Everyone wants to buy a good smartphone with a great camera. The problem is that these smartphones are very expensive. But after reading this article, you will learn how you can choose a smartphone for great shots and pay for it very inexpensively. At the same time, I will not talk about buying a used smartphone, with which you can very well run into trouble if it has hidden defects or turns out to be stolen. The option of a restored flagship is also not considered. There are enough pitfalls here and you have to be a real expert in order not to buy nonsense. Nevertheless, my advice will be very simple and elegant, as is usually the case with us.
Even the old flagship is still a flagship at heart.
How to buy a good smartphone cheap
The creators of the flagships have taught us that the best is only now. A year later, they say that it was so-so then, but now it's fantastic. And so every year. Sometimes it seems that the essence of all presentations can be conveyed by the phrase “buy now, otherwise it will be even better soon.”
The manufacturers can be understood. The laws of economics state that consumption must constantly grow. In this case, the economy itself will grow and until a certain moment everything will be fine. That is why they try this every year at the presentation. Perhaps, except this year, when everything that was possible was canceled.
At one time, the Samsung Galaxy S8 was one of the best 'last year smartphones', but now its time is over. It is still for sale, though.
In fact, it turns out that smartphones do not age as much as they try to show us. I have already discussed this topic and said that there is no point in buying new smartphones more often than once every two years, or even less often. Many readers in the comments and subscribers in our Telegram chat agreed with my words. And what conclusion can be drawn from this?
Very simple! Last year's smartphones are usually still very good, but they cost significantly less than new products. That is why sometimes it makes sense to pay close attention to them. Now I will give examples of what smartphones you can buy in 2020 without overpaying for flagships. The main emphasis in this list is made on the quality of the camera, but their performance will be at a very high level.
Inexpensive smartphone with a good camera
I must say right away that smartphones are not ranked by rating, since they cannot be strictly ranked. They are simply given as examples of successful models of past years, which now can still be bought and used for more than one year.
Google Pixel 3 a and Pixel 3a XL
Both of these smartphones were launched last year as an affordable alternative to the flagship Google Pixel 3. The specs were a bit simpler, but they didn't save much on camera. As a result, the quality of her pictures could sometimes be confused with the main “three-note”. At one time we reviewed the Google Pixel 3a. You can familiarize yourself with it.
Google Pixel 3a specifications:
- Screen – 5.6 inches, Full HD +
- Processor – Snapdragon 670
- Memory – 4/64 GB
- Main camera – 12.2 MP
- Front camera – 8 MP
- Battery – 3,000mAh
- Support Android 10 – yes
Estimated price for Google Pixel 3a.
As a result, at a price of 28,000 rubles, you can get a very vigorous device that will be relevant for many years to come thanks to the support of Google itself.
Google Pixel 3
If you want a real treadmill, then the Google Pixel 3 is well suited for you. The flagship smartphone released a year and a half ago, in the fall of 2018, will delight you not only with the camera, but also with more productive hardware. It will suit even the most demanding games. Don't look that this is Snapdragon 845, but the Google Pixel 5 will have Snapdragon 865. This percentage will still run all games and provide a very cool interface smoothness.
Google Pixel 3 specifications:
- Screen – 5.5 inches, Full HD +
- Processor – Snapdragon 845
- Memory – 4/64 GB or 4/128 GB
- Main camera – 12.2 MP
- Front camera – 8 MP
- Battery – 2,915 mAh
- Support Android 10 -yes
Estimated price for Google Pixel 3.
Finding this smartphone is more difficult, but with a price of 34,500 rubles and availability OLED – erana, it will be an excellent alternative to other smartphones from our list. Especially considering that updates from Google will not let you get old for a long time.
Huawei P30 Lite
Huawei The P30 Pro was a very cool smartphone that was supposed to help the company to further conquer the market, but there were sanctions and everything went wrong. Nevertheless, the entire family of this smartphone supports all Google services. Against the backdrop of a decrease in the price of these devices, they look even more attractive.
