CONTENT
- 1 What types of phones are there
- 2 How to buy an inexpensive but good cell phone: basic parameters
- 3 Which inexpensive smartphone is better to buy: a review of specific models
What types of phones are there
There is a large selection of different devices on the market, which differ primarily in configuration or type of case. The budget segment is represented mainly by two types.
Push-button telephones
This type is the choice of people who use the device for its intended purpose, namely as a means of communication. A good cheap phone has few features. Therefore, the main advantage of these devices is their low price.
But some manufacturers offer inexpensive phones with a good camera or increased memory capacity, a built-in music player, and an additional slot for a memory card.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION!
When purchasing a push-button phone, you should not expect a perfect screen, since most of the device's surface is occupied by the keyboard. But such models have an increased margin of safety compared to inexpensive touchscreen phones.
The advantages of push-button "dialers" are:
- capacious battery;
- acceptable cost;
- reliability of the structure;
- a sufficient number of necessary functions;
- good camera.
The disadvantages of this type can be considered:
- small screen diagonal;
- the lack of an operating system, which greatly affects the capabilities of the phone.
Push-button telephones.In a special publication of our portal, we will tell you in detail about push-button telephones. You will discover the ideal ultra budget options, the best 3G push-button phones, 4G push-button phones, and which push-button clamshell phone is worth checking out.
 Sensory
The advent of touchscreen smartphones has become a global breakthrough that has led to the gradual replacement of other types of phones. A large number of manufacturers and brands have made it possible to buy an inexpensive but good touchscreen phone completely free.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION!
When compared with the flagships of the world's leading brands, the characteristics of the budget segment do not lead to an admiring sigh, but are acceptable for the daily tasks of the user.
Usually a good cheap smartphone comes with a decent camera, which is good for capturing important moments of life, has a multi-core processor, works under control operating system. The main problem with inexpensive devices is the low battery capacity. The advantages of such devices are:
- a wide assortment presented in stores, allowing you to pick up the cheapest touchscreen phones for 500 rubles;
- functional;
- front-camera;
- big screen.
The disadvantages are:
- low battery capacity;
- not the best matrix.
How to buy an inexpensive but good cell phone: basic parameters
Before choosing the best model, it is important to know the basic characteristics and parameters. Let's consider each of them.
Body material
Usually this is the parameter that is least paid attention to, but in reality it is the materials that used in the manufacture of the case, will determine the reliability of the device against mechanical damage. Inexpensive reliable smartphones are made of high quality plastic. Some manufacturers add metal frames to create a stiffener. At the same time, you should not expect glass or ceramic surfaces from a state employee. This is the prerogative of expensive models.
IMPORTANT!
If you look, then on the market you can find devices made of plastic, but with an original design, which outwardly will not differ in any way from polished metal. These are design features.
Buy an inexpensive but good performance smartphone
Performance is an important selection criterion. Push-button phones usually have a weak processor that does not provide multitasking, does not allow playing games (except for casual ones). If more functions are required from the phone, then you should turn your attention to touchscreen models.
Inexpensive high-quality smartphones are equipped with processors from Snapdragon or MediaTek. At the same time, even the most top public sector employees will use the SoC of the past or even the year before last. The first type of processors is more powerful and even supports games with decent graphics. The second company produces "stones" weaker, but they allow to reduce the cost of the device. For a normal budget smartphone, the clock frequency of the process at the level of 1300-1700 MHz will be quite acceptable. The number of cores can vary from 2 to 4, depending on the brand.
Memory
Normal for modern devices is the amount of RAM from 4 GB. For budget devices, this figure is slightly lower and amounts to 2-3 GB. You should not buy devices with less RAM, as this can lead to serious slowdowns during the operation of the device. Also, the phones have a ROM, or internal memory, which contains all downloaded applications, photos, videos. For flagships, the usual size is 64 GB. Naturally, not a single state employee, even the best one, will have so much memory on board. The average size for an inexpensive and good phone that you can buy from a retail store is 32GB.
IMPORTANT!
As an additional option, you can consider purchasing a device with a slot for expanding the ROM through memory cards. Usually budget models support micro-SD cards up to 128 GB.
How to choose an inexpensive but good phone in terms of "camera"
A camera is the norm for any modern phone. Push-button devices have only the main module, which in more advanced models has a resolution of 8 megapixels. Cheap smartphones with a good camera offer the user two types: front and main. The first is necessary for "selfies" or making video calls. The second is used to take a photo or shoot a video. Optimum performance for the main camera is:
- resolution from 8 to 13 Mp;
- the presence of support for the HD mode;
- presence of autofocus is desirable.
