Cheapest Phones with 3GB RAM – Top 5 List
If you are looking for the cheapest phones with 3GB RAM, I created a list that you will find useful. All the smartphones on the list run on Android OS because, needless to say, iPhones are not cheap.
Now there are things that you need to consider when getting a 3GB RAM smartphone. You need to understand what you can do with 3GB of RAM and the other specs that you need to consider when choosing the right smartphone model.
Contents (Jump to the sections below)
I. Things to Consider When Getting a Phone with 3GB RAM
II. Top 5 Cheapest Phones – 3GB RAM
III. CPU Benchmark Scores of the Top 5
IV. My Recommendations from the Top 10
Things to Consider When Getting a Phone with 3GB RAM
Understanding the use of RAM
Imagine one morning when you prepare your breakfast and you take the carton of milk from the fridge to the kitchen table. Instead of pouring the milk into an empty glass and returning the carton back to the fridge, you place the carton on the kitchen table where you can easily reach it. You had to because it will take more of your time and effort to open the fridge again in case you want more milk while enjoying your breakfast.
The RAM or Random Access Memory is your kitchen table where you can easily access the app data or the carton of milk. And your fridge is your phone’s internal memory where the app is installed.
Apps need to temporarily store some of its data in the RAM so you can access (read and write) it a lot faster than reading from and writing to the internal memory. This also allows you to run the app in the background and start another app. Thus, RAM also allows you to run multiple apps at the same time. This is also called multitasking.
So if you are currently scrolling on Twitter and then you want to check your Facebook timeline, you can open your Facebook app without terminating Twitter. Then you can easily switch back later to Twitter because the Twitter app data is still stored in the RAM.
How many apps can you run simultaneously with 3GB RAM?
3GB RAM for an Android smartphone is still enough but you need to manage the number of apps that you will use simultaneously.
Remember that the amount of RAM consumption varies per app. The average apps on Android like Youtube, Spotify, and Twitter consume an average of 300MB. Media-intensive apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Chrome consume around 300MB upon opening and can increase up to 700MB – 900MB as you spend more time browsing its media content. High-graphics games like PUBG Mobile can consume up to 1.2GB of RAM.
Now to identify how many apps you can run at the same time, let’s breakdown the usage of your 3GB RAM [3GB = 3,000MB (decimal)]. The 200MB goes to “Reserved” or hidden area which you cannot use. The 1400MB is usually consumed by Android OS and other system apps which you also cannot use. Which leaves you around 1400MB available for running your commonly used apps.
You don’t want to consume all 1400MB because that will slow down your phone’s performance so let’s have at least 200MB allowance. Which now leaves you around 1200MB available.
The 1200MB available will allow you to use four (4) average apps. If you want to open another average app, you need to terminate one app that you are currently running.
With that said, you can only run one (1) average app and (1) media-intensive app at the same time if you plan to browse a lot of media content. This also means that you can only run one (1) high-graphics game app if you want to avoid an app crash and play without lag.
Overall performance is not just about the RAM
RAM is not the only hardware spec that you should look at when evaluating the overall performance of a smartphone. You also need to look at the chipset. In the chipset, you can check the CPU specs. A 3GB RAM with a mid-range CPU is faster than a 3GB RAM with a low-range CPU.
You can check the classification of the CPUs for each smartphone on the list in the next section. I also added the Geekbench scores of the phones on the list in a separate section after that. You can examine those scores to determine the speed of the CPU.
In the chipset, you can also find the GPU specs. If you are playing high-graphics games, you also need to know if those games have minimum GPU requirements. So even if you have 3GB RAM, you cannot play smoothly if their minimum GPU requirement is higher. You can find the GPU requirement, if any, on the game’s official website or on Google Play Store.
Top 5 Cheapest Phones – 3GB RAM
The list below was sorted based on the release date with the most recently released smartphone on top.
#1 – Xiaomi Redmi 9 (Released: June 2020)
Display: 6.53 inches; 1080 x 2340 pixels (395 PPI); IPS LCD
OS: Android 10, MIUI 11
Storage and RAM: 32GB 3GB RAM
Camera: Quad-camera: (1) 13 MP, f/2.2, 28mm (wide), 1/3.1″, 1.12µm, PDAF; (2) 8 MP, f/2.2, 118˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm, (3) 5 MP, f/2.4, (macro), AF, (4) 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
Chipset: Mediatek Helio G80 (12 nm); CPU: Octa-core (2×2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55); GPU: Mali-G52 MC2
Battery: Non-removable Li-Po 5020 mAh battery
Network: 4G (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41); 3G (HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100)
Geekbench Score: 359 (Single-Core); 1321 (Multi-Core)
Price: USD 170
Check out the lowest price: Amazon.com
Despite the cheap price tag, the Redmi 9 has a mid-range chipset that can run most of your high-graphics games smoothly. You will notice a big jump of processing power from the Redmi 8 because its CPU and GPU are faster by 82% and 309%, respectively.
