10 best smartphones under 16,000 rubles in 2021

An article for those who want to buy a good inexpensive smartphone with up-to-date stuffing. Here we have collected the most successful models worth up to 16,000 rubles, which were released mainly in 2021. There are options even with a screen refresh rate increased to 90 Hz.
 
  Name
  Rating
  Nomination
1 POCO M3 4/128GB 4.72
The most popular. The most reliable
2 realme C25S 4/128GB 4.70
Longest battery life
3 vivo Y31 4/128GB 4.66
Optimal price-quality ratio
4 realme NARZO 30 5G 4/128GB 4.65
Best Screen
5 Huawei P smart 2021 4/128GB 4.63
The biggest screen
6 Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 (2021) 4/64GB 4.57
The most compact
7 Samsung Galaxy M12 4/64GB 4.55
Best price
8 Xiaomi Redmi 10 4/128GB 4.55
Best Camera
9 Nokia G20 4/128GB 4.53
Dedicated button to call Google Assistant
10 Samsung Galaxy A12 4/128GB 4.25

Inexpensive smartphones under 16,000 rubles are great for basic tasks. There are no gaming models and camera phones in this price segment, but the devices cope with any important tasks. Moreover, the younger the smartphone, the more technological and advanced it is. So, smartphones no more than 16 thousand rubles, released in 2021, are characterized by:

IPS matrices and often Full HD resolution. There are smartphones with lower resolutions, but in this case, manufacturers tend to compensate for this with other improvements, such as a more powerful battery or processor.

Powerful 5000 mAh battery and higher. In rare cases, the capacity is less than indicated for the sake of a thin body and compact size. A battery of such power ensures the performance of a smartphone for 1-2 days.

48 MP camera and at least two auxiliary modules. The photographic capabilities of phones in 2021 in a budget of up to 16 thousand rubles are mediocre, but against the background of models a year older, they look noticeably better. Sufficiently clear pictures come out when shooting in good lighting conditions.

The main market is represented by proven Chinese: Xiaomi, realme, vivo. They also occupied their niche Samsung - they make inexpensive models from the "A" and "M" series, sometimes sacrificing build quality and cutting back on functionality (for example, the manufacturer removed support for Samsung Pay). Interesting models are still available Huawei, but they are not suitable for everyone, since there is no support for Google services.

Top 10. Samsung Galaxy A12 4/128GB

Rating (2022): 4.25
Accounted for 1953 feedback from resources: Onliner, Yandex.Market, ROZETKA, DNS, Otzovik, IRecommend
  • Average price: 15967 rubles.
  • Country: South Korea
  • Screen: 6.5 inches, 1600x720, TFT, 60 Hz
  • Chipset: Mediatek Helio P35, 8 cores, 2.3 GHz
  • Battery: 5000 mAh
  • Weight: 205g

An inexpensive smartphone from Samsung with a large battery, a decent amount of built-in memory and a fairly harmonious filling.The performance is enough to solve basic daily tasks, but you should not count on fast work: a device with a low-power processor, and the reviews say that it responds to commands within 1-2 seconds. But here is a good screen: optimal in size and with a bright matrix. There is an NFC module, but there is no support for Samsung Pay - the manufacturer offers to use Google Pay. If you love the OneUI shell, this smartphone will be the best solution for you in the price range up to 16,000 rubles.

Pros and cons
  • Large ROM
  • Holds a charge for a long time
  • Does not support Samsung Pay
  • Slow at work

Top 9. Nokia G20 4/128GB

Rating (2022): 4.53
Accounted for 89 reviews from resources: Otzovik, Yandex.Market, M.Video, DNS
Dedicated button to call Google Assistant

The phone has a physical key to call the Google Assistant.

  • Average price: 13990 rubles.
  • Country: Finland
  • Screen: 6.5 inches, 1560x720, IPS, 60 Hz
  • Chipset: Mediatek Helio G35, 8 cores, 2.3 GHz
  • Battery: 5050 mAh
  • Weight: 197g

Inexpensive 2021 model with basic functionality. For a little less than 16,000 rubles, you get a nice candy bar with a large amount of internal memory, long battery life and a good camera. She is praised in the reviews - the photos come out very detailed and with the correct color reproduction, but the portrait mode is losing ground. An important feature of the phone is that it has a physical button to call the Google Assistant. It can be disabled, but the key cannot be reconfigured yet. Users also have complaints about the brightness of the screen - in the active sun you have to look closely at what is written on the display.

Pros and cons
  • beautiful appearance
  • Powerful battery
  • good camera
  • Dedicated Google Assistant call button
  • Cannot reprogram additional key
  • Low screen brightness

Top 8. Xiaomi Redmi 10 4/128GB

Rating (2022): 4.55
Best Camera

The smartphone takes better pictures than its competitors due to the fact that its main camera module has a higher resolution.

