The junior flagship segment is the most interesting in the technology market. At the price of mid-budgeters, you can buy phones with characteristics that are not inferior to real flagships.
Manufacturers pay great attention to this category and make real TOP products for their money. This is especially true for brands such as Xiaomi, Realme, Google.
TOP 5 best phones under 18,000 UAH
Xiaomi 13 Lite
Google Pixel 7a
Poco X6 Pro
Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus
Realme GT Neo 5
conclusions
We have compiled a selection that includes the best junior flagships. Some models stand out for their cool cameras, others for their powerful hardware. In everyday use, everything flies. Let's meet these beauties.
Xiaomi 13 Lite
Xiaomi 13 Lite
Let's start with the junior flagship from Xiaomi, presented in 2023. This is the Xiaomi 13 Lite with a 6.55-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, a refresh rate of 120 Hz and a peak brightness of 1000 nits.
Thanks to its small dimensions (159.2 x 72.7 x 7.2 mm and weighing 171 g), Xiaomi 13 Lite can be classified as a compact smartphone.
The back cover is made of glass, but the impression is slightly spoiled by the plastic frame.
Xiaomi 13 Lite works with eSIM technology and is protected from moisture according to the IP53 standard. The model can be found in three colors – Black, Lite Blue and Lite Pink.
The processor used is a good mid-level Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, built on 4 nanometers. Two memory modifications are provided – 8/128 and 8/256 GB.
Out of the box, Xiaomi 13 Lite runs on Android 13 with MIUI 14, but the smartphone will be updated to more recent builds.
The cameras of Xiaomi 13 Lite are simply good, but they won’t show you super results. The main sensor has a resolution of 50 megapixels, but without optical stabilization. Ultra wide 8 MP, macro 2 MP. The video is recorded in 4K @ 30fps.
But the front camera is even more interesting. Xiaomi 13 Lite received a dual front camera with a 32 megapixel main sensor and a viewing angle of 100˚ + an 8 megapixel depth sensor. Available video recording quality is 1080p@30/60fps.
The battery capacity of Xiaomi 13 Lite is 4500 mAh. This is a little less than the 5000 mAh figure we are used to, but the battery life is still excellent. Charging with a power of 67 W fills the charge to 100% in 40 minutes.
Pros:
High-quality AMOLED screen; There is eSIM support; Cool front camera; Compact sizes.
Minuses:
main camera without optical stabilization; Plastic edges.
Google Pixel 7a
Google Pixel 7a
Let's move on. If you are a fan of the Google brand, but are not ready to buy a full-fledged expensive flagship, pay attention to the models from the A-series.
A great option is the Google Pixel 7a, which has a 6.1-inch OLED screen with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and a 90Hz refresh rate.
The back of the Pixel 7A is plastic, but the frame is made of aluminum. The Pixel 7a is smaller in size compared to its competitors – 152 x 72.9 x 9 mm, but weighs quite a lot – 193.5 grams.
eSIM technology announced. It maintains a good IP67 waterproof standard. Google Pixel 7A is available in Charcoal, Snow, Sea, Coral colors.
The smartphone has no problems with performance. And all thanks to the 5-nanometer Google Tensor G2 chip, which scores approximately 760 thousand points in AnTuTu.
Pixel 7a has only one memory version – 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. Out of the box, the device runs on Android 13, but the Android 14 update has already been released.
The Google Pixel 7a cameras are cool: a 64-megapixel sensor with OIS, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide, and a 13-megapixel front camera. Video recording in 4K@30/60fps is available. Google phones take great photos, this is a well-known fact.
The Pixel 7a has a 4385 mAh battery, and this may not seem enough. But the smartphone has a small screen, so you can safely count on a day without recharging with active use.
Wired charging at 18 W. There is even a wireless one, but with a power of only 7.5 W.
Pros:
Moisture protection IP67; Excellent performance; Cameras at flagship level; There is wireless charging.
Minuses:
Plastic back cover; Low charging power.
Poco X6 Pro
Poco X6 Pro
Let's move on to the Xiaomi range. If you are looking for an affordable gaming smartphone, definitely take a look at the Poco X6 Pro. It runs on powerful Mediatek Dimensity 8300 Ultra hardware and scores about 1,400,000 points in AnTuTu.
You can find Poco X6 Pro in 8/256, 12/256 and 12/512 GB versions. All versions are balanced and up-to-date.