The big battery capacity is also one of the best highlights that you can find in this smartphone. You can watch up to 15 hours of video or browse the web up to 16 hours. Sadly, the box comes only with a 10W adapter. But you don’t have to worry because it supports fast charging at 18W (charges 33% for 30 minutes).
You can also find other cool features like quad-camera, big screen size with Full HD resolution, dual SIM slots, microSD support with a dedicated slot, 3.5mm jack, and USB Type-C support.
#2 – Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 (Released: May 2020)
Display: 6.53 inches; 1080 x 2340 pixels (395 PPI); IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
OS: Android 10, MIUI 12
Storage and RAM: 64GB 3GB RAM
Camera: Quad-camera: (1) 48 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF; (2) 8 MP, f/2.2, 118˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm, (3) 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro), AF, (4) 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
Chipset: MediaTek Helio G85 (12nm); CPU: Octa-core (2×2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55); GPU: Mali-G52 MC2
Battery: Non-removable Li-Po 5020 mAh battery
Network: 4G (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41), 3G (HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100)
Geekbench Score: 309 (Single-Core); 1310 (Multi-Core)
Price: USD 199.99
Check out the lowest price: Amazon.com
Redmi Note 9 is slightly better than the Redmi 9 and because of that, you will notice that the price is slightly higher. But compared to most other brands, the specs and price of this phone are still better.
Now you may wonder about the difference between the Redmi Note 9 and Redmi 9. Well, the Redmi Note 9 has Gorilla Glass 5 as front glass which is a little more sturdy. The internal memory is also twice the size and the camera has better specs. And it comes with a fast-charging adapter.
You will find that the rest of the specs such as the display size and resolution, battery life, and processing power are very much the same.
#3 – BLU Vivo X6 – (Released: Jan. 2020)
Display: 6.1 inches HD
OS: Android 9.0 Pie
Storage and RAM: 64GB 3GB RAM
Storage: 64 GB
Camera: Dual 13MP+ Depth Sensor Main Camera with LED Flash + 13 MP Selfie Camera
Chipset CPU: Octa-core ARM Cortex-A55 1.6GHz; GPU: IMG8322
Battery: Removable 4,000 mAh
Network: 4G LTE (1/2/3/4/5/7/12/17/28) 3G: (850/900/1700/1900/2100)
Geekbench Score: 150 (Single-Core); 787 (Multi-Core)
Price: USD 129.99
Check out the lowest price: Amazon.com
If you are on a tight budget, the BLU Vivo X6 is a good choice. The increase in RAM size, battery capacity, and the new design are the specs that make it better than the $69 to $89 BLU models that were released in 2019.
You will notice that the low-range chipset of this smartphone is the same as the chipsets of the BLU models that were released a year earlier. So I think it’s worth the price only if you buy it at the discounted price of $109.99 on Amazon.
#4 – Samsung Galaxy A20s (Released: Oct. 2019)
Display: 6.5 inches; 720 x 1560 pixels (264 PPI); IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
OS: Android 9.0 Pie
Storage and RAM: 3 GB
Camera: Triple: (1) 13 MP, f/1.8, 27mm (wide), PDAF (2) 8 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm (3) 5 MP, f/2.2, (depth)
Chipset: Qualcomm SDM450 Snapdragon 450 (14 nm); CPU: Octa-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A53; GPU: Adreno 506
Battery: 4,000 mAh
Network: 4G (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66); 3G: HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
Geekbench Score: 149 (Single-Core); 920 (Multi-Core)
Price: USD 209.99
Check out the lowest price: Amazon.com
If you need to run your business and travel apps smoothly and without spending $1000, the Samsung Galaxy A20s is one of the best choices. The chipset is low-range but it’s still one of the best budget phones that you can find in terms of performance.
The displays size and the battery capacity will allow you to watch videos for longer hours so it’s perfect for travel. You can charge it at 15W and the fast charger comes with the package.
Other great features the you will love are the camera quality, dedicated microSD slot, dual-SIM, and 3.5mm jack. And there’s a headphone that comes with the box which is an accessory that most budget phones exclude in the package.
