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MagyarNotebookcheck's Top 10 Smartphones under 160 Euros
November 2019 Update. Here you will find the best smartphones under 160 USD/Euros reviewed by Notebookcheck over the last few months. Our list of top models is regularly updated, maintained and commented on and should assist in purchasing decisions.
The flagship smartphones from the established manufacturers always get the most attention. However, not everyone is willing to pay 500 Euros or more. Many people are actually looking for suitable smartphones in the inexpensive entry-level segment, and the price is obviously one major factor. There is no doubt that on paper the specifications reveal significant differences compared to the super smartphones, especially in terms of performance, display and picture quality of the integrated cameras. However, this does not mean that you cannot be happy with an inexpensive smartphone if you have moderate expectations. We list the best smartphones with a current street price of less than 160 USD/Euros that have been reviewed by Notebookcheck over the last 14 months (if the device is still available). The following rankings might be interesting as well:
- Notebookcheck's Top 10 Smartphones (high-end)
- Notebookcheck's Top 10 Smartphones under 500 Euros
- Notebookcheck's Top 10 Smartphones under 300 Euros
- Notebookcheck's Top 10 Phablets (> 5.5-inch)
- Notebookcheck's Top 10 Smartphones < 5-inch
We raised the price limit for entry-level smartphones to 160 Euros (previously 120 Euros) in 2018, which is mainly caused by the generally increasing prices in the segment.
The table can be sorted by clicking its headers or via text filter (e.g. "Snapdragon").
Note: The cheapest street price at the time of the last revision of this article applies to the following list. The sales prices shown in the following table and in the price comparison with the individual articles are automatically updated daily and can therefore differ!
Best Budget Smartphones as of November 2019
| Pos. | Date | Rating | Image | Model | Height | Weight | Size | Resolution | OS | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 02/2019 New | 79% |  | Motorola Moto G7 Power Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 Qualcomm Adreno 506 4 GB Memory, 64 GB eMMC | 9.3 mm | 193 g | 6.2" | 1570x720 | Android 9.0 Pie | |
| 2 | 04/2019 | 77% |  | Xiaomi Redmi 7 Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 Qualcomm Adreno 506 3 GB Memory, 32 GB eMMC | 8.5 mm | 180 g | 6.26" | 1520x720 | Android 9.0 Pie | |
| 3 | 03/2018 | 77% |  | Huawei P smart HiSilicon Kirin 659 ARM Mali-T830 MP2 3 GB Memory, 32 GB eMMC | 7.45 mm | 143 g | 5.65" | 2160x1080 | Android 8.0 Oreo | |
| 4 | 08/2018 | 76% |  | Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 Qualcomm Adreno 506 4 GB Memory, 64 GB eMMC | 8.8 mm | 178 g | 5.84" | 2280x1080 | Android 8.1 Oreo | |
| 5 | 07/2019 New | 76% |  | Samsung Galaxy A20e Samsung Exynos 7884B ARM Mali-G71 MP2 3 GB Memory, 32 GB eMMC | 8.4 mm | 141 g | 5.8" | 1560x720 | Android 9.0 Pie | |
| 6 | 11/2018 | 75% |  | Nokia 5.1 Mediatek Helio P10 MT6755 ARM Mali-T860 MP2 2 GB Memory, 16 GB eMMC | 8.2 mm | 151 g | 5.5" | 2160x1080 | Android 8.0 Oreo | |
| 7 | 08/2019 New | 75% |  | Samsung Galaxy A10 Samsung Exynos 7884B ARM Mali-G71 MP2 2 GB Memory, 32 GB eMMC | 7.9 mm | 168 g | 6.2" | 1520x720 | Android 9.0 Pie | |
| 8 | 04/2019 New | 75% |  | Huawei Y7 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 Qualcomm Adreno 506 3 GB Memory, 32 GB eMMC | 8.1 mm | 168 g | 6.26" | 1520x720 | Android 8.1 Oreo | |
| 9 | 06/2019 New | 73% |  | Huawei Y5 2019 Mediatek Helio A22 MT6761 PowerVR GE8300 2 GB Memory, 16 GB eMMC | 8.5 mm | 146 g | 5.71" | 1520x720 | Android 9.0 Pie | |
| 10 | 05/2019 New | 72% |  | Honor 8A Mediatek Helio P35 MT6765 PowerVR GE8320 2 GB Memory, 32 GB eMMC | 8 mm | 150 g | 6.09" | 1520x720 | Android 9.0 Pie |
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Top 10 smartphones from the last 14 months – current reviews are listed first
Editors' Comments
This month, we updated the rating based on our new rating version. There are also numerous new entries that replace older smartphones.
