The issue of choosing an affordable smartphone has always been a difficult one. First and foremost, because of the very high competition. But now the situation on the Ukrainian market has changed somewhat. Due to the full-scale war, we have problems with logistics and inflation. That’s why prices for smartphones and any electronics have risen significantly. And there are fewer really interesting offers for the same amount.

Today, we are going to look at the most interesting offers with a price not exceeding UAH 12,000. At the same time, we will consider only models that should be comfortable to use. So, we will not consider very budget smartphones without NFC, with very old processors, less than 8 GB of RAM, and screens with a resolution below FullHD/FullHD+.

Given the price, there were not many representatives of A-brands. But we also managed to make a selection without lesser-known brands.

Moto G84

One of the most interesting options in this price category is the Motorola Moto G84, which was reviewed by Mezha’s editorial team at Mezha. The smartphone offers a potential future owner a 6.5-inch 10-bit POLED screen with Full HD+ resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate. The performance is ensured by a rather good Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor, which is complemented by 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal memory with the possibility of expanding it with a microSD card.

The smartphone has a good pair of cameras at the back: the main one is 50 megapixels with optical stabilization and phase detection. There’s also an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, which also has autofocus and is also used for macro. The 5000 mAh battery is a kind of modern standard. For smartphones in the mid-range category, this is enough for a day’s work. The blue and magenta versions have an interesting eco-leather back cover. It has IP54 protection.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 13

Xiaomi smartphones have long been very popular in the mid-range and mid-budget price category. Especially the Redmi line, so it is not surprising that Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 was included in this selection. It has quite similar characteristics to the previous Moto. It has a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with FullHD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, and inside is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of internal memory.

The camera system consists of three modules, but they are a bit simpler than Moto’s. The main one is 108 MP with phase detection autofocus without optical stabilization, an 8 MP ultra-wide-angle without autofocus, and a 2 MP macro camera that is of questionable use. The battery is also 5000 mAh, with 33W fast charging support. The body is completely plastic, but it is protected against dust and splashes according to the IP54 standard.

Samsung Galaxy M34

Samsung smartphones primarily have strong positions in the flagship and mid-range categories. However, the Korean manufacturer also has a rather interesting M line, which usually has a quite adequate price and good characteristics. The smartphone has a simple plastic body and a drop-shaped notch for the front camera, which is hardly ever used anymore. But it has a Super AMOLED screen with a diagonal of 6.5 inches, a resolution of 2340×1080 pixels, and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. And the battery is 6000 mAh with support for 25W charging.

Performance is handled by an 8-core, 5-nanometer, 2.4 GHz Samsung Exynos 1280 processor with a Mali-G68 graphics accelerator. There is 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage, which can be expanded via microSD card. The main camera of the Samsung Galaxy M34 includes a 50-megapixel module with optical image stabilization, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle module and a 2-megapixel macro module. The front camera has a resolution of 13 MP.

POCO X6 5G

Xiaomi has a POCO sub-brand that has quickly gained popularity due to its nice price/performance ratio. The POCO X6 5G is an interesting smartphone that falls right into our price range. It is equipped with a 6.67-inch AMOLED screen that has a higher resolution of 2712×1220 pixels than previous models, a 120 Hz refresh rate, is capable of reproducing 68 billion shades, and supports Dolby Vision. The smartphone is powered by a fairly recent octa-core 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor with a frequency of up to 2.4 GHz and Adreno 710 graphics. The device has 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage.

The smartphone has a triple camera. The configuration includes a 64-megapixel main camera with f/1.8 aperture, phase detection autofocus and optical stabilization, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and a formal 2-megapixel macro module. The front camera is 16 MP. Autonomy is ensured by a 5100 mAh battery with 67W charging support, which allows you to fully charge the smartphone in 44 minutes. The case is protected according to the IP54 standard.

Moto G54 Power Edition

Another Motorola smartphone in today’s selection is the Moto G54 Power Edition. You can also read its review on our website. Like the older G84, it has a 6.5-inch 120Hz screen with a resolution of 2400×1080 pixels, but uses an IPS matrix instead of AMOLED. Instead of a Qualcomm solution, an octa-core Mediatek Dimensity 7020 with IMG BXM-8-256 graphics is installed. The amounts of RAM and internal memory are similar: 12 and 256 GB, respectively. There is also a microSD slot.

The camera set is very similar: a 50-megapixel main camera with optical stabilization and phase detection autofocus and an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera with autofocus and macro mode. The battery is bigger: 6000 mAh, with 33W fast charging support. Instead of IP54 protection, there is just a moisture-repellent coating.

OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite

OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite is another smartphone with an IPS display. Its diagonal is 6.72-inches and the resolution is 2400×1080 pixels. The refresh rate is also 120 Hz. Inside, there is a Snapdragon 695 5G processor with Adreno 619 graphics, 8 GB of RAM, 128 GB of internal memory with the possibility of expansion via a microSD slot.

The rear camera of OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite has three modules, but only one main one is really useful. It has a resolution of 108 megapixels and phase detection autofocus. There is no optical stabilization. The other two modules are 2-megapixel macro depth sensors, so they are of little use. The smartphone has a 5000 mAh battery and supports 67W charging, as it can recharge the battery from 0 to 80% in just 30 minutes.

POCO M6 Pro

The POCO M6 Pro smartphone has slightly more modest specs than the POCO X6 5G, but the price is slightly lower. It has a 10-bit AMOLED screen with a diagonal of 6.67 inches, Full HD+ resolution (2400×1080 pixels), and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. Performance is handled by the Mediatek Helio G99 Ultra, which is a slightly updated version of the quite popular Helio G99. It has a frequency of up to 2.2 GHz and a Mali-G57 MC2 graphics accelerator. The user will have 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. There is a memory card slot.

The camera set is similar to the older model: a 64-megapixel main camera with phase detection autofocus and optical stabilization, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. The front camera is 16 megapixels. The battery is 5100 mAh and supports fast charging with a capacity of 67 W. The body is protected according to the IP54 standard.

realme 12

The realme 12 smartphone lineup includes several models. The older ones are interesting because of their quite good cameras and a back cover made of artificial leather with an unusual design. The youngest model, the realme 12, has a plastic body, but the design is similar to the older models with a large round camera unit and a vertical golden stripe. The smartphone has a 6.72-inch FullHD+ IPS display with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and a fairly fresh 2.2 GHz Mediatek Dimensity 6100+ processor with Mali-G57 MC2 graphics.

The memory capacity is standard: 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, and instead of a second SIM card, you can install a MicroSD. Technically, there are two cameras on the back, but only the main one is useful. It has a resolution of 108 megapixels, f/1.8 aperture, and phase detection autofocus. It is claimed to be able to take photos with a 3x zoom without compromising quality. The second camera is a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The smartphone has a 5000 mAh battery and 45W fast charging, which can fully charge the realme 12 in half an hour.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro

The Redmi Note lineup is always a bit of a mess, it’s a kind of tradition. There are several models with a bunch of modifications for different regions with different characteristics. In addition to Xiaomi Redmi Note 13, today’s selection also includes a variant with the Pro label. The screen is similar: 6.67-inch AMOLED with FullHD+ resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate, but instead of a Qualcomm solution, Mediatek Helio G99 Ultra is responsible for performance. The memory capacities are similar: 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage.

The rear camera is also triple, with an 8 MP ultra-wide-angle module and a 2 MP macro camera remaining unchanged, but the main module is slightly different. It has 200 megapixels with f/1.7 aperture, optical stabilization and multi-directional PDAF. The battery is the same, 5000 mAh, but charging is faster: 67W. IP54 dust and splash protection is unchanged.

OPPO A98

Another representative of major Chinese brands in today’s selection is OPPO A98. It will offer a potential owner a large 6.78-inch IPS display with a resolution of 2400×1080 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hz, and inside is the old familiar Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor with a frequency of 2.2 GHz and Adreno 619 graphics. Like most of the smartphones in today’s selection, the smartphone has 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage with the ability to expand via microSD card.

There is a triple camera at the back. But it makes sense to use only the main 64-megapixel camera with f/1.7 aperture and phase detection. The 2-megapixel “microscope” is more of a toy for a few times. The 2-megapixel depth sensor is also quite clear. The front camera has a resolution of 32 MP. A 5000 mAh battery is responsible for autonomy, and there is support for fast charging of 67 watts. The case is completely plastic, there is no protection against dust and moisture.

The best smartphones under UAH 12,000: conclusions

At the moment, you can buy a good smartphone with comfortable characteristics in the price range of up to UAH 12,000. There are variants with AMOLED and IPS screens with FullHD+ resolution or even more and a 120 Hz refresh rate. Mid-range processors combined with 8 GB of RAM are enough for fast Android and application performance. Only mobile gamers will not have enough power. All smartphones in this category have a plastic case, and you can only count on IP54 protection, which means they are not completely waterproof. The weakest point of smartphones at this level is mediocre cameras, in many cases with unnecessary, inefficient modules.