#5 – Samsung Galaxy M10s (Sep. 2019)
Display: 6.4 inches; 720 x 1560 pixels (268 PPI); Super AMOLED
OS: Android 9.0 (Pie), upgradable to Android 10, One UI 2.0
Storage and RAM: 32GB 3GB RAM
Camera: Dual: (1) 13 MP, f/1.9, 27mm (wide), 1/3.1″, 1.12µm, PDAF (2) 5 MP, f/2.2, 12mm (ultrawide)
Chipset: Exynos 7884B (14 nm); CPU: Octa-core (2×1.6 GHz Cortex-A73 & 6×1.35 GHz Cortex-A53); GPU: Mali-G71 MP2
Battery: Li-Ion 4000 mAh, non-removable
Network: 4G (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 38, 40, 41); 3G: HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
Geekbench Score: 231 (Single-Core); 840 (Multi-Core)
Price: USD 199.99
Check out the lowest price: Amazon.com
You will find better and more vivid screen colors in the Galaxy M10s because of the Super AMOLED display. If you need a faster processor than the Galaxy A20s, the Galaxy M10s has a mid-range processor that performs better as evidenced by the Geekbench scores.
The rest of the Galaxy M10s features are significantly the same with A20s. Which means you will just be paying slightly more for better display and faster performance. And like most Samsung products, it is more reliable than the products of other brands.
CPU Benchmark Scores of the Top 5
Below are the CPU benchmark scores from Geekbench. The higher the score, the faster the CPU will perform the application tasks for you.
My Recommended 3GB RAM Phone
Overall, I recommend the Samsung Galaxy A20s or Samsung Galaxy M10s as the best and cheapest phones with 3GB RAM. If you want a slightly faster budget phone between the two, you can choose the Samsung Galaxy M10s.
Both phones have a big battery capacity for longer battery life and a large display that is great for watching videos and playing games. Both can also run your business and travel apps smoothly and are excellent choices for a secondary phone.
Also check out our posts about:
Which 3GB smartphone did you like? I would love to hear from you. 🙂 Just leave your comment in the comments section below.
There are lot of things that are put into consideration when buying a new phone but the most important of them being the price as your money available has to match that of the intended phone therefore it is a factor which largely affects your choice of phone whivh is why it is important to get a good phone within your price range.
Hey Sean, I agree with you, Sean. During this time when the economy is not going so well because of the pandemic, the price of products is a very important factor to consider.
Hello there, thanks a lot for sharing this wonderful piece of information here with us. I must say i really did enjoyed going through your review. I do agree with you, the RAM alone does not conclude the overall performance of a phone, the CPU also needs to be considered. I once used samsung A20s and the experience was good
Hey philebur, you are welcome. Samsung Galaxy A20s is none of the most highly-rated smartphones and a lot of users are attesting to that. Thank you for also sharing your experience with us.
Hello there! Thank you very much for sharing this article on cheapest phones with 3gb ram 2020. I’m currently using a 1gb ram phone and it’s difficult. The phone lags at any given opportunity and it’s over all stressful to use. I had no idea that some affordable phone have 3gb ram. I’m particularly intrigued by the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9. That phone looks too pretty and sophisticated to be considered a low budget phone. And to see it also has 3gb ram, wow, impressive. I’m definitely going to Xiaomi Redmi Note 9. Thanks a lot for this
Hey Sophie, having difficulties using a 1GB RAM phone is expected especially this year. Basic phones today should have at least 2GB RAM to be able to work with commonly used apps and play simple to moderate games. Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 is also a great choice.
Hello, ands thanks so much for the insight and the review on these smartphones. When it comes to these devices there are so many to choose from that can have a person lost. These phones you are reviewing are great along with the price and will be a good buy. And investment with these phone types is worth it.
Great list Chris,
At this rate, anything’s better than iPhone’s ridiculous standalone release with everything sold separately. Samsung and Xiomi are both great phones, underrated but they work just as well as the iPhone and performance-wise have never let me down. I’ve never heard of Vivo before though, are they a new brand?
Thank you so much for this explanation! I knew that the RAM memory is a “working” memory, but never ever anyone explained the usage of the RAM in the way simple as the one you did. It’s clear now why sometimes the phone, or computer runs slow when you open dozens of pages because the RAM is small! I get it! Thanks
I prefer Samsung over Xiaomi and the other one. As I am familiar with Samsung.
Sunny