10 best budget smartphones of 2020

The mobile device market is saturated with budget gadgets, and there has long been fierce competition in this segment. Therefore, the devices that claim to be the best budget smartphones of 2020 differ not only in their beautiful appearance, but also in good technical characteristics.

To help you buy an inexpensive but good smartphone, we have compiled a list of the top 10 models with the highest price tag of 10,999 rubles.

10. OPPO A5 2020

• smartphone with Android 9.0
• support for two SIM-cards
• screen 6.5 ″, resolution 1600 × 720
• four cameras 12 MP / 8 MP / 2 MP / 2 MP, autofocus
• memory 64 GB, memory card slot
• 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
• RAM 3 GB
• battery 5000 mAh
• weight 195 g, WxHxT 75.60 × 163.60 × 9.10 mm

The top budget smartphones are opened by the novelty of 2020 from a brand that is only gaining popularity in Russia.

The OPPO A5 has a bright 6.5-inch screen and a massive 5000mAh battery that, even under maximum load, will last more than one day before being charged again. There's a teardrop notch at the top of the screen and the bottom looks chubby, but the side bezels are narrow enough to make the screen look really big.

Take a look at the A5 and you can tell right away that this is not a premium flagship phone, even if you haven't held it in your hand yet. At the same time, it is fair to say that the phone looks more expensive than it actually is - it is "dressed" in plastic imitating glass, and the colors have a slight gradient effect.

The headphone jack (yes, there is) is located at the bottom of the device, which will surely please the fans of wired headphones. In addition, Oppo engineers decided not to save money and chose USB-C as the data port, and after all, many budget models still use micro USB.

The back of the Oppo A5 2020 has a quad-lens camera, but one is a depth-of-field sensor and the other is a small 2MP camera. More important are the 12MP wide and 8MP ultra-wide sensors, which will allow you to get decent photos in most lighting conditions.

Combined with built-in AI that tries to recognize what you are photographing and adjusts the settings accordingly, you can get good shots with this phone - provided they are for everyday use only, or for social media and not for photography exhibitions.

Inside the smartphone is a Snapdragon 665 chipset that can handle most modern games, albeit with longer load times. But in top games, you will have to dial in medium quality settings to avoid lags and freezes.

pros: design, screen, battery life, stereo speakers, a fingerprint reader, a separate slot for a memory card.

Minuses: slow charging.

9. Moto G7 Play

• smartphone with Android 9.0
• support for two SIM-cards
• screen 5.7 ″, resolution 1512 × 720
• 13 MP camera, autofocus
• memory 32 GB, memory card slot
• 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• RAM 2 GB
• battery 3000 mAh
• weight 149 g, WxHxT 71.50 × 147.31 × 7.99 mm

Among the inexpensive but good smartphones, there are many models with large screens. But not everyone loves shovels. Therefore, if you need a well-assembled and small-sized device, we recommend opting for the Moto G7 Play.

While its camera and design won't impress high-end phone users, the specs make this smartphone an attractive option for users on a budget.

A small amount of RAM and not the most powerful Snapdragon 632 processor will not allow this smartphone to easily pull top games at maximum and even medium settings. However, if you take your smartphone for everyday tasks (answering calls, surfing the web, watching videos, etc.), then this model will not disappoint you. The sound is loud, clear, the picture on the screen is bright and rich, and the battery will last for 2 days.

Another advantage of Moto G7 Play is the ability to use both SIM cards simultaneously with a memory card.

Both the main and front cameras take good (and no more) pictures in normal lighting. The poorer the lighting, the more blurry the photos will appear.

pros: fast charging, good oleophobic coating of the screen, there is a fingerprint sensor.

Minuses: mediocre cameras, ringer and earpiece are the same, so do not put your smartphone face down, you may not hear the call.

