Top 20 best cheap smartphones: rating 2021-2022 for price / quality and what a good model to choose

Choosing a budget smartphone - the process is no less difficult, and maybe even more energy-consuming, than choosing a flagship model.

Smartphones differ not only in their hardware, but also in their "profile" - somewhere more favorable cameras, and some models are not inferior to more expensive ones in gaming performance.

To speed up the process of choosing, we present you the rating of inexpensive popular smartphones 2021-2022. When compiling it, we took into account the opinion of experts and users, as well as statistical data from Rosstat.

The selection was made taking into account all the technical characteristics, the price/quality ratio, battery life and power.

Rating TOP 20 inexpensive smartphones in 2021-2022

The place	Name	Price
Top 3 cheapest smartphones in terms of price/quality ratio for 2021-2022
1	Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro 6/128GB	Check the price
2	Samsung Galaxy M31	Find out the price
3	Realme 6 8/128GB	Learn the price
Top 3 inexpensive smartphones with a good camera
1	vivo V20 SE	Learn the price
2	Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC 6/64GB	Check out the price
3	HONOR 20s 6/128GB	Learn the price
Top 3 inexpensive smartphones with good battery
1	Samsung Galaxy A51 64GB	Check out the price
2	Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro 6/128GB	Check out the price
3	HUAWEI P smart Z 4/64GB	Check out the price
Top 3 inexpensive gaming smartphones
1	Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro 6/64GB	Check out the price
2	Realme 6S 6/128GB	Find out the price
3	ZTE Blade 20 Smart	Learn the price
Top 2 cheap smartphones with NFC
1	HONOR 9X 4/128GB	Learn the price
2	Samsung Galaxy A51 128GB	Learn the price
TOP 2 cheap smartphones under 15000 rubles
1	HONOR 20 Lite 4/128GB (RU)	Learn the price
2	Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T 3/32GB	Learn the price
Top 2 cheap smartphones up to 10000 rubles
1	HUAWEI Y6 (2019)	Learn the price
2	Samsung Galaxy A10	Learn the price
Top 2 cheap smartphones under 5000 rubles
1	MAXVI MS531 Vega	Learn the price
2	ZTE Blade A3 (2020) NFC	Learn the price

How to choose an inexpensive smartphone today?

Buying an inexpensive smartphone is an investment that requires special attention, because there is always the risk of buying a model or globally outdated, or very mediocre quality, or not suitable for your needs.

Experts recommend paying attention to details such as:

• Build quality and durability - In budget smartphones, the main material is plastic, glass is quite rare. The material, although quite fragile, but still significantly reduces the cost. When buying offline, you should carefully consider the model for backlashes, the quality of seams and details;
• screen - It is worth checking the brightness, its lower and upper level, compare the color rendering, white balance. Too high contrast or brightness can damage your vision, especially in the dark, and lack of brightness on a sunny day will severely limit legibility;
• technical specifications - determined by the needs of the buyer, but it is better to give preference to slightly more advanced variants and the later date of release of the model on the market.

Top 3 best inexpensive smartphones in price/quality ratio for 2021-2022

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro 6/128GB

In 2021-2022, this smartphone is popular because of its excellent ratio of technical characteristics and cost.

The thoughtful design takes into account not only the aesthetic component, but also adds ergonomics. The body is easy to hold in your hand, does not slip, the cover does not remain fingerprints.

The smartphone has two color solutions, one of which favorably differs not only in color, but also in the special shape of the camera unit.

It includes 4 thoughtful lenses, the camera for macro photography is much better than most similar gadgets. Quality display will provide a clear image, high brightness margin allows you to use the device even on a bright sunny day with virtually no loss of legibility.

Not a bad chipset and a sufficient amount of RAM provides multitasking without loss of speed.

The spacious, fast-charging battery lasts for 14-16 hours when the device is fully loaded.

Specifications:

• OC: Android 10;
• Weight: 209 g;
• Screen: IPS, multi-touch;
• Diagonal: 6.67?
• Front camera: 64 + 8 + 5 + 2 MP;
• Front camera: 16 MP;
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G, 8 cores;
• Built-in/operative memory: 128/6GB.

