In the past, cheap smartphones were not very good quality. Nowadays you already have a good smartphone from a well-known brand for between 100 and 200 euros. Enough reason to take a closer look at these budget smartphones.
Not so long ago, most budget smartphones were from all kinds of unknown C brands. This was also reflected in the quality. Slow, low memory, poor picture cameras and a plastic housing that was more reminiscent of toys.
That time is over. Budget smartphones are now just good and from well-known brands such as Samsung, Xiaomi and Motorola. The housing is solid, it has sufficient memory and speed, they have several cameras with good image quality, a battery that lasts long enough and a screen that provides a sharp image.
If you don’t feel the need to buy the latest and most expensive smartphone, such a budget smartphone is a great option. You can do all the usual smartphone things with it, such as: calling, surfing the internet, app, taking photos and videos and playing games. Budget smartphones are a bit slower than more expensive models, so using really heavy apps is usually not so good. Think of extensive video editing or playing 3D games.
Android or iPhone
A smartphone does not work without an operating system. You can choose an iPhone from Apple with the iOS operating system or smartphones with Android from all other brands. Windows has been out of the smartphone market for a while now.
Both iOS and Android are user-friendly, but there are simply no budget iPhones for sale. The only way to get an iPhone with a reasonable price is to get an older model, such as the iPhone 6S, which costs around $250.
Buying a refurbished iPhone is also an option. Refurbished smartphones are used mobile phones that have been completely refurbished, so that they are almost like new. This also usually concerns older models. You can read more about refurbished here.
Key features
Whether it is an expensive or a cheap smartphone, there are a number of features that you should pay attention to:
Screen – A larger screen makes viewing, reading and typing easier. Therefore, choose a smartphone of 6 to 7 inches (15 to 17.5 cm) if you find ease of use important. If you often take your smartphone with you in your pocket, then a slightly smaller size of 5 inches is sometimes more convenient.
The resolution -the number of pixels- is important for a good image. Nowadays, budget smartphones also have a resolution that is high enough to view photos and videos well.
Memory – Needed for saving photos, videos and apps. A memory that is too small will fill up faster than you think, so a minimum of 32 GB is recommended. A built-in memory card reader is also handy, so that you can expand the memory with a separate memory card.
Cameras – The image quality of the cameras on modern budget smartphones is good enough for ordinary snapshots at home and on vacation. Smartphones like to distinguish themselves with the number of cameras on the back. More cameras means more different lenses for shooting photos and videos at different distances.
Additional – Smartphones also differ from each other by extra parts and possibilities. With an NFC chip, for example, you can pay contactless and therefore easy in the store.
Many budget smartphones are not ready for the 5G network. That is actually not such a problem, because with 4G you can still use the internet in the coming years. See the article 5G: can I do something with it? | PlusOnline
Dual sim means that you can use two phone numbers on a smartphone. You can read about the advantages of this in this article.
With or without a subscription?
It’s tempting to take one of the many offers of smartphones with a subscription. However, with a subscription you are usually more expensive than if you buy a separate smartphone with a SIM-only subscription. That can save tens of euros per year. Moreover, SIM-only subscriptions are often more flexible than subscriptions including a smartphone. If you don’t make a lot of calls and only use WiFi internet, a prepaid SIM card is also an option.
A handy overview of good budget smartphones can be found at Top 10 Budget – Belsimpel
