Move Away from High-End Smartphones
Although sometimes it may seem that everyone's got the latest iPhone, cheaper smartphones are experiencing a surge in popularity in the European, Asian, and American markets. As technology develops and improves (and costs of parts are driven down as the smartphone market matures), having a cheaper phone no longer means carrying a brick in your purse, or not having access to the internet on the go. In fact, when cheaper smartphones can take photographs, run popular apps, provide email services, play music and come with a built-in internest browser, it begs the question: why do people pay so much more to have other models? Perhaps we're finally realising that the sleek ad campaigns by Galaxy and Apple are nothing but smoke and mirrors.
New, Cheaper Options
Samsung is now focussing its core business strategy on the cheaper end of the smartphone market, following a large drop in profits, partly due to intense competition from Chinese rivals. It will have plenty of competition in this new arena too: while cheaper smartphones are naturally more popular in developing economies such as India's, there's also a large domestic market here in the UK for budget phones.
How to Pick A Budget Phone
According to Tech Advisor, if your use of apps is limited to Whats App, Skype, Facebook and Twitter, then you should be fine with the Windows operating system, Windows OS. For a step up in terms of app availability, Google Android OS has a larger selection. Neither will have the same offering as Apple, of course, but your money will go much, much further: as well as an upfront fee for some high-end smartphones, monthly tariffs are higher as you incrementally repay the initial cost of the handset. As a reasonable smartphone is now available for under £100, with lower monthly charges, a budget phone may well be the “smart” choice. Some top picks for budget phones are given below.
Top Budget Smartphones
The Guardian recently did a run-down of the best budget smartphones on the market, and recommended some of the models listed below.
- ZTE Blade V
- This phone combines sleek, desirable looks with an acceptable 5MP camera.
- Nokia Lumia 360
- This phone is solid and colourful, with all of Nokia's celebrated build quality and interchangeable shells.
- Motorola Moto G
- This phone is solid with a scratch-resistant screen and waterproof coating. It's justly praised as a mid-range phone at a low-end price.
- EE Kestrel
- This is the cheapest 4G phone available, and although it doesn't dazzle in looks, it offers steady performance and reliability.
- Motorola Moto E
- Responsive to the touch, this phone again comes with scratch-resistant glass and a waterproof coating- great for kids and young teens.