  • Average price: 16490 rubles.
  • Country: China
  • Screen: 6.5 inches, 2400x1080, IPS, 90 Hz
  • Chipset: Mediatek Helio G88, 8 cores, 2.0 GHz
  • Battery: 5000 mAh
  • Weight: 181g

An excellent smartphone with a high hertz screen. The device works quite quickly: it has one of the most powerful processors in the price budget of phones up to 16 thousand rubles. The screen is excellent: both the resolution is high and the refresh rate is one and a half times faster than most competitors with a similar price. The camera is better than peers. For example, the main module boasts a resolution of 50 megapixels, while other participants in the rating have a maximum resolution of only 48 megapixels. To help this module, Redmi 10 has three more sensors, one of which is 8 MP wide-angle. In the reviews, users write that they do not like the slow operation of the fingerprint scanner and the incorrect operation of the proximity sensor.

Pros and cons
  • good camera
  • Smooth screen display
  • Light
  • Proximity sensor not working well
  • Slow fingerprint scanner

Top 7. Samsung Galaxy M12 4/64GB

Rating (2022): 4.55
Accounted for 497 reviews from resources: DNS, Yandex.Market, M.Video, ROZETKA
Best price

The most affordable smartphone in the ranking. But the nearest phone costs more than this by only 30 rubles.

  • Average price: 13968 rubles.
  • Country: South Korea
  • Screen: 6.5 inches, 1600x720, PLS, 90Hz
  • Chipset: Exynos 850, 8 cores, 2.0 GHz
  • Battery: 5000 mAh
  • Weight: 214g

An inexpensive phone from Samsung, which features an increased screen refresh rate of up to 90 Hz. Along with this, the manufacturer allowed himself to reduce the resolution to HD, and such a decision seems not entirely logical. The device cannot be called fast - a modest processor with a core overclocking frequency of up to 2 GHz is working on board. This means that the phone will cope with daily tasks, but gaming or instant opening of resource-intensive programs is not up to it. It's normal for a device to think for a second or two before opening an app. Among other disadvantages: a lot of weight, no support for Samsung Pay.

Pros and cons
  • smooth picture
  • Powerful battery
  • Convenient software
  • Screen resolution below Full HD
  • No support for Samsung Pay
  • Heavy

Top 6. Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 (2021) 4/64GB

Rating (2022): 4.57
Accounted for 52 feedback from resources: M.Video, DNS, Yandex.Market
The most compact

The most convenient smartphone in size in this top. The diagonal of the model is 6.3 inches, while other participants are characterized by diagonals of 6.5 inches or more.

  • Average price: 13990 rubles.
  • Country: China
  • Screen: 6.3 inches, 2340x1080, IPS, 60 Hz
  • Chipset: Mediatek Helio G85, 8 cores, 2.0 GHz
  • Battery: 4000 mAh
  • Weight: 190 g

The smallest smartphone of 2021 from Xiaomi in the price segment up to 16,000 rubles. It is more compact than most competitors, looks great in the hand, pleases with the current version of the software - Android 11, and fairly high performance. For the sake of small size, the manufacturer abandoned a powerful battery, so the smartphone holds a charge a little less than its peers.But his screen is gorgeous - with a high pixel density, a good supply of brightness. The phone looks reserved, but there are non-standard body colors. The reviews complain that the sound of the speaker is muffled and that there is no NFC module, while other user characteristics are satisfactory.

Pros and cons
  • Quality screen
  • Convenient size
  • Short battery life
  • No NFC module

Top 5. Huawei P smart 2021 4/128GB

Rating (2022): 4.63
Accounted for 952 feedback from resources: DNS, Onliner, M.Video, Yandex.Market
The biggest screen

This smartphone has a screen diagonal of 6.67 inches, while other models from the rating have a diagonal of no more than 6.58 inches.

  • Average price: 15979 rubles.
  • Country: China
  • Screen: 6.67 inches, 2400x1080, IPS, 60 Hz
  • Chipset: HiSilicon Kirin 710A, 8 cores, 2.0 GHz
  • Battery: 5000 mAh
  • Weight: 206g

This smartphone was released in 2020, but it has not lost its relevance and even now it can be a good purchase in a budget of up to 16,000 rubles. Will not suit everyone. Firstly, it has a large screen, which will make the phone seem too big to some. Secondly, it supports Google services. Otherwise, the smartphone is excellent: it has a gorgeous screen with Full HD resolution, a modest but stable processor, and a large battery. It is quite possible to do without Google services - there are alternative application stores where everything is installed as simply as from the Play Market. If you are looking for a quality budget smartphone with a large screen, this Huawei may be the best solution.

Pros and cons
  • Large high resolution screen
  • Quality build
  • No Google services
  • Large

Top 4. realme NARZO 30 5G 4/128GB

Rating (2022): 4.65
Accounted for 69 reviews from resources: Citylink, Yandex.Market
Best Screen

This smartphone has the best screen - with a high resolution, correct white balance and a refresh rate increased to 90 Hz.

