Here are the best smartphones selling for less than $200; between $200 and $500; and for more than $500. We also include a Phablet category.
Best Smartphones : Read more
Best Smartphones : Read more
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- Jul 27, 2011
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I very badly want to get an Asus Zenfone if I'm going to be doing some more overseas travel. Having very limited phone service in the UK was pretty frustrating to say the least.
So the newest motorola flagships are excluded? I just ordered mine. Will this site be updated in about a week or two as they arrive to c ustomers? Seems odd you'd post this days before the biggest real threat to samsung comes out. Perhaps they paid for that?
@Cryio: It is a fair comment that we haven't reviewed every make and model, nor as swiftly as we'd have liked. However, we have reviewed more than 5 this calendar year, and this "Best" page reflects all phones we've tested, and which are available to buy -- but it's the "best" of those, which is why you only see five of them here -- these are our current recommendations. For example we also have reviewed the OnePlus On, the iPhone 6 (and 6 Plus), Nexus 6, Galaxy S5 and the LG G3. Meanwhile, we've also published previews of latest SoCs, an in depth look at our testing methodology (after much revamping). And we have several others in progress right now, including LG G4, the new Motorola Moto G (@HideOut - the Moto X Pure coming later), and the OnePlus2 (@Graham71), for example. We've added to our mobile review team so that we can, in fact, move faster. We thought it was a good time to publish this, after having given out a few awards in stingy fashion. We will update this page over time to reflect our continued testing. If you read our "how we test" you will also see, I hope, why we don't rush to publish our mobile reviews.
Fritz Nelson -- Editor-in-chief
Fritz Nelson -- Editor-in-chief
- Jul 27, 2011
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The Moto X is the biggest threat to Samsung? Really? Maybe if you go by price, but by screen size? Resolution? Build Quality? Storage? Features? Most definitely not. Samsung and LG win in that category every time.
- Oct 15, 2014
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i appreciate the effort but something like this will NEVER make anyone happy except for whoever owns whatever you consider "best" considering there are literally hundreds of models for androids, the majority will feel slighted since the phone they have did not "win"
so many decent phones coming out at the $3-400 range that the high end lg and sansumg models lose their appeal to me. if i can almost get the same for hundreds less, then i'll lean toward the cheaper one since i don't think a phone needs to have high end gaming capabilities or dslr level camera options.
others feel very differently so to them, the flagship model is a must and worth the cost.
have fun sifting through all the fanb... err.. i'm sorry... fully researched, objective and well written disagreements with your suggestions.
and i would rather see the full price of the phone listed rather than contract prices. most people can do the math for themselves dividing it up over how ever many months their provider likes to. just me anyway since i buy them outright at full price.
so many decent phones coming out at the $3-400 range that the high end lg and sansumg models lose their appeal to me. if i can almost get the same for hundreds less, then i'll lean toward the cheaper one since i don't think a phone needs to have high end gaming capabilities or dslr level camera options.
others feel very differently so to them, the flagship model is a must and worth the cost.
have fun sifting through all the fanb... err.. i'm sorry... fully researched, objective and well written disagreements with your suggestions.
and i would rather see the full price of the phone listed rather than contract prices. most people can do the math for themselves dividing it up over how ever many months their provider likes to. just me anyway since i buy them outright at full price.
gio2vanni86
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- May 3, 2009
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Someone needs to slam Samsung in the face. The note 4 was and is the last great phone Samsung ever made. Anything After S6 and the note 5 are just a taste of shame. I hope a lesson is learned blackberry style.
kinggremlin
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- Jul 14, 2009
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I don't understand what the S6 Edge recommendation is based on, and the blurb that accompanied the recommendation certainly didn't explain it. The only hint given is that it has the same hardware as the base S6. OK, but it costs $100 more. Why would you recommend a product that costs $100 more without getting anything useful for that extra expense? The curved edges are purely cosmetic. The edge screens serve no real purpose, and no uses were given in the recommendation blurb that justified why you would recommend paying $100 more to get them.
