Rating of the best low-cost smartphones for 2022

Inexpensive smartphones of various brands are incredibly popular with the average consumer. First of all, the user is interested in the relationship between the concepts of cost and technical characteristics. Which financially affordable models with decent functionality from leading manufacturers in 2022 are most in demand will be discussed in the presented article.

Criterias of choice

When deciding on the choice of a mobile satellite, a potential buyer pays attention to the following points:

• ergonomics and product design;
• display picture quality;
• performance;
• volume of information storages;
• the capabilities of the main and selfie cameras;
• autonomy;
• the presence of additional, providing comfort, functions;
• the price of the product.

The potential buyer of the gadget is guided by the above parameters, as well as the responses of the owners of the devices they are interested in and the results of test tests.

The best budget smartphones

Redmi Note 7

Brand devices are distinguished by affordable cost and decent technical characteristics. In particular, Note series smartphones attract the user with a capacious battery and a good display. Which is absolutely true for Redmi Note 7, in which, in addition to the above, an excellent camera and an original external design solution were used.

Often, the design of Redmi is a familiar visualization of a modern device, which has a place for a great many such devices. In the model under consideration, they worked on the appearance: they added a fashionable gradient, the back cover was made of glass and the vertical camera was removed. In addition to the classic black, there is a choice of more interesting colors: foggy red or neptunian blue. A noticeable difference from models belonging to earlier generations is the appearance of the display: closer to the top edge there is a teardrop-shaped cutout, due to which its area becomes slightly larger. In addition, the screen of this model is characterized by large viewing angles and a maximum brightness indicator, as well as improved color reproduction. The IPS display with a resolution of 2340 * 1080 is equipped with a protective glass panel Gorilla Glass 5.

Active operation of the phone during the day is possible thanks to a 4000 mAh battery. The gadget works from one charge for 1-3 days, realizing the various needs of the owner. It should not be forgotten that MIUI has provided power saving settings, as well as a fast charging function.
The company did not save on the processor: it supplied the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660. The 14nm technology configuration includes an 8-core processor. Graphics accelerator - Adreno 512. RAM is represented by variations of 3/4/6 GB, ROM - 32/64/128 GB, respectively.If necessary, you can expand the memory by installing microSD. The electronic device is fast and smooth, most games run at maximum settings.

The gadget supports 2-band wi-fi, ace standard, Bluetooth version 5.0, but does not have NFC.

Cameras for the budget level are not bad. The rear one consists of two modules: the main one has a resolution of 48 megapixels and an f/1.8 lens; an additional one that measures depth of field and creates a background blur effect, a 5 MP sensor and an f / 2.4 lens. The flash is bright, adequate autofocus, optical stabilization is not provided.

• updated design;
• full screen FHD+ Dot Drop display;
• glass Corning Gorilla Glass 5;
• a good indicator of autonomy;
• good cameras.

• lack of NFC.

Honor 8X

The X-series, which partially possesses the flagship functions and features of the external design of advanced models, is revealed in each of the representatives of the line in a new way. So, in 8X, the developers increased the usable display area to 91%. In order to achieve a similar indicator, engineers have developed a new antenna design for a smartphone. 8X and installed microUSB connector under the glass. In addition, they worked hard on the design of the phone: a dozen and a half glass layers with different levels of reflection were used. A distinctive feature is a dual camera with a scene recognition function, the implementation of a night mode, the ability to create video at a frequency of 480 fps. Among other things, there is a popular FNC chip, a slot for 3 cards (2 SIM cards and a memory card), a 4/64 GB (4/128 GB) memory sufficient to meet the needs of an ordinary user, and a 3700 mAh battery.

The design of the 8X is similar to that of its predecessors. A distinctive moment is the design of the back panel: it consists of reflective and almost non-reflective glass. The first is allocated approximately ¾ of the entire surface, the remaining ¼ of the area is occupied by the second.

