We will not convince you that the best smartphone of 2020 under 15,000 rubles will be as good in its capabilities as the more expensive ones. mobile phones up to 30,000 rubles.
However, if you need a gadget with a bright screen, a battery that does not need to be recharged during the day, and a good camera to post photos on social networks, then you will not find a better option than a smartphone under 15,000 rubles.
10. OPPO A5 (2020)
- Android 9.0
- screen 6.5 ″, resolution 1600 × 720
- four cameras 12 MP / 8 MP / 2 MP / 2 MP, autofocus
- memory 64 GB, RAM 3 GB
- memory card slot
- 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
- battery 5000 mAh
Top smartphones in 2020 up to 15,000 rubles are opened by a novelty from a Chinese manufacturer, which has recently been actively developing the Russian mobile market.
To compete with such giants as Huawei and Xiaomi, OPPO products must have good technical characteristics. So the A5 model has a capacious battery, an NFC chip and four main camera sensors at once. Two of them are for portrait mode. The dynamic range and detail of the photos are not bad, you can't tell right away that it was filmed with a state employee. But if the shooting is carried out at night or indoors in dim light, then digital noise appears in the pictures immediately and in large quantities.
The budget of OPPO A5 is evidenced by the small amount of RAM for a modern device, as well as a small number of pixels per inch - 270 ppi. Because of this, grain is visible on the screen, but over time you stop noticing it.
pros: large battery, beautiful design, mid-performance Snapdragon 665 processor, 3.5 mm audio jack, separate memory card slot.
Minuses: no event indicator, small resolution and screen graininess.
9.ZTE Blade V10
- Android 9.0
- screen 6.3 ″, resolution 2280 × 1080
- dual camera 16 MP / 5 MP, autofocus
- memory 64 GB, RAM 4 GB
- memory card slot
- 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-A, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
- battery 3200 mAh
Among the best smartphones under 15,000 rubles in 2020, this model stands out for its balance between cost and performance.
It has a large screen with 400 ppi, good resolution and high brightness, a medium-performance MediaTek Helio P70 processor that can handle games at medium and low settings, and a decent main camera with HDR mode and AI technology. She is able to recognize up to 300 scenes, and even in preview mode. It is also possible to manually process the photo.
But what makes the ZTE Blade V10 special is the 32MP front camera and beautification mode. The pictures taken will highlight all the dignity and features of your face, so this smartphone will be a real treasure for those who love to take selfies.
pros: there is a 3.5 mm audio jack, there is an event indicator, nice design, good performance (if you are not going to play demanding games).
Minuses: low battery capacity.
8. Honor 20 Lite
- Android 9.0
- screen 6.15 ″, resolution 2312 × 1080
- three cameras 48 MP / 8 MP / 2 MP, autofocus
- memory 128 GB, 4 GB RAM
- memory card slot
- 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-A, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
- battery 3340 mAh
And once again, Honor is challenging the smartphone market. This time the goal is the budget price segment. For a reasonable price, you get a triple rear camera, a 32MP front camera, and massive storage.
The device looks very decent - the screen-to-body ratio is over 90%.
The HiSilicon Kirin 710 processor with 4GB of RAM for a budget smartphone looks mundane. Alas, this smartphone will not be able to play the latest games at maximum settings. The maximum is on average.
pros: excellent front camera, fast charging.
Minuses: no 3.5mm headphone jack, the main camera takes pictures that are oversaturated with colors and look artificial.
7. Realme 6i
- Android 10
- screen 6.5 ″, resolution 1600 × 720
- four cameras 48 MP / 8 MP / 2 MP / 2 MP, autofocus
- memory 128 GB, RAM 4 GB
- memory card slot
- 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
- battery 5000 mAh
This smartphone was designed by Japanese industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa, probably best known for his immense contributions to Muji products.
The looks aren't the only strength of the Realme 6i, however. It is equipped with a separate SIM card slot, will provide about 2 days of listening to music or a whole day of watching videos, and when you get bored, you can recharge the battery with fast charging.
The shooting quality of the main camera is not bad, but not close to such camera phones as Google Pixel 4 and Samsung Galaxy S10 +. Standard Auto provides plenty of detail in good lighting conditions, which can be improved even further by enabling 48MP in the settings.
And thanks to a dedicated depth sensor, portrait shots have good subject / background separation.
