In recent years, smartphone cameras have undergone major changes and acquired a number of features that significantly improved image quality, including optical image stabilization, large image sensors, bright lenses and even optical zoom. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a good model. This review presents the top of inexpensive phones with a good camera and battery, the cost of which does not exceed 25 thousand rubles. In addition, the specifications of the cameras and the features of their application are indicated.
Choosing an inexpensive phone with a good camera
Smartphones can be classified by the number of image sensors, matrix production technology, the number and size of pixels, the lens aperture, the presence of optical stabilization, etc.
When evaluating smartphone specifications, one should not forget about the following:
- The number of megapixels of the image sensor is not as important as the diameter of the pupil of the lens. Optics with a wide relative aperture (the ratio of the focal length to the effective aperture; a smaller number means a larger lens width) transmits more light, improving the quality of photographs in low light.
- Pixel sizes and working in low light are important, but high specifications rarely mean good camera performance in real conditions.
- The fashionable optical image stabilizer, although it should improve the quality of photographs in low light, does not always do this, since the photo processing software must interact with it properly.
- Not all dual cameras are the same. Some smartphones (for example, iPhone X) use them to get a bokeh effect. Others (such as the LG V30) allow you to switch between wide-angle and standard lenses.
- Is portrait mode necessary? It can have various names. In “iPhone” it is “Portrait mode”, and in Note 8 - Live Photos, but other phones also allow you to achieve a bokeh effect when the subject is in focus and the background is artistically blurred. This function is mainly supported by smartphones with two image sensors, but inexpensive mobile phones with a good camera can achieve the same result by software. Some models provide the ability to change the blurriness of the background of an already finished photograph.
- Specifications of selfie cameras are equally important. As the number of self-portrait enthusiasts grows steadily, one should not lose sight of inexpensive phones with a good front camera. To understand how the smartphone will shoot in low light, in addition to resolution, you need to check the aperture. Some front cameras (for example, in Pixel 2) are capable of producing the same effects as dual main ones.
- Keep in mind the video. An inexpensive phone with an excellent camera can capture more than still images. You need to know with what resolution and frame rate capture is performed. For example, the LG V30 is capable of recording UHD video at a speed of 30 fps, and the iPhone 8 with twice the frame rate. It is also worth looking for a camera with filters and a time lapse function.
Honor 9
An inexpensive phone with an excellent camera, the Honor 9 offers 2 main image sensors - color and monochrome. There is manual control, and thanks to the wide aperture and portrait modes, you can shoot with bokeh effect in the style of digital SLRs.
The camera application is launched by double-pressing the volume down key. The user can take advantage of a number of creative effects, including light painting, timelapse, slow motion video, and more. The camera allows you to record UHD-video, save photos in an uncompressed format and make serial shooting with a frame rate of 10 fps. Available ISO sensitivity in the range from 100 to 3200, and there is a 2-hybrid zoom. Currently, this inexpensive mobile phone with a camera is the closest to premium smartphones.
The model’s functionality includes monochrome 20-megapixel and 12-megapixel color sensors at the rear with a relative lens aperture of f2.2 and a front 8-megapixel sensor with f2-lens, 5.15-inch high-definition display, 4K video recording, internal read-only memory 64 GB and recording in RAW format.
Moto X Play
This is an inexpensive phone with a good camera and battery, which in the current line of Motorola smartphones occupies a niche between the Moto G and X Style as a middle-class model. Equipped with a 21-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front image sensors with a relative f2.0 lens aperture and a large 5.5 ”display. The frames captured by the 21-megapixel X Play matrix are bright, well-lit and have a large dynamic range. If the camera detects a scene with high contrast, the automatic HDR mode significantly improves the quality of light and dark areas, and also increases the color intensity. The effect is very noticeable, although in some cases it may look too intense. According to the owners, in poor lighting conditions the quality of photos is less impressive since noise becomes more noticeable, since the camera requires a higher ISO sensitivity to compensate for the lack of image stabilization. There is no manual ISO setting, which disappoints many users. The model is not fully waterproof, there is no USB Type-C port, and a turbo-type charger is not included. We expand the memory capacity thanks to the presence of a microSD card slot.
The camera application is simple and clean, and the settings are located on the virtual control disk, which can be scrolled on the screen. This allows you to quickly switch between shooting modes - burst, panorama, HDR and accelerated video recording.
The main camera features: 21-megapixel main sensor with a relative aperture of optics F2.0 and a 27-mm focal length (equivalent), 5-megapixel front with f2.2 lens, phase autofocus, auto-RVK, two-tone LED flash, FullHD video with a frame rate of 30 fps.