  • Average price: 15750 rubles.
  • Country: China
  • Screen: 6.5 inches, 2400x1080, IPS, 90 Hz
  • Chipset: Mediatek Dimensity 700, 8 cores, 2.2 GHz
  • Battery: 5000 mAh
  • Weight: 185g

An inexpensive smartphone that focuses on screen quality and performance. There are no game models in the budget up to 16 thousand rubles, but this device quickly copes with routine tasks and provides conditions for easy gaming. But the main feature of the phone is its screen. The manufacturer has set not only Full HD resolution, but also a refresh rate increased to 90 Hz. Thanks to this, the picture is clear, the detail is high, and the image is smooth even in dynamic scenes of the interface and video games. Users who decide to purchase are satisfied with the purchase and find it difficult to find flaws. Someone lacks a notification indicator, someone is dissatisfied with the low volume of the multimedia speaker.

Pros and cons
  • Smooth detailed screen image
  • Relatively fast in operation
  • There is 5G support
  • Not loud enough multimedia speaker
  • The volume buttons are on the left side
  • Lots of preinstalled apps

Top 3. vivo Y31 4/128GB

Rating (2022): 4.66
Accounted for 1133 feedback from resources: Yandex.Market, Citylink, IRecommend, DNS, M.Video
Optimal price-quality ratio

Inexpensive, but reliable in operation, a fairly productive smartphone with a good screen. Analogues are more expensive.

  • Average price: 16990 rubles.
  • Country: China
  • Screen: 6.58 inches, 2400x1080, IPS, 60 Hz
  • Chipset: Snapdragon 662, 8 cores, 2.0 GHz
  • Battery: 5000 mAh
  • Weight: 188g

A chic budget smartphone that can be bought for 16,000 rubles. It looks great, and only a drop-shaped protrusion under the front camera gives out the low cost of the device. The phone deserves the title of the best in its price segment: it runs on a Snapdragon processor, pleases with a high screen resolution, holds a charge for a long time, is well assembled, takes good pictures. The reviews complain about the capabilities of the camera in low light conditions, as well as the operation of the front camera - the clarity of the selfie is low. But the main drawback of the device is the imperfections of vivo's proprietary shell.

Pros and cons
  • Optimal price-quality ratio
  • Stable running processor
  • Powerful battery
  • Weak front camera
  • Ill-conceived branded shell
  • Occasionally there are stutters

Top 2. realme C25S 4/128GB

Rating (2022): 4.70
Accounted for 13 reviews from resources: DNS
Longest battery life

This smartphone has a battery increased to 6 Ah, and due to the resolution reduced to HD +, the battery life is noticeably longer than that of competitors.

  • Average price: 14990 rubles.
  • Country: China
  • Screen: 6.5 inches, 1600x720, IPS, 60 Hz
  • Chipset: Mediatek Helio G85, 8 cores, 2.0 GHz
  • Battery: 6000 mAh
  • Weight: 209g

The best inexpensive smartphone for those who need a device with a powerful battery and good performance. To fit into the budget of up to 16,000 rubles, you will have to sacrifice Full HD resolution.The rest of the indicators are in perfect order - the device looks neat, it has a large amount of internal memory, there is a 48-megapixel main camera, Android 11 from the box and an NFC module for contactless payments, the tray holds two SIM cards and one flash drive. The package includes a case and a protective film, which is already pasted on the screen. The reviews note that there may be difficulties with restoring the contact book from a Google account.

Pros and cons
  • Powerful battery
  • Good performance in the budget segment
  • Rich equipment
  • Problems transferring contacts
  • Screen resolution is not Full HD

Top 1. POCO M3 4/128GB

Rating (2022): 4.72
Accounted for 22664 feedback from resources: Yandex.Market, Otzovik, Aliexpress, IRecommend, Citylink
The most popular

This smartphone is interested more often than any other in the budget up to 16,000 rubles. The statistics are confirmed by data from the Yandex.Wordstat service.

The most reliable

A lot of people used the smartphone, and the marriage rate turned out to be very low: people in the reviews do not complain about breakdowns, instability of work, and so on.

  • Average price: 14150 rubles.
  • Country: China
  • Screen: 6.53 inches, 2340x1080, IPS, 60 Hz
  • Chipset: Snapdragon 662, 8 cores, 2.0 GHz
  • Battery: 6000 mAh
  • Weight: 198g

A great smartphone with a particularly powerful battery. The cost of the device does not exceed 16,000 rubles, and at the same time it is better than many peers and even more expensive models. It attracts attention with the best value for money: a Full HD resolution screen and a nice-looking matrix, the processor copes with daily tasks well, battery life is longer than that of competitors.But due to the increased battery, the phone is heavier and thicker than usual, so it may seem too bulky to some. Users are also dissatisfied with the lack of an NFC module and an insufficiently large supply of screen brightness.

Pros and cons
  • good screen
  • Holds a charge for a long time
  • There are bright colors
  • No NFC module
  • Low screen brightness
  • Heavy
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Attention! The above information is not a buying guide. For any advice, you should contact the experts!

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2 commentary
  1. baf
    Do you know anything about smart brands at all? There are many others.
  2. Alexander
    Where is Redmi9t? And who said that Nokia is Finland?

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