Best budget phones of 2016:
1. Motorola Moto G4
Impressively powerful
The best Moto G yet - Bright Full HD display
Weight: 155g | Dimensions: 153 x 76.6 x 9.8mm
|
OS: Android 6 |
Screen size: 5.5-inch | Resolution: 1080 x 1920 |
CPU: Snapdragon 617 |
RAM: 2GB | Storage: 16GB/32GB |
Battery: 3000mAh | Rear camera: 13MP | Front camera: 5MP
Motorola has made some major upgrades to one of its best phones
you can buy right now - the Moto G.
The Moto G4 is the first time the phone line has adopted a
5.5-inch Full HD display and it's an impressively powerful device as well.
Compared to some of the other phones to follow on this list, this is going to
give you the best performance.
Battery life is impressive on the Moto G4, but it's not a
perfect phone as there's no NFC and no customization options you get with other
Motorola devices.
That said, the rest of the Moto G4 makes it our favorite cheap
phone you can buy right now.
2. One Plus X
Attractive design
Bright display
Weight: 160g | Dimensions: 140 x 69 x 6.9mm |
OS: Android 5.1 | Screen size: 5-inch |Resolution: 1080 x 1920 |
CPU: Snapdragon 801 | RAM: 3GB | Storage: 16GB |
Battery: 2525mAh | Rear camera: 13MP | Front
camera: 8MP
OnePlus caught our eye with its first phone last year, but this
new addition is even more jaw dropping.
It's not just an impressive spec. OnePlus has created a gorgeous
design for its new budget range and it's beautiful to hold. Plus the invite
system for the OnePlus X has now been dropped so it's even easier to grab one
of these phones.
The OnePlus X is one of the best affordable phones in the world
right now and if you're not after a Motorola phone this may be the best choice
for you.
3. Oppo F1
Oppo makes a very cheap phone
Stylish design
Decent camera
Weight: 134g | Dimensions: 143.5 x 71 x 7.3mm
|
OS: Android 5.1 | Screen size: 5-inch |Resolution: 720 x 1280 |
CPU: Snapdragon 616 | RAM: 3GB | Storage: 16GB |
Battery: 2500mAh | Rear camera: 13MP | Front
camera: 8MP
You may not know much about Oppo, but that doesn't mean it's not
making some of the best cheap phones money can buy right now.
The cheapest phone you can buy is the Oppo F1 and it's actually
an affordable price for the level of spec you're getting.
It comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 processor, 3GB of RAM
and 16GB of on-board storage. The display is a 5-inch 720p screen and it's
still running outdated software in the form of Android 5.1 Lollipop, but it's
still an impressive phone and may well be the best choice for you.
4. LG X Screen
An always-on second screen
Solid build quality
Second screen
Weight: 120g | Dimensions: 142.6 x 71.8 x
7.1mm |
OS: Android 6 | Screen size: 4.93inch | Resolution: 720 x 1280 |
CPU: Snapdragon 410 | RAM: 2GB | Storage: 16GB |
Battery: 2300mAh | Rear camera: 13MP | Front
camera: 8MP
LG's latest budget handset comes with one major selling point -
it has a second, always-on display. No other phone that's going to be able to
offer you that and that's one key reason to buy the LG X Screen.
The spec may not be as impressive as say the OnePlus X, but it
still comes with 2GB of RAM, a Snapdragon 410 processor and a 13MP rear facing
camera.
If you're a fan of LG, the X Screen may well be the best product
you'll be able to buy right now if you don't want to shell out on a flagship
phone like the G5.
5. Motorola Moto E
The new Moto E packs LTE and a few sweet upgrades
Solid design
Great low price
Weight: 145g | Dimensions: 129.9 x 66.8 x 12.3mm
|
OS: Android 5.0 | Screen size: 4.5-inch | Resolution: 540 x 960 |
CPU: Quad-core 1.2GHz | RAM: 1GB | Storage: 8GB |
Battery: 2,390mAh | Rear camera: 5MP | Front
camera: VGA
The second generation Moto E shows that Motorola isn't messing
around when it comes to budget smart phones, as it continues the legacy of its
predecessor as one of the best affordable handsets you can buy.
A whole host of new features have been added to the Motorola
Moto E (2015) including 4G LTE connectivity and a decent - though not exactly
premium design.
It also ships with Android 5.0 Lollipop, making it one of the
cheapest smart phones to come with Google's latest mobile operating system
straight out of the box.
The Motorola Moto E isn't quite as good as the slightly more
expensive Motorola Moto G (2014) which, spoiler alert, appears later on in this
list, but for the low, low price you'll be hard pressed to find a better Smartphone.
6. Microsoft Lumia 650
Another enterprising offering from Microsoft
Great screen
Good camera
Weight: 122g | Dimensions: 142 x 70.9 x 6.9mm
|
OS: Windows 10 Mobile | Screen
size: 5-inch | Resolution: 720 x 1280 |
CPU: Snapdragon 212 | RAM: 1GB | Storage: 16GB |
Battery: 2000mAh | Rear camera: 8MP | Front
camera: 5MP
Microsoft's latest budget phone has just squeezed its way onto
the list of the best cheap phones you can buy right now.
It's an impressive set up with a high-end spec including a
5-inch 720p display, a Snapdragon 212 processor, 16GB of storage and Windows 10
Mobile software.
It won't be able to do everything that the Lumia 950 or Lumia
950 XL would offer you, but it's still an impressive choice if you're looking
for a Windows Phone handset that doesn't break the bank.
7. Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
This is the mid-range waterproof marvel we wanted
Great waterproof design
Very good battery life
Weight: 136g | Dimensions: 145.5 x 72.6 x
7.3mm |
OS: Android 5.0 | Screen size: 5-inch |Resolution: 720 x 1280 |
CPU: Snapdragon 615 | RAM: 2GB | Storage: 8GB |
Battery: 2400mAh | Rear camera: 13MP | Front
camera: 5MP
Sony's latest mid-range is a big improvement on the M2 Aqua, but
a lot of competition has jumped in and knocked it down to tenth place. If
you're looking for a little more check out the newer Sony Xperia M5, but it doesn't fall into our low-cost bracket.
That said, this is still a cracking phone. It's the only one on
the list you can take in the bath with you as it has IP68 waterproof technology
that means it won't frazzle the internals.
There's also a great 720p 5-inch screen and some of the best battery
life we've seen on a mid-range phone for quite some time. If you like Sony phones, this is the best you can get.