This list of the best budget phones of 2015 is not for someone looking for a dirt cheap solution. Instead, it is more of a bang for your buck type of list which updates what we previously showed you in our article about the 7 best smartphones under 200 dollars. However, this list will not be limited to a ceiling of 200 dollars because today people are more and more keen to spend on a good mobile device. Furthermore, the upper class flagship models have pushed the boundaries of both performance and price so far that a “budget” phone by many people’s standards can exceed a price of two hundred bucks. The list includes frequently given suggestions from authorities in the area such as Android Authority, TechRadar, discussions on the XDA forum, as well as my own personal experience with budget devices. The phones will be ordered by the public opinion about them instead of pricing or technical specifications because with this device class, either can be very deceiving as you will see.
It is truly frustrating to see how even just a two or three years ago you could talk about a reasonably priced and powerful phone for about 150 to 200 dollars while Android users laughed at people going after the similarly equipped but far more expensive (about 600 USD) iPhones. Nowadays the market for cheaper devices has mostly been flooded with poorly designed solutions which aim to be unique through their own OS modifications and user interface, paired with waves and waves of bloatware which altogether only succeed in making the device slow and at times, unusable. On the other side, apps and games push for support of the more popular flagship models of the bigger companies out there which usually would only be a matter of compatibility. However, they do tend to make the app or game a little heavier with every new powerhouse out there in order to add new features and utilize the averagely more powerful devices. This makes things even worse as people with cheap or aging hardware are not even allowed to pick an older, less resource-intensive version.
The devices on this list, however, mostly combine the best of both worlds. They are either amazingly powerful for their price or just cheap, yet fully equipped to handle a year or more of use before they start showing signs of being outdated. Let’s take a look at them.
7. Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3
Display: 5.5”, 1080x1920px
CPU: Quad Core 1.5GHz Snapdragon 615
RAM: 2GB
Cameras: 13MP Back, 8MP Front
Storage: 16GB. microSD Slot
Battery: 2910 mAh
Price: $249 Unlocked
Alcatel are just starting to prove that they can produce phones that aren’t a big source of regret for their owners with the OneTouch Idol 3 making a serious leap towards retribution.
6. HTC Desire 626
Display: 5”, 720x1080px
CPU: Octa Core 1.7GHz Cortex A53
RAM: 1GB
Cameras: 13MP Back, 8MP Front
Storage: 8GB. microSD Slot
Battery: 2000 mAh
Price: $233 Unlocked
For the fans of the HTC experience, the Desire 626 brings the familiar sleek looks at a way smaller price than the currently hyped M9.
Ivan Garcia / Shutterstock.com
5. Microsoft Lumia 640
Display: 5”, 720x1080px
CPU: Quad Core 1.2GHz Cortex A7
RAM: 1GB
Cameras: 8MP Back, 1MP HD Front
Storage: 8GB. microSD Slot
Battery: 2500 mAh
Price: $129 Unlocked
Called “The Moto G of the Windows phones”, the Lumia 640 is slightly underpowered but its price reflects it.
4. Xiaomi Mi4
Display: 5”, 1080x1920px
CPU: Quad Core 1.5GHz Snapdragon 615
RAM: 3GB
Cameras: 13MP Back, 8MP Front
Storage: 16/64GB, NO microSD Slot
Battery: 3080 mAh
Price: $240 Unlocked
Xiaomi continue their line of cheap, powerful devices with the Mi4 which is already enjoying a widely positive reception.
d8nn / Shutterstock.com
3. Asus Zenfone 2 (2GB Model)
Display: 5.5”, 1080x1920px
CPU: Quad Core 1.8GHz
RAM: 2GB
Cameras: 13MP Back, 5MP Front
Storage: 16/32GB. microSD Slot
Battery: 3000 mAh
Price: $289 Unlocked
The Zenfone 2 is very popular among serious and casual users alike with its performance abilities and quite a large screen, which can also be a disadvantage for some users but ultimately contributes greatly to the experience.
tristan tan / Shutterstock.com
2. OnePlus One
Display: 5.5”, 1080x1920px
CPU: Quad Core 2.5GHz Krait 400
RAM: 3GB
Cameras: 13MP Back, 5MP Front
Storage: 16/64GB. microSD Slot
Battery: 3100 mAh
Price: $290 Unlocked
*Availability may be limited nowadays.
OnePlus One is the original flagship killer which now can be found at a cheaper price than when it was launched.
1. Motorola Moto G (3rd Gen)
Display: 5.5”, 1080x1920px
CPU: Quad Core 1.4GHz Cortex A53
RAM: 2GB
Cameras: 13MP Back, 5MP Front
Storage: 8GB. microSD Slot
Battery: 2470 mAh
Price: $179 Unlocked
The Moto G has been praised as the best budget phone the world has seen so far in terms of every single of its features for three generations now.