Samsung Galaxy M31

Model quite advanced both externally and internally.. Stylish design with bright Stylish design with bright colors, good quality plastic, thin frame, ergonomics - and the output is a very good smartphone in the budget segment.

The main advantage of the gadget is an extremely powerful battery that can hold up to four days of standby time, and with a full load of applications works up to 24 hours.!

Not all flagships can boast of such capabilities. At the same time such a powerful battery practically does not weigh the device down.

The proprietary processor provides the stability of the work, and sufficient RAM capacity of 6 GB provides clear multitasking..

The device quite easily copes with demanding applications and games.

Specifications:

• OC: Android 10;
• Weight: 191 g;
• Screen: AMOLED, multi-touch;
• Diagonal: 6.4?
• Front camera: 64 + 8 + 5 + 5 MP;
• Front camera: 32 MP;
• Processor: Samsung Exynos 9611, 8 cores;
• Built-in/Resume memory: 128/6GB.

realme 6 8/128GB

Not very popular, but interesting enough model Realme, distinguished by the quality of the screen. Efficient matrix and quality impact-resistant glass - it would seem what else is required, but the manufacturer managed to achieve a refresh rate of 90 Hz.

These features in combination with a gaming processor and a powerful video chipset will give a smooth picture in heavy games with maximum graphics settings.

This is facilitated by a good amount of RAM 8 GB. Built-in memory is also enough to accommodate many games and applications.

The battery supports fast charging, and a full charge is enough for 16 hours of gaming or Web surfing..

The cameras here are also decent for the budget segment, especially decent was the frontal, able to give good pictures, even in low light conditions.

Specifications:

• OC: Android 10;
• Weight: 191 g;
• Screen: IPS, multi-touch touch;
• Diagonal: 6.5?
• Front camera: 64 + 8 + 2 + 2 MP;
• Front camera: 16 MP;
• Processor: MediaTek Helio G90T, 8 cores;
• Built-in/RAM: 128/8GB.

Top 3 best inexpensive smartphones with a good camera

vivo V20 SE.

Decent representative of the budget line of smartphones Vivo, equipped with not only Not only a good camera, but also quite acceptable parameters of technical equipment.

The model has a stylish design with a nice cover, is comfortable in the hand, the display has a thin frame.

Thanks to a good matrix, the screen resolution is very good, the color rendering is very rich and clear.

Multitasking is provided by the work, albeit not a top, but an efficient processor and a sufficient amount of RAM.

In games, it is stable at medium graphics settings.

The selfies camera of this smartphone is one of the best in the ranking, the main cameras give clear pictures with an excellent dynamic range, the correct color transfer and accurate detailing.

Battery life, however, somewhat below average - in active mode the battery is able to hold a charge for 8-10 hours.

Specifications:

• OC: Android 10;
• Weight: 172 g;
• Screen: AMOLED, multi-touch;
• Diagonal: 6.44?
• Front camera: 48 + 2 + 2 MP;
• Front camera: 16 MP;
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, 8 cores;
• Built-in/operative memory: 128/8GB.

Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC 6/64GB

Unusual smartphone with the original location of the photomodule - round centered Top edge pad.

The classic plastic body fits comfortably in the palm of your hand, the reinforcement of the metal frame protects the gadget in case of accidental falls.

The main unit includes three not bad lenses, pictures are obtained with adjusted color reproduction, good detail and contrast.

Low light gives the predominance of warm gamma. The night mode allows you to get sharper shots and not light up from light sources.

The screen on the IPS-matrix with good glass Gorilla Glass 5, and the front camera is located directly in the center of the notification curtain.

Stereo speakers with good sound coverage, but users note a lack of midrange.

Performance is average because of the budget processor, undemanding applications go easily, but complex programs can cause crashes in the system.

Technical specifications:

• OC: Android 10;
• Weight: 215 g;
• Screen: IPS, multitouch touch;
• Diagonal: 6.67?
• Rear cameras: 64+13+2 MP;
• Front camera: 20 MP;
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G, 8 cores;
• Built-in/operative memory: 64/6GB.

HONOR 20s 6/128GB

The classic smartphone from the famous Chinese brand comes in four design solutions.

This model is one of the lightest and most ergonomic, thanks to the small diagonal it easily fits in the palm and is controlled with one hand. The body here is made of glossy glass, which is not often seen in budget models.

The screen with high resolution and vision protection system produces a good image with high clarity, the sensor response speed is optimal for efficient work.

In good light, the camera produces highly detailed images with adjusted white balance.

In low light conditions, noise and graininess appear. The speaker with the average maximum volume gives a smooth sound with a pleasant bass.

Battery life is quite average - up to 10 hours of surfing the Internet or watching videos.

Gaming performance is also not the best, but thanks to special modes, medium texture rendering in games will not put a heavy load on the gadget.

Specifications:

• OC: Android 9.0;
• Weight: 159 g;
• Screen: IPS, multi-touch;
• Diagonal: 6.15?
• Front camera: 48 + 8 + 2 MP;
• Front camera: 32 MP;
• Processor: HiSilicon Kirin 710, 8 cores;
• Built-in/Resume memory: 128/6GB.

Top 3 inexpensive smartphones with a good battery

Samsung Galaxy A51 64GB

Popular in 2021-2022 smartphone due to the quality of assembly, components, appearance and good performance.

AMOLED matrix screen allowed to save space and implement a fingerprint scanner directly in itself.

Not a bad camera gives high-quality pictures, comparable with the frames of semi-professional equipment - high clarity, color accuracy, detail and contrast for the budget models are not so common phenomena.

The front camera is "built" in the display and is almost invisible.

The processor is very productive, provides in conjunction with the RAM 6 GB responsiveness, multitasking, gaming on high settings.

An added bonus was a separate slot for a memory card - no need to choose between a second SIM card or flash drive.

Specifications:

• OC: Android 10;
• Weight: 172 g;
• Screen: AMOLED, multi-touch;
• Diagonal: 6.5?
• Rear cameras: 48+12+5+5 MP;
• Front camera: 32 MP;
• Processor: Samsung Exynos 9611, 8 cores;
• Built-in/operative memory: 64/6GB.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro 6/128GB

The advanced variant of the Redmi Note 8 has a great variety in design, which Will be to the taste of fans of the aesthetic component of gadgets.

The main advantage of the smartphone was an improved processor with liquid cooling, which does not give heat even when the device is fully loaded, a high-capacity battery.

Ergonomics has been improved not only by reducing the heat, because holding a red-hot smartphone is not very pleasant, but also due to the form factor, case and screen materials.

The model has enough performance resources for at least two to three years of active service, despite the fact that the model belongs to the previous generation.

Increased RAM quantity of 6 GB facilitates the work of heavy processes, especially in mobile games.

Technical Specifications:

• OC: Android 9.0;
• Weight: 200 g;
• Screen: IPS, multi-touch;
• Diagonal: 6.53?
• Front camera: 64 + 8 + 2 + 2 MP;
• Front camera: 20 MP;
• Processor: MediaTek Helio G90T, 8 cores;
• Built-in/Resume memory: 128/6GB.

HUAWEI P smart Z 4/64GB

Quite a budget smartphone Huawei, which is "in tune" in all respects, except for One: the front camera, the location of which can pleasantly surprise those who are tired of the endless notches on the display.

Standard design, frameless screen, gradient coloring of the back panel, neat camera unit and fingerprint scanner. The advantage of the screen is a good pixel density per inch and, accordingly, high image sharpness.

Color rendering is saturated, pleasant, brightness is enough not to look for shadows on a sunny day.

However, the top frame does not have the usual drop-shaped cutout for the front camera, because in this model it slides out of the top end of the gadget.

The camera is protected from all kinds of obstacles to its operation, promptly appears and hides in 3 seconds, another second goes to focus on the face.

Productive battery 4000 mAh is able to work without recharging up to 11 hours when watching video in good quality and at maximum brightness.