8. HUAWEI P Smart (2019)

• smartphone with Android 9.0
• support for two SIM-cards
• screen 6.21 ″, resolution 2340 × 1080
• dual camera 13 MP / 2 MP, autofocus
• memory 32 GB, memory card slot
• 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-A, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
• RAM 3 GB
• battery 3400 mAh
• weight 160 g, WxHxT 73.40 × 155.20 × 7.95 mm

One of the best budget smartphones of 2020 has an excellent design and an excellent screen in terms of brightness, pixel density (415ppi) and resolution. The settings control all screen parameters, from tone to blue light emission that can interfere with sleep.

Due to the end of Google's partnership with Huawei (the company's new smartphones no longer have a Play Store), it is unclear how long the current Huawei and Honor models will receive Android updates or access to Google Play. The P Smart (2019) will probably not lose access to Google Play, which cannot be said about the P Smart (2020).

The camera of this device tends to increase the exposure of the image, which is not always a bad thing. Under normal lighting conditions, pictures will look brighter and more pleasing to the eye. In addition, the Huawei P Smart has shooting modes for experienced and novice photographers, from automatic mode to AI mode for advanced scene detection and a 100% manual mode called Pro Mode.

In terms of battery power, there is a 3400mAh battery inside, which can be optimized for its lifespan with a variety of power saving settings.

Keep in mind that despite its great design, the P Smart (2019) is ultimately a mid-range phone. Its Kirin 710 chipset paired with 3GB of RAM can handle multiple open programs or heavy gaming at medium to high settings.

pros: budget smartphone with good camera, contactless payments possible, 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Minuses: micro-USB connector.

7.ZTE Blade A7 (2020)

• smartphone with Android 9.0
• support for two SIM-cards
• screen 6.09 ″, resolution 1560 × 720
• three cameras 16 MP / 8 MP / 2 MP, autofocus
• memory 64 GB, memory card slot
• 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-A, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
• RAM 3 GB
• battery 4000 mAh
• weight 164 g, WxHxT 72.70x155x8.95 mm

When you think of budget smartphones, fragile phones with tiny screens and unoptimized software probably come to mind. But the ZTE Blade A7 is not like that. It offers solid performance and an almost pure Android 9.0 version along with an attractive design. Sure, its camera and display leave a lot to be desired, but at the price, it's forgivable.

An IPS display with an aspect ratio of 19.5: 9 dominates the front of the device. The overall screen-to-body ratio is good thanks to a tear-shaped notch for the front camera and small side bezels. Even though the smartphone has a chin, it is not distracting and lacks the noticeable branding that can be found on models such as the Moto G7 Power. The screen lacks clarity, but it makes up for it with brightness and color accuracy.

The phone is equipped with a MediaTek Helio P22 processor and 3GB of RAM, which is great for basic tasks like browsing social networks or sending emails. There is a slight delay when opening apps and unlocking the phone.Multitasking with more than six apps will also slow things down, and it goes without saying that this model is not designed to handle demanding games like PUBG: Mobile.

The rear camera performs decently in bright light. There is a slight blurring of the background, but the depth of field and color accuracy are excellent. The front camera will also allow you to take high-quality selfies, but only in normal lighting.

pros: you can make contactless payments, a capacious battery, clear and loud sound, the presence of a 3.5 mm audio jack.

Minuses: micro-USB connector.

6. Alcatel 1S (2020) 5028Y

• smartphone with Android 10
• support for two SIM-cards
• screen 6.22 ″, resolution 1520 × 720
• three cameras 13 MP / 2 MP / 5 MP, autofocus
• memory 32 GB, memory card slot
• 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-A, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
• RAM 3 GB
• battery 4000 mAh
• weight 165 g, WxHxT 74.60 × 158.70 × 8.45 mm

Formerly a French and now American brand, Alcatel is known as a manufacturer of low-cost mobile phones. And the novelty, 1S (2020), is also one of them.

