Rugged low-cost smartphones under $120

The Redmi family from the ambitious Chinese company Xiaomi has been ruling the ball in the entry-level smartphone segment for several years in a row. One of the most affordable among the current devices of the line is the model with the index 5a — a low-cost phone with a metal back and rounded 2.5D glass on top of a 5-inch display.

The smartphone has a minimum of differences from the role model — the previous model of the family represented by Xiaomi Redmi 4a 16 GB . Both the hardware (the well-proven Snapdragon 425 chip combined with the Adreno 308 graphics) and the HD screen based on the IPS matrix were borrowed from it. In addition, the smartphone got a similar set of cameras: 13 MP main and 5 MP front with a "bun" in the form of a system for recognizing the user's gender and age when taking a selfie.

For the sake of accessibility, the fingerprint scanner had to be sacrificed. Therefore, on the rear panel of the smartphone, the “peephole” of the aforementioned main camera module and the multimedia speaker grille forlornly sheltered. But for the infrared port — the signature highlight of Xiaomi smartphones — there was a place on the upper end. It turns a mobile device into a remote control for home appliances.

In everyday use, Xiaomi Redmi 5a demonstrates the behavior of a good state employee: the smartphone handles with simple tasks without hesitation, and in resource-intensive applications it starts to slow down a little. Still, the hardware of the gadget does not have to toss and turn "heavy" games. But even in games or when watching videos, the smartphone gives out 4-6 hours of screen activity, the merit of which lies on the shoulders of a 3000 mAh battery. The icing on the cake is the “delicious” cost of the device – only a few worthy competitors can compete with Xiaomi Redmi 5a in this parameter.

An affordable device from the most eminent brand originally from the Middle Kingdom has almost completely retained the style features of the previous generation — a smartphone Huawei Y5II 8 GB / 1 GB . At the same time, the model has been well “pumped” in terms of the “hardware”, reaching compliance with the class of strong state employees of the 2017-2018 model.

Compared to its predecessor , the smartphone has doubled the amount of memory (2 GB RAM and 16 GB ROM), and also increased the capacity of the built-in battery (up to 3000 mAh). But the chip on board the model, although it has been updated, however, the brainchild of MediaTek with the MT6737T index cannot boast of speed. It covers undemanding tasks with its capabilities, whether it is browsing the Internet, watching online videos or chatting in social networks.

A notable "chip" of the smartphone is the customizable Easy Key, for which there was a place on the left side of the case. The button can be programmed to perform certain actions on a single, double or triple click. Clicking on it launches pre-selected applications or activates certain functions, such as turning on a flashlight or taking a screenshot of the screen. The Huawei Y5 2017 has a 5-inch IPS-matrix with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels.

From the cameras on board the smartphone breathes modesty: an 8 MP module is installed on the back, and a selfie camera with a resolution of 5 MP is in front. As a bonus for fans of shooting "selfies", the front camera is equipped with its own flash. For the sake of low-cost, the device was also unlucky to get a fingerprint scanner. But what will please the owners of the model is separate slots for 2 SIM-cards and an external microSD drive to expand small amounts of internal memory.

The self-confident state employee from Meizu is not far from the fifth generation of the M family — Meizu M5 16 GB / 2 GB — the "six" did not get any cardinal changes, nevertheless, it did get some significant improvements.

First of all, Chinese engineers had a hand in the screen of the model. It retained its former dimensions and resolution (5.2", 1280x720 pixels), but began to use a higher quality IGZO-matrix from Sharp. As for an affordable solution, the display is very good. The sub-screen space traditionally houses the mTouch multifunction key with a touch layer and a built-in fingerprint sensor. Navigating with it through the interface of the FlymeOS shell, rolled over the seventh Android, is a real pleasure.

The low-cost of the mobile gadget is issued by an “iron” bundle of an entry-level MediaTek MT6750 chip and 2/16 GB of memory. However, the above characteristics are enough for comfortable gatherings on the Internet, communication in social networks and instant messengers, as well as for performing other everyday tasks. The lack of performance makes itself felt only in resource-intensive games and applications.

The cameras on the armament of the smartphone are nothing special: the 13 MP rear photo module produces decent pictures in conditions of fairly good lighting, and the 8 MP front camera can pamper fans of the selfie genre. In turn, adherents to listen to music will be pleased with high-quality sound in headphones. The smartphone components are supplied with electricity by a built-in 3070 mAh battery, which will need to be recharged after one to one and a half days of activity. As a result, Meizu M6 offers one of the most balanced sets of decent features at a moderate price.

The prefix Live in the name of the smartphone from the Taiwanese brand Asus appears at all for a reason. It encodes the specialization of a mobile device in the implementation of online video broadcasts, which will undoubtedly appeal to bloggers.

The main focus of the model is on the selfie camera, which only at first glance seems to be the most ordinary 5-megapixel front camera. In fact, it uses a matrix with an increased pixel size (1.4 microns), and its own flash has also been made available to the front photomodule. Things are even more interesting in the software part — the “beautifier” of the BeautyLive facial skin “on the fly” removes defects from the skin and corrects the tone of the face. Moreover, its action extends to both photographs and videos.

Video is recorded on the front camera at a maximum resolution of 1280x720 pixels, while the main 13 MP photo module shoots video in FullHD format. In parallel with the picture, high-quality sound is recorded, which involves a pair of microphones with effective noise reduction. However, Asus ZenFone Live ZB501KL not only records sound well, but also reproduces it with dignity. The smartphone got a loud external speaker and a 7.1 surround sound simulation system in headphones.

In the "iron" part, the 5-inch device is not so strong. Its hardware platform is based on the “old man” Snapdragon 410 chip, which is “under the hood” with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of permanent memory. The increase in free space is achieved by eliminating the second SIM, which is replaced by a microSD standard drive. Finally, the smartphone does not break records for battery life — the energy in the tanks of its battery (2650 mAh) is enough to ensure the day of operation of the device without recharging. Nevertheless, the boring design makes Asus ZenFone Live ZB501KL attractive in the eyes of both the strong and the beautiful half of humanity.

The products of the Chinese company ZTE captivate consumers with an advantageous combination of quality, reliability and affordable cost. And the ZTE Blade A6 smartphone is also interesting for its good performance with a long battery life.

The tasks of providing the device with energy are entrusted to the shoulders of a capacious “five-thousander” battery, the equipment of the model with which loudly “scream” large inscriptions “5000 mAh” right on the package. With it, you can talk about 2 days of full-fledged activity of the device, taking into account pastime in games. The ZTE Blade A6 is also able to share stored energy with other devices via an OTG cable included in the factory package of the model.

Under the external metal “armours” of the smartphone, a bundle of an 8-core Snapdragon 435 chip and 3 GB of “RAM” is working. Its task is to ensure comfortable user interaction with a mobile gadget, eliminating lags and slowdowns in the interface. The latter, by the way, is represented by the seventh version of the Android OS, which selects for its needs about 10 GB of memory in the built-in storage with a total volume of 32 GB.

A high-quality IPS-matrix is responsible for displaying the picture on the 5.2-inch display of the smartphone. The screen itself has a typical HD resolution, which is expressed in numbers as 1280x720 pixels. In order to please many, the device has acquired a functional fingerprint scanner that serves to unlock the smartphone, restrict access to files and applications, and use the camera shutter button as a role.

Since we are talking about the photo component of the model, it would be a sin not to mention the standard set of photo modules in its arsenal — a 13 MP camera at the back and a 5 MP front camera in front. Both modules produce a good picture during the day, but when photographing in low light conditions, the quality of the images immediately drops. You should not be upset about this, because otherwise the ZTE Blade A6 is a strong player in the field of state employees with serious leadership habits.