

Xiaomi Mi The 9T has a contactless payment chip, standard stuff like face recognition and a fingerprint scanner. The appearance of the back panel and the ergonomic parameters of the smartphone are impressive, and the 191 grams of weight does not burden the hand. The only caveat: a small amount of internal memory equal to 64 gigabytes. Is it bad? Yes, because the closest competitors have crossed this bar long ago.

Advantages

• top chips Snapdragon 730 and Adreno 618;
• 69-megapixel main camera;
• contactless payment function;
• hidden front camera;
• attractive price;
• high build quality.

disadvantages

• small amount of internal memory.

HUAWEI Mate 20 6 / 128GB

Rating: 4.7

Among smartphones up to 30,000 rubles, the company somehow does not stand out too much Huawei. Yes, we know that it is she who is behind the release of phones Honor, and technically leads this rating in terms of the number of representatives. However, outside the named lineup, there is a shortage of interesting shots. Mate 20 is one of the few representatives of the Chinese firm who has achieved high ratings from Russian consumers. Technically, this is the same Honor 20, only 'packaged' in a different case: in place and the HiSilicon Kirin 980 processor with 8 cores, and the Mali-G76 MP10, and 6 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of its own memory. The 4000 mAh lithium polymer battery is rated for the same battery life, but on top of that it has support for fast charging Huawei SuperCharge. However, there is a significant downgrade in terms of the front and rear cameras: instead of 32 and 68 megapixels, we are offered only 24 and 36. Instead, we slightly increased the display diagonal (up to 6.53 inches) and updated the lid design (though it's not clear whether this is good or bad).

Advantages

• top-end system 'filling';
• the presence of the Fast Charge function;
• contactless payment chip;
• favorable price compared to Honor 20.

disadvantages

• not the best cameras.

Samsung Galaxy A70

Rating: 4.7

Another Samsung representative in our rating, which consumers like for its proprietary reliability, attractive design and overall system performance. Unlike the A50 version, this device uses components from third-party companies: processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 and Adreno 612. Why this happened is not known for certain, but the fact is obvious. Moreover, the assembly is not the most top-notch, as it turns out on functional tests in open benchmarks (you can check the data yourself).

Nevertheless, the Samsung Galaxy A70 smartphone continues to be bought, due in part to the excellent energy efficiency of the battery. 4.5 Ah of capacity is enough for the gadget for 126 hours of listening to music or 28 hours of phone calls. Yes, Honor 20 has higher indicators, but not everyone trusts the Chinese brand yet. Add here a triple main camera with 32 + 5 + 8 MP matrices, a 32-megapixel front camera, an excellent AMOLED display and a slightly lower cost. Done: Honor 20 beaten.

Advantages

• NFC chip;
• optimized energy consumption;
• good quality of shooting;
• attractive design;
• customer confidence.

disadvantages

• not found.

Honor 20 6 / 128GB

Rating: 4.6

The fifth line of the rating goes to the smartphone Honor 20. It is the embodiment of the user's dream of a productive gadget for a relatively small amount. The combination of the top HiSilicon Kirin 980 processor and the Mali-G76 MP10 chip do an excellent job of running top games. Of course, 6 GB of RAM also contributes, but in some cases it feels like it would be ideal to add a couple more gigs. But more on that later.

Secondly, energy efficiency Honor 20 should be noted: despite the 3750 mAh capacity, the smartphone allows you to listen to music for 132 hours without recharging. Consequently, the level of autonomy in games and applications is also solid. Another advantage of the gadget is 4 cameras on the rear panel with matrices of 48 + 16 + 2 + 2 megapixels. With autofocus, stabilization and macro capabilities, it is easy to take even professional photos from this smartphone. We also note the presence of a contactless payment chip, and a 6.26-inch IPS display with 2k-resolution. The perfect model … practically.

Advantages

• powerful system;
• beautiful appearance;
• availability of a contactless payment function;
• camera at 68 megapixels;
• 132 hours of battery life in music listening mode.

disadvantages

• not found.

