When it comes to buying smartphones, the sweet spot if you’re under a tight budget is in the 25K range in Kenya – a little under or over.
Tech companies have realized this and their budget smartphones under 25K come packed with value features that make using a phone at this price point less of a hassle and more of enjoyment for the consumer.
We’ve come up with a definitive list for early 2024 to guide you while you’re looking for a budget smartphone under 25K. I have taken the liberty to sift using various categories including making sure that the device should have some form of biometrics, a 720p or higher resolution screen and possibly a 90Hz refresh rate.
The phone should be running on a powerful processor – from Helio G85 and above, a capable main camera – 50MP and record 1080p video, a 5000mAh battery with at least 15W type-C fast charging and run Android 13 and above with the possibility of getting an upgrade.
PS – most of the phones listed here go above and beyond and make your purchase worth the value.
This category limited the number of phones you could buy and it’s fair enough if you’re going to use the phone for a year and more.
Here are our best budget smartphones under 25K and where to buy them in Kenya:
Infinix Hot 40 – Ksh 23,500
Infinix officially announced the Hot 40 series in December last year and our best pick is the regular Hot 40.
Hot 40 comes with a 1080p screen measuring 6.78 inches and sporting a 90hz refresh rate. It is powered by a MediaTek Helio G88 processor paired with 8GB RAM and either 128GB or 256GB storage with support for external storage through a microSD card.
For cameras, you get a 50MP triple setup with two complementary lenses. and can shoot up to 1440p(2K) resolution video. It also has a 32Mp selfie camera that can shoot 1080p video.
It comes with Android 13 and XOS 13 straight out of the box.
It has a 5000mAh battery and 33W Type-C charging. It comes with a side-mounted fingerprint reader.
TECNO Spark 20 Pro – Ksh 26,500
TECNO Spark 20 Pro was launched in December last year and the company even added IP53 rating for dust and water resistance.
The Spark 20 Pro now comes with a more capable Helio G99 processor coupled with 256GB storage and 8GB RAM. It ships with Android 13 and HiOS 13 featuring the Dynamic port that shows notifications.
The Spark 20 Pro has a 6.78-inch LCD screen with 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate.
we get a 108MP main camera with two complementary lenses. At the front is a 32MP selfie camera. The main camera can shoot 1440p video while the selfie video can shoot 1080p video.
It has stereo dual speakers, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, expandable storage, NFC and a headphone jack.
Spark 20 Pro has a 5000mAh battery with support for 33W fast Type-C charging.
Redmi Note 13 4G– Ksh 24,500
Redmi Note 13 4G was launched in early February sporting Snapdragon 685. It has a brighter screen at 1800 nits with Gorilla Glass 3 protection.
It has an under-display fingerprint reader and IP54 ingress protection. It has a 6.67-inch AMOLED screen(1B colours) with 120Hz refresh rate.
Redmi Note 13 4G boots up Android 13 and MIUI 14. You get 6/8GB RAM and 128/256GB storage with the option to expand with an external microSD card.
The cameras get upgraded from the 48MP main of the Note 12 to the 108MP primary of the Note 13 series. The other two cameras are an 8MP ultrawide and A 2MP depth sensor. Video recording is capped at 1080p 30fps. The selfie camera is a 16MP front-facing camera that records at 1080p 30fps as well.
It ships with a 5000mAh battery with 33W fast charging.
Samsung Galaxy A15 4G – Ksh 23,500
Samsung joins the list with the Galaxy A15 4G that launched in December last year.
It has a 6.5-inch SuperAMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate and 800 nit peak brightness. This is a display with a resolution of 1080 by 2340 pixels.
It launched with Android 14 and OneUI 6. Unlike the flagship Galaxy S24 series, this one will get 4 years of Android OS upgrades which means it will get Android 18 as its last update which is still impressive when compared to other devices in this list.
It is powered by Helio G99 processor with 6/8GB RAM and 128/256GB storage with slot for expandable storage.
It comes with a 50MP main camera and dual 2MP sensors – macro and depth and a 13MP selfie camera. Video recording is capped at 1080p 30fps.
It has a side-mounted fingerprint reader and a 5000mAh battery that supports 25W wired charging.
OPPO A58 – Ksh 29,700
OPPO A58 4G comes with a 6.72-inch 1080p LCD screen sporting 680 nits brightness. It is powered by Helio G85 chipset paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB of onboard storage.
It has a dual main camera setup made up of a 50MP main and a 2MP depth sensor. It also has an 8MP selfie camera. Video recording is capped at 1080p 30fps.
OPPO A58 ships with Android 13 and ColorOS 13.1 straight out of the box.
It has stereo speakers, a side-mounted fingerprint reader, USB Type-C port, and dual nano-SIM.
It also has a 5000mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging. Half an hour of charging take it to 56% from empty.
Vivo Y17s – Ksh 20,500
Vivo Y17s wraps up our list coming with a 6.56-inch LCD screen and sporting 700 nits peaks brightness.
It has an IP54 ingress protection.
It boots Android 13 and FunTouchOS 13. It is powered by a helio G85 chipset with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage with a slot f expandable storage.
For cameras, it has a 50MP main and a 2Mp secondary and an 8MP selfie camera. Video recording is capped at 1080p 30fps.
It has a 5000mAh battery and 15W wired Type-C charging. You also get a side-mounted fingerprint reader.
Here’s Why You Should Buy Budget Smartphones From PhonePlace Kenya
If you’re in the market for a budget smartphone, then PhonePlace Kenya is the online retailer to go to.
They have a seamless online and offline customer experience from buying to checkout. The e-commerce platform provides original smartphones and accessories. They also offer country-wide delivery, and the phones have up to 2 years’ warranty.
Phoneplace Kenya is located at Bazaar Plaza, Mezzanine 1, Moi Avenue, Nairobi, Kenya. You can reach out on their social platforms and call them as well here: 0726 526375.
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