Smartphones with 5G, NFC and more

For less than 200 euros, manufacturers such as Xiaomi, Samsung and Motorola offer smartphones that convince with their inner workings despite the low price – be it a strong battery, robust design or wireless charging. You can find out which mobile phones under 200 euros are really worthwhile in our GIGA overview.

Update notice: We last checked the prices and availability of the products mentioned here on April 28, 2022 at 2:40 p.m.

More and more smartphones are coming onto the market convince with an exciting inner workings despite the low price – be it a strong battery, a high-contrast display or Android 12. Features that were only found in higher-priced cell phones some time ago are now available on cell phones under 200 euros. And no, we’re not just talking about Xiaomi here, even Samsung and Motorola can be found in our GIGA selection.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11: a lot of performance for little money

Advantages:

• Colorful AMOLED display
• Fast processor
• Strong battery

Disadvantages:

• No inductive charging possible
• No IP certification

With the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 (view at Amazon) you get a 90 Hz display, which thanks to AMOLED technology for a high-contrast image cares. Similar to the other phones under 200 euros in our selection, the Xiaomi runs with Android 11 right from the start, but don’t worry: the update to Android 12 is definitely still to come. The processor and RAM cope with everyday tasks without any problems, and the Redmi Note 11 should also be able to handle a game that is not too demanding.

However, the Xiaomi needs good lighting conditions for good pictures. However, the cell phone convinces with a wide feature set, including a fingerprint sensor and face recognition for unlocking, as well as slots for two SIM cards and a micro SD card. Furthermore, the Redmi Note 11 supports the NFC function and enables contactless payment.

Do you only know Xiaomi as a smartphone manufacturer? In our video we show you which products the Chinese company is still (more or less) known for:

Samsung Galaxy A22 5G: future-proof thanks to 5G

Samsung Galaxy A22 5G (Gray)

The well-known manufacturer Samsung cuts a good figure even for a price of less than 200 euros.

The price may be higher now. Price from 05/05/2022 06:11

Advantages:

• 5G cellular
• Sharp display despite LC display

Disadvantages:

• Low camera quality
• No IP certification

Even Samsung fans don’t have to do without smartphones from the South Korean market leader for cell phones under 200 euros. The Galaxy A22 5G (check it out at Saturn) may not score with an AMOLED display like the Xiaomi above, but it does a sharp FHD+ display, which in turn was missing in the Galaxy A32 5G according to our test. In addition, thanks to the 90 Hz refresh rate, animations look nice and fluid, especially in direct comparison with conventional cell phone screens (usually only 60 Hz).

Despite the eight-core processor, we don’t get a gaming smartphone with the Samsung, but it is completely sufficient for everyday applications. Rather, we have to make some compromises in terms of camera performance – at Stiftung Warentest it is only enough for a satisfactory grade. However, the Samsung Galaxy A22 5G shines with a long battery life and features such as NFC. The namesake 5G connection support completes the phone and makes it future-proof.

We show you here which fails Samsung had in the past:

Realme 8 5G: Strong processor, but mediocre camera

Realme 8 5G (Black)

The Realme 8 5G comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. For less than 200 euros you get a lot of performance.

The price may be higher now. Price from 05/05/2022 05:49

Advantages:

• 5G cellular
• Long battery life
• Triple slot for SIM and memory cards

Disadvantages:

• Poor camera performance
• No IP certification

With the Realme 8 5G you get a 5G smartphone that convinces with a lot of performance for a cell phone under 200 euros (see Saturn). the Refresh rate has been increased to 90 Hz, so that you can also enjoy one or the other, not quite as demanding game together with the system-on-a-chip (SoC) from Dimensity. The strong battery should also withstand this without any problems. Other features carried over from the Realme 8 are the triple slot for 2 SIM cards and a memory card. And the jack connection has not been omitted either.

Although Realme focuses more on performance with the 5G model, Compromises on the camera made: The manufacturer does without an ultra-wide lens on the smartphone, among other things. In general, the camera performance is slightly lower than that of the Realme 8. In addition, savings were made on the display: Instead of a color-intensive AMOLED display, the Realme 8 5G has an LC display, which experience has shown is less rich in contrast.

Motorola Moto G22: Strong competitor for Xiaomi

Motorola Moto G22 (Cosmic Black)

The Motorola Moto G22 is available for less than 200 euros with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage.

The price may be higher now. Price from 05/05/2022 06:19

Advantages:

• Android 12 preinstalled
• Strong camera
• Enduring battery

Disadvantages:

• No 5G cellular
• HD+ resolution only
• No IP certification

It’s not just Xiaomi that brings well-equipped smartphones onto the market at a reasonable price – Motorola has also developed a powerful cell phone for less than 200 euros (see Cyberport). The Moto G22 not only has a battery capacity of 5,000 mAh, but also joins the other smartphones in our selection with a refresh rate of 90 Hz.

However, the display only has a resolution of HD+ (1600×720 pixels), so you have to make compromises in that regard. Although Motorola does not use 5G mobile communications in the Moto G22, Android 12 is already preinstalled and the smartphone has a strong camera that can keep up with the Xiaomi above.

If you are looking for smartphones in higher price ranges, we have more articles for you:

Mobile phones under 200 euros: This is how the selection was put together

There are many models for mobile phones under 200 euros. Certain characteristics were an exclusion criterion for us, such as being too old. We have partly based ourselves on our own tests, on the other hand on the results of the Stiftung Warentest – reviews are linked below. The results of other test sites and user ratings also influence the selection. The latter were helpful because they didn’t judge based on benchmark numbers and other laboratory values ​​that didn’t say much, but rather emphasized individual impressions.

Sources used: Stiftung Warentest (Issue 10/2021)

In a separate article you can find out more about how we at GIGA deal with product recommendations and tests:

With our research, we at GIGA want to recommend you suitable products and avoid bad purchases. Your trust is important to us – that’s why you can rely on us.

I myself have been dealing with mobile phones and smartphones for years. All generations have fascinated me, from the Nokia classics to the first clamshell and slide cell phones to smartphones. Personally, not only technical innovations are important to me, but also sustainability.

Finally, a note on the prices: Strong price fluctuations are always to be expected for smartphones. As soon as a new generation appears, the previous series can quickly suffer a price drop, which means that models that were previously too expensive suddenly fit into your personal budget. Deal events such as Black Friday or Cyber ​​Monday also have a strong impact on prices. We keep you up to date on current offers in our deal overview, it’s worth checking out the daily offers regularly!