Before you head back to school this season, you might want to arm yourself with a brand new smartphone. We’re talking about a daily driver, so whether you want to spend only a few dollars or go all out, there’s something available for everyone.
Most of your choices run Google’s Android operating system, but we’ll also throw in a Windows Phone. If you’re looking for an iPhone, it’s mainly a matter of size. So read our guides to know if you should choose an iPhone 5 series or 6 series, or find out if the iPhone 6 Plus works for you.
At this point, it no longer makes sense to recommend BlackBerry OS, since the company itself seems to be shifting to Android as well, or any other mobile operating system.
The back-to-school season often has sales and deals you should watch out for. So let this be a guide to which phones you should consider, and if you can get a better deal on any of them, that’s splendid.
Cheapest, Yet Good Enough: Doogee X5 Max ($69)
Doogee isn’t a well-known brand, but you’ll be ecstatic with what you get if you’re looking to spend as little as possible. At just 70 bucks, the Doogee X5 Max packs a vibrant screen, decent hardware for regular operations, excellent battery life, and even a fingerprint sensor. It’s no wonder James reviewed it as a competent budget smartphone.
The Doogee X5 Max is what you should buy if budget matters the most, but you still want a functional smartphone. The 1GB of RAM is a bottleneck, and the lack of Gorilla Glass protection is a concern. But the long battery life and good build quality will serve you well.
Quick Specs
- Screen: 5-inch IPS HD (1280×720 pixels), but without Gorilla Glass
- Processor: 1.3GHz quad-core Mediatek MTK6580
- RAM: 1GB
- Storage: 8GB internal + microSD slot
- Camera: 5MP rear, 2MP front
- Connectivity: 3G Only, No 4G | Dual-SIM
- Battery: 4,000 mAh
- OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- Features: Fingerprint scanner
DOOGEE X5 MAX Smartphone 3G WCDMA MTK6580 5.0" IPS HD 1280 * 720 Pixels Screen Android 6.0 1G+8G 8MP+8MP Dual Cameras Fingerprint Unlock Smart Gesture
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Price: $66.90
Price: $66.90
If 4G LTE connectivity and Gorilla Glass protection are important to you, then you should look at the Motorola Moto E. The screen and battery life aren’t as good as the Doogee, but it’s a more well-known brand and also has basic water resistance, all for $81.
For a Benjamin Franklin: Blu R1 HD ($109)
If your budget includes a bill with Benjamin Franklin’s face, then the Blu R1 HD will put a smile on your face. For $110, you will get a smartphone that does everything you require.
It’s got an excellent screen protected by Gorilla Glass 3, comes preloaded with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and supports 4G LTE networks. And it’s the lowest price phone to include 2GB of RAM, which is fast becoming essential on Android devices. Not having a fingerprint scanner is a small sacrifice for these other elements.
Quick Specs
- Screen: 5-inch IPS HD (1280×720 pixels), Gorilla Glass 3
- Processor: 1.3GHz quad-core Mediatek MTK6735
- RAM: 2GB
- Storage: 16GB internal + microSD slot
- Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front
- Connectivity: 4G support | Dual-SIM
- Battery: 2,500 mAh
- OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
BLU R1 HD - 16 GB - Black - Prime Exclusive - with Lockscreen Offers & Ads
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Price: $59.99
Price: $59.99
The Surprise Package: Blu Life One X($150)
Blu has a knack for selling well-equipped phones for a low price, but even then, the Blu Life One X is amazing considering how much firepower it packs for just $150. It’s possibly the best value-for-money device around.
The 5.2-inch Full HD screen and a true octa-core processor are packed in an aluminum chassis with a sandblasted matte finish. It’s cheap, but it looks and feels expensive. Blu also slapped a 13MP camera on the back and fitted a 2,900 mAh battery, so you don’t run out of juice in the middle of a day.
It ships with Android 5.0 Lollipop, but we doubt it’s going to get updated to Marshmallow anytime soon. You’d be wiser to install CyanogenMod on your Android instead.
Quick Specs
- Screen: 5-inch IPS Full HD (1920×1080 pixels), Gorilla Glass 3
- Processor: 1.3GHz octa-core Mediatek MTK6753
- RAM: 2GB
- Storage: 16GB internal + microSD slot
- Camera: 13MP rear, 5MP front
- Connectivity: 4G support | Dual-SIM
- Battery: 2,900 mAh
- OS: Android 5.0 Lollipop
Bang for 200 Bucks: Motorola Moto G4($199)
Motorola’s resurgence in the world of smartphones keeps going strong with its latest budget handset. The Moto G4 is a home run and hands down the best choice in this price.