Looking at the 16MP front-facing camera, it comes with a pretty aggressive beautification mode by default, which you might prefer to turn off. However, selfies have the right amount of detail, and skin tones look completely natural.
The MediaTek Helio G80 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM makes it easy to run demanding apps and multitask with ease. GPU performance is moderate, but you can play just about any modern game at good frame rates (at medium settings).
pros: good main camera, comfortable Realme UI without ads, high screen brightness.
Minuses: no LED notification of missed event, low screen resolution, not too loud speaker sound.
6. Samsung Galaxy A31
- Android 10
- 6.4 ″ screen, resolution 2400 × 1080
- four cameras 48 MP / 5 MP / 8 MP / 5 MP, autofocus
- memory 64 GB, RAM 4 GB
- memory card slot
- 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
- battery 5000 mAh
Samsung seems unstoppable when it comes to new smartphone launches. In 2020, the South Korean brand introduced several models at once, from expensive premium new products to mid-price and budget ones like the Galaxy A31.
One of the main advantages of this model can be found in the optics of the camera. It now has a four-sensor module housed in a rectangular projection, much like other more expensive Samsung smartphones.
Its rear cameras include a 48MP main sensor, an 8MP 123 ° ultra-wide lens, a 5MP depth sensor, and a 5MP macro camera. On the other hand, it has an improved 20MP selfie camera.
It is also worth mentioning the Full HD + Super AMOLED display, while most of the new smartphones in 2020, up to 15,000 rubles, are content with an IPS matrix.
As for performance, the MediaTek Helio P65 chipset is clearly not a gaming solution. It can easily pull several applications open at the same time, but you will have to forget about games at maximum and even medium settings.
pros: 3.5mm audio jack, massive 5000mAh battery with 15W fast charging, Dolby Atmos, Always on Display.
Minuses: not too smart fingerprint scanner and face recognition also slows down.
5. TCL Plex
- Android 9.0
- screen 6.53 ″, resolution 2340 × 1080
- three cameras 48 MP / 16 MP / 2 MP, autofocus
- memory 128 GB, RAM 6 GB
- memory card slot
- 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-A, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
- battery 3820 mAh
A novelty opens the top 5 smartphones up to 15,000 rubles in 2020 - a smartphone from the TCL concern, which before that was mainly known to the Russian consumer on TVs.
TCL Plex is a strong middling, which, although there are not enough stars from the sky, is suitable for any task, be it calls, social networks, games that are not too demanding on hardware, or watching videos.It is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 chipset with an Adreno 612 graphics processor.
Plex looks solid, the back wall is made of glass, and thanks to a special dusting, the light on it plays beautifully in many colors. The front camera is a modest circular opening on the front, which doesn't make the smartphone look heavy. And in general, the body / screen ratio is above 90%, which is already good.
But what really sets this gadget apart from similar ones is a special dedicated processor for the screen, which, in theory, should increase the brightness and level of detail of the picture.
The battery of TCL Plex is not too big - 3820 mAh, but smartphones of competitors can work longer on batteries of the same size. The reason - TCL Plex heats up under load, which reduces the battery life of the device. So you can play games no more than 4 hours in a row.
pros: one of the best IPS screens, good quality day and night shooting, 3.5 mm audio jack.
Minuses: heats up, which reduces the operating time without recharging.
4. Honor 9X
- Android 9.0
- screen 6.59 ″, resolution 2340 × 1080
- dual camera 48 MP / 2 MP, autofocus
- memory 128 GB, RAM 4 GB
- memory card slot
- 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
- battery 4000 mAh
The large 6.59-inch FHD + display with 2340 x 1080 resolution is made without any notches or holes thanks to the pop-up camera. Streaming movies and videos to this smartphone is an incredibly immersive experience as it has a 91% screen-to-body ratio.
In the settings, Honor gives its users the opportunity to enable the smart resolution function, automatically lowering the screen resolution to save power.
The 16MP front-facing pop-up camera takes very detailed selfies, although the photo tends to overexpose.
While the 9X has a 48MP main camera, the default photo mode is 12MP. Shooting at 48 MP is available in Pro mode.
If in low light detail starts to limp and the picture looks blurry, you can turn on a special night mode.