If you were going to recommend an S6 variant, the S6 Active is clearly the model that differentiates itself the most with actual useful features. Do you really need to review one? It has the same screen and internals as the standard S6, so you know how it will perform without ever using it. It has a much larger battery, which was one of the main complaints of the standard S6, and it is water and shock resistant. Both of which were lesser complaints about the standard S6. It also adds some exercise focused software too I think. Which could be positive, or just ignored if you don't care. Did I mention that it costs only $10 more than the standard S6 ($0.42 a month on Next 18 payment plan)?
So why again is the S6 Edge recommended instead of the S6 Active?
If you were going to recommend an S6 variant, the S6 Active is clearly the model that differentiates itself the most with actual useful features. Do you really need to review one? It has the same screen and internals as the standard S6, so you know how it will perform without ever using it. It has a much larger battery, which was one of the main complaints of the standard S6, and it is water and shock resistant. Both of which were lesser complaints about the standard S6. It also adds some exercise focused software too I think. Which could be positive, or just ignored if you don't care. Did I mention that it costs only $10 more than the standard S6 ($0.42 a month on Next 18 payment plan)?
So why again is the S6 Edge recommended instead of the S6 Active?
AndrewJacksonZA
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- Aug 11, 2011
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"We only review phones for sale in the North American market."
*sad sigh* (not a sarcastic or insulting-towards-Toms sigh)
IMHO, being a part of "the rest of the world," the Sony Xperia Z3 (and Z3+) are better flagships because of their IP ratings and them having a micro SD slot.
*sad sigh* (not a sarcastic or insulting-towards-Toms sigh)
IMHO, being a part of "the rest of the world," the Sony Xperia Z3 (and Z3+) are better flagships because of their IP ratings and them having a micro SD slot.
Joker41NAM
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- Jul 5, 2015
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Glad to see another "best" category, even if I don't agree with all the recommendations. Early days, I guess.
So, when are you guys going to get all your OTHER best-of series going again?!? It's been 3 months!
So, when are you guys going to get all your OTHER best-of series going again?!? It's been 3 months!
billybobser
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- Aug 25, 2011
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Samsung may be cramming their phones with the best specs, but their final product is poor.
Battery life is wasted despite class leading SoCs and Batteries.
Android builds are (anecdotaly) unstable compared to others
and their designs are still dull and only look good on adverts, taking a Samsung out of the box is the most underwhelming thing I've ever done.
(I'm surprised Apple are not still after them, as they share many design cues not seen on rivals).
and to add to that,
Not waterproof , yet sealed shut
Non-removable battery - and poor real world battery performance
No SD card slot
If I wanted these kind of restrictions, I'd get an Apple, at least build and functionality would be on-point.
(and to clarify, my personal choice would be an android ecosystem in general, but Samsung phones are woeful).
Battery life is wasted despite class leading SoCs and Batteries.
Android builds are (anecdotaly) unstable compared to others
and their designs are still dull and only look good on adverts, taking a Samsung out of the box is the most underwhelming thing I've ever done.
(I'm surprised Apple are not still after them, as they share many design cues not seen on rivals).
and to add to that,
Not waterproof , yet sealed shut
Non-removable battery - and poor real world battery performance
No SD card slot
If I wanted these kind of restrictions, I'd get an Apple, at least build and functionality would be on-point.
(and to clarify, my personal choice would be an android ecosystem in general, but Samsung phones are woeful).
- Oct 15, 2014
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they have already settled most of the suits as far as i know. money has changed hands and everyone is moving on.
i do find it funny that all the things people used to use to say they were better than apple, removable battery, sd slot high on that list, have disappeared as well from the high end android market. samsung has lost 50%+ of their sales simply because they are not the value they once were. once apple went bigger and fixed that problem, the last hurdle was cleared to finish dominating the market.
no matter what these reviews say, the iphone is still the one to beat in sales like it or not.
musical marv
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- Feb 26, 2011
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- Jul 27, 2011
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I have a Galaxy S6 sitting in front of me and it's by far the best phone that I have ever owned. The build quality is far above just about anything else I have used with maybe the exception of the LG G4. Not having onboard storage, I totally get not having onboard micro SD card storage - that is a major faux pas - but otherwise the build quality is above and beyond just about everything out there, and I love the wireless charging.
I'm glad you've started this guide section, but as you've said - it needs improving. A lot.