Moto G5
The 5th generation smartphone Moto G is equipped with a 13-megapixel 1/3-inch main image sensor, f2.0 lens with 4x digital zoom and 28mm (equivalent) focal length and 5 ”IPS screen. Fixed focal length optics create images without distortion, and the sharpness in the corners almost matches the center of the frame, although the camera’s built-in application has quite limited setup options. The front camera provides an image quality sufficient for social networks or 6x4 prints, but if you look closely at them, you will notice the absence of small details. According to the owners, the panoramas are a little disappointing, but the video shot at 1080p is well detailed, bright and well lit.
Moto G is one of the cheapest phones with a great camera that is waterproof. Its internal memory can be expanded using a microSD card. The camera app is identical to the Moto G5 +, it is simple and supports auto-HDR. Touching the screen, you can select the focus object around which the brightness control dial appears.
Camera specifications: 13-megapixel sensor, f2.0 lens aperture and focal length 28 mm (in 50 mm equivalent), FullHD video recording.
Moto G5 +
This is an inexpensive phone with a good camera and a battery that provides all-day operation, which can be charged for 6 hours in just 15 minutes. The long operating time between charges is guaranteed by the high-performance and energy-saving Snapdragon 625 chip. Nice HD images on the IPS screen do not load the battery and the graphics processor, which significantly extends the time between charges, surpassing even some of the best models. A GPU with eight 2-GHz cores and 2 GB of RAM guarantee good performance, and a 12-megapixel camera allows you to take high-quality photos. The main image sensor has an autofocus system, thanks to which all pixels are involved in the process of focusing, rather than 5%, as in conventional cameras. At the same time, AF operates 60% faster. This is the first budget smartphone with a similar feature.
Thus, the phone is equipped with a main 12-megapixel sensor and a relative f1.7 lens aperture, as well as a 5-megapixel wide-angle selfie camera with f2.2 lens, phase autofocus, auto-HDR, microSD card slot (up to 128 GB ) and 32/64 GB internal storage.
Moto G4 +
The smartphone is equipped with a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor, records FullHD-video, has a fairly bright lens with an aperture value of F2.0 and a 5.5 ”fullHD-screen. Front camera resolution - 5 megapixels. According to the owners, the detail and color reproduction of frames is good, and they are impressed with the color reproduction of a dual-tone flash. The ISO range is from 64 to 3200. A microSD card slot is available, so you can add additional memory if necessary.
This is a smartphone with a 16 MP rear camera resolution, f2.0 lens and a front 5-megapixel image sensor with f2.2 optics, phase and laser autofocus, two-tone flash, auto-HDR, FullHD-video recording at 30 fps.
Moto X4
An inexpensive phone with a good camera and battery, the Moto X4 offers excellent functionality in a fairly compact (by today's standards) waterproof case. There are two main image sensors. An ultra-wide-angle camera has obvious distortions and some problems with the quality of photos, but as an addition it is quite useful. The smartphone records ultra-high-definition video or in an ultra-wide-angle fullHD-format, so the owners advise using it as an action camera, especially since it is protected from moisture.
Compared to other models like the HTC U Play and Honor 7X, the price of the Moto X4 seems a bit overpriced. Nevertheless, it is one of the few waterproof smartphones, so it costs its money.
Functionality of the model: dual camera with a 12-megapixel sensor with a relative lens aperture of f2.0 and an 8-megapixel sensor with ultra-wide-angle optics f2.2, a 16-megapixel selfie camera with aperture number f2.0, LED flash, 1080p-display with with a diagonal of 5.2 ”, shooting 4K-video, 32 GB of permanent memory.
Huawei P8
This is an inexpensive phone with a good camera and battery, a thin metal case, a large 5.2 ”high-definition screen and a 13-megapixel sensor with a fast lens with a f / 2.0 relative aperture. The smartphone also has a number of improved photo functions, including a photo mode and optical stabilization. According to the owners, the image quality is quite high, although not as sharp or detailed as that of competitors' phones. However, for those who do not want to spend a lot of money, but still want to get a premium camera, P8 would be the best option. The smartphone is equipped with a Sony sensor designed to work in low light conditions and has a sensitivity range of ISO 64–1600. The model’s permanent memory can be expanded with a microSD card.