Under the hood, the 9X houses a HiSilicon Kirin 710 processor. Web browsing, social networking, video streaming and other work tasks are no problem for the 9X. The smartphone will face obstacles when it comes to new games, many of them will only go on low graphics settings.
pros: there is a 3.5mm headphone jack, beautiful design, convenient selfie camera.
Minuses: no event LED.
3. HUAWEI P smart Z
- Android 9.0
- screen 6.59 ″, resolution 2340 × 1080
- dual camera 16 MP / 2 MP, autofocus
- memory 64 GB, RAM 4 GB
- memory card slot
- 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-A, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
- battery 4000 mAh
What immediately catches your eye when you look at this smartphone from HUAWEI? I would venture to suggest that there is no cutout for the camera. The reason for this innovation is a retractable camera module on the upper end of the device.
The selfie camera of the device is equipped with a 16 MP lens. According to Chinese engineers, the module is able to withstand more than 100 thousand lifts, as well as more than 12 kg of weight (we do not know who will come to subject the module to such loads).
There is also a camera on the back of the device, it has a main lens with a resolution of 16 MP, and the second 2 MP lens is designed to create a bokeh effect.
HUAWEI P smart Z enters the market with only one memory capacity - 64 GB, however, if desired, it can be expanded with a memory card.
The smartphone is based on the HiSilicon Kirin 710F chipset. There will be no brakes when switching between multiple open applications, but demanding games can be difficult.
pros: frameless, good design, good battery capacity.
Minuses: flimsy plastic back panel, display is not very bright, it will be difficult to read in sunlight.
2. Motorola Moto G8 Plus
- Android 9.0
- screen 6.3 ″, resolution 2280 × 1080
- three cameras 48 MP / 5 MP / 16 MP, autofocus
- memory 64 GB, RAM 4 GB
- memory card slot
- 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-A, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
- battery 4000 mAh
The Moto G8 Plus from Motorola is favored by its long battery life, wide-angle camera and high performance for this price category.Well, and, of course, a small price - this is one of the best smartphones under 15,000 rubles.
However, upon closer inspection, it turns out that some of the benefits are not as good as the advertisements promise. For example, a wide-angle lens cannot be used for stills, only videos. Of course, it's great that you can hold your smartphone upright and still take photos in landscape format (it's very convenient when you operate the device with one hand).
However, the camera does not have any optical stabilization system. And although the main lens has a resolution of 48 MP, by default it takes a photo of a maximum of 12 MP. True, the pictures are very good, they have high detail, decent sharpness, and there is a separate adjustable parameter for the depth of field.
It is a little upsetting that Motorola has gone back on track, making the slots for an additional memory card and a second SIM card interchangeable. However, there is good news: the company continues to make a 3.5 mm jack for its smartphones, which allows using analog headphones without the mediation of an adapter.
pros: large battery, fast fingerprint scanner, loud speaker, fast charging.
Minuses: Wide angle lens for video only, heavy.
1.Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T
- Android 9.0
- screen 6.3 ″, resolution 2340 × 1080
- four cameras 48 MP / 8 MP / 2 MP / 2 MP, autofocus
- memory 64 GB, 4 GB
- memory card slot
- 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
- battery 4000 mAh
In the first place in the rating of smartphones up to 15,000 rubles in 2020, another model from Xiaomi came out. From year to year this company manages to produce excellent devices that exceed their price category in terms of capabilities. The Redmi Note 8T is no exception to this rule.
The manufacturer was especially successful with the 6.3-inch display, with rich colors and adjustable brightness. The chipset on the basis of which the smartphone is based (Qualcomm Snapdragon 665) is also not bad for a budget option. Apps load quickly, and as for games, most of them will run on a smartphone without problems. True, for particularly demanding ones, you may need to lower the level of detail.
The main camera with four lenses takes decent pictures, but the macro lens and bokeh here rather give the impression of presence than actually work. However, given the price of the smartphone, this is more of a nitpicking.
The front camera with a resolution of 13 MP in the settings automatically makes skin correction (that is, it blurs it to the state of plastic), but this can be corrected manually. Moreover, in the settings you can even set the width of the face and the size of the eyes.
There is, however, a drop of tar in this barrel of honey. Why Xiaomi decided to use Bluetooth version 4.2 for Redmi Note 8T is a mystery. After all, the power of the phone allows you to use a more modern version of wireless communication.
pros: separate slot for a memory card, there is a fast charge, there is a jack for wired headphones.
Minuses: no notification indicator.