In addition to the capacious battery, which, according to the manufacturer, will work in standby mode for 586 hours (or 2 days in active mode), it is distinguished by the presence of NFC, a headphone jack and a beautiful design. The shimmering color of the Alcatel 1S case immediately attracts attention and makes the device look more expensive than it actually is.

The filling of this model corresponds to the price - the Mediatek Helio P22 processor paired with 3 GB of RAM is enough for games that are undemanding to hardware, otherwise you will have to lower the settings. It is not recommended to open more than 5 applications at the same time so that the gadget does not start to jail.

Although the main camera has three modules, it shoots well only in normal lighting. But in order to photograph documents or take a memorable photo, her capabilities are more than enough.

pros: solid body, Android 10, there is a separate key for assigning a mobile assistant (for example, "Alice" from Yandex).

Minuses: micro-USB connector.

5. Honor 10 Lite

• smartphone with Android 9.0
• support for two SIM-cards
• screen 6.21 ″, resolution 2340 × 1080
• dual camera 13 MP / 2 MP, autofocus
• memory 64 GB, memory card slot
• 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-A, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
• RAM 3 GB
• battery 3400 mAh
• weight 162 g, WxHxT 73.64 × 154.80 × 7.95 mm

The model that unlocks the top 5 budget smartphones of 2020 is almost identical to the HUAWEI P Smart (2019), except for the main camera. But if you're a selfie fanatic, then the Honor 10 Lite's 24MP front-facing camera is the way to go.

A weighty argument in favor of purchasing this particular gadget is its screen with 415 ppi and a resolution of 2340 × 1080, which many budget models can only dream of. Even in bright sunlight, you can easily see both images and text on the screen.

Unfortunately, while retaining one useful feature for users - the 3.5 audio jack, Honor engineers did not abandon another, not so useful - micro-USB. One can only dream of fast charging.

The HiSilicon Kirin 710 chipset that powers the Honor 10 Lite is a solid mid-range in features. It will even run popular games like World of Tanks at medium and maximum settings with fps of 30 and higher.

pros: design, display, presence of NFC.

Minuses: outdated type of charging connector.

4. Xiaomi Redmi Note 7

• smartphone with Android 9.0
• support for two SIM-cards
• screen 6.3 ″, resolution 2340 × 1080
• dual camera 48 MP / 5 MP, autofocus
• memory 32 GB, memory card slot
• 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-A, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• RAM 3 GB
• battery 4000 mAh
• weight 186 g, WxHxT 75.21 × 159.21 × 8.10 mm

Xiaomi has chosen to keep up with last year's mobile fashion trend by releasing several different devices with an inflated rear camera megapixel count. Of these, Redmi Note 7 is the cheapest smartphone.

Despite the number of amazing megapixels, the camera of this model actually interpolates, due to which 12 MP turns into 48 MP. At the same time, users praise the resulting images for juicy, bright colors and good detail, even in low light. If you install the Google Camera APK, then you can significantly improve the quality of images with a minimum investment of time.

But the Redmi Note 7 not only has a good camera, but also a 4000 mAh battery, a Snapdragon 660 chipset, and a bright screen with a fashionable notch to accommodate the front camera.

Powered by a 14nm process technology, the Snapdragon 660 delivers improved heat management, faster performance and more energy efficiency than older chips and Snapdragon 636 counterparts in the Redmi Note 6 Pro. Let's not say that heavy mobile games will "fly" at maximum settings, but running at medium settings without lags and with high fps is fine.

pros: long battery life, high performance, 3.5mm jack.

Minuses: no NFC and a lot of pre-installed software.

3. Nokia 4.2 3 / 32GB Android One

• smartphone with Android 9.0
• support for two SIM-cards
• screen 5.71 ″, resolution 1520 × 720
• dual camera 13 MP / 2 MP, autofocus
• memory 32 GB, memory card slot
• 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-A, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
• RAM 3 GB
• battery 3000 mAh
• weight 161 g, WxHxT 71.30 × 148.95 × 8.39 mm

Nokia is known as a great budget smartphone maker, and some of its phones are below the RUB 10,000 threshold. The Nokia 4.2 is one such device, and it has the virtues of much more expensive gadgets.