Specifications:

• OC: Android 9.0;
• Weight: 197 g;
• Screen: TFT, multi-touch;
• Diagonal: 6.59?
• Front camera: 16 + 2 MP;
• Front Camera: 16 MP;
• Processor: HiSilicon Kirin 710F, 8 cores;
• Built-in/operative memory: 64/4GB.

Top 3 gaming inexpensive smartphones

Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro 6/64GB

Not a bad smartphone advanced version is almost no different from the above model, except for the amount of built-in memory.

Liquid CPU cooling system, performance iron, ergonomics and design - all this is maintained at the top and allows the model to stubbornly stay at the top of many rankings, despite the fact that all the same, this is a smartphone of the last generation.

Gaming performance here is one of the best due to the large amount of RAM, smart processor and high battery life.

Multitasking does not cause freezes and crashes in the system, many games are running at high graphics settings, and only the most demanding of them can cause slowdown gadget, but this is easily solved by slightly lowering the quality of graphics.

Specifications:

• OC: Android 9.0;
• Weight: 200 g;
• Screen: IPS, multi-touch touch;
• Diagonal: 6.53?
• Front camera: 64 + 8 + 2 + 2 MP;
• Front camera: 20 MP;
• Processor: MediaTek Helio G90T, 8 cores;
• Built-in/RAM: 64/6GB.

realme 6S 6/128GB

Not a bad smartphone "light" format has in general all the qualities, necessary for mobile gaming.

Here and a quality screen with a high refresh rate, which will give a smooth picture without excessive jerks, enough RAM 6 GB for multitasking and facilitate the flow of work processes, a lot of pre-installed memory.

High-quality battery supports fast charging mode, a fully charged battery will hold up to 15-16 hours of battery life without interruption.

Additional pluses are cameras, both main and front. The latter will allow you to get good quality pictures, even in low light conditions.

Specifications:

• OC: Android 10;
• Weight: 172 g;
• Screen: IPS, multi-touch;
• Diagonal: 6.5?
• Front camera: 48 + 8 + 2 MP;
• Front camera: 16 MP;
• Processor: MediaTek Helio G90T, 8 cores;
• Built-in/operative memory: 128/6GB.

ZTE Blade 20 Smart

The 2019 release from ZTE has a really low price at the The maximum functionality that you can get for that amount of money.

The design does not stand out in any way: glossy, durable plastic body, a drop-shaped cutout on the display for the front panel, thin screen frames.

However, the build quality pleases - nothing snaps, and the materials are high quality, when squeezed the body except that barely noticeable squeaks.

The display has good color reproduction with deep black and no visible pixels, which is important for an inexpensive smartphone.

The maximum brightness level allows you to easily see the displayed interface, even in bright sunlight. In the area of "stuffing" the phone definitely pleases for its price.

The standard eight-core processor and good graphics allow to pull quite demanding games, although sometimes you have to sacrifice image quality for performance.

The battery life is amazing - 9 hours of active work without charging, which is almost a record for a budget smartphone.

Specifications:

• OC: Android 9.0;
• Weight: 190 g;
• Screen: IPS, multi-touch touch;
• Diagonal: 6.49?
• Front camera: 16 + 8 + 2 MP;
• Front camera: 8 MP;
• Processor: MediaTek Helio P60, 8 cores;
• Built-in/Resume memory: 128/4GB.

Top 2 inexpensive smartphones with NFC

HONOR 9X 4/128GB

Glass case - not such a frequent occurrence among inexpensive models, but this is just the that case.

The screen is protected by glass with an oleophobic coating, the back with a holographic effect - and the result is aesthetically and structurally pleasant gadget.

The selfie camera is retractable, so the screen does not "spoil" the cutouts.

The high resolution of the display gives a good image, the eyes do not get tired even with prolonged use.

Shooting gives clear contrast pictures with high detail, but at night there is a characteristic graininess.

The speaker is good, but the volume reserve is low, although it is enough to listen to music or watch movies without a headset.

The battery holds up to two days in standby mode, and active use is up to 8 hours.

