How to choose the best smartphone 2021 under 200 euros

How to choose the best smartphone 2021 under 200 euros

Buying a good smartphone without spending big bucks is, nowadays, absolutely possible. In recent years there has been a significant reduction in prices, thanks above all to the many emerging brands on the market that have made available a high level of technology at competitive figures.


Among the best 2021 smartphoneson the market there are various options with a good quality-price ratio and with excellent construction characteristics. In particular, it is possible to find online 200 euro smartphones that little envy to the top of the range: just know how to identify them.






But how to choose a good budget smartphone? The key is to carefully analyze your habits, the most used features, and consequently look for the best technical characteristics that support them. For example, are you interested in browsing online and on social networks?

It will be essential to focus on connectivity and battery. Are you passionate about photos and videos? It is worth checking the characteristics of the camera and memory. Gaming addicts? Pay attention to the processor.


This practical guide will reveal exactly what are all the essential elements to know and evaluate for thepurchase of a great budget smartphone, summarizing the basic concepts and including recommendations on reference values ​​for each parameter. In particular, two macro-categories will be explored: performance and functionality.

Performance: processor, memory, battery and connectivity

When we talk about the performance of a smartphone, we refer first to the combination of two parameters, namely the type of processor and the size of the RAM. Let's start with the processor, the mind of our smartphone that takes care of performing all the calculations and whose power directly affects the speed of our device.





To evaluate a processor it is necessary to check the number of its cores, ie the number of computing units available, and their operating frequency expressed in GHz. For speed and therefore high performance, it is good to aim for an Octa-core processor (or at least Quad-core) from 2GHz.



RAM, or “Random Access Memory”, is the memory available for the temporary data of the applications in use. It is easy to deduce that the more a device has RAM, the more it will be capable of multitasking.

On a practical level, a high RAM memory translates into a fast and “smooth” transition between the various applications and no forced crash of the contents. If we consider the fluidity of the device an important parameter, it is necessary to select a smartphone with at least 3GB of RAM.

Our smartphone is also equipped with another internal memory, which allows us to permanently store our data (apps, images, videos, documents, etc.). This memory is typically fixed, but i best mid-range smartphones of 2021 they also allow the possibility of expanding it through special microSD slots.


If you intend to use your smartphone to take photos and record videos, it is preferable to choose a model with an internal memory of at least 32 GB, or 64 GB if we aim for 4K video.

The smartphones that, in the slot typically intended for microSD, also allow you to insert a second SIM deserve a special mention. These models, called dual-SIM, thus allow the use of two telephone numbers at the same time.





Among the characteristics that determine the performance of a smartphone there is obviously the battery, measured in Milliampere Hour (mAh). To ensure at least a full day of use and work of the smartphone, it is advisable to focus on models with at least 3000 mAh of capacity.

If an extensive use of social apps with a high amount of multimedia content (Instagram, Youtube, TikTok) is foreseen, it is even preferable to aim for at least 4000 mAh. You can also always rely on the battery life estimates reported by the manufacturers, or, better still, by those who have already reviewed the aforementioned smartphone.


Last but certainly not least is the supported connectivity. To browse at maximum speed and instantly download any type of file or content, connectivity must support at least 4G / LTE technology. Many among the best 2021 smartphones they are also already projected towards the future and are ready to support 5G, which will soon be a reality throughout Spain.

Functionality: display, camera and sensors

This category includes all the features that allow you to appreciate or produce multimedia content, and all the components that directly enrich the smartphone use experience. First of all, let's delve into the display, one of the most important components of our device. The first characteristic to be evaluated is obviously the size, which can vary in a range between 4.5 '' and 5.5 '' and beyond.


The first displays are ideal for those looking for a compact and light smartphone, while increasing the number of inches will be able to better appreciate the quality of multimedia content. Whoever is in the middle, can move towards a good one cheap smartphone equipped with a 5 '' - 5.3 '' screen.




After the size of the display, the resolution expressed in pixels, that is the number of points that together reproduce the images on the screen, must be immediately evaluated. For crisp and clean images, it is preferable to opt for an HD (1280 x 720 pixels) or Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution.

In addition, although many devices in this price range use AMOLED / Super AMOLED panels, there are also excellent budget smartphones with IPS LCD panels on the market that ensure much more realistic color reproduction and better visibility under the sun's rays.

There is no doubt that for photography enthusiasts the camera will be the component to be evaluated. Fortunately, among the best 2021 smartphones, including those from 200 euros, it is possible to find phones with more than satisfactory photographic performance.


First of all, we need to check the number of megapixels, i.e. the number of pixels from which the photos we take are composed: generally 8 megapixels are more than enough to capture beautiful images, and it is not strictly necessary to go beyond 12.

Following, in importance, the aperture of the diaphragm measured in f / xx, which indicates the "brightness", that is the quantity of light that is captured by the lens. Image quality will depend on many other criteria: presence of a stabilizer, color reproduction, white balance, type of flash, autofocus function, etc.

Other very interesting features to be evaluated concern the sensors, which is part of a set of technical characteristics that are also important for the management of security and privacy. The most common sensor is the fingerprint sensor: extremely useful, certainly very widespread, and easily available also on cheaper smartphone.

Thanks to this sensor it is possible to instantly unlock the smartphone and authenticate in various applications or sites using just a finger. The alternative to this technology is the facial recognition sensor, typical of smartphones with a slimmer design.

The advantage of this sensor lies in the possibility of unlocking the phone with hands full, or when we wear gloves, but it can paradoxically be more uncomfortable in other situations, such as when wearing a garment that partially covers the face or lying down.

To conclude this guide to buying cheap smartphones, we mention one last feature that falls somewhat into a category of its own: the operating system. The smartphone from 200 euros available on the market typically have an Android or Windows Mobile operating system.

To date, Android remains the market leader, and its PlayStore can boast an almost unlimited number of apps and games. It is also a highly customizable operating system that is easy to use, although it can be susceptible to malware.

There are, however, some good but cheap smartphones equipped with Windows 10 Mobile. Microsoft's operating system is absolutely good in terms of performance but, being not very widespread, fewer applications are available.

Where to buy a good and cheap smartphone

To buy one good and cheap smartphone we advise you to rely on large chains of telephone and electronics stores, if instead you want to make your purchase online, the advice is to choose to buy on websites such as Amazon, alternatively you can turn to online stores specialized in the sale of mobile telephones , for example on Overly, you will be able to buy different models of good and cheap smartphones.

In conclusion, the choice of the best 200 euro smartphone must be made starting from your personal needs and your lifestyle. Follow the instructions given in this practical guide and you will be guaranteed to center your purchase and to equip yourself with an inexpensive smart device that lives up to your expectations.

Further Reading:

  • Offers of the day
  • You can find the cheapest Motorola for only 99 € (Free shipping)
  • Buying Guide - Page 3
  • The best smartphones under the 200 euro
  • Best smartphones under € 200 June 2021
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