Here are my biggest complaints for start:
- not enough brands covered - there are many "online-only" brands that ship worldwide (mostly free or <10$ shipping), and offer worldwide bands support. While people probably already know Xiaomi, Meizu, OnePlus, ZTE and some others (and these are no longer online-only either), there are others not to be overlooked, like Elephone, OPPO, Mstar (MediaTek owned), JiaYu, Doogee, THL, TCL (Alcatel), Coolpad, Ulephone, Kingzone, Oukitel, Siswoo, UMI, and many many more. I know these aren't huge brands outside China, but they are all going worldwide slowly but surely, just like Xiaomi started some time ago
- price ranges are simply wrong - there are phones up to 100$ (even that has a real low end of <50/60$, and a-bit-higher-low-end of 60$-100$), than mid-mid-range 100-180$, higher-mid-range 180$-250$, and than you can expand on with 300$+/500$+ ranges for high-end and flagship models
- yes, we want more coverage of <200$ phones (your "low end" that it is not), a lot more, it's what a huge mass of people buy and need
I'll explain all 3 points at once with a single example of my recent shopping spree. I was looking with my girlfriend for a good 5"-5.5" phone that offers SoC with Antutu in 35000-45000 range (which covers several MediaTek octa-core processors, and even some quads, than some Snapdragons, and even Intel's SoCs as well), 64bit (only because it means newer tech for CPU cores), 2-3GB RAM, 16+GB ROM, Lollipop (newest currently marketed OS), 12+Mpix rear/5+Mpix front cam, and a respectable battery (at least 2800+mAh). Stuff like BT, WiFi b/g/n, WiDi/Miracast, and so on are a norm these days, and all of these SoCs include worldwide 4G LTE so none of this is an issue anymore. All "extras" like finger/iris can, NFC/HotKnot and such were regarded as..well.... - extras. We came up with dozens of models to choose from - and that's just in the 99$-190$ range! You can see by the specs that these aren't exactly low end phones. Sure, these are mostly unknown or lesser known Chinese brands, but you can get Lenovo and Xiaomi models as well. But all off these together are very popular for online shoppers, and they sell in notable quantities. Some of them offer even better specs, like 32GB ROM or 6500mAh battery or 1920x1080 screen or this or that. Usually you get something like a trade-off between components, like better battery but lower end SoC, or better camera but lower resolution camera, and so on, but those in the 170-190$ range offer all things above without issues.
Anyway, there is a huge offer of models out there and a huge market. And when you compare this example to the choice of Motorola 99$ as a best low end phone you'd notice that phones with those specs are indeed low end - but cost 50$. And for 99$ (or maybe 10% more) you get a phone with specs listed above
Just as an example take a look at Mstar M1 Pro which sells on frequent deals for ~110$ with free or low cost shipping and it is actually coming from a MediaTek as it merged with Mstar couple years ago. Specs are pretty good: 5.5" (ok, 1280x720, but fine), MT6752 CPU (40-45.000 Antutu score), 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM, Lollipop, 13mpix rear and 8mpix selife cam, BT, GPS, WiFi b/g/n, WiDi, hotspot, HotKnot, USB OTG, SD card, worldwide 4G/LTE, 3000mAh battery, gestures, nice design, and you get a case with it as well. Not bad for ~110$ phone.
There are other complaints but none are as serious as these above. You can't literaly this ignore huge market. Moreso, this would be even larger market - if people would know about it. If tech news in general would start mentioning it a bit more. That's how Xiaomi grew... and other competitors would be trumping the likes of Samsung on this low-mid-mid/high models if only information was given to end users in its whole. There are awesome devices all the way to 300$ range and there's something for everyone.
Well, that's my opinion, and if you do even 20% of what I'd like - that will be a huge step forward for recognition of this huge new market that's been developing for several years now.
P.S. And I can't stress this enough... never call a 200$ a low end device, it's not 1995. Same goes for 500$ as limit for mid range...
P.P.S. Oh, and there should really be categories later on for the "camera phones", "endurance phones", and so on, when you get to review more items...
