13 best low-cost smartphones according to customer reviews

Ratings of electronics and engineering goods

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.

A good smartphone doesn't have to be expensive. Many devices belonging to the middle or even budget price range are characterized by wide functionality and practicality.

Rating of the best inexpensive smartphones

nomination a place Name of product price
Best low-cost smartphones – less than 5 inches screen 1 BlackBerry Z10 STL100-2 RUB 7990
2 Samsung Galaxy J1 (2016) SM-J120F / DS 5750 RUB.
The best inexpensive smartphones – 5-inch screen 1 Xiaomi Redmi 4X 32GB 8 300 RUB.
2 Meizu M5 32GB 11 900 RUB.
3 LG K8 (2017) X240 8100 RUB.
4 Huawei Honor 6C 9 900 RUB.
The best affordable 5.5-inch smartphones 1 LG X Power 2 (M320) 13 700 RUB.
2 Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X 4 / 64GB 10 700 RUB.
3 Meizu MX6 3 / 32GB 15 700 RUB.
4 Huawei Y6 II 10 600 RUB.
The best budget big screen smartphones 1 Meizu M3 Max 64GB 13 900 RUB.
2 Sony Xperia T2 Ultra 10 900 RUB.
3 Lenovo Phab2 14100 RUB.

How to choose a good inexpensive smartphone – what to look for?

The main criteria when choosing a budget smartphone:

  1. CPU. The fresher the chip, the better. Moreover, it is worth giving preference to devices on Qualcomm Snapdragon or MediaTek Helio;
  2. The amount of RAM. Again, the more the better. For modern smartphones, the minimum 'viable' storage is 1.5 GB. It is desirable, of course, more – 2 or even 3 GB;
  3. The amount of permanent memory. The bigger, the better. The internal storage contains the operating system itself, applications, and even user data such as photos or downloaded files. The minimum 'viable' volume is 16 GB. If the smartphone has little internal memory (for example, 16 GB), it is desirable that it be equipped with a microSD card slot;
  4. Battery capacity. The higher this parameter, the longer the smartphone will work. For example, a device with a 2000 mAh battery will have to be charged at least once a day, but a model with a 4000 mAh battery can 'live' in mixed use mode for two days or more.
  5. These are the main criteria. But depending on the planned use, you can pay attention to other parameters, such as the number of slots for SIM cards, resolution of the rear or front camera, screen resolution, supported mobile communication standards, body material, etc.

Best low-cost smartphones – less than 5 inches screen

BlackBerry Z10 STL100-2

Rating 4.7

BlackBerry Z10 STL100-2

The Z10 is one of the rare low-cost touchscreen smartphones from the Canadian company BlackBerry. The physical QWERTY keyboard, which is usually installed in devices from this manufacturer, has been successfully replaced by a software keyboard – accurate, accurate, quickly correcting most typos and errors.

In addition, it runs a proprietary operating system BlackBerry OS with its own app store. Programs written for Android may not run on it, although limited compatibility is indicated. But BlackBerry OS is a secure mobile operating system (it's not for nothing that even US presidents were recommended to use smartphones from this particular manufacturer).

BlackBerry The Z10 is primarily a business smartphone. It works well with email, does great with SMS and calls. Protected. But games and social networks on it work with grief in half.

In addition, it has a very durable body that can easily survive falls, drowning, deformation, and more.

In terms of technical characteristics, however, everything is pretty average here. A Qualcomm MSM8960 processor, 2GB of RAM, an 8MP main camera, and a 1600mAh battery, which is still enough for two days of mixed use thanks to the fact that the smartphone doesn't have Android installed.

Advantages

  • Protected operating system;
  • Convenience when working with SMS or e-mail;
  • Robust body;

disadvantages

  • Limited functionality.

Samsung Galaxy J1 (2016) SM-J120F / DS

Rating 4.7

Samsung Galaxy J1 (2016) SM-J120F / DS

Samsung, in addition to the top line S and the middle class A, also has an ultra-budget series – J. And J1 is the most inexpensive smartphone of it.