Meizu 15 4 / 64GB

Rating: 4.5

Smartphone 2018 model year, quite controversial in its original form, but the cheapest of the presented in the ranking. 4 gigabytes of RAM, Snapdragon 660 and Adreno 512 – this is enough to solve many tasks, including running resource-intensive games, albeit without other applications in the background. 12 + 20 MP on the main camera, 20 MP on the front, a full set of built-in functions for high-quality shooting – it's hard to believe that all this is sold for 11 thousand rubles (especially after more expensive and weaker gadgets flashed in the rating).

Nevertheless, 15 will receive its portion of criticism Meizu too. Despite the presence of fast charging Super mCharge, the 3000 mAh battery is not enough for comfortable use of the smartphone during the day. The 5.46-inch screen also looks 'pale' compared to the competition, but this is a matter of taste: someone likes smaller devices. I must say that it does not weigh so much: only 152 grams, while Vivo 15 Pro, for example, is 30 grams heavier.

Advantages

• very low price;
• availability of fast charging Meizu Super mCharge;
• good cameras;
• AMOLED – display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

disadvantages

• thick bezels at the top and bottom of the screen look atypical compared to competitors

Vivo V15 Pro

Rating: 4.5

Feature Vivo 15 Pro is a retractable 32MP front camera hidden at the top of the frameless screen. This approach made it possible to get rid of the 'point' and 'eyebrows', which favorably distinguishes the smartphone from the nearest representatives. As for the equipment, everything is not so smooth here. The base is an 8-core Snapdragon 675 processor and an Adreno 612 video chip, backed by 6 GB of RAM. In turn, 128 GB of internal memory can be expanded by another 256 gigs by installing a micro SD.

In terms of power supply Vivo, the 15 Pro cannot be compared to the model from Samung, although it is trying with all its might to reach these results. The 3700 mAh battery is only enough to ensure the use of applications for 17-19 hours. By the way, this gadget is one of the few that has a more powerful front camera than the rear camera (there is only 25 Mp). At 6.39 inches, it has a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels and weighs 185 grams.

Advantages

• 32-megapixel front camera hidden in the body;
• bezel-less screen without 'monobrow';
• acceptable sound quality;
• ergonomics;
• attractive price.

disadvantages

• weak rear camera;
• no contactless payment chip.

Samsung Galaxy A50 6 / 128GB

Rating: 4.5

Someone thinks this smartphone is very cool. Others point out its flaws and look at Chinese gadgets. The Samsung Galaxy A50 can evoke different emotions. On the one hand, it is a reliable and beautiful device designed to compete with the aforementioned Chinese models. On the other hand, it still remains the 'hostage' of the brand. Powered by an Exynos 9610 chip with 8 cores and a Mali-G72 MP3 video processor. The configuration of RAM and read-only memory is clear to you from the name, we will add only that the memory card slot supports micro SD of 512 GB.

The energy efficiency of the A50 is very well developed: the 4 Ah lithium polymer battery has a quick charge function and is capable of maintaining a talk time of up to 23 hours. In turn, you can listen to music for more than 92 hours, and this is really great news. A contactless payment chip and a fingerprint scanner are built into the body of the smartphone. The cameras are ambiguous, but good in their own way: 25 + 8 + 5 megapixels on the main and 25 megapixels on the front panel allow you to take high-quality pictures even in the dark. Of the other nuances, we can only note the weight of 166 grams and the traditional AMOLED display.

Advantages

• the presence of an NFC chip;
• 512 GB memory card slot;
• high energy efficiency of the battery – up to 23 hours of talk time;
• fast charging function.

disadvantages

• insufficiently powerful system components (in comparison with competitors).

Sony Xperia 10 Plus

Rating: 4.4

Despite all the merits of Sony, we must admit the inevitable: they do not quite understand what a cool and productive smartphone should have. The Xperia 10 Plus was created with a clear 'bias' towards the multimedia part, and this is visible to the naked eye. An 8-core Snapdragon 636 is used as a processor, and the Adreno 509 chip is responsible for graphics processing. We are not hinting at anything, but the same Xiaomi Redmi Note are based on newer components. The amount of RAM is 4 GB, and the internal memory is 64 with the possibility of installing micro SD for an additional 512 GB, clearly designed for music and movies.