Here are my biggest complaints for start:
- not enough brands covered - there are many "online-only" brands that ship worldwide (mostly free or <10$ shipping), and offer worldwide bands support. While people probably already know Xiaomi, Meizu, OnePlus, ZTE and some others (and these are no longer online-only either), there are others not to be overlooked, like Elephone, OPPO, Mstar (MediaTek owned), JiaYu, Doogee, THL, TCL (Alcatel), Coolpad, Ulephone, Kingzone, Oukitel, Siswoo, UMI, and many many more. I know these aren't huge brands outside China, but they are all going worldwide slowly but surely, just like Xiaomi started some time ago
- price ranges are simply wrong - there are phones up to 100$ (even that has a real low end of <50/60$, and a-bit-higher-low-end of 60$-100$), than mid-mid-range 100-180$, higher-mid-range 180$-250$, and than you can expand on with 300$+/500$+ ranges for high-end and flagship models
- yes, we want more coverage of <200$ phones (your "low end" that it is not), a lot more, it's what a huge mass of people buy and need
I'll explain all 3 points at once with a single example of my recent shopping spree. I was looking with my girlfriend for a good 5"-5.5" phone that offers SoC with Antutu in 35000-45000 range (which covers several MediaTek octa-core processors, and even some quads, than some Snapdragons, and even Intel's SoCs as well), 64bit (only because it means newer tech for CPU cores), 2-3GB RAM, 16+GB ROM, Lollipop (newest currently marketed OS), 12+Mpix rear/5+Mpix front cam, and a respectable battery (at least 2800+mAh). Stuff like BT, WiFi b/g/n, WiDi/Miracast, and so on are a norm these days, and all of these SoCs include worldwide 4G LTE so none of this is an issue anymore. All "extras" like finger/iris can, NFC/HotKnot and such were regarded as..well.... - extras. We came up with dozens of models to choose from - and that's just in the 99$-190$ range! You can see by the specs that these aren't exactly low end phones. Sure, these are mostly unknown or lesser known Chinese brands, but you can get Lenovo and Xiaomi models as well. But all off these together are very popular for online shoppers, and they sell in notable quantities. Some of them offer even better specs, like 32GB ROM or 6500mAh battery or 1920x1080 screen or this or that. Usually you get something like a trade-off between components, like better battery but lower end SoC, or better camera but lower resolution camera, and so on, but those in the 170-190$ range offer all things above without issues.
Anyway, there is a huge offer of models out there and a huge market. And when you compare this example to the choice of Motorola 99$ as a best low end phone you'd notice that phones with those specs are indeed low end - but cost 50$. And for 99$ (or maybe 10% more) you get a phone with specs listed above
Just as an example take a look at Mstar M1 Pro which sells on frequent deals for ~110$ with free or low cost shipping and it is actually coming from a MediaTek as it merged with Mstar couple years ago. Specs are pretty good: 5.5" (ok, 1280x720, but fine), MT6752 CPU (40-45.000 Antutu score), 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM, Lollipop, 13mpix rear and 8mpix selife cam, BT, GPS, WiFi b/g/n, WiDi, hotspot, HotKnot, USB OTG, SD card, worldwide 4G/LTE, 3000mAh battery, gestures, nice design, and you get a case with it as well. Not bad for ~110$ phone.
There are other complaints but none are as serious as these above. You can't literaly this ignore huge market. Moreso, this would be even larger market - if people would know about it. If tech news in general would start mentioning it a bit more. That's how Xiaomi grew... and other competitors would be trumping the likes of Samsung on this low-mid-mid/high models if only information was given to end users in its whole. There are awesome devices all the way to 300$ range and there's something for everyone.
Well, that's my opinion, and if you do even 20% of what I'd like - that will be a huge step forward for recognition of this huge new market that's been developing for several years now.
P.S. And I can't stress this enough... never call a 200$ a low end device, it's not 1995. Same goes for 500$ as limit for mid range...
P.P.S. Oh, and there should really be categories later on for the "camera phones", "endurance phones", and so on, when you get to review more items...
MasterMace
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- Oct 12, 2010
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I believe this list doesn't give value to SD Card slots nor removable batteries. I look forward to seeing next month's list, when phones released this month are taken into account, including the new BLU Pure XL, to be sold for $350 no-contract according to Tom's
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