I think I have this the strongest year for mid-range or budget smartphones I have seen. Usually you would get one or two here and there but the class this year has been plentiful and everyone brought something to the table at nice price points. All smartphones listed are unlocked and can be used with various carriers. If your wallet is on a budget these are some of the best budget smartphones to get.
Axon 7
ZTE made waves again this year with their flagship Axon 7 model. Its rocking one of the latest Snapdragon processors and has Quick Charging to get its 3,140mAh 50% full in 30mins. It provides superior audio thanks to its killer audio chips which might give you the best sound possible in a smartphone. Also, if you like dual front facing speakers they made sure to include that for all your music playing and video watching needs. The list of quality goes on and on with the Axon 7 and you be crazy not to check it out.
Huawei Honor 8
One of the most gorgeous affordable smartphones on the list comes from the house of Huawei. The Honor 8 almost stands out with its shimmering glass body detail. With that it brings everything you could want such as microSD support, fingerprint scanner, great performance and takes some nice pictures with its 12MP camera. It even has NFC, Dual Band Wi-Fi and a IR blaster for those times you misplace your remote.
Where to Buy
OnePlus One 3(3T)
What many consider the leader of the affordable smartphones list is the OnePlus 3 from OnePlus. It has a wonderful metallic unibody that feels great in the hand and easy to hold. Also, its packs some serious hardware underneath such as a Snapdragon 820 chip, 6GB RAM, 16MP camera, and its incredibly fast Dash Charging. If you are interested in shelling out a bit more cash their revised 3T model has more processing power and a killer front facing camera.
Moto G4
One of the most affordable priced smartphones on the list comes from Motorola. Their Moto G4 comes unlocked, has a 16MP camera, huge 3,000mAh battery and is water resistant. Mind you this all for $199. If you need a slightly better camera and a fingerprint scanner, the G4 Plus isn’t far off for about $50 more.
Alcatel Idol 4S
It’s kind of hard to argue with the value you get with the IDOL 4S. It has a 3,000mAh battery capable of quick charging, expandable storage with microSD, a decent camera for taking pix, and a 2K display. And this isn’t mention that it also comes with a VR headset, JBL headphones, screen protector and a phone case. If you know someone that needs everything at once this maybe the best bundle to get.
Nextbit Robin
A company that took a different approach this year is Nextbit with the Robin. All storage is cloud based which means you only have apps on their need and can get at any time. All your photos and files will be instantly backed up and helps fixes those woes of sluggish devices because of memory filled up. It also has a cool fingerprint scanner embedded into the power button. Its design feels great in the hand and provides a nice grip as well.