For example, it contains an NFC chip, which allows contactless payments. And the OS of this model is not just an updated version of the standard Android. This is basically standard Android.

The fingerprint scanner is conveniently located at the back, just below the rear camera. As for the camera itself, it has a dual module: 13 MP main and 2 MP depth sensor. The shooting results are good, not impressive. But it's hard to expect otherwise from a representative of the best budget smartphones, where the quality of shooting is usually the biggest problem.

The Nokia 4.2 is powered by a Snapdragon 439 processor, and while it does an adequate job of running everything (including games at medium settings), overall performance seems a bit flimsy. Periodically, there are small but annoying pauses when doing simple things like scrolling through a lot of Google search results or navigating between apps.

pros: there is a dedicated button for the Google Assistant mobile assistant, a fast fingerprint scanner, the battery lasts 2 days without recharging with active use.

Minuses: micro-USB connector, not very loud sound.

2. Lenovo K10 Plus

• smartphone with Android 9.0
• support for two SIM-cards
• screen 6.22 ″, resolution 2340 × 1080
• three cameras 13 MP / 5 MP / 8 MP, autofocus
• memory 64 GB, memory card slot
• 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• RAM 4 GB
• 4050 mAh battery
• WxHxT 75.77 x 158.26 x 8.30 mm

It is one of the most affordable Lenovo smartphones at the moment. It has everything you need for your day-to-day mobile tasks, including watching videos (a high-res 414 ppi screen is perfect for that), listening to music through wired headphones (thanks Lenovo for keeping the 3.5mm) and long battery life.

Although the manufacturer saved on the NFC chip, it has equipped its brainchild with 4GB of RAM, which is quite generous for a budget model. The chipset really did not surprise - the mid-performance Qualcomm Snapdragon 632, which is enough for most mobile games at medium settings.

As for the main camera, it will provide you with such photos that you will not be ashamed to post on a social network or show your friends. There is only one "but" - with good lighting.

pros: almost pure Android, separate memory card slot, splash proof, fast charging.

Minuses: soiled back panel.

1. Samsung Galaxy A20

• smartphone with Android 9.0
• support for two SIM-cards
• 6.4 ″ screen, resolution 1560 × 720
• dual camera 13 MP / 5 MP, autofocus
• memory 32 GB, memory card slot
• 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
• RAM 3 GB
• battery 4000 mAh
• weight 169 g, WxHxT 74.70 × 158.40 × 7.80 mm

This is the best budget smartphone of 2020 for price and quality if for some reason you are not satisfied with Chinese gadgets.

Keeping good traditions in the form of a 3.5 mm audio jack, Galaxy A20 does not forget about the requirements of the new time, therefore it is equipped with both a capacious battery with fast charging function and a USB Type-C connector. He also has NFC, so you can use your smartphone to pay for purchases without contact.

But despite the good functionality and beautiful appearance, the manufacturer sacrificed something for the sake of the price. For example, the smartphone lacks LED notification indicator, as well as the proprietary Always On Display mode. However, no one bothers to install the application with AOD from Google Play.

The main camera of the Galaxy A20, equipped with a wide-angle module, is quite good for such a budget price. Under normal lighting conditions, you will get a bright, high-contrast and highly detailed image.

But the screen is the weak point of the device. It is slightly grainy and very fragile, so this smartphone will not survive a fall “face down”. But with all this, the screen is bright enough so that on a sunny day you can easily read text while outdoors.

The Exynos 7884 processor provides sufficient performance for everyday tasks but not outstanding performance. Heavy games will run without lags and with acceptable fps only at medium settings.

pros: battery, good call quality, good sound in headphones, separate slot for a memory card.

Minuses: the dynamic display backlight does not always work correctly, the fingerprint scanner may not work the first time, but you can use face unlock.