10 Smartphones That Cost Less Than $200 to Be Used As Your Backup Phone


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You just robbed a bank to purchase a sparkling new iPhone X, and you’re feeling really good about yourself right now.

But unbeknownst to you, your brother Andy’s going to knock into you in 5 seconds and make you drop your earnestly-earned iPhone X.

Image: redbubble.com

And in 3, 2, 1…

Image: Wikipedia

Yeap, there goes your phone. Sho sad.

Stranded with no phone and a paltry $200 in the bank, you’ve run out of tears to shed, and left wondering whether you should go for another bank heist.

But before you slip on your headgear, let me tell you something:

There are smartphones in the market that actually cost downwards of $200.

And they aren’t exactly ancient pieces of junk either.

Without further ado, let me just show you what you can get, with just $200.

Note: Phones are not ranked in any particular order.

Moto G5 Plus

Image: GSMArena.com

The Moto G5 Plus is the ultimate budget phone. This unlocked Android device comes with features you wouldn’t normally expect at this price, including a fingerprint sensor with gesture controls and a premium (mostly) metal design.

The 5.2-inch full-HD screen isn’t exactly ginormous, but it’s pretty bright and colorful. Include a relatively snappy Snapdragon 625 processor, long battery life, 32GB of storage and a high-end 12-megapixel camera, and you have a victor.

Pros
  • Upscale (mostly) metal design
  • Fantastic fingerprint sensor with gesture controls
  • Epic battery life
  • Superbright screen
  • Works on all major U.S. carriers
Cons
  • No USB Type-C port
  • Smaller display than budget competitors
VERDICT

Price: $184.99 (for Amazon Prime) $229 (if you’re not on Amazon Prime)

Note: The sub-$200 price is for Amazon Prime customers only and that this version comes with lock-screen ads and offers from the e-retailer. If you’re not on Prime, the G5 Plus costs a still-reasonable $229.

ZTE Blade Z Max

Image: Android Authority

The Blade Z Max features an awesome 6-inch display, dual-lens camera and fingerprint sensor, all for less than $150.

The 16-MP and 2-MP rear shooters enable effects like portrait mode, bokeh and monocolor. Another highlight is the nearly 11.5 hours of endurance from the 4,080 mAh battery, which makes this one of the longest lasting phones for the price.


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Price: $130

Pros
  • Unbeatable price
  • Dual-lens rear cameras
  • Long battery life
  • Bright, colorful 6-inch full-HD display
Cons
  • Uneven photo processing effects
  • Middling performance

Huawei Honor 5X

Image: NDTV Gadgets

The Huawei Honor 5X is considered one of the best budget phones of 2016, and for good reason too. Apart from delivering an attractive brushed-metal design, it also sports good cameras (13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera with OIS and EIS) and a 5.5-inch full-HD screen.

This handset also includes a convenient fingerprint sensor that you can use to perform other shortcuts. The software skin isn’t for everyone, but overall, the 5X is a steal.

Price: $$169.99

Pros


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  • Stunning fingerprint sensor
  • Excellent build quality

Cons

  • Large bezels

Samsung Galaxy S5

If you want hardware that runs superbly on battery and provides a good-quality call connection, this phone is for you.

Specs:

  • 5.1-inch display
  • Quad-Core 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 81
  • 16 MP rear Camera |2 MP front Camera
  • 16 GB internal storage |2 GB RAM

Price: $159.99

Pros


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  • Beautiful screen
  • Android 7.0 via cm mod

Cons

  • Runs on Android v4.4.2 (KitKat)

ZTE Max XL

Image: iSpyPrice.com

The ZTE Max XL packs a bright 6-inch screen and a 3,990 mAh battery that will get you through the day on a charge.

A Snapdragon 435 processor provides decent performance, especially for a phone that costs sub $100.

Price: $99

Pros


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  • Sub-$100 price tag
  • Big and bright 6-inch full-HD screen
  • USB-C port and headphone jack
Cons
  • Weak speakers
  • Lots of bloatware

ZTE Zmax Pro

Image: GSMArena.com

The Zmax Pro is, to put it bluntly, a pretty big deal.

