Content

1. Current rating option
2. Premium
3. Middle-
4. Economy
5. Conclusion

Current rating option

Бестселлер – a model with outstanding performance (it could be the price, not just the technical characteristics). Models marked with the word “Bestseller” are worth paying close attention to.

Player… Notable solutions, typical representatives of their class. These are mass-produced products that generate the main sales in certain segments.

Applicant… Phones in this category have not grown to the player’s class, but have a number of attractive features (for example, cost, but it can also become a negative factor, and then the player turns into a contender), they may lack many functions that have become standard for a particular class. As a rule, the “Contender” category includes devices from second and third tier manufacturers or overpriced phones from large manufacturers.

Technology for technology’s sake… Niche products, interesting for their technical solutions, but not intended for a wide audience. Based on the possibilities, the device is interesting, but its size and speed of operation negate its advantages and make it niche.

Not for all… Niche solutions, which are usually distinguished by an extraordinary design or the presence of unique, but unnecessary opportunities. Designed for a narrow group of buyers who buy original things for self-expression.

Mediocre product… This category includes devices that are initially aimed at everyone and no one. Phones that lack distinctive features, making them one of the many on the market.

Outsider… Phones that, contrary to common sense, enter the market and do not attract consumers even to a small extent. Dead products not made for any sales.

Also, all models are divided into 4 price segments, the main technical characteristics indicated by the manufacturer are listed. If any smartphone seemed interesting, then a little more detail is written about it. The price indicated in the description is the lowest I found in the official retail. Offers on the “gray” market, all their pros and cons are at your discretion. From time to time, devices may appear that are already available for purchase, but have not yet been presented in official retail.

Segment / Price	From	Before
Premium	45 001 rub.
Medium +	30 001 rub.	45 000 rub.
Middle-	11 001 rub.	30 000 rub.
Economy		11 000 rub.

Premium

Sony Xperia Pro

• Rating: outsider
• Price: $ 2

TECH SPECS:

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (7nm +), Octa-core (1 × 2.84 GHz Kryo 585 & 3 × 2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4 × 1.8 GHz Kryo 585), Adreno 650 graphics
• Operating System: Android 10
• Memory: 12GB / 512GB, microSD combo slot
• Screen: 6.5 inches, OLED, 1 billion colors, HDR BT.2020, 1644 x 3840 pixels, 21: 9 aspect ratio, 643 ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 6
• Battery: Li-Po 4000 mAh, fast charging 21W
• Main camera:
  • 12 MP, f / 1.7, 24mm (wide), 1 / 1.7 ″, 1.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS
  • 12 MP, f / 2.4, 70mm (tele), 1 / 3.4 ″, 1.0µm, PDAF, 3x optical zoom, OIS
  • 12 MP, f / 2.2, 124 °, 16mm (ultra wide angle), 1 / 2.55 ″, Dual Pixel PDAF
  • 0.3 MP, TOF 3D, (depth)
  • 4K @ 24/25/30 / 60fps HDR video recording, 1080p @ 30/60 / 120fps; 5-axis gyro-EIS stabilization, optical stabilization
• Front camera: 8 MP, f / 2.0, 24mm (wide-angle), 1/4 ″, 1.12µm
• SIM card: 2 Nano-SIM
• Network and data transmission: GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, A2DP, aptX HD, LE, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC, USB Type-C 3.1 + micro HDMI
• Sensors: Fingerprint reader (side), accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, barometer, compass, color spectrum sensor
• Other: IP65 / 68 protection, no radio, there is NFC, there is a 3.5 mm jack, support for Sony Alpha cameras
• Materials: Gorilla Glass 6 and aluminum frame
• Dimensions: 170.2 x 76.2 x 10.2 mm, weight 225 g

It is terribly difficult to restrain yourself from starting to scoff. Still, there are reasons for a wagon and a small cart: the 865 chipset, and Android 10, and a 4000 mAh battery with a weight of 225 g, and a fingerprint scanner not under the screen, but on the side. At the same time, the price of a smartphone on the official website is 2.5 thousand dollars. Let’s try to figure it out.