A good processor and enough RAM will provide good gaming performance.

Specifications:

• OC: Android 9.0;
• Weight: 197 g;
• Screen: IPS, multi-touch touch;
• Diagonal: 6.59?
• Rear cameras: 48 + 2 MP;
• Front camera: 16 MP;
• Processor: HiSilicon Kirin 710F, 8 cores;
• Built-in/operative memory: 128/4GB.

Samsung Galaxy A51 128GB

An excellent model, which combines the best price and quality, high performance, appearance and quality of components.

The camera unit allows you to get good pictures with high detail, does not distort the color, night mode reduces the amount of glare and does not give too deep shadows.

The front camera is built into the screen, selfies are also obtained with good detail and post-processing.

fingerprint scanner does not take up space on the body, because it is built into the display.

The processor is very productive, together with sufficient RAM volume of 6 GB will provide a quick response and optimal multitasking.

Specifications:

• OC: Android 10;
• Weight: 172 g;
• Screen: AMOLED, multi-touch;
• Diagonal: 6.5?
• Front camera: 48 + 12 + 5 + 5 MP;
• Front camera: 32 MP;
• Processor: Samsung Exynos 9611, 8 cores;
• Built-in/operative memory: 128/6GB.

Top 2 inexpensive smartphones under 15000 rubles

HONOR 20 Lite 4/128GB (RU)

Lightweight, stylish, elegant and inexpensive - that's what this smartphone is valued for. Despite its cost, it belongs to the flagship models, albeit in a lighter version.

The main parameters of camera quality and performance have been preserved, although the functionality has decreased slightly.

The camera gives good pictures with sharp details and color, the selfie camera does not distort the color rendering, does not deepen the shadows.

The night mode improves image quality in low light conditions.

Battery life is somewhat curtailed, although it is quite enough - 12 hours of active use of games or the browser battery is able to provide.

RAM is a bit small, but at an average load will not be observed glitches and frees.

Specifications:

• OC: Android 9.0;
• Weight: 159 g;
• Screen: IPS, multi-touch touch;
• Diagonal: 6.15?
• Front camera: 48 + 8 + 2 MP;
• Front camera: 24 MP;
• Processor: HiSilicon Kirin 710, 8 cores;
• Built-in/Resume memory: 128/4GB.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T 3/32GB

The model, although the last generation, is still quite good for its price. Appreciated It is appreciated not only for its good performance, but also for its pleasant appearance - a high-quality case made of pleasant to the touch tempered glass, impact-resistant screen glass.

The main module consists of four quite powerful by today's standards cameras, so the pictures are very clear and comparable in quality with frames made by more expensive smartphones.

The front camera also keeps up, although far from being the most advanced.

The processor is set quite powerfulThe processor is quite powerful, able to cope with heavy games on low settings and resource-intensive software.

The battery supports up to 16 hours of active use, which for a budgetnik quite a good indicator.

Specifications:

• OC: Android 9.0;
• Weight: 200 g;
• Screen: IPS, multi-touch touch;
• Diagonal: 6.3?
• Front camera: 48 + 8 + 2 + 2 MP;
• Front camera: 13 MP;
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, 8 cores;
• Built-in/Remory: 32/3GB.

Top 2 inexpensive smartphones under 10,000 rubles

HUAWEI Y6 (2019).

Not a bad smartphone from last year, similar in appearance to the flagship models became an excellent A not bad smartphone from last year, similar in appearance to the flagship models has become an excellent find for those who are undemanding to the performance and use the smartphone for communication and web surfing.

The gadget lies comfortably in the palm of your hand, thanks to the small diagonal it is quite comfortable to manage with one hand. High-quality display does not give artifacts and color skewing, even with prolonged use.

The smartphone has a smart fingerprint sensor, which is not often found in budget cars..

The processor, though not bad in its own way, but frankly outdated for a model of 2019 release.

Gaming performance is quite low, even on minimal graphics games cause overheating and crashing.

In multitasking mode also shows itself not the best way, due to the small amount of RAM.

