In the light of the current COVID19 Pandemic that has not only hit businesses hard, but also disrupted consumer budgets and savings culture. So, setting aside a high budget for Smartphones amidst day to day requirements becomes hard.

Well, the good news is that the competitive scale between device manufacturers has forced the general pricing scale to flip in favour of the final consumer (owners).

Currently, high-end manufacturers like Samsung, Huawei, and Apple produce midrange variants to compliment flagship releases with affordability in mind.

The trend can be seen with Apple’s 2020 iPhone SE that was launched with a $399 price tag, then Samsung’s A-series, and Huawei’s Honor Series becoming readily available across the globe.

However, midrange players like TECNO Mobile, Infinix, and Xiaomi have shown no signs of slowing down, and so, here is a list of the best budget-friendly Smartphones you can opt to add on your shopping list in 2020.

Budget-Friendly Smartphones you can Buy in Uganda below UGX 500,000

Itel P36 PRO LTE

Itel P36 PRO LTE is a 2020 release that was launched as a successor to the Itel P35 with new features blended into play. Its priced between UGX 390,000 – UGX 420,000 and serves as the PRO (superior) model to the base P36 which is priced between UGX 280,000-UGX 320,000

Notable device features off the Specs sheet include an iPhone 11 like rear camera design. A waterdrop display notch, and a big 5000mAh battery with fast charging headline what you’d love about the latest P-Series release.

Quick Itel P36 PRO Specs

TECNO Spark 5

TECNO Spark 5 is the latest Spark Series release that succeeded the TECNO Spark 4 with new features coping with a 2020 trend and will be succeeded by the TECNO Spark 6 which is expected to launch in Uganda by late 2020.

Picking a Glory streak from the Spark K7 and Spark 2, the TECNO Spark costs UGX 440,000 with great features and routes in a budget-friendly lane with a quad-rear camera setup, punch-hole display notch as its top specs shining with Android 10 as the base operating system.

Quick Tecno Spark 5 Specs

Infinix Hot 9

Infinix Hot 9 has not shared the same market value as the Infinix Hot 8 in Uganda, but still, it serves as the latest hot series release and raves at a friendly price tag between UGX 470,000 – UGX 500,000. Though the Infinix Hot 9 is set to be replaced by the Hot 10, it still rocks as one of the best budget-friendly releases you can consider.

Out of the box, the device’s top features include a punch-hole display notch, storage at 64GB ROM/3GB RAM, then a quad rear camera setup (4 cameras) and a single front-facing selfie camera.

As a tradition, a fingerprint sensor exists on the rear plate as Face Unlock is also supported as per the device’s specs sheet.

Quick Infinix Hot 9 Specs

Samsung Galaxy A11

Galaxy A-series are probably Samsung’s replacement for its popular J-series releases. The Galaxy A11 as a midrange entrant brings to play lesser bezels, a triple rear camera setup with lowlight f1.8 support, then a front selfie companion housed under the punch hole notch.

By price, the Samsung Galaxy A11 costs between UGX 490,000 – UGX 540,000 as listed on Jumia. Well, if you’re a fan of Samsung Smartphones, but want the best version on a budget, then the Galaxy A11 should be your perfect fit.

Quick Samsung Galaxy A11 Specs

Xiaomi Redmi 9

Redmi 9 is probably the cheapest Xiaomi Smartphone you can buy, the Smartphone costs between UGX 500,000 to UGX 525,000. By features, it sports a waterdrop display notch and equips 32GB + 3GB on a Media Tek processor supporting Android 10 as the base Operating system.

Quick Redmi 9 Specs

Bonus: The Best Cheapest Smartphone you can buy in Uganda at the moment

Realme C2

Realme is slowly making its presence in Africa known, the brand recently opened its availability window in Kenya as its East African center for dominance. The brand is known for having great midrange releases with its bullish market in India, and among its releases to consider is the Realme C2.

Realme C2 is available in Uganda and costs approximately UGX 340,000. By Specs, the Smartphone sports a 6.1 Inch Screen with a waterdrop display notch, then a dual-rear Camera and Single Selfie Camera pitch the device’s mobile photography standards.