So, Sony itself says that this is a smartphone for photo and video professionals working in the fields, who need to transfer data quickly (the smartphone has 5G). A Sony Alpha camera can be connected via a mini-HDMI connector to view photos or transmit live video. Sony also offers to immediately stream video to the network. The official website suggests attaching a smartphone to a camera. In this case, the camera can be controlled from the smartphone screen (select focus, change the scale, etc.).

The site also gives an example. They say that a sports photographer is shooting something and, thanks to superintegration with Sony cameras, can quickly transfer images to a smartphone, from where they are already sent to the Internet.

Professionals have to pay 2.5 thousand dollars for such integration and mini-HDMI connector.

Maybe this makes sense, but I rather see a certain lag behind Sony. The old chipset and the 10th version of Android on a smartphone are not from a good life. It is likely that the engineers simply would not have had time to update the software for the current versions of hardware and OS.

Xiaomi Mi 11

• Rating: player
• Price: 749 dollars (57 rubles)

TECH SPECS:

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 (5nm), Octa-core (1 × 2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3 × 2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4 × 1.80 GHz Kryo 680), Adreno 660 GPU graphics, 6th generation Qualcomm AI engine, 5G X60 modem
• Operating system: Android 11, shell MIUI 12.5
• Memory: 8/12 GB LPDDR5 3200 MHz / 128/256 GB UFS 3.1, no memory card slot
• Screen: 6.81 inches, AMOLED, 1 billion colors, resolution 1440 x 3200 pixels, aspect ratio 20: 9, dot density 515 ppi, 120 Hz, 480 Hz touch frequency, brightness 900 nits, peak brightness 1500 nits, HDR 10+, color accuracy JNCD≈0.38, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
• Battery: 4mAh, 600W fast wired charging, 55W wireless charging, 50W reverse charging, Quick Charge 10+
• Main camera:
  • 108 MP, f / 1.9, 26mm (wide), 1 / 1.33 ″, 0.8μm, PDAF, OIS
  • 13 MP, f / 2.4, 123 ° (ultra wide angle), 1 / 3.06 ″, 1.12μm
  • 5 MP, f / 2.4, (macro), 1 / 5.0 ″, 1.12μm
  • Запись видео 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240/480fps; gyro-EIS
• Front camera:
  • 20 MP, 27mm (wide), 1 / 3.4 ″, 0.8μm
  • Video recording 1080p @ 30fps, 720p @ 120fps
• SIM card: 2 Nano-SIM
• Network and data transmission: GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, dual band A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS, NavIC , NFC, Infrared, USB Type-C 2.0
• Sensors: fingerprint scanner (under the screen), accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, compass
• Sound: SOUND BY Harman Kardon stereo speakers
• Other: no radio, no water protection, does not support memory cards
• Materials: glass (Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and Gorilla Glass 5 on the back) and aluminum, there are versions with eco-leather
• Dimensions: 164.3 x 74.6 x 8.1 mm, weight 196 g (leather version 2 g heavier and 0.5 mm thicker)

At the end of December, Xiaomi Mi11 was announced for pre-order in China, and now an international version has appeared, which was estimated on AliExpress at 57 thousand rubles for the 8/128 GB version.

I like the smartphone, and I’m waiting for it to finally appear in Russia to get it for a test. I really want to see the screen live, since it has HDR10 +, and a refresh rate of 120 Hz, and AMOLED with the most accurate color reproduction. And the maximum screen brightness reaches 1500 nits.

Of course, the camera is also interesting. Although if we compare the characteristics, the camera here is exactly the same as in the Mi 10. The more interesting, maybe some new processing algorithms or new cool modes have appeared. So, at the presentation, they said that they paid special attention to video shooting. The company brought in experts who came up with various visual effects. An example is the camera zoom, better known as Dolly Zoom, popularized by Alfred Hitchcock. For a better understanding, watch the first 20 seconds of the video below.

As an advertising campaign, Xiaomi offers to watch this video, where the eminent director shoots on Mi 11 using invented cinematic effects.

The battery, judging by the first reviews, there are not enough stars from the sky. The smartphone gives out 10-14 hours depending on the refresh rate of the screen at a brightness of 200 nits. That is, in auto mode, the numbers will be worse, since 200 nits is too damn small. But fast charging allows you to charge your smartphone from 30 to 0% in 80 minutes.