This sleek phone comes with a huge 6-inch, full-HD display and a navy brushed-metal body with rose-gold accents. While it’s somewhat on the big side, the fingerprint sensor on the back is pretty appreciated.

The Snapdragon 617 processor provides good enough performance for light multitasking, and the Zmax Pro lasted a fair 10 hours on a charge.

Price: $99

Pros
  • Bright 6-inch display
  • Compelling price given its specs
  • Sleek
Cons
  • Lackluster cameras
  • Limited to one carrier

Alcatel One Touch

Image: movertix.com

All things considered, One Touch is an awesome phone, and you genuinely get what you pay for. If you happen to be a power user, this phone is perfect for you.

Specs:

  • 5.5-inch full HD screen
  • 2 GB RAM | 16 GB internal storage
  • 2910 mAh battery
  • 13 MP rear camera | 8 MP front camera
  • CPU: Octa-core @ 2.5GHz
  • Runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop

Price:$179

Pros:


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  • Speakers as good as HTC Boom Sound
  • Stock Android Experience

Cons:

  • Occasional performance issues

 

Blu R1 Plus

Image: Amazon.com

If you’re looking for a big screen that doesn’t cause your wallet to go ‘poof’, look no further than the Blu R1 Plus.

The device comes with a colorful 5.5-inch display and a solid 13-MP camera in an aluminum chassis.

While the old Android 6.0 software isn’t exactly revolutionary, and the MediaTek processor isn’t flaming-hot in demand, we totally dig the more than 10 hours of battery life.

Price: $159

Pros
  • Affordable price
  • Large, 5.5-inch screen
  • Not bloated with unnecessary apps
  • Decent rear camera for a budget phone
  • Very good battery life
Cons
  • Not available for CDMA networks like Verizon or Sprint
  • Subpar performance
  • Runs older version of Android

Samsung Galaxy J7

Image: crayonpaper.com

 

J7 is one of the few rarities that can proudly boast its spec sheet and yet lay low in the budget range. And of course, the massive 3000 mAh battery doesn’t disappoint.

Specs:

  • 5.5″ Super AMOLED display
  • Android OS v5.1 (Lollipop)
  • CPU: Octa-core 1.5GHz 
  • GPU: Adreno 405 
  • 16GB Internal Memory,
  •  Micro SD card up to 128 GB

Price: $200 (depends on variant color)

Pros:

  • Removable battery
  • Super beautiful screen
  • Removable battery

Cons:

  • No NFC
  • Low speaker volume

 

Redmi Note 4

Image: crayonpaper.com

Redmi 4 is so different from it’s predecessor, Redmi 3, that you wonder whether they are even from the same family.

Apart from a metallic body frame and powerful performance, the phone’s price tag will also make you want to snap it up.

Specs:

  • 5.0-inch screen
  • 3 GB RAM | 32 GB onboard storage
  • Snapdragon 625 Octa Core Max 2.0GHz
  • 13 MP rear | 5 MP front camera

Price: $178

Pros:

  • VoLTE support
  • Micro sd card up to 256 GB

Cons:

  • No dedicated SD card slot

 

And there you have it folks, 10 smartphones you can get with just $200 or below! Bet you never knew smartphones were so cheap, huh?

That’s not even the compiled list either. There are tons of good smartphones that are either around the same price range, or even cheaper! You just gotta look for them!

So don’t cry in a corner when you accidentally drop your brand new iPhone X, alright?

Instead of grieving the entire period of time, why not play with your budget backup phone while your main’s being repaired?

It does have good specs after all, considering the price.

Since you’re here, why not watch a video about an NTU student who went all out to impress his crush, only to end up in…tragedy? Here, watch it and do remember to share it (and also subscribe to Goody Feed YouTube channel)!

This article was first published on goodyfeed.com

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Image: AndroidPIT