Quick Realme C2 Specs

Having received an Itel P36 review unit days back, Unboxing the device is a tale of exceptional box-sizing with minimal accessories tagged to the device. Inside the Box, accessories are caved to full basic (charging, music + Protection) mode, and here are all components boxed with the Itel P36:

ITEL P36 Box Contents

• A Single Itel P36 Unit
• USB Cable
• Headsets (Earphones)
• Charging Brick
• Transparent Phone Cover (Plastic)

Straight out of the box, the Itel P36 tags a premium packaging style and teases great functionality on usage. By display, the device comes with a waterdrop notch, and a bigger wide-screen measured at 6.5 Inches as per the device’s Specifications Sheet.

Itel P36 Specifications

ITEL P36 Pro LTE Specifications

As per the device’ Specs sheet, the Itel P36 is a performance-guaranteed Smartphone powered by a big battery standard (5000mAh). However, we shall test its general levels and publish our experience in our review article next.

Itel P36 Price in Uganda

In Uganda, Itel P36 costs UGX 310,000 for the base version, and UGX 400,000 for the Pro LTE version. The two devices only differ in Network (4G LTE), Camera Performance, and Operating system standard.

But depending on the retail ecosystem, the Itel P36 may range between UGX 290,000-UGX 310,000 as the pro version kisses UGX 390,000-UGX 410,000.

For Instance, on Jumia, the base Itel P36 is priced at UGX 299,000 as the Pro goes for UGX 399,000. Contrary to retail pricing, the online pricing comes with shipping costs in check, and so, the P36 maintains its price range of UGX 290,000-310,000 in Uganda.

Following suit of the Itel Mobile slogan “ Smartphone for Everyone”, the Itel P36 equips upgrades in battery performance, camera setup, and display. Similarly, the P36 Pro LTE which comes as a superior version, shares the same specs, but supports 4G LTE, unlike the base version.

Apparently, fast charging is an extra feature delivered on the Itel P36, with a 5V, 2A, 10W standard, the Smartphone’s 5000mAh battery charge time is estimated at 3-hours away from an average of 6-7hours on the P33, delivering 72hours of optimized uptime.

As per the device’s Specifications sheet, the P36 comes in Deep Blue, Gradient Blue, and Gradient Purple variants. Also, Android 9 Go edition is the supported operating system for the base version, as the P36 Pro mounts Android 9 Pie with sufficient specs as listed.

Itel p36 specifications

Itel P36 LTE pro Specifications

According to Itel Mobile Uganda’s Head of Digital Ms. Lyndah Kasasa, the Unibody design pimped to the Itel P36, and lane of upgrades, are aligned to delivering great user experience in direction of the company’s goal to satisfy customers through budget-friendly releases as she inked:

“The Itel P36 and P36 Pro LTE affirm Itel Mobile’s push towards great smartphone offerings budget-friendly prices. It’s also about value creation for the consumer with major upgrades and specifications that surpass what’s obtainable in the market.”

Lindah Nakityo Kasasa, Itel Digital Marketing & Communications Executive, Uganda.

At the moment, Both the Itel P36 and the Itel P36 Pro are currently available in Uganda at UGX 299,000 and UGX 399,000 respectively as listed online on Jumia. With the urge to serve customers during the pandemic, Itel P36 orders can be made through the brand’s Facebook page for customer deliveries.

For now, the Itel P36 is here, and has been launched with an iPhone 11-like design, but we shall confirm how it differs from the P33 plus its general performance levels once we receive a Review Unit from Itel Mobile Uganda.

Having launched in several African markets already, the Itel P36 is rumored to be yet another big battery smartphone rocking a 5000mAh battery standard capable of delivering 2-3days of uptime.

Succeeding the Itel P33 which was launched in Uganda last year (2019), the P36 is expected to not only feature an Android Go operating system, but also, bring to play a chunk of upgrades as compared to its predecessors.

Among these, an iPhone 11-like rear Camera setup teases as the device’s most notable feature. Ordinarily, the fingerprint sensor is back, but we expect Face unlock to be shipped as an extra security layer.

Unlike its predecessors, the P36 is also rumored to come in two models, a base P36 model, and a Pro version branded as the P36 LTE. The two models will not only differ in specifications and camera functionality, but their major difference will be tied to LTE (Long Term evolution) network support.

In Uganda, the Itel P36 is expected to launch next Monday (13th July 2020) and its price tag has not been revealed yet, but we expect the Smartphone to bezel the usual P-series pricing between UGX 250,0000 – UGX 350,000.

Once the Smartphone is launched by Itel mobile Uganda, we shall have a review unit and test what a 2020 Big Battery smartphone has to offer in our Impressions and reviews section.