5 Best Under $200 smartphones – December 2020

Believe it or not, there are plenty of nice, cheap smartphones out there that you may wish to consider, so we’ve chosen to round up the best Android phones under $200. Smartphones that cost $1,000 and more have rapidly become popular in the industry, and for someone on a budget, those high costs will quickly cause a headache. If you need a new phone, but you just need $200 to spend

What makes them the best under the budget?

1. The RAM size (at least 3GB)
2. Android version (10 or later)
3. Internal storage (64GB)
4. Battery capacity (4000 mAh)
5. Type C charging port.

There are a few variants to make here but my best 5

Are:

1. Samsung Galaxy A11
2. Motorola Moto G Fast
3. Nokia 5.3
4. Realme 6i
5. Xiaomi Redmi note 9

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1.      Realme 6i

i)                    Key specs

• Display – 6.50-inch (1080×2400)
• Processor – MediaTek Helio G90T
• Front Camera – 16MP
• Rear Camera – 48MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP
• RAM – 4GB
• Storage – 64GB
• Battery Capacity – 4300mAh
• OS – Android 10

ii)          Pros

• Good-looking body, splash-resistant
• Large screen with excellent contrast
• Great for gaming, the Helio G80 is great under 720p screens
• Good photo and video quality with the main camera
• All-time chart-topping battery life
• Realme UI is clean and snappy on top of Android 10

iii) Cons

• Low-res screen
• No 4K videos, no EIS
• Mediocre selfie quality
• Realme offers better phones at the same price

iv) The verdict

The Realme 6i may be a budget smartphone from Realme and may be a toned-down version of the Realme 6. This smartphone sports some interesting hardware like the 90Hz display which isn’t available from the competition. The Realme 6 sports a 6.5-inch display and features a hole-punch design to accommodate the selfie camera.

• Pricing (KES. 18,114/ 160USD) click here

2.      Samsung Galaxy A11

i) Key specs

• Display – 6.40-inch (720×1560)
• Processor – 1.8GHz octa-core
• Front Camera – 8MP
• Rear Camera – 13MP + 2MP + 5MP
• RAM – 2GB
• Storage – 32GB
• Battery Capacity – 4000mAh
• OS Android – 10.0

ii) Pros:

• Modern display with small bezels
• Large 4,000 mAh battery
• Charges with USB-C
• Samsung’s One UI software
• Expandable storage

iii) Cons:

• Cheap plastic back
• No NFC

iv)                 The verdict  

When you consider Samsung phones, your mind probably drifts to devices just like the Galaxy S20 and Note 20 — big, flashy, and expensive phones that are bound to break the budget. If you’re wanting to own a Samsung phone for yourself but got to keep costs low, the Galaxy A11 may be a solid device.

First thing’s first, the Galaxy A11 has a powerful display. It’s fairly large at 6.4-inches, goes edge-to-edge with the phone’s left and right frame, and features a small bottom bezel. If you are doing tons of media consumption, the A11 will make your movies and games stand out wonderfully.

Around the back, the A11 boasts a complete of three cameras — consisting of a 13MP primary, 5MP ultra-wide, and 2MP depth sensors. The image quality won’t blow you away, but the cameras get the work finished social media and permit for a few image-taking (especially with the ultra-wide camera). Other highlights of the Galaxy A11 include expandable storage, a really generous 4,000 mAh battery, USB-C charging, and Samsung’s custom One UI software that’s loaded with endless features and settings.

3.      Motorola Moto G Fast

i) Key specs

Released – Jun 12, 2020

Display – 6.4 inches   1560 x 720 pixels

Camera – 16 MP (Triple camera)

8 MP front

Hardware – Qualcomm Snapdragon 665

RAM – 3GB RAM

Storage – 32GB, microSD

Battery – 4000 mAh

OS – Android 10

ii)                  Pros

• Large screen, small notch
• Adequate performance for 720p OS experience
• Okay camera experience, ultrawide
• Android One
• NFC, microSD, 3.5mm jack

iii)                 Cons

• 720p screen

iv)                 The verdict

Another US special is that the $190 Moto G Fast. it’s a water-repellent coating on its plastic body, offers an outsized enough screen and an adequate chip to handle its 720p resolution. a bit like the Nokia 5.3, this one also shows camera potential with a triple setup (main, ultrawide, macro) The 4,000mAh battery capacity should be plenty, too.

The Moto G Fast runs on the newest Android, clean at that, albeit it isn’t an Android One phone. It’s not the fastest either, despite what the name suggests. It’s quite cheap and it does offer enough for its price and that is why we are putting it during this shortlist.

4.      Nokia 5.3

1. KEY SPECS

Performance	Snapdragon 665
Storage	64 GB
Camera	13+5+2+2 MP
Battery	4000 mAh
Display	6.55″ (16.64 cm)
Ram	3 GB

Front Camera	8 MP
Battery	4000 mAh
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 665
Display	6.55 inches
Ram	3 GB
Rear Camera	13 MP + 5 MP + 2 MP + 2 MP

ii)                  Pros

• Large screen, small notch
• Adequate performance for 720p OS experience
• Okay camera experience, ultrawide
• Android One
• NFC, microSD, 3.5mm jack

iii)                 Cons

• 720p screen Display is only HD+

iv)                 The verdict

The $190/€170 Nokia 5.3 is a unique suggestion for its Android One participation and on-time OS updates. it’s an outsized 720p screen and therefore the proper chip to handle such resolution, plus it shows potential with its quad-camera (wide + ultrawide + depth + macro). The 4,000mAh battery seems enough for the work, too.

The Nokia 5.3 is not the fastest phone and its screen sharpness isn’t ideal, but it’s quite cheap and Android One may be a treat you want.

5.      Xiaomi Redmi Note 9

i)                    Key specs

• Processor: MediaTek Helio G85
• RAM: 3 GB, 4 GB
• Storage: 64 GB, 128 GB
• Display: 6.53 inches
• Camera: Quad Camera
• Battery: Li-Po 5020 mAh battery

ii)                  Pros

• Beefy battery, 22.5W charger in the box
• Helio G85 chip is alright
• Quad-camera
• Gorilla Glass 5 front, NFC, IR blaster, FM radio, microSD

iii)                 Cons

• A bit on the heavy side
• There are faster phones, though more expensive
• Underwhelming camera performance

iv)                 The Verdict

If we’ve about €200 to spend on a phone and Realme 6 isn’t an option for a few reason, we’ll then accompany the €150 Redmi Note 9. it’s just about everything you’d want out of a handset for this price – an outsized and sharp LCD display, a capable chipset (powerful enough and efficient), a big 5,020mAh battery with 18W charging support and an entire array of cameras.

But that’s not even all. It’s offers a Gorilla Glass 5 protection for the screen, it’s NFC support, and may even control your legacy appliances with its built-in IR emitter.

Perhaps the one thing we will come up thereupon might be a problem to some is that the 200g weight – it isn’t unreasonable, it’s just a touch hefty.

Conclusion

Just a few years ago, $200 couldn’t buy you much in the way of a quality Android phone. In 2020, however, it’s quite surprising just how many options you have in such a low-price segment. There are plenty of “cheap” Android phones that are actually pretty great.

Writers choice in order

Name	Pricing in KES / USD
Realme 6i	KES. 18,114/ 160USD
Redmi Note 9	KES. 18,500/ 167USD
Moto G Fast	KES. 17,510 / 158USD
Nokia 5.3	KES. 20,000/ 180USD
Samsung A11	KES. 14,000/ 127USD