The front camera must provide a resolution of at least 5 megapixels, otherwise the resulting images will look just "colored porridge", and during a video call, the subscriber will recognize the interlocutor by voice, and not by picture.
Battery
An inexpensive smartphone with a good camera should have a good battery. The optimal value of the battery capacity for a modern device is at least 2500 mAh. The maximum performance in the budget segment reaches 4000 mAh. In this case, the choice of battery capacity should depend on the purpose of using the phone. If a 4-core processor is installed in the device, and the user is mainly engaged in Internet surfing or watching movies, then it is better to choose models with a battery capacity.
Screen
Another important criterion that will be relevant primarily when choosing a touchscreen smartphone is the screen, or rather, its diagonal and type of matrix. Inexpensive devices can be equipped with displays with a diagonal of 5 inches, which is quite a comfortable size. It should be noted that almost all manufacturers of inexpensive high-quality smartphones equip their products with displays supporting HD format, which has a resolution of 1280 × 720 pixels. Higher resolution is inherent only in flagship devices. There is also division by matrix type:
- TN or TFT - the cheapest option, which it is better to refuse right away, because, despite the response speed, the picture is distorted in colors and low in quality;
- IPS. The most acceptable option, which is used in budget models from good manufacturers. The advantages of this type are high contrast, good viewing angles, high-quality color reproduction.
3G support
Communication quality is important for a telephone, since its first purpose is to make calls. One of the indicators that determines this parameter is support for third generation networks. Almost all manufacturers of touchscreen smartphones (especially Chinese brands) have this option. This allows you not only to get a high-quality connection, but also provides stability when using the mobile Internet.
How to choose a phone by parameters.In a special publication of our portal, we will tell you in detail how to choose the right phone. You will learn how to choose a smartphone according to characteristics and parameters: case, processor, OS, screen, choosing a phone according to memory characteristics and which brand of phone is better to choose.
Which inexpensive smartphone is better to buy: a review of specific models
The cheapest Android smartphone
Among the most inexpensive models that can be purchased in a store or through Internet sites are devices from brands such as BQ, Fly, Micromax, Digma, ZTE. There are also many Chinese manufacturers in this price category, for example, Oukitel, Doogee.
A good model, according to user reviews, is the BQ-4072 Strike Mini device, which is sold at a price of 3,000 rubles. This touchscreen smartphone has a screen diagonal of 4 inches, supports two SIM cards, has 2 cameras, and offers the user 8 GB of ROM. Advantages over other devices of similar cost include the presence of a metal back cover and Android 7.0 out of the box.
BQ 4072 Strike Mini
Buy a good but inexpensive push-button phone
Push-button phones, despite the abundance of touch-sensitive models, do not go out of fashion. They are used by people for whom only communication is important from the device. Most of the best models are represented by the leader of this segment - Nokia. Also, good quality push-button devices are offered by manufacturers such as Fly, LG, Philips (which have a capacious battery).
Based on a large number of different ratings and user voting results, the best button model is considered the Nokia 3310 phone, which is an updated version of the legendary device from the time of the formation of a mobile communication. This phone has a screen with a diagonal of 2.4 inches, is equipped with a 2 megapixel camera, in addition, the user can increase the amount of memory by means of micro-SD cards. A 1200 mAh battery, small by the standards of touch devices, in this model can provide up to 3 days of operation without recharging. The main disadvantage is considered to be insufficiently loud speaker. The average cost of the device is 3,600 rubles.
Nokia 3310
Cheap touchscreen phones
The cheapest touchscreen phones that can be found on the market cost from 1,000 rubles. But they are not suitable for normal use and instead of such a "brake" it is better to buy a push-button "dialer". If there is an amount of up to 10 thousand rubles in your pocket, then you can look for good models that provide the necessary needs of the user.
| Model | pros | Minuses | Price (as of June 2019), RUB |
 |
|
| 9 750 |
 |
|
| 9 990 |
 |
|
| 9 800 |
 |
|
| 9 760 |
 |
|
| 9 100 |
It is quite possible to buy an inexpensive high-quality smartphone. Do not be afraid of Chinese brands, as the results of tests and expert evaluations show that A-brands from The Celestial Empire is capable of producing smartphones that will have excellent performance with acceptable price. Once again, you can see the best models of inexpensive phones from the video.