The device has practically no minuses. The main thing that catches your eye is the lack of IP68 certification. For some reason, Xiaomi almost defiantly does not want to make secure smartphones. Previously, one could say that the manufacturer lacks the skills and does not have the appropriate production capacity. However, for so many years the issue could have been resolved for a long time, but apparently Xiaomi does not deliberately want to bother with this.

At a price of 57 thousand rubles on AliExpress, the new Mi 11 bypasses the head (or rather, 10 thousand rubles) bypasses the main competitor in the face of the Samsung Galaxy S21. The Mi 11 has a better screen, more interesting cameras, and a 600 mAh battery. Previously, one could say that Xiaomi smartphones are full of ads. But now the manufacturer’s flagships are crystal clear, but advertising integrations have appeared in Samsung.

Middle-

Redmi Note 9T

• Rating: player
• Price: 20 490 rubles

TECH SPECS:

• Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 800U 5G (7nm), Octa-core (2 × 2.4 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6 × 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55), Mali-G57 MC3 graphics
• Operating system: Android 10, shell MIUI 12
• Memory: 4 GB / 64/128 GB, separate microSD slot
• Screen: 6.53 inches, IPS LCD, resolution 1080 x 2340 pixels, aspect ratio 19.5: 9, dot density 395 ppi, brightness 480 nits, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
• Battery: Li-Po 5000 mAh, fast charging 18 W, 33% in 30 minutes
• Main camera:
  • 48 MP, f / 1.8, 26mm (wide), 1 / 2.0 ″, 0.8µm, PDAF
  • 2 MP, f / 2.4, (macro)
  • 2 MP, f / 2.4, (depth)
  • 4K @ 30fps video recording, 1080p @ 30 / 60fps
• Front camera: 13 MP, f / 2.3, 29 mm, 1 / 3.1 ″, 1.12µm
• SIM card: 2 Nano-SIM
• Network and data transmission: GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1, A2DP, LE, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, NFC, IrDA, USB Type- C 2.0
• Sensors: Fingerprint scanner (side), accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, compass
• Other: FM radio with recording function, NFC, 3.5 mm jack, 5G support
• Materials: Gorilla Glass 5 front, plastic frame, plastic back cover
• Dimensions: 161.2 x 77.3 x 9.1 mm, weight 199 g

One of the smartphones with which I went to Lake Baikal. I got great pleasure from using it and its photo capabilities. Poco X3 NFC was also very successful. The review on Redmi Note 9T is on the calendar for this Friday, and the comparison with Poco will be released next week. And it’s worth comparing, by the way, since smartphones are in about the same price range. And the key advantage of Redmi is the 5G chipset Dimensity 800U – it does not play in Russia yet. By the way, an important mission is entrusted to Redmi Note 9T – democratization of 5G smartphones.

Apart from the chipset, the rest is typical Redmi, offering excellent battery life, good cameras, nice design and body materials, a full set of sensors and functions (infrared, radio, separate slot for microSD).

Infinix Note 8

• Rating: challenger
• Price: 11 990 rubles

TECH SPECS:

• Processor: MediaTek Helio G80 (12 nm), Octa-core (2 × 2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6 × 1.8 GHz Cortex-A55), Mali-G52 MC2 graphics
• Operating system: Android 10, XOS 7.1 shell
• Memory: 6GB / 128GB, separate microSD slot
• Screen: 6.95 inches, IPS LCD, resolution 720 x 1640 pixels, aspect ratio 21: 9, dot density 258 ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass, brightness 480 nits
• Battery: Li-Po 5200 mAh, fast charging 18W
• Main camera:
  • 64 MP, (wide), 1 / 1.73 ″, 0.8µm, PDAF
  • 2 MP, (macro)
  • 2 MP, (depth)
  • 2 MP
  • Video recording 1440p @ 30fps
• Front camera:
• SIM card: 2 Nano-SIM
• Network and data transmission: GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE, A-GPS, USB Type-C 2.0
• Sensors: Fingerprint scanner (side), accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, compass
• Other: FM radio, 3.5 mm jack, no NFC
• Materials: glass and plastic
• Dimensions: 175.3 x 78.8 x 9 mm, weight 213 g

You don’t often want to advertise, but the Infinix Note 8 is exactly the case. Last year, around the same time, I admired the realme 5 pro smartphone, talking about its cool camera and the speed of the interface. The smartphone was quickly sold out, and the subsequent versions of the realme of this line were no longer so good in terms of price / quality ratio. There is a feeling that the Infinix Note 8 will repeat the history of the realme 5 pro and remain in memory as a good smartphone that quickly sold out.