It falls in the phablet category with its 5.5-inch Full HD screen and has an excellent battery life to back it up. The camera isn’t fantastic, but it’s not terrible either.
The Moto G4 rocks a water-resistant body, but there’s no fingerprint sensor. The Qualcomm chipset also brings quick smartphone charging through TurboPower, which can provide up to six hours of use on just a 15-minute charge. TurboPower works with any Quick Charge (what’s Quick Charge?) compatible device.
Quick Specs
- Screen: 5.5-inch Full HD (1920×1080 pixels), Gorilla Glass 3
- Processor: 1.5GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617
- RAM: 2GB
- Storage: 16GB internal + microSD slot
- Camera: 13MP rear, 5MP front
- Connectivity: 4G support | Dual-SIM
- Battery: 3,000 mAh
- OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- Features: Water resistance, Quick charging
Moto G (4th Generation) - Black - 16 GB - Unlocked - Prime Exclusive - with Lockscreen Offers & Ads
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Price: $149.99
Price: $149.99
300 Spartans: Moto X Pure ($299) or LG Nexus 5X ($268)
At the $300 mark, you will get an excellent pure Google Android experience, devoid of any bloatware or custom UIs. But you still need to choose between one of two handsets.
The LG Nexus 5X is part of the Google-approved Nexus series and packs a 5.2-inch screen along with some stellar hardware like a hexa-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and a fantastic 12MP camera. The 2,700 mAh battery is good but not great, and that’s the only disappointment (if any).
Quick Specs
- Screen: 5.2-inch Full HD (1920×1080 pixels), Gorilla Glass 3
- Processor: 1.4GHz quad-core+1.8GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808
- RAM: 2GB
- Storage: 32GB internal, no microSD slot
- Camera: 12MP rear, 5MP front
- Connectivity: 4G support | Single-SIM
- Battery: 2,700 mAh
- OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- Features: Fingerprint scanner
If you have Yeti-sized hands, or you prefer large phablets, then instead of the Nexus 5X, treat yourself the to Moto X Pure Edition. The gargantuan 5.7-inch screen might be difficult to handle, but it features QHD resolution. And there’s a stunning 21MP camera on the back for photos, as well as water-resistance and Quick Charge compatibility. Plus, it’s a Pure Edition phone, which means no bloatware again.
Quick Specs
- Screen: 5.7-inch QHD IPS (2560×1440 pixels), Gorilla Glass 3
- Processor: 1.4GHz quad-core+1.8GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808
- RAM: 3GB
- Storage: 16GB internal, microSD slot
- Camera: 21MP rear, 5MP front
- Connectivity: 4G support | Single-SIM
- Battery: 3,000 mAh
- OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- Features: Water resistance, Quick charging
Moto X Pure Edition Unlocked Smartphone, 16GB Black (U.S. Warranty - XT1575)
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Price: $288.99
Price: $288.99
Flagship At Non-Flagship Price: OnePlus 3($399)
Ever since its launch, the OnePlus 3 has been hailed as the smartphone you should buy if you don’t want to over-spend. The phone is as good as or better than any flagship handset but costs substantially less.
The OnePlus 3 has a 5.5-inch Full HD screen, which is a wise choice since you don’t need QHD resolution at this size. Keeping it to Full HD extends the battery life considerably. Plus, it has 6GB of RAM, far more than any other phone around. Do you need it? No. But it’s nice to have, isn’t it?
More than anything else, the hardware you get at this price is unbeatable. No other phone comes close in this price bracket at offering these features, and the OnePlus 3 has rightly won plaudits all around.
Quick Specs
- Screen: 5.5-inch Full HD IPS (1920×1080 pixels), Gorilla Glass 4
- Processor: 2.15GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
- RAM: 6GB
- Storage: 64GB internal, no microSD slot
- Camera: 16MP rear, 8MP front
- Connectivity: 4G support | Dual-SIM
- Battery: 3,000 mAh
- OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow, Oxygen OS 3.2
- Features: Fingerprint sensor, Quick charging
If You Aren’t a Giant: Sony Xperia Z5 Compact ($399)
It seems like smartphone sizes get bigger and bigger every day. Unless you refer to professional wrestlers like The Great Khali as “tiny” then you might want a smaller, one-handed phone. But you still want good hardware, right? Thank God for theSony Xperia Z5 Compact.
With a 4.6-inch screen, it’s the smallest phone to pack still all the features that a flagship has. It’s a miniaturized version of our beloved Sony Xperia Z5. You get a fantastic screen, a fast processor, an incredible camera, and excellent battery life.
The Xperia Z5 Compact is also water-resistant and does a better job of it than most phones that claim this. You can use the screen even when it’s wet, which is not what most waterproof phones can do.
Quick Specs
- Screen: 4.6-inch HD IPS (1280x720pixels), Scratch-resistant glass
- Processor: 2xQuad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810
- RAM: 2GB
- Storage: 32GB internal, no microSD slot
- Camera: 23MP rear, 5MP front
- Connectivity: 4G LTE support | Dual-SIM
- Battery: 2,700 mAh
- OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- Features: Fingerprint sensor
Sony Xperia Z5 Compact Unlocked Phone - Black (U.S. Warranty)
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Price: $399.95
Price: $399.95
Fantastic Flagships: LG G5, Samsung Galaxy S7, HTC 10
You know what? If you have the money for it, just buy whichever one of these flagship phones suits your tastes best. Few of their features distinguish between any of them.
It doesn’t even make sense to look through their spec sheets or whatever else. The basics are the same, and they differ on small points. Gun to my head, I’d pick the Galaxy S7 because of its water resistance and much-lauded camera. But honestly, I’d rather put my money on the One Plus 3 than over-spend on any of these.
Read our review of the LG G5 or our review of the Samsung Galaxy S7 if you are having trouble making up your mind.
Phablet King: Samsung Galaxy Note 5($518)
In the world of oversized phablets, Samsung still rules the roost with the Galaxy Note series. That’s mainly because of its built-in S-Pen stylus — the only smartphone to offer that — and Samsung’s customized software to make the most of that pen.
A large screen, top-of-the-line specs, up to 128GB of internal storage, a brilliant camera, and long-lasting battery life; what more could you possibly want from a smartphone?
Right now, the Galaxy Note 5 is the best you can buy, but the Galaxy Note 7 is expected to be announced soon, so you might want to wait for that.
Quick Specs
- Screen: 5.7-inch QHD IPS (2560×1440 pixels), Gorilla Glass 4
- Processor: 2.1GHz octa-core Exynos 7420
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 32/64/128GB internal, microSD slot
- Camera: 16MP rear, 5MP front
- Connectivity: 4G support | Single-SIM
- Battery: 3,000 mAh
- OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- Features: Fingerprint sensor
Samsung N920 Unlocked Galaxy Note 5, GSM 32GB Gold Factory - International Version (Gold)
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Price: $502.79
Price: $502.79
Windows Dressing: Microsoft Lumia 950($419)
With Windows 10, Microsoft is uniting the mobile and desktop operating systems with features like Continuum. The flagship phone to show off the possibilities of this is the Microsoft Lumia 950.
On the hardware front, the Lumia 950 is as good as any other phone you might get for Android. It’s quite a looker too and offers long battery life. Plus it has Nokia’s renowned PureView camera technology, making it arguably the best smartphone camera around.
However, Windows 10 still has an app problem. Most app developers still ignore it, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon, what with the declining sales of Windows phones. If apps aren’t important for you and you just want a phone to do phone stuff, then the Lumia 950 will be okay.
Quick Specs
- Screen: 5.2-inch QHD IPS (2560×1440 pixels), Gorilla Glass 4
- Processor: 1.4GHz hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808
- RAM: 3GB
- Storage: 32GB internal, microSD slot
- Camera: 20MP rear, 5MP front
- Connectivity: 4G support | Single-SIM
- Battery: 3,000 mAh
- OS: Windows Phone 10
- Features: Continuum, Quick charging
NEW Microsoft Lumia 950 DS RM-1118 FACTORY UNLOCKED Dual Sim 5.2" QHD 20MP Black
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Price: $492.51
Price: $492.51
Did We Miss Anything?
Hopefully, this guide should let you pick a phone that meets your needs without breaking your piggy bank. We chose the phones that we have used ourselves or have received universal acclaim, but there’s a chance we missed something.
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