Almost six months have passed since the last time we talked to you about cheap smartphones and today we return to the topic to take stock of the situation. What do we buy today with around €200 budget? We decided to analyze some of the best low-cost smartphones of this 2024 with two different product categories: devices released in 2024 at an already competitive price, but also some from 2023 which, thanks to price drops and many updates, are finally advisable. Smartphone like OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite they definitely didn’t excite us during the review phase, due to a price list of €329. Today, at practically half the price and with an update received every two months that improve it, it is a completely different product.
Other 2023 smartphones have also updated very well. Realme 11 5G for example, it was released at the end of October and from there it received practically almost one update a month which, together with the €100 lost from the price list, certainly makes it more advisable. Xiaomi’s update side has been a little more irregular but also her with the Redmi Note 12 5G it performed quite well with almost an update every two months and Android 14 arrived within the month of January. Motorola only arrived at Android 14 a few days ago with the Moto G84 5G but has had a consistency of an update every two months. Bad Honor that hasn’t brought Android 14 yet to any 2023 model and on the cheaper phones it didn’t even maintain the consistency of an update every two months.
Among the new devices of 2024 we have included Honor X8b, the budget iPhone we reviewed earlier this yearthe most recent Realme C67 4G super cheap and Redmi Note 13 4G which we haven’t done a review of yet but we’ve been trying for a month. Even though we don’t have it on trial, we decided to include it as well Samsung Galaxy A25: its price list of €300 makes no sense but within a month of its release it is already €100 less, fully falling within the target of this ranking.
We remind you that prices are highly variable based on the offers of the day and the availability of the products. We advise you to always keep an eye on the latest offers, such as those on our Telegram channel, so as to never miss the last useful opportunity. By observing the price trends for the selected smartphones we have never noticed substantial price increases, so we consider these recommendations almost always valid.
INDEX
MOTOROLA MOTO G84
Motorola in 2023 was a real discovery with smartphones with an incredible value for money and products like the Edge 40 and the G84 that completely dominated the medium and low-medium range of the market. If for the first one we had to wait a few months to consider it an excellent purchase, the G84 has been an almost best buy since day one. To date the price has settled at around €200 but thanks to one super pleasant to use, a beautiful AMOLED display, the fingerprint unlock sensor under the display, the excellent 5000mAh battery, the main camera stabilized with OIS and much more, it is certainly a complete and pleasant purchase.
The software is also good as anticipated: Motorola has not only updated its economical smartphone almost every month but has maintained the stability and lightness that distinguishes its stock-like software. There is room for improvement on the majors: Android 14 arrived only a few days ago, a little late. The color that I recommend is definitely the Viva Magenta in imitation leather: thanks to these “limited” colors Motorola has also returned a feeling of exclusivity to the low end of the market. The device is IP54 and has good stereo audio.
THE ALTERNATIVE: MOTO EDGE 30 NEO OR EDGE 30
For those who prefer to save a little but stay at Motorola, perhaps because they are fans of stock Android-like software, there are two possibilities: Edge 30 Neo it’s basically a slightly more compact G84 and with just a few fewer updates, having been released months earlier. The saving is €20-30, nothing sensational but still ok. Edge 30 it is even less recent but more powerful and with a better camera: here too the saving is around €30 but we lose half the storage of 30 Neo and G84.
ONEPLUS NORD CE 3 LITE
OnePlus is one of the companies that surprised me the most since it came under the “direct” control of OPPO. Although this move is still harshly criticized by its most loyal former users, I personally find that the sub-brand has only benefited from it: hot products like the Nord 3 or a OnePlus 12 which we have seen in great detail in comparison with the best top of the range I’m the prime example. The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite but it was one of those products that just didn’t convince us. €329 for a phone with an IPS display and some limitations were definitely too much. The device is IP54 and has stereo audio.
To date, at around half the price and with software support that has significantly improved this smartphone, we are talking about a purchase that makes sense for €176. OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite was one of the first budget smartphones to update to Android 14 and receive all those software features that we have already seen on the tops with OxygenOS/ColorOS/RealmeUI. The battery is excellent and has also improved, while the camera, despite some extras, remains at a mediocre level. The biggest criticism, however, always remains that of the display: IPS that are not too bright are now difficult to digest even at just under €200, especially when competitors offer us much brighter and more qualitative AMOLEDs.