I liked the smartphone with the speed of operation, the capacious battery and the quality of the cameras. Of course, the Infinix Note 8 has its drawbacks: lack of NFC, 720p screen. The latter is not formally a disadvantage, since in this price segment such a screen is a standard. For the money, however, the Infinix Note 8 is a cherry on top. As I understand it, sometimes a smartphone is sold on sales at a price of 9 rubles. And for this price – just space.

Economy

Samsung Galaxy A02s

• Rating: player
• Price: 10 490 rubles

TECH SPECS:

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 (14nm), Octa-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A53, Adreno 506 graphics
• Operating System: Android 10
• Memory: 3GB / 32GB, separate microSD slot
• Screen: 6.5 inches, PLS IPS, resolution 720 x 1600 pixels, aspect ratio 20: 9, pixel density 270 ppi
• Battery: Li-Po 5000 mAh, fast charging 15W
• Main camera:
  • 13 MP, f / 2.2, (wide), AF
  • 2 MP, f / 2.4, (macro)
  • 2 MP, f / 2.4, (depth)
  • Video recording 1080p @ 30fps
• Front camera: 5 MP, f / 2.2
• SIM card: 2 Nano-SIM
• Network and data transmission: GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi b / g / n, Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, USB Type-C 2.0
• Sensors: accelerometer, illumination, presence
• Other: no NFC, there is a 3.5 mm jack
• Materials: plastic
• Dimensions: 164.2 x 75.9 x 9.1 mm, weight 196 g

I am sure that the fastest have already started scribbling in the comments how Mobile-Review has fallen so low that it announces an advertisement for the Chinese smartphone Infinix Note 8. However, such people just write nasty things. I suggest you look at the Galaxy A02s, which costs only 1.5 thousand rubles less than the Infinix Note 8. The Galaxy A02s has 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of storage, a plastic screen and a Snapdragon 450 chipset. At the same time, Galaxy 02s is in the rating “ player ”, because marketing and distribution will do their job. The smartphone will sell well and actively.

Nokia 1.4

• Rating: outsider?
• Price: from 7 990 rubles for 2/32 GB

TECH SPECS:

• Processor: Qualcomm QM215 Snapdragon 215 (28 nm), Quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A53, Adreno 308 graphics
• Operating System: Android 10 Go (will be updated to Android 11)
• Memory: 1/2/3 GB / 32/64 GB, slot for microSD
• Screen: 6.52 inches, IPS LCD, resolution 720 x 1600 pixels, aspect ratio 20: 9, density 269 ppi
• Battery: Li-Po 4000 mAh
• Main camera:
  • 8 MP, (wide), AF
  • 2 MP, (macro)
• Front camera: 5 MP
• SIM card: 2 Nano-SIM
• Network and data transmission: GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi b / g / n, Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP, LE, A-GPS, microUSB 2.0
• Sensors: Fingerprint Scanner (Rear), Accelerometer, Proximity
• Other: no NFC, there is a 3.5 mm jack
• Materials: front glass, plastic
• Dimensions: 166.4 x 76.7 x 8.7 mm, weight 178 g

An unexpected smartphone from Nokia, which companies are likely to buy to arm their couriers (?). I decided to put it in the selection so that you know that this happens. However, it cannot be said that the smartphone is bad. For example, it will receive security updates, and Android 11 will arrive.

Judging by the official website, it is assumed that the smartphone can also be presented to children. The device has advanced parental controls, which should protect against inappropriate content.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I urge you to tell what smartphones you bought or looked after for yourself. February was not too happy with an abundance of interesting new products, but soon spring, the first OnePlus will begin to bloom, and life will improve.

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