The model is presented in 3 colors: elegant black and two bright (blue and red).

The display has a diagonal of 6.5 ″ - the largest size in the arsenal of smartphones presented by Huawei. The matrix produced by LTPS technology has a resolution of 2340*1080 pixels. In the upper part - a small bang.

As marketers assure, the model is equipped with a generation II vision protection mode, which reduces the proportion of blue color in the backlight of the screen in order to reduce eye fatigue.

The device operates on the platform Android 8 version. Emui 8.2 native shell is used. Considering the performance, it should be noted that the operation of the device is based on a single-chip Kirin 710.

Like most devices, Honor has a 3750 mAh battery. In conditions of active use from morning to evening, this charge should be enough.

The rear camera consists of two modules: the main one with a resolution of 20 MP and an f / 1.8 lens and an additional 2 MP. The front camera has a 16 megapixel sensor and a lens equipped with f / 2.0 aperture.

The device supports LTE FDD, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC bands.

• the presence of NFC;
• pleasant transmission of the color palette, sufficient viewing angles;
• good communication quality;
• good level of performance.

• the susceptibility of the glass panel to scratches.

Samsung Galaxy A40

A40 differs in compact dimensions. This model has a lower height, width and weight than its predecessors. The display has a diagonal of 5.9″.If we talk about the ratio of the dimensions of the display to the body, the smartphone has the best indicator among its brothers - 85.5% of the front surface is occupied by the screen. A similar result was obtained thanks to the minimum size of the frames around the screen and a small chin: in this it is similar to the flagship Galaxy S10.
The body of the phone is made of plastic. The assembly is of good quality.

The A40 has a good quality Super AMOLED display with an aspect ratio of 19.5 to 9. It is quite bright, conveys rich colors and contrast. At the same time, it has excellent visibility in the sun. With it it is convenient to read in a dark room at a minimum brightness. Since this type of screen is able to support acid shades, for those who prefer a less saturated color gamut, support for several color profiles is provided.

The drop-shaped notch for the camera is hidden, but this takes away a useful part of the screen (unlike similar designs from Xiaomi and Huawei), as the notification bar moves down. The top of the screen is covered with Gorilla Glass 3.

The phone has an average budget Exynos 7904 chip. This processor is not very powerful. However, its performance is sufficient to quickly launch applications and animations. The implementation of gaming processes is also possible: heavy options function at medium settings without failures. 4 GB of RAM is enough for a considerable period of time.

The battery capacity is 3100 mAh. This indicator is not high, but it may be enough for daytime use, given the implementation of telephone conversations, short games, online video viewing, listening to music, organizing mini-photo shoots.

On the back of the device there are two cameras: the main one with a resolution of 16 MP with an aperture of f/1.7 and a wide-angle one with the corresponding characteristics of the following values: 5 MP and f/2.2. The selfie camera, which has a resolution of a matrix of 25 megapixels, in good light provides a high level of detail, as well as a wide dynamic range. The maximum video resolution is FullHD at 30 fps. An interesting offer from the manufacturer is the selfie moji function, by selecting it when starting the front camera, you can create a cartoon character with your own appearance.

The device is running Android 9. The One UI shell used is designed to facilitate the process of controlling the device with one hand. Given the dimensions of the gadget, comfortably located in the palm of your hand, the finger reaches almost every element of the display.

• ergonomics;
• image quality;
• stable operation of the capacitive fingerprint sensor;
• the presence of an NFC chip.

• short cord for charging the battery;
• low quality headphones
• quick scratches on the back panel.

Sony Xperia XA1 Plus

The design of the device retains the features inherent in a typical Sony Style: the overall severity of the external design, the large size of the top and bottom frames, and the sharpness. The phone is made in 4 colors: black, gold, blue and pink. Model will appeal to those who like to feel the heaviness of the device in their hand. For those who are a fan of thin and lightweight gadgets, this is rather a minus.