As a result, now you can buy Huawei P30 Lite at a price of 12,000 rubles. This is really a very good combination of price and quality. Judging by the data from Yandex.Market, they are really buying it well. Especially considering that although his camera is inferior to that in the “Pro” version, it still provides a very high quality of images.
Features Huawei P30 Lite:
- Screen – 6.15 inches, Full HD +
- Processor – Kirin 710
- Memory – 4/128 GB
- Main camera – 24 + 8 + 2 MP
- Front camera – 32 MP
- Battery – 3 340 mAh
- Support Android 10 – yes
Approximate price for Huawei P30 Lite.
If you want more, you can pay attention to the more expensive Huawei P30, but it will still be very inexpensive for its performance. At a price of about 35,000 rubles, it will already have a 40-megapixel camera and a Kirin 980 processor. But the “Lite” version will be the best value for money. You might want to upgrade it earlier than the Google Pixel 3 or 3a, but it costs a lot less.
Sony Xperia 10 Plus
Overall, this smartphone is very simple and really has nothing to draw attention to, apart from the unusual design and a good camera from Sony. At one time I came across this smartphone and it made a good impression on me. True, then it cost significantly more and at such a price I did not want to recommend it for purchase. Now it has dropped significantly and you can pay attention to it when choosing.
Sony Xperia 10 Plus specifications
- Screen – 6.5 inches, Full HD +
- Processor – Snapdragon 636
- Memory: 4/64 GB or 6/64 GB
- Main camera – 12 + 8 MP
- Front camera – 8 MP
- Battery – 3000 mAh
- Support Android 10 – not yet (out of the box Android 9)
It is not easy to find this smartphone on sale, but it is possible.
The appearance of the smartphone looks very bold and even attractive. Only Sony dared to make such an elongated smartphone. I have used several models with a similar body shape and I will say that you need to get used to them. But then it ceases to cause any difficulties.
I can say that this smartphone is well suited for those who do not need performance above a confident average level, but a good camera and a memorable design are important. I will only add that finding this smartphone on sale is much more difficult than the rest from today's list. If possible, the price will be around 25,000 rubles.
OnePlus 7T
OnePlus smartphones have always been popular with power users Android who are not afraid to buy devices from brands other than the top three. The feature of each current generation of smartphones was the insane speed of work. It seemed much faster, but in the next generation it turned out to be even faster. Sometimes it seemed that the interface was even ahead of the finger when swiping. It is very cool.
OnePlus 7T specifications:
- Screen – 6.55 inches, Full HD +
- Processor – Snapdragon 855 Plus
- Memory – 8/128 GB
- Main camera – 48 + 16 + 12 MP
- Front camera – 16 MP
- Battery – 3 800 mAh
- Support Android 10 – yes
Approximate price for OnePlus 7T.
I already said that we are now waiting for the eighth OnePlus family, but the 7T model came out just a few months ago and will be able to remain a real flagship for a long time.
The camera of this smartphone also looks very decent and the pictures on it will turn out to be one of the best on the market. Snapdragon 855 Plus and 8GB of RAM complete the picture. The price of all this “splendor” starts at about 40,000 rubles.
It's expensive, but you get a very decent set of characteristics for the money. If you don't mind another 3,000 rubles, it's fashionable to buy the OnePlus 7T Pro, but there is almost no difference between it and the OnePlus 7T.
What smartphone would I buy myself
Since the spread is very large, I will choose three models for myself. If I needed the most affordable smartphone, I would not even save up and buy Huawei P30 Lite. For its price, it is very, very good.
In place of those whose budget is around 25,000 rubles, I would opt for the Google Pixel 3a. I like him even more than his older brother. And the psychological factor is also important. It's six months newer than the Google Pixel 3.
If money allows, then, of course, you need to take the OnePlus 7T. For this money, you will hardly find something that shoots better and works just as quickly. Is that Realme X2 Pro, a review of which we released not so long ago, but this is not for everybody. OnePlus 7T looks especially relevant against the background of the increase in prices for the brand's models in the eighth family, which should be released soon. It only remains to add that the price will drop a little more after the release of the new item.