TOP—7. The best gaming smartphones under 15,000 rubles. Rating for September 2022!

The price segment from 10,000 to 15,000 rubles is interesting because it is now the transition between smartphones with basic functionality and more “pumped up” models. Our rating, which includes the best models at the end of 2022 in terms of price, quality and functionality, will help you choose a good smartphone worth up to 15,000 rubles.

The most obvious difference between inexpensive and expensive smartphones is at the level of photographic capabilities. Almost all mobile phones over 10 thousand show good quality pictures with the main camera. Naturally, in normal lighting, only much higher-class devices can take decent photos in difficult conditions, since the corresponding processing algorithms require intensive calculations and the presence of truly powerful hardware. But the success of smartphones with price tags up to 15 thousand in all other photographic disciplines is much more modest. Rare models can boast of ultra-wide-angle cameras, and the remaining rear modules in this segment are most often of little use.

Progress does not stand still, and those “wants” that seemed excessive just a year ago are now embodied in almost any representative of conventionally budget devices. At least, smartphones that cannot handle contactless payments, are not equipped with a capacious battery, or do not support fast charging are now a minority in this category. It also began to include models with increased screen refresh rates and stereo speakers. As for the quality of music playback through headphones, it has long and completely satisfied most fans.

It is worth mentioning separately the sad trend of recent times, namely the steady rise in prices. There are several reasons, from the pandemic and climate change to unfair competition. As a result, a shift in the positioning of product lines. Frankly budget smartphones are now asking as much as devices of a higher class previously cost.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 3/64GB (NFC)

• Read also:  TOP 6 applications for high-quality slowdown and acceleration of video on iPhone

• MediaTek Helio G85 processor, 12nm.
• CPU – 8 Cortex cores, A75 (2×2.0 GHz) + A55 (6×1.8 GHz).
• GPU – ARM Mali-G52 MC2, up to 1000 MHz.
• Screen 6.53″, IPS LCD, 2340×1080, 395 ppi, 19.5:9, 60 Hz.
• Android 10 (Q) OS, MIUI 11 / 12 interface.
• RAM 3 GB (LPDDR4x), ROM 64 GB (eMMC 5.1).
• Triple slot, 2 nanoSIM + 1 microSD up to 512 GB.
• Main quad AI camera 48 MP (f/1.79, PDAF, 79.4°).
• Add. sensors 8 MP (f/2.2, 118°) + 2 MP (f/2.4, AF=2-10 cm) + 2 MP (f/2.4, FF).
• Video recording – up to 1080p/30fps, slow-mo 120fps.
• Front AI camera 13 MP (f/2.25, 74°).
• Built-in battery 5020 mAh, charging – fast 18 W + reverse up to 9 W.
• USB Type-C 2.0, 3.5 mm minijack, USB OTG.
• Conversational + 1 music speakers, 2 microphones.
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, 4G LTE.
• NFC (with Google Pay support), FM radio, IR port.
• Fingerprint on the back panel + face unlock.
• 4 colors, P2i nano-coating against splashes, body – glossy plastic.
• Front is Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
• H×W×D – 162.3×77.2×8.9 mm; weight – 199 g.

Opens the top selection of Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 NFC with a memory configuration of 3+64 GB. This gadget is one of the most successful Xiaomi smart phones with an affordable price tag, and in terms of gaming it shows decent results.

The smart phone runs on a 12nm Helio G85 processor from MediaTek. Of course, not the best solution, but still designed for games. The chipset has 8 cores, of which 2 high-performance Cortex-A75 with a frequency of 2 GHz and 6 energy-efficient Cortex-A55 with a frequency of 1.8 GHz. The built-in Mali-G52 MC2 video processor with an increased clock frequency of up to 1 GHz is responsible for graphics processing. In tests, the gadget produces quite standard results. It can't boast of record-breaking performance, but to its credit, it's hard to find fault with its performance. This is a great workhorse that is also suitable for entertaining.

All current titles run on this device without problems - Asphalt 9, World of Tanks Blitz, Call of Duty Mobile and others. There are no lags observed, but the settings must be set to low, with a maximum of medium. However, many games do not differ much at high and low settings.

A modest 3 GB of RAM on board is enough for normal use of the smart phone. No memory shortage is detected. Cases of unloading background applications are observed only when opening a dozen other applications or a very resource-intensive game. Unfortunately, when running heavy games, the back of the smart phone begins to noticeably heat up, especially if the gameplay lasts more than one hour. But it would be foolish to expect a powerful cooling system from a smart phone with such a price. When gaming at low settings (even for a long time), the heating of the case does not become excessive.

As for battery consumption, an hour of racing Asphalt 9 at medium brightness consumed 12% of the charge. For a gadget with a 6.53-inch IPS screen with FHD+ resolution, this is a good result. The installed battery has a capacity of 5020 mAh, which will allow you to drive for 8 hours.

Realme C15 is a long-lasting smartphone with a solid battery and a gaming processor

The rating of the best smartphones under 15,000 rubles continues with a long-lived phone with an impressive 6000 mAh battery with support for fast charging.

The weak point of the device is the screen. For a large 6.5-inch IPS display, HD+ resolution is still not enough. A good anti-reflective coating, as well as the presence of a blue light filtering function, corrects the situation a little.

manilasaker.com

The performance of the model is driven by the latest MediaTek Helio G35 chipset, which is positioned as a gaming one. The amount of RAM is 4 GB. Built-in flash drive 64 GB. It’s gratifying that there is support for a memory card and you don’t have to sacrifice a second SIM card for it.

Realme C15 was the first in the C-series to receive a rear quad camera. It consists of a 13-megapixel main module and an 8-megapixel sensor with ultra-wide-angle optics. The other two 2-megapixel modules are assistive. One is responsible for the background blur effect, and the other is needed to create black and white photos in a retro style.

Realme C15 is a well-balanced smartphone with a powerful battery, a good camera, a fresh processor and an NFC module. There were some compromises - the screen, although large, has a low resolution. However, against the background of the other advantages of the model and taking into account the low cost of the device, this drawback is forgivable.

Xiaomi Poco M3

• Qualcomm SM6115 Snapdragon 662 processor, 11nm.
• CPU – 8 Kryo 260 cores (Gold 4×2.0 GHz + Silver 4×1.8 GHz).
• GPU – Qualcomm Adreno 610, 600 MHz.
• Screen 6.53″, IPS LCD, 2340×1080, 395 ppi, 19.5:9, 60 Hz.
• Android 10 (Q) OS, MIUI 12 interface.
• RAM 4 GB (LPDDR4x), ROM 64 GB (UFS 2.1) / 128 GB (UFS 2.2).
• Triple slot, 2 nanoSIM + 1 microSD up to 512 GB.
• Main triple AI camera 48 MP (f/1.79, PDAF).
• Additional sensors 2 MP (f/2.4, FF) + 2 MP (f/2.4).
• Video recording – up to 1080p/30fps, slow-mo 120fps.
• Front AI camera 8 MP (f/2.05).
• Built-in 6000 mAh battery, 18W fast charging + reverse.
• Increased battery life (more than 1000 charging cycles).
• USB Type-C 2.0, 3.5 mm minijack, USB OTG.
• Conversational + 2 music speakers, 2 microphones.
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, 4G LTE, FM radio, IR sensor.
• Fingerprint in the power button + face unlock.
• 3 colors, textured plastic body.
• Front is Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
• H×W×D – 162.3×77.3×9.6 mm; weight – 198 g.

Those who are looking for a smart phone with a budget price tag and good gaming capabilities should also pay attention to the Xiaomi Poco M3 with 4 GB of RAM. The gadget proves itself to be a fast and comfortable device to use. The 11nm Snapdragon 662 processor with 8 Kryo 260 cores is responsible for its performance. Half of them have a frequency of 2 GHz, the other half – 1.8 GHz. The graphics accelerator is Adreno 610 with a clock frequency of 600 MHz.

In tests, the gadget shows results above average. The power of the hardware is quite enough for gaming at medium and high settings without nerves. Smart allows you to play any available toys from the Google Play Market. Games launch quickly and run without annoying lags. Call of Duty Mobile flies at 42fps, WoT Blitz – at 60fps with infrequent drops to 52fps.

The gadget is practically not subject to throttling. And, curiously, only synthetic tests are accompanied by heating of the case. During actual use, no heating was noticed - the cooling system works very efficiently. There are also no complaints about autonomy. The installed 6000 mAh battery allows you to play almost 24 hours a day, depending on the gluttony of the selected game. The screen here is a clear 6.53 inches, with an IPS matrix and FHD+ resolution. Also, this budget hit is equipped with a high-quality vibration motor, and in addition, it is the only one of all the smart phones included in the TOP that boasts stereo sound, which significantly contributes to better orientation in the game.

What to look for when choosing?

But first, let's figure out what details you should concentrate on when looking for a device at an average price:

1. Speed ​​of work. Depends on the type of processor and affects system performance and response. The better the characteristics, the more tasks the device can perform simultaneously.
2. RAM. It cannot be expanded or added, so you should pay attention to this indicator before purchasing. Depending on the purpose: modern games require as much RAM as possible. For everyday use this indicator is not so important.
3. Battery capacity . The more powerful the processor, the better the picture quality and the stronger the camera, the more energy the device consumes. Accordingly, the higher the battery capacity, the better.
4. Camera. The more MP and the higher the resolution, the clearer the photos and videos are.

Huawei P smart 2022

• Processor HiSilicon (Huawei) Kirin 710A, 14 nm.
• CPU – 8 Cortex cores, A73 (4×2.0 GHz) + A53 (4×1.7 GHz).
• GPU – ARM Mali-G51 MP4, 1000 MHz.
• Screen 6.67″, IPS TFT LCD, 2400×1080, 395 ppi, 20:9, 60 Hz.
• Android 10 (Q) OS, EMUI 10.1 interface.
• Huawei AppGallery, without Google services.
• RAM 4 GB (LPDDR4x), ROM 128 GB (eMMC 5.1).
• Triple slot, 2 nanoSIM + 1 microSD up to 512 GB.
• Main quad AI camera 48 MP (f/1.8, PDAF).
• Additional sensors 8 MP (f/2.4, 120°) + 2 MP (f/2.4) + 2 MP (f/2.4).
• Video recording – up to 1080p/60fps, 6x digital zoom.
• Front camera 8 MP (f/2.0).
• Built-in 5000mAh battery, 22.5W fast charging.
• USB Type-C 2.0, 3.5 mm minijack, USB OTG, 4G LTE.
• Conversational + 1 music speakers, 2 microphones.
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.1, FM radio (built-in antenna).
• Multifunctional NFC (SberPay and Wallet application).
• Fingerprint in the power button + face unlock.
• 2 colors, back panel and side frame - plastic.
• The front is tempered glass.
• H×W×T – 165.65×76.88×9.26 mm; weight – 206 g.

The Huawei P smart 2022, deprived of Google services, will allow you to play WoT Blitz and other non-heavyweight games without any problems. The gadget is equipped with a 14-nm Kirin 710A chipset, consisting of 8 cores - 4 Cortex-A73 with a frequency of 2 GHz and 4- x Cortex-A53 with a frequency of 1.7 GHz. The graphics component – ​​the Mali-G51 MP4 chip – has a clock frequency of 1 GHz.

Most of the toys presented in the AppGallery run without lags or slowdowns, regardless of what genre the user prefers. Those who like to run around with a machine gun and shoot will love the online shooter Modern Ops with automatic graphics settings to “ultra” and a refresh rate of 60fps. The back side of the smart gets a little warm during a shootout, but the frame rate does not drop even during prolonged gaming. Tanks here also literally fly, but to play PUBG or COD comfortably, medium settings are required.

The smart phone is available in a 4+128 GB memory configuration and is equipped with a good 6.67-inch FHD+ screen with an IPS TFT matrix. A 5000 mAh battery is responsible for autonomy. On average, one charge lasts for 6-7 hours of gaming.

comparison table

Vivo Y31

• Qualcomm SM6115 Snapdragon 662 processor, 11nm.
• CPU – 8 Kryo 260 cores (Gold 4×2.0 GHz + Silver 4×1.8 GHz).
• GPU – Qualcomm Adreno 610, 600 MHz.
• Screen 6.58″, IPS LCD, 2408×1080, 401 ppi, 20:9, 60 Hz.
• Android 11 OS, Funtouch OS 11 interface.
• RAM 4 GB (LPDDR4x), ROM 128 GB (UFS 2.1).
• Triple slot, 2 nanoSIM + 1 microSD up to 1 TB.
• Main triple AI camera 48 MP (f/1.79, PDAF).
• Additional sensors 2 MP (f/2.4, F=4 cm) + 2 MP (f/2.4).
• Video recording – up to 1080p/30fps, slow-mo, time-lapse, EIS.
• Front AI camera 8 MP (f/1.8).
• Built-in 5000 mAh battery.
• Charging – fast 18 W + reverse.
• USB Type-C 2.0, 3.5 mm minijack, USB OTG.
• Conversational + 1 music speakers, 2 microphones.
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, 4G LTE, FM radio.
• NFC (with support for Google Pay).
• Fingerprint in the power button + face unlock.
• 2 colors, back panel and side frame - polymer (plastic).
• The front is tempered glass.
• H×W×T – 163.86×75.32×8.38 mm; weight – 188 g.

The top selection continues with the Vivo Y31 with 4 GB of RAM. This cool budget phone runs on the already mentioned Snapdragon 662 chip. It can handle almost any game, even with complex graphics. Of course, these run only on minimum settings, but that’s why it’s a budget device. The smart also launches heavy games that are not the first freshness on medium or low settings, but, of course, you should mainly count on light toys. The Genshin Impact and Fortnite Mobile projects are difficult to launch even on minimum settings, so this gaming cannot be called comfortable. World of Tanks runs just fine on low settings, GFX Tool on minimum settings produces 57fps, and PUBG on Smooth/High graphics gives a stable 30fps. To play Call of Duty comfortably, medium settings are required.

In general, stability is the strong point of this smart. Drawdowns are extremely rare. Throttling is only available in synthetic tests. It is not observed in real use. Lags, if they pop up, are small and infrequent. Smart practically does not heat up even under load. Among other things, it is worth noting the exclusive Multi-Turbo 4.0 mode, which significantly improves the gameplay.

The battery here is set to 5000 mAh. Surprisingly, this gadget is in no way inferior in autonomy to the previously reviewed Xiaomi Poco M3 smartphone, which is based on the same processor and has a more capacious 6000 mAh battery. In PUBG, the smart lasts for more than 10 hours. For a smart with a colorful 6.58-inch IPS screen with FHD+ resolution, the result is good.

Final rating table

Samsung Galaxy M21

A Samsung smartphone with a full FullHD screen made using Super AMOLED technology.

Another feature is the crazy 6000 mAh battery. You can safely take this long-lasting phone on a hike and enjoy the beautiful views of Russian nature, while using the 48-megapixel camera.

Pros:

• detailed pictures;
• display;
• capacious battery.

Minuses:

• slow storage.

OPPO A53

A model that is inferior to the previous device in photo quality, but attracts attention with other features.

Thus, OPPO A53 received decent stereo speakers and a display with increased Hertz. True, the cameras take photographs at the level of budget devices.

Pros:

• autonomy;
• stereo sound;
• smooth screen.

Minuses:

• display graininess.

Realme 7 4/64Gb

Another productive device included in the rating.

Unlike Poco, there is a width here, so the variability of shooting is fully respected. There is also a capacious battery for one and a half days of battery life.

Pros:

• powerful Helio G95;
• quad camera;
• big battery.

Minuses:

• heating the case.

Samsung Galaxy A30s

Inexpensive phone with AMOLED display.

The Galaxy A30s shoots on par with the Honor 10i, but the autonomy here is on a fundamentally different level. The smartphone lasts longer, although it is equipped with an HD screen.

Pros:

• triple camera;
• AMOLED matrix;
• working hours.

Minuses:

• screen graininess.

HONOR 10i

A similar model, but with a more familiar teardrop-shaped cutout for the front camera.

In terms of performance, the Honor phone is no different from Huawei, but it offers an additional lens for wide-angle shots. The only pity is that the autonomy leaves much to be desired.

Pros:

• picture quality;
• lightweight body.

Minuses:

• performance;
• autonomy.