1st - Motorola Moto G7 Power
The Motorola Moto G7 Power has a 6.2-inch IPS screen with the small HD resolution. It is powered by an upper mainstream SoC in combination with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage. The latter can be expanded via microSD card (up to 512 GB). The highlight of the smartphone is the 5000 mAh battery, which enables very long battery runtimes.
The G7 Power unfortunately only uses a single camera, bit it still takes good pictures. It is also comparatively heavy.
Pricecompare
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Smartphones, Phablets, ≤5-inch, Camera SmartphonesNotebookcheck's Top 10 Smartphones under 160 Euros
2nd - Xiaomi Redmi 7
The Xiaomi Redmi 7 has a 6.26-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1520 x 720 pixels. It is powered by a Snapdragon 632, which is supported by 3 GB RAM. You also get 32 GB internal storage, which can be expanded via microSD card. Other models with 2/16 GB and 4/64 GB are offered as well. The 4000 mAh battery ensures long battery runtimes.
Despite the low price, you can choose between different colors and even get a fingerprint scanner. The GNSS module did not work well in our review, and the utilization of PWM might also be a deal breaker.
Pricecompare
3rd – Huawei P Smart (2018)
When it was first introduced, Huawei's P Smart (2018) was a mid-range smartphone at a much higher price. However, over time it trickled down into the sub 160 Euro range. It is powered by the Chinese manufacturer’s own mid-range SoC and features 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage that can be expanded via microSD card. Its 2:1 5.65-inch display runs at a native resolution of 2160 x 1080 and turned out to be incredibly bright.
Particularly impressive were its decent dual-camera as well as its fast fingerprint reader featuring configurable gestures. Battery life was respectable but nothing to write home about, and Wi-Fi was limited to the 2.4 GHz band.
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4th – Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite (Redmi 6 Pro)
Xiaomi’s Redmi 6 Pro, or rather its European counterpart the Mi A2 Lite, features a 5.84-inch 19:9 IPS-display with a native resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels, a slightly aged yet nonetheless powerful SoC, 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, and a triple SIM slot. It even supports microSD card memory expansion, an infrared port, and a 3.5-mm headphone jack. Its hardware as well as the comparatively large 4,000 mAh battery are impressive considering the device’s low price.
In our review the smartphone impressed us with long battery life, a bright display, a fast fingerprint reader, and a decent face detection technology. The European model even runs Android One by default.
Nevertheless, there were a few downsides, the most glaring of which were the lack of NFC and the fact that Netflix and other streaming services can only be enjoyed in SD quality.
Pricecompare
5th - Samsung Galaxy A20e
The Samsung Galaxy A20e is one of the more compact smartphones on the market and also comparatively light at 141 grams. It has a 5.8-inch HD+ display, 3 GB RAM, and 32 GB internal storage, which can be expanded via microSD. The dual-camera features an additional ultra wide-angle and takes comparatively good pictures in daylight conditions.
The Samsung smartphone can convince with its pretty long list of features, so it does not require many compromises. The battery also provides long runtimes, only fans of demanding games and selfies will not be happy with the A20e.
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6th – Nokia 5.1
The Nokia 5.1 is a comparatively small 5.5-inch smartphone. It features a 2:1 IPS display (1920 x 1080), an entry-level MediaTek SoC that was fast enough for everyday tasks and applications but not much more, and a total of just 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage. Fortunately, the latter can be expanded via microSD card.
On the plus are its use of Android One and its comparatively extensive selection of supported cellular bands. Battery life was decent overall but the phone will most likely have to be recharged every single day.
For a bit more money you can already get the Nokia 5.1 Plus without NFC.
Pricecompare
7th - Samsung Galaxy A10
The Galaxy A10 is currently the least expensive smartphone from Samsung. It has a 6.2-inch IPS display with 1520 x 720 pixels. The mainstream SoC is supported by 2 GB RAM and you get 32 GB internal storage, which can be expanded via microSD-card. The battery has a capacity of 3400 mAh and ensures long battery runtimes.
There are small restrictions for the camera, because it only uses a standard wide-angle lens. The daylight results are still okay though. You have to waive an ambient light sensor and a fingerprint scanner, too.
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8th - Huawei Y7 (2019)
One highlight of the Huawei Y7 (2019) is the 4000 mAh battery, which is already familiar from previous models and once again ensures very long runtimes. Customers can choose between appealing colors for the 6.26-inch smartphone, but the IPS screen still uses the HD+ resolution. 3 GB RAM and 32 GB internal storage is on par with the competition.