The 5.5″ screen, made using IPS technology, cannot cause any particular complaints: it has good viewing angles, natural color reproduction, and high display resolution (Full HD). There is an oleophobic coating. In street light, the picture on the display becomes less bright, but accessible to perception.

The operation of the device is controlled by Android 7.0 and the branded shell Xperia UI. The heart of the electronic device is the MediaTek MT6757 Helio P20 quad-core chipset. This processor is not able to meet the increased demands of those who are used to operating the gadget to its fullest, incl. for active play.

The memory sizes are: operational - 4 GB, built-in - 32 GB. It can be expanded with a removable memory card.

As for the autonomy indicator, at first glance, the thickness and weight of the product suggest a value greater than 3430 mAh, and the indicated value may seem low. But the test results are generally worthy - a continuous ten-hour video display is implemented. For an active user, the operation of the device from a single charge is provided for a day, and with a small load - up to 2 days. The phone supports fast charging mode.

The main and rear cameras are characterized by resolutions of 23 megapixels and 8 megapixels, respectively, and an aperture value of f / 2.0. Photos in the daytime are of good quality. Pictures taken under artificial lighting conditions may be blurry. When shooting at night, you should not forget to reduce the brightness, because. the image may be overexposed.

• good screen image quality;
• the possibility of making contactless payments via NFC;
• the presence of the Type C port and the aptX code;
• separate slots for a memory card and 2 nanosim cards, which makes it possible to use them simultaneously.

• weight and dimensions of the product;
• average performance.

Meizu M6T

Model The budget segment is equipped with a full-screen display, a dual camera that allows you to take pictures with a blur effect, fingerprint sensors and face recognition.

The body of the smartphone is polycarbonate. Almost the entire front panel is occupied by a frameless display that protects 2.5 D glass. The size of the side frames is minimal. Menu navigation is carried out using the mBack virtual button, which is built into the screen. On the rear panel, you can find a vertical block placed in the center, which includes a dual camera. Above it is a flash, below it is a fingerprint scanner. Rounded corners provide comfortable placement of the device in the user's palm.

5.7″ Full-View screen with 18/9 aspect ratio is characterized by a resolution of 1440*720. Thanks to the IPS-matrix used in the device, a good color palette and comfortable viewing angles are realized. The only negative is that the brightness margin may be insufficient if you use the phone while under the bright sun. However, at the moment, the anti-reflective properties of the matrix make up for it.

The gadget is based on an 8-core processor Mediatek MT6750. Graphics accelerator - Mali-T860MP2. The model has two versions: a regular one with 3 GB/32 GB of RAM/ROM and an advanced one with 4 GB/32 GB (64 GB) of memory, respectively.

It is possible to increase the size of the storage of information by means of a memory card up to 128 GB.

The battery capacity is average and is 3300 mAh: this charge is enough for 1-2 days of active use, depending on the operations that its owner will carry out.The smartphone runs on Android 7.0. The work of the most frequently used programs will be accelerated by One Mind technology.

The speaker in the Meizu M6T is quite loud. The sound in the headphones is normal, but not perfect. LTE, Bluetooth 4.1 networks are supported. There is a hybrid slot for 2 sim cards.

The dual camera of the phone is equipped with a main 13 MP sensor and a secondary 2 MP module, providing better pictures in daylight conditions. The front 8 MP camera is equipped with a Samsung CMOS sensor with aperture 2.0, which allows you to get better pictures. Editing algorithms from ArcSoft allow you to make adjustments to the smallest details of the resulting image.

• modern frameless screen;
• security with face and finger scanners;
• good image quality of the main dual and front cameras.

• processor performance: for a number of games there is not enough power;
• USB Type-C connector not provided;
• the requested NFC is missing.

Summarizing

The above rating is based on the technical characteristics of gadgets and the level of popularity among the average buyer. The main data for each of the rating positions are presented in the table below: