What are the best low-budget Xiaomi phones today?

Xiaomi is a Chinese brand that’s been just over a decade in the mobile market. Through the years, it burst into the market with an aggressive pricing strategy and very striking devices in the performance section, which quickly managed to make a place and a name in this competitive industry.

It’s clear that Xiaomi's main objective was to become a direct competitor of high-end mobile brands such as Samsung and Apple, with smartphones that matched their features, but offered at a much lower price, making them very attractive.

But Xiaomi understood that despite offering lower prices than the brands it wanted to compete with, the sales volume and business were in other ranges, so it developed the Redmi sub-brand, where it markets cellphones in the medium and low ranges.

So if you’re looking for a very affordable device that performs basic tasks well; such as surfing the internet, communicating with messaging applications, using social networks, and basic games, you should know that the best low-end Xiaomi phones are in the Redmi series. As the industry has advanced, they’ve improved their features and capabilities to offer better quality components, although it’s worth mentioning that there are still technologies that remain exclusively in the upper-middle and high-end phones.

The best low-end Xiaomi phones usually stand out in some specific feature. For example, some may have a very good camera, others excel in battery range, and some in screen. All this with the aim of attracting users looking for a particular specification.

How to choose the best low-budget Xiaomi smartphone?

The low-end cellphones were created with the specific objective of bringing technology to a larger number of people. Bringing technology to users who cannot afford to spend a large amount of money on a device or those who are simply not interested, as they will only use their mobiles to perform simple tasks.

The prices of the best low-end Xiaomi mobiles are so affordable that virtually anyone could have access to one of these devices and thus have in their hands a full-fledged smartphone, with a touch screen, camera, games, app store, and all its functions.

If you’re looking for one of the best low-end Xiaomi mobiles, here’s a list of the features you should consider before purchasing one.

Display

Currently, all low-end smartphones share the same technology for their screen. We’re talking about IPS LCD panels, which are the most accessible on the market and perform their functions well. In general, IPS LCD screens have the advantage of offering very good viewing angles, so if for some reason you have to see the content without completely facing the display, you will be able to do so satisfactorily.

This type of display requires an additional source of illumination, so it has a LED panel that backlights it. Thanks to that, some models can have a high amount of brightness, which allows the use of the mobile in very bright environments. Additionally, the screens of the best low-end Xiaomi mobiles now feature better resolution and offer HD+. To give you an idea of the difference with mid-range smartphones, these offer Full HD+ resolution.

Of course, being very cheap phones, don’t expect to find technologies that enrich the viewing experience, such as HDR certification, HDR 10, or HDR 10+, and don’t expect a wide range of colors. The purpose of these phones and their screens is simply to work well so you can view the content you want without adding anything else that can increase their price.

Processor

Advances in the design and manufacture of processors have allowed mid-range smartphones to run more applications with more demanding features; however, it’s important to make it clear that they are devices developed to work well with the most common and less demanding applications.

Nonetheless, in the past, even if only basic applications were used, it was difficult for this type of device to run several at the same time, as they immediately slowed down or got stuck and didn’t work properly. This problem is now a thing of the past, as manufacturers already have low-end 8-core processors that run at a very decent speed.

Of course, we’re not talking about chipsets as complete, as many don’t have artificial intelligence or machine learning technologies. Also, their ISP (image signal processor) for the camera is basic, supporting in some cases up to two sensors for the main camera but with limited resolutions, and compatible with up to 6 GB of RAM.

It’s very important to understand that brands design this type of smartphone in order to keep prices extremely low and accessible to most users.

Most of these smartphones are equipped with processors from Qualcomm's Snapdragon 600 series, or from MediaTek's Helio A or Helio G families. From our experience, we can advise that the best choice will be a Snapdragon chipset, even though the 600 series is a bit old, as it offers great performance and works very well with MIUI.

RAM memory

As we’ve mentioned in other articles, RAM memory is the complement of the chipset or processor for everything that has to do with the fluidity and performance of a smartphone.

In the same way, as with the rest of the components, low-end mobiles are limited in this section. Let's remember that their objective is to save costs. Generally, the best low-end Xiaomi mobiles can have up to 4 GB of RAM, although there are many models that have 3 GB, which is currently the minimum required for the Android operating system to run smoothly.

The amount of RAM memory is directly related to the multitasking capabilities of the mobile, so if you usually use more than one application at the same time, we recommend going for a device that does have 4 GB. Still, remember that only the basic apps are the ones that will work optimally in this type of smartphones.

ROM memory

The amount of ROM memory is the storage capacity that a smartphone has. It’s the memory in which applications, photos, videos, and all the data that the smartphone needs to store are stored.

The more ROM memory you have, the more applications and files you can carry with you on your phone. But we’re talking about low-end smartphones so, once again, we don’t have great specifications in this section.

The best low-end Xiaomi phones have 64 GB of ROM, but many devices from this and other brands tend to have 32 GB, which doesn’t allow the storage of many applications, videos, or photos.

It’s very important to mention that, though the best low-end Xiaomi phones don’t have a large amount of ROM memory, they do have a slot to expand the memory via microSD cards. These allow you to store photos and videos. We must warn you that you shouldn’t think that you can install apps on the external card, as it’s rarely possible, at least in a simple way.

Camera

In the photographic section, there has also been good progress in low-end smartphones. They now include dual cameras that offer some versatility to users. However, due to the characteristics of their processors, it’s difficult to find high-resolution sensors and artificial intelligence for the camera, so the obtained results are average.

As a user, you’ll need excellent lighting conditions for photos to show a good level of color, sharpness, and contrast. In the best low-end Xiaomi phones, you can find sensors up to 50 megapixels that are complemented by a second camera that works as a depth sensor to support the main lens in portrait mode. As a plus point, we find that most of these devices can already record video in Full HD resolution at 30 frames per second.

On the other hand, the front camera on mid-range phones is designed to let you take pictures, but that's as far as it goes. Don't expect the best quality, resolution, or sharpness. As previously mentioned, the goal is to include the functions, but in a very basic way.

Battery

Unlike the rest of the features, in the battery section the low-end phones equal or exceed the mid-range or high-end. The best low-end Xiaomi phones have batteries with a capacity of 5,000 mAh.

With this type of battery, a regular user can reach the end of their day with a good percentage of energy remaining in their device. However, it’s important to mention that –due to their characteristics– these types of smartphones are less efficient in battery power consumption, i.e., they spend more energy compared to high-end and mid-range smartphones.

Some models may even have more powerful batteries that can reach 6,000 mAh and offer more hours of use, but it’s not the common denominator.

Fast charging

Fortunately for users, the best low-end Xiaomi phones already have fast charging technology. The capacity of the batteries has increased to such a degree that charging them with the minimum power of 5 Watts would take far too long. Currently, there’s a fast charge of 18 Watts, which allows charging a mobile of this kind from 1% to 100% in about a couple of hours. Before, it used to take at least twice as long.

It’s worth mentioning that Xiaomi is a brand that still includes the charger cable and battery eliminator inside the smartphone box.

Security

The best low-end Xiaomi phones include good security technologies, such as fingerprint sensors, that we saw for the first time in a smartphone back in 2013. This technology was intended only for high-end phones in the beginning, with phones like the iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy S series. However, it’s now present in most devices regardless of their range, which is an element to highlight in low-end smartphones.

Some of the best low-end Xiaomi phones have also adopted facial recognition as one of their security options. However, we recommend you opt for the fingerprint sensor. Facial recognition in mid-range or low-end phones is usually not as secure, as it uses outdated technology that could have security breaches.

Where to buy the best low-end Xiaomi smartphones?

AliExpress

AliExpress has become an excellent option to buy some of the best low-end Xiaomi mobiles, as it has an excellent inventory of devices, good prices, and happens to be a reliable store.

Among its advantages are that AliExpress has an official Xiaomi store within its platform. As a customer, this gives you more security and reassurance when buying a phone online. This online store also has a warranty that protects the buyer; this warranty allows the customer to request a refund if any of their orders were to present a problem. The warranty extends up to 75 days after purchase.

Amazon

The most important online store in the world is also an excellent option to buy one of the best low-end Xiaomi mobiles. Amazon has an excellent catalog of products and official stores of many brands, including Xiaomi.

Buying smartphones on Amazon is reliable and fast. The store's shipping times are short. If you’re subscribed to its Prime membership, they can be overnight; one of the great advantages of this e-commerce.

On the other hand, their customer service is excellent and if the product you bought doesn’t meet your expectations, you can return it and get a high percentage of your money back. On the other hand, Amazon has an excellent shipping tracking system.

Physical and online Mi Stores

Of course, one of the best options to buy the best low-end Xiaomi phones are the official stores of the brand, better known as Mi Stores. There you can not only buy the product, but you also have the option to appreciate it live, try it, and solve any doubts you may have with the staff of the physical store.

In the case of online Mi Stores, as a user, you have the full support of the brand. Since it’s an official store, it brings you comfort and reassurance in your purchase. Besides, in official stores, you can compare with other products of the brand and also get the official prices.