The dual-camera takes comparatively good results, even though the second lens only collects depth information. Besides a fingerprint scanner, the Huawei smartphone can also be secured via facial recognition.
Pricecompare
9th - Huawei Y5 (2019)
The Huawei Y5 2019 is, among others, available in a leather design in addition to regular blue or black models. Despite the comparatively small 5.71-inch IPS display, the Y5 still tips the scale at 146 grams. The features on the other hand are pretty slim. Besides the slow entry-level SoC, you only get 2 GB RAM as well as 16 GB internal storage, which can be expanded.
The single camera takes decent pictures in daylight situations and the battery should easily manage a full day. Because of the slow SoC and the limited amount of RAM, however, we would only recommend the Y5 for occasional smartphone users.
Pricecompare
10th - Honor 8A
The Honor 8A is the sibling of the Huawei Y6 (2019) and the main difference is the colorful plastic back cover. However, the 8A also has better specs including a much more powerful processor, which improved the everyday performance significantly.
The display measures 6.09 inches with 1520 x 720 pixels. Besides 2 GB RAM, you also get 32 GB internal storage, which can be expanded up to 512 GB via microSD-card. The 3020 mAh battery enables surprisingly long battery runtimes, only the single camera cannot really convince and tales rather mediocre results.
Pricecompare
Best Budget Smartphones in Comparison
Size Comparison
Measurement Results
| Motorola Moto G7 Power Adreno 506, 632, 64 GB eMMC Flash | Xiaomi Redmi 7 Adreno 506, 632, 32 GB eMMC Flash | Huawei P smart Mali-T830 MP2, Kirin 659, 32 GB eMMC Flash | Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro Adreno 506, 625, 64 GB eMMC Flash | Samsung Galaxy A20e Mali-G71 MP2, 7884B, 32 GB eMMC Flash | Nokia 5.1 Mali-T860 MP2, Helio P10 MT6755, 16 GB eMMC Flash | Samsung Galaxy A10 Mali-G71 MP2, 7884B, 32 GB eMMC Flash | Huawei Y7 2019 Adreno 506, 450, 32 GB eMMC Flash | Huawei Y5 2019 PowerVR GE8300, Helio A22 MT6761, 16 GB eMMC Flash | Honor 8A PowerVR GE8320, Helio P35 MT6765, 32 GB eMMC Flash | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response Times | ||||||||||
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 56 (27, 29) | 25 (6, 19) | 40 (17, 23) | 36 (19, 17) | 44.4 (20, 24.4) | 57.6 (28.4, 29.2) | 38 (19, 19) | 44 (22.8, 21.2) | 30 (11, 19) | 48 (20.4, 27.6) |
| Response Time Black / White * | 22 (7, 15) | 26 (13, 13) | 18 (5, 13) | 16 (7, 9) | 20.8 (7.6, 13.2) | 38.8 (19.6, 19.2) | 16 (5, 11) | 24.8 (10.8, 14) | 14 (5, 9) | 24.8 (9.2, 15.6) |
| PWM Frequency | 555.6 (15) | 100 (20) | 2404 (15) | 349.7 (50) | 64.94 (10) | 77 (10) | 1000 (10) | |||
| Screen | ||||||||||
| Brightness middle | 608 | 444 | 573 | 554 | 475 | 447 | 451 | 547 | 630 | 522 |
| Brightness | 585 | 441 | 568 | 538 | 473 | 451 | 430 | 543 | 593 | 542 |
| Brightness Distribution | 92 | 90 | 89 | 91 | 93 | 88 | 90 | 94 | 88 | 94 |
| Black Level * | 0.36 | 0.45 | 0.63 | 0.61 | 0.35 | 0.16 | 0.22 | 0.49 | 0.66 | 0.47 |
| Contrast | 1689 | 987 | 910 | 908 | 1357 | 2794 | 2050 | 1116 | 955 | 1111 |
| Colorchecker DeltaE2000 * | 5.08 | 3.94 | 4.2 | 4.86 | 6.8 | 4.5 | 5.44 | 4.5 | 5.79 | 4 |
| Colorchecker DeltaE2000 max. * | 8.74 | 6.72 | 6.4 | 8.46 | 13.4 | 7.9 | 11.94 | 7.9 | 9.54 | 9.5 |
| Greyscale DeltaE2000 * | 5.9 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 5.3 | 8.7 | 4.5 | 7.8 | 5 | 7 | 6.6 |
| Gamma | 2.219 99% | 2.294 96% | 2.24 98% | 2.281 96% | 2.33 94% | 2.31 95% | 2.206 100% | 2.35 94% | 2.176 101% | 2.28 96% |
| CCT | 7772 84% | 7445 87% | 7157 91% | 7770 84% | 9385 69% | 7517 86% | 9149 71% | 7400 88% | 8420 77% | 7258 90% |
| Heat | ||||||||||
| Maximum Upper Side * | 32.4 | 39.4 | 35.7 | 40.6 | 35.1 | 37.7 | 38.7 | 37.8 | 41.2 | 34.6 |