Samsung Galaxy J1 is cheap and is nothing special. It's a pretty nice smartphone with a 4.5-inch display 'like the old ones iPhone'; Samsung's proprietary Exynos 3475 quad-core processor, which is powerful enough for everyday applications like social networks, but clearly not enough for top games or editors like Snapseed; 1 GB of RAM and a removable 2050 mAh battery.

In fact, this is a smartphone for very undemanding users. Its capacity will be enough for calls, messages, communication in instant messengers and social networks. But it is easy to use and inexpensive, which makes it a good solution for elderly relatives or small children.

Advantages

  • Low price;
  • High battery life.

disadvantages

  • Weak technical characteristics, which is why it is not worth loading it with numerous applications.

The best inexpensive smartphones – 5-inch screen

Xiaomi Redmi 4X 32GB Smartphone

Rating 4.8

Xiaomi Redmi 4X 32GB Smartphone

Redmi 4X is one of the most popular low-cost smartphones from the Chinese company Xiaomi. Despite the low price, it offers quite good technical specifications – a nimble processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, 2GB of RAM, a 13MP camera and a fingerprint scanner. But the main advantage of a smartphone is, of course, the battery. Its capacity is 4100 mAh, which is enough for 2 days of mixed use with a mobile internet connection, for example.

Like the rest of smartphones Xiaomi, it runs an operating system MIUI, which is a heavily revised version Android. Therefore, the user experience may seem unusual at first.

The smartphone has only one drawback – the low strength of the screen. Therefore, in addition, you should definitely purchase a bumper or special protective glass. However, they are inexpensive.

Advantages

  • Up to two days of battery life with mixed use;
  • Quite good technical characteristics.

disadvantages

  • Unusual operating system MIUI (albeit based on Android);
  • Low strength of glass and body.

Meizu M5 32GB

Rating 4.7

Meizu M5 32GB

Meizu M5 is an inexpensive smartphone with an attractive design, a beautiful, rich screen, a good camera and fairly high performance. One of its greatest strengths is that it literally attracts attention. It seems to be quite standard, but still very interesting.

Another interesting feature of the smartphone is the proprietary operating system Flyme OS based on Android. Everything here is tied to gesture control. There is only one button – when touched it works like 'Back', when pressed as 'Home'. Swipe from the edge of the screen is used to switch between applications. This may seem unusual, but it becomes very convenient to check. In addition, the entire screen is involved – and this is already an important advantage compared to devices with virtual navigation keys.

With the technical characteristics, everything is also in order here. A smart yet energy efficient processor MediaTek MT6750 (Helio series), 3 GB of RAM, a 3070 mAh battery is used. The main camera is 13-megapixel, f / 2.2 aperture (in good lighting, beautiful pictures are obtained).

But the main advantage of a smartphone is the screen. Clear, beautiful, rich. However, this is typical of all new devices Meizu.

Advantages

  • Excellent screen;
  • Attractive design;
  • Nice camera;
  • Optimum technical characteristics;

disadvantages

  • Out-of-the-box user experience;
  • In some versions of the smartphone there is no pre-installed Google Play, you have to download it separately.

LG K8 (2017) X240

Rating: 4.6

LG K8 (2017) X240

Inexpensive, but quite good smartphone from the Korean company LG. K8 (2017) X240 is equipped with an energy efficient (though not too fast) MT6737 processor MediaTek, 1.5 GB of RAM, a 13 MP camera and a 2500 mAh battery, which provides up to 10 hours of mixed use.

This smartphone has two advantages over the others. First, a great front-facing camera that's good for selfies. In addition to photographic qualities, a virtual front flash is activated during shooting – the screen lights up with a bright white light. This allows you to take beautiful selfies even in the dark.

The second advantage is the screen. Despite the fact that it is made using IPS technology, like almost all matrices in smartphones of the middle and budget price segments, it provides a deep and realistic black color. And the small bulge of the display (the so-called 2.5D technology) makes it visually attractive – and the smartphone itself is very pleasant to the touch.

The smartphone uses a proprietary shell LG Emotion UI with pastel shades of the interface. It is very easy to use, almost all settings are located in intuitive places.

Advantages

  • Great front camera
  • Stable network connection;
  • High-quality screen;

disadvantages

  • Not the most powerful technical characteristics for their price segment.

