Top Android Smartphones Below Sh20,000 to Buy

As much as I adore a matte black flagship smartphone with all those fancy words like Neo, Pro and ultra slapped at the end of them, I like most people do not have Sh.100,00 to splash on a new mobile phone, however, in 2021 you can afford a really good budget smartphone below Sh.20,000.

The budget smartphones offer brilliant battery life, impressive cameras, and some premium features you won’t even find in those stupidly expensive iPhones like an app drawer! Here’s my round-up of the top 10 budget-friendly smartphones to grab right now under Sh. 20,000 in no particular order.

Samsung Galaxy A12

Announced late last year the Galaxy A12 is one of the most affordable phones Samsung sells. it comes with a 6.5-inch LCD display with a 720p resolution, the phone also runs on the Mediatek Helio P35 octa-core CPU built on a 12nm fabrication process, making it decently powerful.

The phone sports a quad-camera setup on the back. While we can debate the usefulness of the two 2MP modules (one for depth data, the other for ‘macro’), the 48MP main camera and a 5MP ultrawide are pretty impressive for this price point. On the front is a decent 8MP selfie camera.

The Galaxy A12 gets its juice from a 5,000mAh battery, which for a 12nm entry-level chipset and a 720p display means excellent battery life.

You can grab the phone at Sh.16,499 on Jumia

Samsung Galaxy A21s

The Galaxy A21s comes with a PLS TFT screen,  6.5 display with a basic 720p resolution. This device sports similar features to the A12 but is powered by Samsungs own Exynos 850 chip, which looks adequate on paper.

The Galaxy A21s also has a quad-camera on its back, the same beefy 5,000mAh battery with fast charging support. The camera setup is a 48MP primary, an 8MP ultrawide shooter, a 2MP macro, and a 2MP depth sensor. If the A12s selfie camera is a bummer, this one sports a 13 MP shooter.

You can grab this phone on Jumia right now at  Sh.17,999

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9

Xiaomi had to make it to this list somehow, and the Redmi Note 9 is the first phone that comes to mind. The device has a 6.53 inch IPS LCD display with a 1080 resolution. It employs a MediaTek G85 SoC built on a 12nm fabrication process and is juiced up by a mammoth 5020mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging.

The device sports a 48MP high-res quad sensor (Ultra wide-angle: 8MP, Macro: 2MP; 2MP depth sensor. On the front is a 13MP selfie shooter.

You can grab the phone for Sh.19,999 on Jumia

Xiaomi Redmi 9

Xiaomi’s Redmi 9 rocks a 6.53-inch 1080p IPS LCD display, it is powered by a Mediatek Helio G80 (12 nm) and gets its juice from a 5020mAh battery.

The Redmi 9 sports quad-camera sensors,(13 MP,8 MP, 5 MP,(macro) Corning Gorilla Glass 3, USB-C, quick charging, reverse charging, and an IR blaster

You can grab the phone right now on Jumia at Sh. 14,999

Xiaomi Redmi 9A

Redmi 9A is currently the most affordable smartphone from Xiaomi with a retail price of under Sh. 10,000. The device makes plenty of compromises to hit that price point. The Redmi 9A has a fairly large 6.5″ HD+ screen with a 720p resolution and runs on a MediaTek Helio G25 octa-core processor. It is powered by a large 5000 mAh battery.

The Redmi 9A sports a single 13MP  rear camera sensor and a basic 5MP front selfie shooter.

You can grab the phone right now on Jumia at Sh. 9,980

Xiaomi Redmi 9T

Xiaomi’s Redmi 9T has a 6.53″  1080p display and runs on the Qualcomm SM6115 Snapdragon 662 powered by a huge 6000 mAh battery.

The Redmi 9T sports a triple camera setup at the back, a 48MP main camera, a 2MP Ultra Wide, and a 2MP Macro lens.  The front camera sports a regular 8MP camera.

You can grab the phone right now on Jumia at Sh. 17,999