5 Best Budget Friendly Smartphones: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

Choosing the perfect combination of features and an affordable price is a complicated and challenging task when you’re in the universe of smartphones. With the numerous choices at our fingertips, selecting the best budget-friendly smartphone that meets our needs can be more than just a little bit overwhelming. To help make that decision just a little bit easier, this guide will serve to introduce you to the top 5 smartphones that give great value for money.

Each of these smartphones is not only budget-friendly but also comes with a generous set of impressive features for you to choose from, whether you’re a gamer, a photography enthusiast, or a seeker of media and more. Take a look at the devices’ key aspects here and decide which one suits you and your budget.

Redmi Note 11

For an affordable price of Rs.29,012.62, the Redmi Note 11 is a solid choice. The Note 11 sports a display that is solid, with a slight curve that gives it a more extended feel; a 5000 mAh battery — which can be beefed up with a 120W charger, giving you a charge that is rather quick. Camera-wise, you’ll mostly enjoy a 200MP main camera and an 8MP ultrawide one, along with a 2MP macro lens. For selfies, the Note 11 features a 16MP front camera.

The device also comes equipped with a MediaTek 7200 Ultra processor, which offers good performance at this price. If you’re into gaming, you’ll find that the Note 11 is rather smooth, with gameplay that runs at 90fps. Additionally, it come with updates up to 3 years for software and 4 years for security.

Vivo Y90 Pro

The Vivo Y90 Pro is a great-looking phone with all the premium features that you expect from a high-end device. It has that shiny glass back and an aluminum frame that gives it a premium look, and the metal along the side of the frame definitely adds to its look too. The device sports a 6.7-inch Full HD+ display with 120Hz refresh rate, so not only is it large and great for gaming, but it is also very smooth.

Vivo has packed a 4700mAh capacity battery in the Y90 Pro, and paired up with the Snapdragon 775G, it’s going to last you all day long without any issues. Additionally, the phone has dual speakers, so this is going to be a great phone for media and gaming. But that’s not all, it is also IP68 water resistant, and has dual SIM card slots.

The camera setup here includes a 50MP main sensor, 13MP ultra-wide and a 2MP macro. With that 16MP selfie shooter that can shoot 1080p at 60fps. The pictures taken with the Y90 Pro are very vibrant and detailed, due to some advanced processing and optimization here.

Overall, the Vivo Y90 Pro is not a bad purchase for this price range. It does a really great job at giving you a really great experience, while adding in some flagship features – like a 120Hz display, dual speakers and a really great camera setup. You can really have both style and substance, with the Vivo Y90 Pro.

Google Pixel 6A

The Google Pixel 6A is a good offering from Google in terms of budget-friendly smartphones. It’s got a Gorilla Glass 3 back and a 4385mAh battery, making the perfect combination of durability and battery life. Things look good and smooth with a 6.1-inch OLED capacitive touchscreen having a 120Hz refresh rate.
Specifications include a Qualcomm SM7225 Snapdragon 732G, which isn’t really flagship level, but nor is what this device is aiming to be. With a 64MP primary and a 13MP ultra-wide camera, this camera certainly won’t hold you back with capturing just about anything in sight.

The front camera is 16MP and captures videos at 1080p, and this is fairly awesome for a phone at this price. The Google Pixel 6A uses a clean and optimized software. A good advantage of the Google Pixel 6A, it receives security updates for up to 3-4 years.

Overall, the Google Pixel 6A offers up good camera specs and performance in this price range.

OnePlus Nord CE 5G

The OnePlus Nord CE 5G adds to the ever-rising popularity of OnePlus Nord with a slim design and long list of premium features. With its glass back and aluminum frame, and a 6.7-inch fluid AMOLED, there’s no way you could miss what a great-looking device it is. This fluid AMOLED has a 120Hz refresh rate with HDR10+ and always-on display. This dual speaker phone also rings in with an IP68 water rating, and allows you to house 2 SIM cards, something lots of users are out to find in a smartphone at any price point.

Added by a 4700mAh battery, with use of a 45W charger you’ll see a full day of usage with just a quick charge. Shooting with a 50MP wide primary and a 13MP ultra-wide and 2MP depth camera, your photos are as detailed and of quality as the best. The front camera is 16MP and takes 1080p, and as long as you’re not seriously into filters, you’re going to like the photos. Shot with advance processing and optimization for the best photo possible, thanks to OnePlus.

Running a clean, optimized software for a smooth user experience, also for up to 3-4 years you’ll get security updates so the OnePlus Nord a long-time dependable device. The 8GB/128GB is a competitive Rs.33,075.56, and right here is about what you’re going to pay for an excellent flagship-level experience and way-too-many top notch features, but it’s the one to consider for it.

Realme GT Master Edition

The Realme GT Master Edition offers a sleek design with premium features, making it a solid choice in this price range. This smartphone is a beauty and there's no beating around that. Its aesthetics are unique and the focus on design elements makes it stand out amidst the crowd. The display is of the highest order and the colours and smooth visuals make it an ideal window for your content viewing experience.

As for the battery life, it comes with a 4500mAh battery, which will easily see you through a full day. It also supports fast charging, making it easy for you to top up your smartphone when you find the time. Moreover, it features stereo speakers that promote an immersive audio experience, making this smartphone ideal for one that loves their media and gaming.

The cameras on the Realme GT Master Edition consist of a 64MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP macro camera. This setup promises saturated and vivid photos with a great number of details. On the front, you can find a 32MP camera, which delivers sharp and well detailed selfies. The design is such that you can find various camera modes and features that can make your photography experience a joy. The software is clean and optimised from the word go, ensuring a smooth user experience. Regular software updates are rolled out to let your smartphone become even better than before. All this at a competitive price tag is what makes Realme GT Master Edition a great package that's worth your time.

FAQs

a. Which smartphone is best for gaming?

If you are someone who loves gaming, the OnePlus Nord CE 5G is among the best gaming smartphones in its segment. It is great for gamers as it is able to sport games at 90fps, offering a quite comfortable gaming experience.

b. Which smartphone has the best camera?

Photography enthusiasts can look at the Realme GT Master Edition, which offers a great camera setup, with a 64MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera and 256GB of the 2MP macro camera(kind)macro camera. For the selfie lovers, it has a 32MP front camera as well, which allows you to get sharp and detailed selfies. The smartphone comes with a slew of camera modes and features.

c. Which smartphone is best for media consumption?

The Google Pixel 6A is ideal for media consumers. Enthusiasts rely on the smartphone's 6.1-inch OLED display that has a 120Hz refresh rate, enabling a very smooth user experience. The smartphone runs on clean and optimised software that is spectacular for media viewing.

d. How long do security updates last for these smartphones?

Your device's security is of supreme importance. Security updates for your smartphone last up to 3-4 years for all the smartphones mentioned in this guide. This provides a great blanket of security that will make sure your smartphone remains error-free.