The cameras in the Sony Xperia 10 Plus did not work either, but our judgments are from a comparison point of view. Users like the quality of shooting, which means that the 12 + 8 megapixel rear and 8 megapixel front cameras are enough to take normal pictures and record videos in 4k format. Especially when there are so many different functions available. The battery charge is also not colossal, but all other things being equal, the Japanese managed to work out energy efficiency and 3000 mAh was enough to interact with multimedia data throughout the day. Sound quality is what Xperia really does, and it gets 10 points out of 10 for that.

Advantages

• original, elongated design;
• great sound quality;
• the ability to install a 512 GB drive;
• well-designed camera with an abundance of built-in functions.

disadvantages

• weak component equipment.

Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite 6 / 128GB

Rating: 4.4

Although smartphones Xiaomi cannot be compared with apple gadgets in terms of elitism, this does not diminish their merits in terms of influence on the smartphone market as a whole. Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite – a light version of the 'flagship killer', which can only be claimed for not the optimal selection of system components. Although discounted in price, the Snapdragon 710 processor, Adreno 616 graphics chip and 6GB of RAM look just perfect.

The main advantages of the Mi 9 Lite relate to the shooting parameters. On the rear panel of the gadget there are 3 cameras at 48, 8 and 2 megapixels with autofocus, backlight and flash. There is no stabilization, and this is a little sad. The front camera of the model has a 32-megapixel matrix and a fairly good quality of shooting even at dusk. AMOLED – The 6.39-inch display has a resolution of 2340×1080 pixels and has excellent color reproduction. As for the power supply parameters, there is a Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ fast charging function, with which a 4030 mAh battery replenishes reserves in a few tens of minutes.

Advantages

• low price;
• high definition cameras;
• excellent AMOLED – display with 2k-resolution;
• excellent design and ergonomics of the panel;
• the presence of fast charging and an NFC chip.

disadvantages

• lack of stabilization when shooting.

Apple iPhone 6S 32GB

Rating: 4.4

The era of the sixth version iPhone has passed a long time ago, but the gadget itself still does not lose its functional relevance. Although its 4.7-inch screen, 1334×750 pixel resolution and 12 and 5 megapixel cameras have already become the property of all budget smartphones, it definitely deserves its place in the top 6S. If only because this is the only one iPhone that can be bought for less than 30,000 rubles.

In general, we have already conducted a brief overview of the shortcomings. Now let's move on to more or less acceptable moments. For 2015, the line Apple did not have a processor more powerful than the A9, and it was he who was installed in this device. By the way, he is also responsible for graphics processing (more precisely, an integrated graphics chip). 32 GB memory may not be enough today, but you have no alternatives to expand it: only the use of cloud storage. The lithium-ion battery is rated for 14 hours of talk time, 50 hours of music listening and 240 hours of standby time. In other words, everything is in order with energy efficiency. Let's add a number of innovative (at that time) functions here, and we will get a good alternative to budget smartphones.

Advantages

• capacious battery;
• corporate, recognizable design;
• still up-to-date and powerful processor;
• the only model iPhone that can be purchased for 20 thousand rubles.

disadvantages

• outdated device.

OnePlus 6T 8 / 128GB

Rating: 4.4

Our rating is closed by the top-end gadget in the OnePlus lineup – the 6T model with 8 gigs of RAM and 128 gigs of permanent memory. It is based on the top processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 with 8 cores, clocked at 2800 MHz. Graphics processing is carried out by the Adreno 630 chip, and in this configuration the smartphone perfectly 'drags' both games and resource-intensive applications.

On the back of the OnePlus 6T there are 2 cameras, 16 and 20 megapixels with LED backlight and flash. They have autofocus, optical image stabilization and macro mode. But the 16-megapixel camera on the front panel cannot boast of anything like that, and, frankly, it does not shoot so well. A 3700 mAh lithium-polymer battery is responsible for powering the device, and this is the second negative nuance of the assembly, since with standard use of the phone, the charge goes away in less than 12-14 hours. Of the positive things: a beautiful and comfortable body, 185 grams of net weight (without a cover and additional elements), and a screen resolution of 2340×1080 pixels.

Advantages

• nice design;
• ergonomics;
• powerful system components;
• AMOLED – high resolution display.

disadvantages

• low battery capacity;
• mediocre front camera.

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Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.