| Maximum Bottom * | 31.5 | 39.4 | 34.1 | 39.5 | 34.3 | 35.9 | 38.7 | 34 | 37.2 | 31.7 |
| Idle Upper Side * | 26.8 | 31.9 | 34.1 | 33.3 | 29.7 | 33 | 29.2 | 38.2 | 28.5 | 31.5 |
| Idle Bottom * | 26.5 | 29.9 | 27.9 | 32.3 | 28.7 | 29.6 | 29.8 | 31.5 | 28.2 | 26.9 |
| Battery Runtime | ||||||||||
| Reader / Idle | 1489 | 985 | 1765 | 1432 | 1021 | 1489 | 2350 | 1256 | ||
| WiFi v1.3 | 2143 | 848 | 565 | 868 | 715 | 523 | 753 | 1113 | 709 | 828.8 |
| Load | 513 | 268 | 202 | 293 | 250 | 175 | 276 | 296 | 249 | 301 |
| Power Consumption | ||||||||||
| Idle Minimum * | 1.1 | 1 | 0.62 | 1.3 | 0.66 | 1.38 | 0.7 | 0.51 | 1.2 | 0.73 |
| Idle Average * | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.76 | 2.1 | 1.63 | 2.14 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.07 |
| Idle Maximum * | 2.8 | 2.1 | 1.87 | 3.7 | 1.67 | 2.2 | 2 | 1.85 | 2.4 | 2.14 |
| Load Average * | 4.1 | 3.3 | 4.47 | 4.5 | 2.77 | 4.21 | 5.4 | 3.17 | 3.3 | 4.3 |
| Load Maximum * | 6.9 | 5.6 | 6.39 | 6 | 3.66 | 6.81 | 6 | 4.44 | 4.6 | 5.96 |
* ... smaller is better
Benchmarks
| 3DMark | |
| 1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 7 | |
| Huawei P smart | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20e | |
| Nokia 5.1 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A10 | |
| Huawei Y7 2019 | |
| Huawei Y5 2019 | |
| Honor 8A | |
| 1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 7 | |
| Huawei P smart | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20e | |
| Nokia 5.1 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A10 | |
| Huawei Y7 2019 | |
| Huawei Y5 2019 | |
| Honor 8A | |
| 1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 7 | |
| Huawei P smart | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20e | |
| Nokia 5.1 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A10 | |
| Huawei Y7 2019 | |
| Huawei Y5 2019 | |
| Honor 8A | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 | |
| 1920x1080 T-Rex HD Offscreen C24Z16 (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 7 | |
| Huawei P smart | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20e | |
| Nokia 5.1 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A10 | |
| Huawei Y7 2019 | |
| Huawei Y5 2019 | |
| Honor 8A | |
| T-Rex HD Onscreen C24Z16 (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 7 | |
| Huawei P smart | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20e | |
| Nokia 5.1 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A10 | |
| Huawei Y7 2019 | |
| Huawei Y5 2019 | |
| Honor 8A | |
| AnTuTu v7 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 7 | |
| Huawei P smart | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20e | |
| Samsung Galaxy A10 | |
| Huawei Y7 2019 | |
| Huawei Y5 2019 | |
| Honor 8A | |
| AnTuTu v6 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 7 | |
| Huawei P smart | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20e | |
| Nokia 5.1 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A10 | |
| Huawei Y7 2019 | |
| Huawei Y5 2019 | |
| Honor 8A | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto G7 Power | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 7 | |
| Huawei P smart | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20e | |
| Nokia 5.1 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A10 | |
| Huawei Y7 2019 | |
| Huawei Y5 2019 | |
| Honor 8A | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 7 | |
| Huawei P smart | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro | |
| Samsung Galaxy A20e | |
| Nokia 5.1 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A10 | |
| Huawei Y7 2019 | |
| Huawei Y5 2019 | |
| Honor 8A | |
| WebXPRT 2015 - Overall Score (sort by value) | |
| Huawei P smart | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro | |
| Samsung Galaxy A10 | |
| Huawei Y7 2019 | |
| Honor 8A | |
* ... smaller is better