Huawei Honor 6C

Rating: 4.5

Huawei Honor 6C

Honor 6C is both an inexpensive and productive smartphone from the company Huawei. A smart processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 and immediately 3 GB of RAM are responsible for the speed of the device. Thanks to this, the smartphone copes with resource-intensive tasks and quickly switches between applications. In addition, it is equipped with a 13-megapixel main camera, a 3020 mAh battery, which lasts for 2 days of mixed use, and a fingerprint scanner.

Among other things, the Huawei Honor 6C comes in a metal case with a matte 'soft-touch' finish for a comfortable and secure grip; and is complemented by a 2.5D display that looks and feels good.

The screen, even though it has a not very high HD resolution (720 × 1280 pixels) for such a diagonal, has good color reproduction and a wide range of brightness.

Advantages

  • Good optimization of the operating system;
  • Attractive design;
  • The fingerprint scanner;
  • Technical characteristics excellent for its price segment;

disadvantages

  • Lack of operating system updates;
  • Low screen resolution.

The best affordable 5.5-inch smartphones

LG X Power 2 (M320)

Rating: 4.8

LG X Power 2 (M320)

The word 'Power' is included in the name of this smartphone for a reason. It comes with a 4500mAh battery that will last for several days of mixed use. At the same time, the processor installed in the smartphone is economical – this is MediaTek MT6750. The chip is supplemented with 2 GB of RAM, so the delays when switching between applications are minimal.

Another advantage of the smartphone is the LED front flash. Selfies to the front 5-megapixel camera are good even in low light. The rear camera has a 13MP resolution and is also complemented by a flash.

The smartphone supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 fast charging technology (even despite the installed processor MediaTek), so half an hour 'at the outlet' is enough for several hours of active use of the device.

Smartphone firmware is also optimized for maximum autonomy. Therefore, LG X Power 2 (M320) is able to live longer without charging.

And the 'icing on the cake' is a separate slot for microSD memory cards – and not combined with a slot for a second SIM card, like most modern smartphones.

Advantages

  • Impressive battery life
  • Separate slot for memory cards;
  • Optimization of the operating system;
  • Support for fast charging technology;

disadvantages

  • Technical characteristics are not the best for their price segment.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X 4 / 64GB

Rating: 4.7

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X 4 / 64GB

Another inexpensive representative Xiaomi that combines the advantages of the best models of the line Redmi (good performance, low price) with a 5.5-inch screen and a resolution Full HD 1080 × 1920 pixels . The 10-core processor MediaTek Helio X20 and 4 GB of RAM are responsible for the speed of work. The internal storage is 64 GB, which is enough to store 50-60 hours of captured video at maximum resolution. By the way, the resolution of the rear camera is 13 MP.

Like other smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi Note 4X runs a proprietary operating system MIUI. It will take habit, but it is functional and practical.

Advantages

  • Excellent technical characteristics;
  • Regular firmware updates;
  • Good optimization of the operating system;

disadvantages

  • Relatively unreliable body materials;
  • Regionally limited firmware MIUI (problems with localization of some applications, for example).

Meizu MX6 3 / 32GB

Rating: 4.6

Meizu MX6 3 / 32GB

This smartphone is worth taking just for the screen. Like other devices Meizu, it is equipped with a matrix with high saturation of colors, but at the same time natural shades and good brightness. In this case, the screen diagonal is 5.5 inches, and the resolution is Full HD, which creates a beautiful and visually pleasing 'picture'.

Other technical specifications include a 10-core high-performance processor MediaTek Helio X20, which is complemented by 3 GB of RAM; 32 GB internal storage; battery 3060 mAh; 12-megapixel main camera; fingerprint scanner and metal body.

In addition, it is distinguished by its attractive design and simply high usability.

Advantages

  • Delightful screen;
  • Metal body;
  • High battery life;
  • Excellent technical characteristics;
  • Attractive design;

disadvantages

  • Some versions do not have Google Play preinstalled, you will need to download it separately.

Huawei Y6 II

Rating: 4.6

Huawei Y6 II

Inexpensive 5.5-inch smartphone from the company Huawei. Differs in optimal performance – it has a proprietary HiSilicon Kirin 620 processor with 8 cores and a clock speed of 1200 MHz, which is complemented by 2 GB of RAM. The battery capacity is 3000 mAh. And, thanks to its relatively small screen resolution of 720 × 1280 pixels (HD), it offers up to 2 days of battery life. The main camera is 13 megapixel. Internal storage capacity is 16 GB.