The camera app resembles an iPhone. Here is the same round shutter button under the line of shooting modes that can be viewed by scrolling to the sides. Among them are video recording and HDR. The menu in the upper corner opens additional modes, such as adding a watermark, the possibility of creating a bokeh effect after shooting and night photography.
Thus, this large inexpensive phone with a good camera is equipped with a 13-megapixel image sensor, f2.0-lens with a 28-mm focal length (equivalent), an optical stabilization system and allows you to shoot FullHD-video. There is also a front-facing sensor with a resolution of 8 megapixels, a relative aperture of f2.4 optics and a 28-mm focal length (equivalent).
Huawei Ascend Mate 2
Design, of course, is a subjective category, but Ascend Mate 2 users like it, because it is difficult to find another phone of this size cheaper than 25 thousand rubles. Its 6.1-inch panel confidently classifies it as a phablet, and although it may be too large for some users, reading articles and watching videos on it is nice. The display resolution is 720p, which is not as good as 1080p, but in this price range there is no need to complain.
The phone is equipped with a 13-megapixel main and 5-megapixel front sensors, as well as a microSD card slot under the rear panel, which allows you to increase the built-in read-only memory. According to reviews, the smartphone is not running the most modern version of Android 4.3, but there is voice search, Google Now and even the glove mode, which makes the screen more sensitive. The model is equipped with a 4-core Snapdragon 400 chipset with a clock frequency of 1.6 GHz and a fixed battery with a capacity of 4050 mAh, which is enough for 25 hours of operation of the device.
Mate 2 is a phone with a good camera and memory and is inexpensive. Its photo functionality - 13 megapixel main and 5 megapixel selfie sensor with LED flash and AF, 1080p video recording at 30 fps
HTC U Play
This is an inexpensive touchscreen phone with a good camera with a resolution of 16 megapixels, a relative aperture of the f2.0 lens and an optical image stabilizer. There is a dual LED flash and a 5.2 ”high definition screen. The front camera also has 16 megapixels and optics with f2.0 aperture value. The amount of RAM is 3 GB, and the ROM is 32 GB. The back panel is made of stylish glass, and the fingerprint sensor is located on the front. This is one of the most inexpensive optical stabilization models on the market.
So, the main and selfie phones of the phone have a resolution of 16 megapixels and a relative aperture of f2.0, there is a dual LED flash at the back, recording in FullHD is supported, and there is a memory expansion slot for microSD cards.
Nokia 6
Featuring high-speed 4G LTE, a 16-megapixel camera and a stunning 5.5 ”high-definition display, the Nokia 6 delivers great value for money. Unlike other budget electronics, it will not break immediately after purchase. Its body is made of 6000 series anodized aluminum with bright edges and an attractive finish. The smartphone is equipped with a high-definition IPS display capable of reproducing sRGB space. According to the owners, watching movies is pleasing thanks to the loud sound and deep bass from the two Dolby Atmos speakers with a peak output power of 7.2 watts.
Amazon's exclusive offering provides connectivity to the media and office suite, as well as 32 GB of storage.
An inexpensive phone with a Nokia 6 front camera is equipped with a 16-megapixel main and 8-megapixel front image sensors, a relative f2.0 lens aperture, a two-tone LED flash, phase autofocus, 1080p video recording at 30 fps, and a battery capacity of 3 thousand mA ∙ h
LG Q6
Those who decide which inexpensive phone with a good camera to buy should consider buying the LG Q6. In many respects, this is a top model with an acceptable cost. The plastic back panel is prone to scratches and lacks a fingerprint sensor. A beautiful IPS screen with QHD resolution is 5.5 ”in diagonal and has a 2: 1 aspect ratio. The rear camera offers automatic and manual focus and does it with a rather large resolution of 13 megapixels. The front 5-megapixel sensor is equipped with a wide-angle lens, backlight and autofocus. The user can access modes such as GIF and food shooting. Strong metal frame meets army standards and has passed many tests for durability.
The smartphone comes with Android 7.1, an octa-core 1.4-GHz Snapdragon 435, 32 GB of ROM and 3 GB of RAM. These are features that match premium phones. The user can expand the storage capacity up to 2 TB using the SD card slot. The battery capacity is 3,000 mAh. Functions such as unlocking the face of the user and tapping the screen are supported. Amazon is ready to cut the price by almost half if the user agrees to receive special offers on the lock screen.
Thus, the smartphone’s photo functions include 13-megapixel rear (f2.2) and 5-megapixel front sensors with autofocus, flash and 1080p video.
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Samsung Galaxy S5
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Samsung Galaxy J7
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