REDMI NOTE 13 4G
Among the new cheap smartphones presented in 2024, one of the best is certainly the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 4G. Be careful because for a few days now the 5G version has also dropped to around €200 on offer. The substantial difference between the two lies in the SOC where in the 4G model it is based on the Snapdragon 685 and in the 5G on the Mediatek Dimensity 6080. In terms of power there is no clear difference, although the Mediatek makes the smartphone appear smoother and in the long run it could therefore be decidedly preferable. The price difference between the two models is not so obvious, except that the 128GB of 4G costs almost €50 less.
What I appreciated about Redmi Note 13 is certainly its completeness. The display is a good AMOLED unit but more than anything it integrates an excellent fingerprint sensor placed under the display. He and the Motorola are the only ones with this feature and in fact they are my two favorites in this extensive list for ease of use. However, we don’t stop here because we have stereo audio available, a good main camera and a good combination of reception/microphones. Aesthetically, the green and light blue colors are not bad and aim very much at a youthful target. The smartphones are IP54 and have an infrared IR sensor.
THE ALTERNATIVE: REDMI NOTE 12 5G
Redmi Note 12 5G is a phone that we reviewed exactly one year ago. At the time it didn’t convince us due to its too high price list and limited RAM but at the current price it could make sense as an alternative. It updated to Android 14 and received the January 2024 patches in the latest update. The first year ended with almost an update every two months and Android 14 arrived in January, not terrible but not as good as Samsung.
The 4/128GB version can currently also be purchased with various coupons for €125, a super price much more competitive than Amazon’s €169. If you are on a very low budget it may make sense.
SAMSUNG GALAXY A25 5G
Samsung Galaxy A25 is a smartphone that certainly doesn’t surprise with its design, perhaps being the least satisfying at first glance on this list, but it makes up for it with excellent hardware. The display is an excellent AMOLED unit with 1000 Nits peak, the 50MPx main camera has OIS and the stereo audio is of a good level. Excellent update side with four guaranteed majors. The OneUI is certainly super complete but risks being too heavy on such an entry level smartphone which in fact has a few too many micro lags, even compared to other less powerful smartphones. For gaming it is the best on this list. The recommended version is the 256GB one which it also brings with it Extra 2GB of RAM.
REALME C67 4G
Realme C67 4G it is yet another low-end smartphone born under the BKK group between Oppo, OnePlus, Vivo and Realme. A bit like the recent Alfa Romeo Milano, which is causing a lot of discussionwas born on an already studied and tested platform which therefore allows us to lower both production and sales costs. The certain risk is that there will be many similar smartphones on the market and in fact this Realme C67 has a lot in common with the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite, Realme 11 and Oppo A98. The 4G version of this smartphone is paradoxically more advisable than the 5G one.
Compared to the others, this Realme gives up 5G connectivity with an SOC based on the Snapdragon 685, like the previous Xiaomi, but gains a brighter display than its bigger brothers. Compared to the Realme 11 here we also have stereo audio and although the cameras in all models are always the same 108MPx here they offer something more. The smartphone is also light and pleasant to use. Good here too, the updates that arrive almost every two months and basically we have a hybrid RealmeUI, very stock-oriented. This was chosen by Realme so as to maximize the performance of the devicewhat we would have expected from Samsung with OneUI on its budget devices.
HONOR 90 LITE
Honor 90 Lite is the best device of the brand that can be purchased to date for less than €200€179 to be precise at the time of writing this article. For a relatively low price we take home a smartphone with excellent battery life, very simple software and a good camera. The flaws are a LPTS display that is not too bright and does not support Widevine L1 DRM for viewing Netflix in HD, for example. The mono audio isn’t the best either. Unfortunately it is still stuck at Android 13 even though it has just received the March 2024 patches. Receiving side is perhaps one of the best if not the best.
THE ATTRACTING ALTERNATIVE: HONOR X8b
If the display and aesthetics of the Honor 90 Lite don’t convince you, you can consider the Honor X8b. It has finally dropped in price, settling at €269 with free headphones on Mediaworld, for example. We consider the price still excessive, with €40 too much, but all in all the performance is similar to the 90 Lite, almost identical photos but a significantly better display. The design is very reminiscent of an iPhone but this also makes it one of the most pleasant economic products on the market with almost symmetrical frames.
There are some extra functions that take advantage of the “dynamic island” with a 50 megapixel front camera and an LED flash inside. We can stack some functions such as the timer or the music player which therefore remain “floating”. It’s a shame that here, as on the Honor 90 Lite, Android 14 has not yet arrived and the updates are not so regular. The battery life is excellent, even better than the 90 Lite but just like it, the Widevine L1 DRM is missing.
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