The main advantage of the smartphone is its very attractive design. Especially for the ultra-budget price segment. Despite the fact that the appearance of the smartphone can be called 'understated', the rounded front and back sides make it very attractive.

Advantages

  • Attractive design;
  • Quite good technical characteristics.

disadvantages

  • Relatively low screen resolution;
  • Only 16 GB internal storage.

Rating of the best budget smartphones with a large screen

Meizu M3 Max 64GB

Rating: 4.8

Meizu M3 Max 64GB

A budget 6-inch phablet with quite good performance and a good (this is Meizu!) Screen. The processor MediaTek Helio P10 with 8 processing cores is responsible for the speed of work, which is supplemented by 3 GB of RAM.

In addition, the phablet has a 4160 mAh battery, which is enough for a couple of days of battery life in mixed use mode; main camera with 13 megapixels; fingerprint scanner – all in a metal case. Internal storage capacity – 64 GB.

The phablet is equipped with 2.5D glass, which makes it look beautiful. The front camera is of high quality, suitable for selfies. The main one also shoots well, since it is based on a productive Sony IMX258 sensor.

Advantages

  • Nice camera;
  • Great screen;
  • Long battery life;
  • Attractive design;

disadvantages

  • It is difficult to find protective glass on a 2.5D screen;
  • Some versions of the smartphone come without Google Play preinstalled, you will have to download it yourself.

Sony Xperia T2 Ultra

Rating: 4.7

Sony Xperia T2 Ultra

Ultra-budget 6-inch HD phablet. The performance may seem rather low due to the old Qualcomm MSM8928 processor and 1GB of RAM, but this is more than offset by the low price of the smartphone. In addition, the volume of the internal storage is also small – it is only 8 GB. However, there is a slot for memory cards, microSDs with a capacity of up to 32 GB are supported.

The smartphone is equipped with a 3000 mAh battery, which – thanks to a low-resolution screen and a not very efficient processor – is enough for 2-3 days of autonomous use.

The smartphone uses a proprietary XPERIA shell for the operating system Android, which is easy to navigate. Therefore, it is also suitable for children or the elderly.

Advantages

  • Easy to use;
  • High battery life.

disadvantages

  • Poor performance;
  • Only 8 GB of built-in storage.

Lenovo Phab2

Rating: 4.6

Lenovo Phab2

This inexpensive phablet was designed for watching videos and movies. A huge 6.4-inch HD screen, Dolby Surround and augmented reality technology make it a portable multimedia center. In addition, the device is also very productive for its price segment – the MT8735 processor MediaTek has a clock speed of 1.3 GHz and is supplemented with 3 GB of RAM for fast switching between applications in multitasking mode.

Besides, this phablet is just a pleasure to shoot video. Three microphones at once record surround sound using Dolby technology Audi o Capture 5.1 with a clearly distinguishable scene. The camera has a physical resolution of 13.1 megapixels, and the maximum resolution of the recorded video is Full HD.

The cherry on the cake is a 4050 mAh battery that lasts for a couple of days of mixed mode use.

Advantages

  • High battery life;
  • AR support;
  • Quite good technical characteristics;
  • High quality sound;

disadvantages

  • Low screen resolution;
  • Comparatively 'weak' processor.

Which budget smartphone to buy

  1. If you want the cheapest smartphone, but which at the same time will not slow down and freeze when switching between applications, then you should pay attention to products from Xiaomi. Meizu not as efficient, but prettier. Smartphones Huawei are also interesting in the budget segment – they use a less deeply modified operating system than previous manufacturers.
  2. BlackBerry Z10 is an unusual smartphone, which is characterized by maximum security, albeit at the expense of functionality. Models from LG provide the greatest autonomy and are very easy to use.
  3. The rest of the devices have some unique features. For example, the Samsung Galaxy J1 is very simple, the Sony Xperia T2 has an extreme power saving mode, and the Lenovo Phab2 has Dolby surround sound technologies and augmented reality (AR) support.

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.

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