Specifications:

• OC: Android 9.0;
• Weight: 150 g;
• Screen: IPS, multi-touch touch;
• Diagonal: 6.09?
• Front camera: 13 MP;
• Front camera: 8 MP;
• Processor: MediaTek Helio A22 (MT6761), 4 cores;
• Built-in/Remory: 32/2GB.

Samsung Galaxy A10

The smartphone belongs to the previous generation, but still enjoys relevance For those who want a simple smartphone for work without pretensions for the ability to pull modern games.

Quality build, smooth communication and relatively decent camera - that can present this gadget as its main pluses.

Both the main and front cameras in normal light give pictures with good color rendering and good detail, but in dim light there is a strong graininess, and the night mode almost merges everything into light and dark spots.

The processor handles multitasking and simple applications quite well, but the RAM is obviously not enough. Autonomy is maintained at the level of 6-8 hours of web surfing and about a day in standby mode.

Specifications:

• OC: Android 10;
• Weight: 168 g;
• Screen: TFT, multi-touch;
• Diagonal: 6.2?
• Front Camera: 13 MP;
• Front camera: 5 MP;
• Processor: Samsung Exynos 7884, 8 cores;
• Built-in/operative memory: 32/2GB.

Top 2 inexpensive smartphones under 5000 rubles

MAXVI MS531 Vega

A smartphone for surfing the Internet, making calls, and social networking - that's all the more its hardware more, its hardware, alas, will not suffice..

A small gadget with a metal frame and a plastic back, controlled by touch buttons.

The screen has a low resolution, although it is made on an IPS-matrix..

The simple processor copes only with a minimum of applications, the lack of RAM is felt in multitasking. Built-in memory is sufficient only for the operating system, for the applications on top will need a memory card.

The battery lasts for 18 hours of standby, and web surfing severely reduces the "life" of the charge to 4-5 hours.

The camera is weak, with not the highest detail, with the lack of light gives a lot of noise. Suitable as a working device or as a simple smartphone for younger students.

Specifications:

• OC: Android 8.1;
• Weight: 169 g;
• Screen: IPS, multi-touch touch;
• Diagonal: 5.34 ";
• Front camera: 8 MP;
• Front camera: 5 MP;
• Processor: MediaTek MT6739, 4 cores;
• Built-in/operative memory: 8/1GB.

ZTE Blade A3 (2020) NFC

Very simple smartphone ZTE With a body of polycarbonate and rounded protective glass. IPS matrix display gives a good color rendering and good viewing angles, but users note the lack of maximum brightness.

The front camera is located in the classic teardrop cutout.

The camera for 2021-2022 is of rather low quality, able to give good pictures even in normal conditions is not the first time, the detail is low.

The speakers are loud enough, with good quality.

Does not support wireless or fast charging, standby battery life is just over 20 hours, and with active use, it lasts no more than 5-6 hours.

The processor is not bad, but the game lags even on minimum settings.

Technical specifications:

• OC: Android 9.0;
• Weight: 160 g;
• Screen: IPS, multi-touch touch;
• Diagonal: 5.45?
• Front Camera: 8 MP;
• Front Camera: 5 MP;
• Processor: Unisoc SC9832E, 8 cores;
• Built-in/Remory: 32/1GB.

What brand to choose?

The most popular manufacturers among inexpensive models are:

• Xiaomi - The ideal price/quality ratio, the latest technology and a constant updating of the model base, which in turn reduces the cost of the previous ones, while maintaining all their performance;
• Samsung - titan of the industry, due to which there is a kind of markup on the price of the brand. The choice of smartphones is very wide, all of them are of high quality and have outstanding functionality.
• Honor - is a young Chinese brand, investing in its models just as much as the advanced "sharks" of smartphone production. For a short period the company was able to achieve a good popularity - their smartphones are productive at a low cost, and some models are not even inferior to the flagship ones.

You can read more about the ratings of smartphones for a specific price in these articles: models up to 30000, 25000, 20000, 15000, 10000, 5000 rubles.

Customer reviews

Helpful video

From the video you will get an overview of low-cost smartphones: