what is the best budget smartphone?

Which smartphone to choose with a budget around 250 euros? We offer you a match between two references, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 5G and the Galaxy A14 5G.

Do you have a budget of around 250 euros to buy a smartphone? On my left, we find Samsung, the best-selling brand on Android with its reassuring side which presents us with a Galaxy A14 5G. On my right, the tempestuous challenger, Xiaomi, renowned for its entry-level smartphones, which releases a Redmi Note 12 5G. Note that there is a 4G version of these two phones, but with a view to a sustainable and long-term purchase, we have decided to offer you a versus on the 5G versions, which are slightly different.

Technical sheets

Design: 0 – 0, ball in the center

On the design, the two phones struggle to distinguish themselves. The Galaxy may benefit from a bit more finishing, in particular with a rather pleasant textured back, but it is also heavier (202 g) and thicker (9.1 mm) than its competitor (189 g and 7. 98mm).

Whichever you choose, you’ll get a 3.5mm jack and a dual-SIM smartphone. Similarly, neither of the two phones incorporates IP certification against water and dust, so great care will have to be taken.

Draw therefore on the design.

Screen: it has Redmi the church in the middle of the village

Regarding the screens of our two competitors, the Redmi offers a clearly superior experience to the Galaxy. One word separates them: Oled.

The Redmi has a 120 Hz Oled screen which offers color vibrancy, display finesse, far superior to that of Samsung’s LCD. Even at the level of pure capabilities, the Redmi’s screen is far superior with stronger brightness and wider coverage of colorimetric spectra. The Galaxy is soundly beaten.

Software: two different philosophies

Samsung’s smartphone slightly regains the advantage in the field of the interface. One UI (Samsung side) is more ergonomic than MIUI (Xiaomi side). On the other hand, MIUI is still much smoother than One UI, especially on two fairly underpowered machines like we have here.

Also, neither phone offers more than three years of security patches. This means that after three years of use, your phone will no longer be updated at all. This is not very serious on relatively accessible products like this, which in any case will surely not integrate the latest functionalities of the two brands.

Ultimately, to choose between the two, you will also have to see where you come from. If you’re used to Samsung, switching to Xiaomi may take a little getting used to. But neither of these two interfaces, in this price range, really manages to get ahead of the other.

Photo: the Redmi a bit ahead

In the photo, the two phones offer almost similar technical sheets.

Photo configuration of the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G:

• A 50-megapixel f/1.8 wide-angle main sensor;
• a 2-megapixel f/2.4 wide-angle sensor;
• a 2 MP f/2.4 macro sensor.

Photo configuration of the Redmi Note 12 5G

• Main camera: 48MP, f/1.8;
• 8 MP ultra-wide-angle camera, f/2.2, 118°;
• Macro: 2MP, f/2.4.

We still notice a little more effort on the definition of the ultra wide-angle sensor on the Redmi side, which makes it more usable.

More broadly, the battle between the two is therefore settled in the field of software processing of shots. On this, we want to recommend the Redmi more, which provides a more flattering color palette for slightly more usable shots. Its portrait mode also surprised us with its quality, as did its night mode, which remains correct.

Keep in mind though that neither of these two phones particularly shines in photos. They are correct, nothing more on this point.

Performance: Redmi in force

On performance, the Redmi Note 12 is a class above Galaxy A14. Rather judge it with the benchmarks.

In game on Genshin Impactif the Samsung fails to go higher than the Low graphics presets, the Redmi can go to the Medium side without shaking or overheating.

Battery: a world separates them

Autonomy is undoubtedly better on the Samsung side. This lasted 14 hours and 27 minutes on our ViSer protocol, compared to 10 hours and 40 minutes for the Redmi. Also, we struggled to get past the day’s use without shaking on the Redmi.

On the other hand, Samsung does not provide a charger in the box, the Xiaomi takes on colors thanks to its supplied 33 W charger, which allows you to refuel in a big hour.

Audio and networks

Connectivity-wise, the two spec sheets line up perfectly. Both integrate Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1 and an NFC chip.

On audio, both phones play in the same court. And this one is not particularly glorious. Don’t expect better than a sound that is too high-pitched and quite muffled. The presence of a 3.5 mm jack allows at least to connect headphones or earphones.

Which one to choose ?

Here we are at the end of this versus and once is not custom, we have a clear winner. The Redmi Note 12 5G will be advised against the Galaxy A14 5G. If it is better in photos and in performance, we will especially remember its Oled screen which makes the whole experience much more pleasant.

The Galaxy A14 would only be preferred if you absolutely need a very autonomous phone. Otherwise, go your way and opt, at this price, for the Xiaomi.

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