Out of the box, the smartphone runs Android 14 with the new proprietary firmware HyperOS (MIUI 15). The matrix here is AMOLED, with a diagonal of 6.67 inches and a resolution of 1220 x 2712 pixels. The screen refresh rate is 120 Hz, and peak brightness reaches 1800 nits.
Poco X6 Pro is quite heavy and large in size – 160.5 x 74.3 x 8.3 mm, weighing 186 (190) grams. Moisture protection class – IP54. The body is completely plastic, but there is an eco-leather covering. The device is sold in three colors – Black, Yellow, Gray.
The phone received a triple main camera: a 64 MP main sensor with OIS, an 8 MP ultra-wide sensor and a 2 MP macro sensor. Videos are recorded in 4K@24/30fps. Front camera with a resolution of 16 MP and recording at 1080p@30/60fps.
The Poco X6 Pro takes good photographs, but it is far from being comparable to camera phones. Poco smartphones have never been considered ideal for photography, they are more of a gaming device.
Everything about Poco X6’s autonomy is perfect: a 5000 mAh battery and 67 W charging.
Pros:
Processor Mediatek Dimensity 8300 Ultra; Android 14 out of the box; Bright high resolution screen; Excellent autonomy.
Minuses:
Plastic body; Unable to connect eSIM.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus
Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus
The next smartphone is also from Xiaomi, but from the Redmi line. This is Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus, which will be released in the fall of 2023.
The parameters here are excellent: a 6.67-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1220 x 2712 pixels, a refresh rate of 120 Hz and a peak brightness of 1800 nits.
The back cover is made of glass + it has a leather covering. The phone looks stylish and can be found in Fushion Black, Fushion White, Aurora Purple, Fushion Purple and Camo Green colors.
Moisture protection according to the IP68 standard, there is support for eSIM technology. Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus does not pretend to be compact: its dimensions are 161.4×74.2×8.9 mm and weighs 199 (204.5) grams.
The processor is Mediatek Dimensity 7200 Ultra. This is a good mid-range hardware that can even handle demanding games, but sometimes you will have to lower the graphics settings.
Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus definitely deserves the title of a camera phone. Its main sensor is 200 megapixels with optical stabilization, there is an 8-megapixel ultra-wide and a 2-megapixel macro. The maximum quality for video recording is 4K@24/30fps.
The 16 MP front camera with 1080p@30/60fps recording also shows good results.
Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus boasts cool battery life parameters: a 5000 mAh battery and 120 W charging.
Pros:
Attractive design and glass lid; AMOLED screen of excellent quality; Camera with a resolution of 200 MP; Wired charging with a power of 120 W.
Minuses:
The phone is heavy.
Realme GT Neo 5
Realme GT Neo 5
The selection ends with a cool junior flagship from Realme. This is GT Neo 5 with the most powerful hardware Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. The chip is flagship and is not afraid of any load. There are three memory options: 8/256, 12/256 and 16/256.
Realme GT Neo 5 has a 6.74-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1240 x 2772 pixels, a refresh rate of 144 Hz, and a peak brightness of 1400 nits.
The dimensions are also significant: 163.9 x 75.8 x 8.9 mm with a weight of 199 grams. The back panel has RGBB illumination and the colors available for purchase are Purple, Black and White.
Realme GT Neo 5 received a good set of cameras: a 50 MP main sensor with optical stabilization, an 8 MP ultra-wide sensor and an additional 2 MP microscope module. Front camera with a regular resolution of 16 megapixels.
Thanks to a 5000 mAh battery, Realme GT Neo 5 lasts for about a day and a half on a single charge. The charge is filled with a powerful 150-watt charger.
Pros:
Cool screen; Excellent photography: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor; Charging at 150 W.
Minuses:
eSIM is not supported.
conclusions
We told you about the 5 best smartphones under UAH 18,000 at the beginning of 2024. Let's summarize:
The best smartphone under 18,000 UAH with cool cameras at the beginning of 2024 – Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus ; The best universal phone under 18,000 UAH at the beginning of 2024 – Xiaomi 13 Lite ; The best smartphone with long-term support from the manufacturer up to 18,000 UAH at the beginning of 2024 – Google Pixel 7a ; The best gaming smartphone under UAH 18,000 at the beginning of 2024 – Realme GT Neo 5 ; The best phone with powerful hardware up to 18,000 UAH at the beginning of 2024 – Poco X6 Pro .
Write in the comments which smartphone caught your attention.
Author: Alina Nikitina Publication date: 02/27/2024