smartsway Technology: Best cheap Smartphones in the US for 2016

Best cheap Smartphones in the US for 2016

Update: There's a new No. 1 best cheap phone and, no surprise, it's from Motorola. We're reviewing more budget phones than ever, so stay tuned for additional comparisons and ranking changes.

The best cheap phone in the US is a complicated find. Even in 2016, carriers still love to lock you into contracts for budget phone prices, only to have you pay the full amount back in high monthly fees.

That's why we have sorted through hundreds of inexpensive smartphones in order to rank the best options that you can buy unlocked without monthly fees and, importantly, without a two-year contract.

And good news: while many are $200 or less, you'll actually recognize the names: Motorola, Google and Apple. Others may be new to you, namely Alcatel, ZTE and Huawei, but they're just as list worthy.

Buy Moto E at US $49.99

Moto E (2015)

The new Moto E packs LTE and a few sweet upgrades

* Solid, pint-sized design

* Extremely cheap price

* Some display issues

* Not enough storage

Motorola has the cheapest name-brand Android phone on the list, and you'll have no trouble wrapping your frugal hands around its small screen.

The 4.5-inch Moto E display has a 540 x 960 resolution that's a quarter of full HD standards (not Quad HD), but it's just enough to keep Google's colorful Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system looking good.

Moto E's specs include quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage – plus a microSD card slot. That's fine for web browsing, email checking and playing most mobile games.

Its puny size makes it easily pocketable, while its solid plastic design makes it both water-resistant and tougher to damage than the metal or glass-based phones. Sure, it still looks and feels like a cheap Android phone, but there's no contract.

Buy HTC Desire 626 at US $82.50

9. HTC Desire 626

It's not the HTC A9, but its cheaper cousin

* Bright, sharp screen

* Customizable interface

* Weak camera

* Average performance

You won't find the new HTC 10 on this list, but the Taiwanese phone maker has a budget smartphone that packs solid mid-range specs at a fraction of the price.

The year-old HTC Desire 626 holds up with a 5-inch display and 720p resolution that's big and sharp for the amount you're paying. It gives HTC's colorful interface a sharpness that makes everything pop.

Its 16-megapixel (MP) camera and battery life are mediocre compared to what we were expecting, but that's almost universal on smartphones at this price.

The HTC Desire 626 is all about offering an HTC-built phone with an octa-core processor, and actually paying less than the upfront phone that has a two-year contract.

Buy Asus Zenfone 2 at US $249.00

8. Asus Zenfone 2

* Spacious display for cheap

* Customization interface

* Cheap look and feel

* Dim screen and camera

The more expensive 4GB ASUS Zenfone 2 was a tough sell for me, only because it brought powerful specs and Android customizations, yet wrapped it all in a plastic phone .

Much less of an oxymoron is the 2GB Asus Zenfone 2, at a more reasonable, It feels just as cheap, but for a much more appropriate price. You just have to deal with its slower processor.

Intel is powering both variants, and this phone has a 1.8GHz Intel Atom Z3560 quad-core chip, ditching the more commonly used Qualcomm Snapdragon processors.

Its roomy 5.5-inch display, 1080p resolution and Android software tweaks are the real highlights. Screen brightness and camera are literal lowlights, but you can't win them all with a cheap phone.

I was able to test out the forthcoming Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe, but with its more powerful specs and all-metal design, it'll likely cost much more than the cheapest Zenfone 2.

Buy One Plus X at US $307.99

7. OnePlus X

OnePlus X can now be sought without an invite code

* Attractive design

* No NFC or fast charging

* Bright display

* Average performance

Anyone can buy the OnePlus 3 since it doesn't require an invite, but it's still expensive. Good news: its smaller sibling has been much more affordable since it launched.

The OnePlus One X is compromises on everything from inches to specs. It has a 5-inch full HD display, a Snapdragon 801 (no, not 810) processor and 3GB of RAM.

Those are still better than average specs for a cheap phone that runs Android 5.1.1. Just don't go looking for a fingerprint sensor on this budget phone option.

Instead, what I appreciate most is that the phone features a microSD card slot and an older micro USB port instead of the newfangled USB-C style that I'm just not ready for yet.

Buy Moto X 2nd Generation at US $137.99

6. Moto X 2nd generation

Motorola's unlocked phone from 2014 still impresses us

* Great 5.2-inch screen

* Moto Maker customizations

* No micro SD slot

* Camera inconsistent

Motorola's 2014 flagship is the most expensive phone on this list, but it's also one of the best because it hovers between our best phones and budget lists.

It has a vibrant-looking, 5.2-inch AMOLED display and a curved back that feels like the right size and shape for a one-handed phone. The aluminum frame gives it some sharp class.

