One of the questions that I am asked the most by my friends and colleagues is regarding budget smartphones. Everyone is curious to know about the best smartphone they can buy for a modest price. It is understandable, as smartphones seem to get more expensive every year. Not everyone is willing to spend $1000 on the latest iPhone or Galaxy Note.
Characteristics of Budget Smartphones
There are defining characteristics that make a smartphone a “budget option.” The most relevant characteristic is the price. These are new smartphones that retail for between $200 and $300.
But there are other tell-tale signs too. For instance, budget smartphones will have a lower screen quality compared to flagship models. They will typically have 720p or 1080p screens with modest brightness and sunlight viewing capability. They will be enough for most people, but they will look noticeably worse when put right next to a flagship device.
Another characteristic is the lower quality camera. While the specs on the cameras may sound impressive, the performance will be a lot worse than expensive smartphones. Budget phones are great investments for someone who is not overly bothered about camera quality.
Best Budget Smartphones
Those who live in the United States should look seriously at the Motorola line of phones. Items such as the Moto G6, Moto G6 Play and Moto G6 Plus are among the best budget smartphones of the year.
While there are other brands with great budget phones, such as Xiaomi and Nokia, those phones have limited compatibility with American 4G bands. So the phone will work great, but it will require Wi-Fi in most locations for high speed internet.
If you are thinking about getting a set of smartphones for everyone at your small business, then you may want to look at the Motorola devices.
Having a work-only phone is still very useful in 2018. But there is no need for a small business to buy 20 or 30 iPhones or Galaxy devices for their employees. The top end features are not too relevant in a business setting. Unless you are expecting your employees to take company-related photographs on their phones, a budget smartphone will do a very good job.
Another benefit to the Moto G6 and G6 Play is the battery life. The G6 Play is an especially impressive phone in this regard. It has a 4000 mAh battery, which means that it should last through more than a day of heavy usage.
Those who use their phones for between two to three hours on screen time per day will get two or three days of usage on a single charge from the G6 Play!
Any companies that are determined to stick with the Apple ecosystem should look at the iPhone SE. It is available for as little as $150 from some carriers and is still a very fast phone.