It's cheaper than most Android 6.0 Marshmallow phones in its class and it has some neat tricks, like the always-on Moto Display and web-based Moto Maker software for custom phone orders. These are features carried over to the newerMoto X Style, Moto Z and Moto Z Force, but at a higher cost.

There's no microSD slot, unfortunately, and the camera is okay. You'll also want to skip the nice leather option because it's a bit too supple and bruises easily. That back isn't worth your hard-earned money.

Buy Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 at US $179.95

5. Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3

A cheap 5.5-inch phone from a company you've never heard of

* Vibrant screen

* Dual front stereo speakers

* Sluggish interface

* No quick charging

The Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 is the best phone with a 5.5-inch display that you can get without having to pay a whole lot of money. Specifically, this Android handset.

It's an unlocked phone with the same sized screen and pixel density as the iPhone 6S Plus. It even has dual, front-facing stereo speakers, something you won't hear from an Apple phone. Of course, the rest of the specs can't compare to an iPhone, with a much slower Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor running at 1.5GHz and mediocre 13MP camera.

That should be enough for most people looking for a cheap phone. And think of it this way: you could buy four Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 phones for the price of one iPhone 6S Plus. Really.

Buy Huawei Honor 5X at US $210.00

4. Huawei Honor 5X

The Chinese phone maker comes to the US with Honor

* Beautiful design

* Fast fingerprint sensor

* Problematic UI

* Can only buy online

You can't have a best cheap phone list and not include Huawei, and for the first time in the US, we can include the Chinese company's budget-friendly Honor phone line.

The newly launched Huawei Honor 5X phone with a full HD 5.5-inch display and Android 5.1.1, and it looks like its 6-inch cousin, the Huawei Mate 8.

This Honor phone takes serious design cues from Huawei's premium Mate series, seen in its metal finish that could easily be mistaken for a premium phone that's leagues ahead of the discount handsets.

It still has a Snapdragon 615 processor, and that problematic, iOS-like user interface that's not nearly as buttery smooth as Apple's operating system, but no one but you will tell under its metal shell.

Buy IPhone 5S at US $279.78

3. iPhone 5S

Apple's iPhone makes the cut if you jump through hoops

* Touch ID is easy and secure

* Great camera on a budget

* Can be expensive

* Battery could be better

It's really, really difficult to fit an Apple phone on a best cheap phones list, but there has to be at least one that's inexpensive enough for iOS fans who refuse to try Android.

The cheapest is iPhone 5S. Through the Apple Store, without a contract until the iPhone SE replaced it, and that was way too expensive to consider here. But what about outside the usual channels?

The cheapest iPhone I can find comes from pre-paid carrier Virgin Mobile. and doesn't require a contract, so you can cancel thereafter.

You're only getting 16GB, but then again, so are entry-level iPhone 6S owners. It comes in space gray or silver, has Touch ID and a still-impressive 8MP camera. It even runs iOS 9 and is poised to get iOS 10.

Buy Nexus 5X at US $264.99

2. Nexus 5X

Google's newest Android phone can be had for a discount

* Marvelous 5.2-inch display

* Android Marshmallow preloaded

* Your micro USB cables are useless

* Can be expensive if not at a discount

Google's LG-made Nexus 5X almost didn't make the list because it originally launched but the official Google Store briefly dropped the price.

Well, that means we can permanently recommend this Android 6.0 Marshmallow smartphone. It can run the Android Nougat beta, has a 5.2-inch IPS LCD display on the front and fingerprint sensor on back.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor is one of the best (but not the best) and it has just enough memory, with 2GB of RAM to keep things from slowing down too often.

While it's plastic, and not metal like the Nexus 6P that launched in tandem, it's only eight months old and is guaranteed to run Android 7 when that launches at the end of summer. It's a sound investment.

Buy Motorola Moto G4 at US $249.95

1. Motorola Moto G4

The best Moto G yet

* Bright Full HD display

* Impressively powerful

* Lack of Moto Maker options

* No NFC

Motorola has made some major upgrades to one of its best phones you can buy right now - the Moto G.

The Moto G4 is the first time the phone line has adopted a 5.5-inch Full HD display and it's an impressively powerful device as well. Compared to some of the other phones to follow on this list, this is going to give you the best gaming performance.

Better yet, if you're willing to put up with lockscreen ads. Battery life is impressive on the Moto G4, but it's not a perfect phone, as there's no NFC and no customization options you get with other Motorola devices.

That said, the rest of the Moto G4 makes it our favorite cheap phone you can buy right now.

smartsway Technology

Monday, July 25, 2016

Best cheap Smartphones in the US for 2016