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When it comes to smartphones, there was a time when cheap really meant shitty. That's no longer true. But which cheap phones are most worth buying? I found two.
Like many of you, I used to be sucked into the endless black hole that was crazy expensive smartphones, complete with the two-year carrier ball-and-chain. Then I bought a Nexus 5. Not only did my monthly smartphone payments vanish completely, I discovered a cheap phone I could adore. But the Nexus 5 isn't the only cheap smartphone out there, and it's not always easy to figure out which worthwhile handsets won't stick you with a monthly bill. I set out to find the best for the least, so I could share them with you.
For the last two months, I've exclusively carried a cadre of cheap smartphones, all $350 or less off contract. Whether phablet or pocket-friendly, plastic or metal, Windows Phone or Android or BlackBerry, bezel-less or no, they've all ridden shotgun right in my pocket for days, sometimes weeks, at a time.
Some were easy to dismiss, a crappy Android skin here or a terrible design decision there. Others were like heavyweight title fights with one phone in each hand and my head on a swivel. But the best smartphones made me feel like I wasn't sacrificing a premium experience. All three of my favorites meet the enviable confluence of design, performance, and style that can rival even the most expensive handsets available—but at a fraction of the price.
The Best Overall: OnePlus One
For many months, the OnePlus One was a myth, a phone that I had only heard about but never seen or held. When I finally did my hands on the rare artifact, there were no rolling boulders or angered locals with blow darts plotting my demise—only smartphone bliss. In fact, it usurped my Nexus 5 for many weeks as my daily driver. Like the Nexus, the OnePlus One makes no compromises, and with the the 64GB Sandstone Black version, the company even places a few bets on an atypical material that totally pays off. This device is one of the few smartphones on this list that I would describe as "elegant" and garnered many "oohs" and "ahhs" from friends.
Apart from its looks, the One flaunts a 5.5-inch LCD display that's a real stunner and a Snapdragon 801 processor that renders performance woes non-existent. That's not say all things are sunshine and kitten GIFs. When Android was still calling itself KitKat, the One's CyanogenMod derivative was good if not better. But in the Lollipop era, the choice between the two skews Android. I also frequently lost photo opportunities because of the One's abnormally long shutter speed. But where the One fails as a shooter it makes up for in sheer endurance: the battery life is one of the best on any smartphone I've tried let alone one that costs $300. I regularly miss charging only to find the phone still at 30 percent the next morning.
The worst part about this phone is just trying to buy the damn thing, but it's gotten easier in recent months. Instead of waiting for an invite, just wait for a buy-it-now opportunity from the OnePlus team: I'm seeing them at least once a month.
The Best on a Budget: Moto G (Second Generation)
Earlier this year, I reviewed the Moto G. For the month that smartphone took up residency in my pocket, I almost completely forgot it was a "budget" device. Part of that is Motorola's augmentation of Android, combining the best of KitKat with its own useful features and great hardware design. Sure, it's got a plastic casing instead of the Moto X's wood or whatever, but it looks and feels quite nice. And now, the $180 Moto G has Lollipop, making it even nicer.
The biggest blemish on the G's flawless visage is no mention of three important letters—LTE. I was moderately happy cruising at HSPA speeds in NYC, but power users in the United States will definitely want better connectivity. Motorola launched an LTE variant of the the first generation G and we could very well see something similar in the coming months, but right now your choices are patience or buying a year-old smartphone.
But if "LTE" is just a meaningless collection of consonants and vowels, then the Moto G is the perfect budget smartphone. Capable hardware, great software, storage expansion, awesome dual front-facing speakers, and a nice design—$180 never bought you so much.
Nexus 5
Real talk: The Nexus 5 is still my personal pick for the best cheap phone. It is the original flagship killer—and one of the main reasons this list even exists. Unfortunately, you can't buy one right now, and that sucks, but that's expected to change in 2015.
Amazon Fire Phone
Even though the Fire Phone has been price adjusted to $230 unlocked (with a year of Amazon Prime), this smartphone is still the biggest disappointment of 2014. The carousel-based UI is all over the place, the multiple front-facing cameras are gratuitous, and the design is clunky. Stay away.
Lumia 530
For $70 at retail, the 530 is a chunky little Windows Phone that has a decent screen and performance, but only 4GB of storage is a no-go. The Lumia 535 should pretty much make this bargain basement smartphone a tech relic very soon.
Lumia 635
A smartphone shouldn't be this good for $130. This lowball price point puts the 635 in direct competition with Motorola's also wonderful Moto E, but I actually prefer the 635 here for pure aesthetics. But the Moto G is definitely worth $50 more.
Huawei Ascend Mate 2
Huawei's skin of Android is particularly egregious, more reminiscent of Android's wincingly ugly early days. It's hard to look at. Also, $300 puts this smartphone in contention with the OnePlus One, which is a superior option in almost every way.
BlackBerry Z10
A Blackberry without a physical keyboard may slightly interest you at first, but that new phone feeling fades fast. BB10 makes real strides to help bridge some of BlackBerry's shortcomings but for $300, it's just not a great value for a crippled app ecosystem.
Moto E
For $130, the Moto E's downgrade from the Moto G is outweighed by the minimal price difference. Less memory, worse screen, processor, battery, camera—you get the point. Do yourself a favor and save up 50 bucks for the G. You'll be happy that you did.
Moto G LTE (2013)
Last year's Moto G LTE is a great smartphone, and you could still seriously consider one today. It's smaller at 4.5-inches and the camera's a bit of a downgrade, but it delivers on LTE speeds. You can find it pretty reliably on Amazon for about $190.
ZTE Nubia 5S Mini
The $280 Nubia 5S Mini's design is tied together well, if plasticy, but the stock skin on the Nubia is infantile with animations that jump across the entire page for no reason. The 13MP camera is a trojan horse, filled with promises and little else.
ZTE ZMax
The T-Mobile exclusive $252 ZTE Max phablet opts for a near-stock version of Android instead of any skin (w/ T-Mobile bloat), but the design on this guy is pretty utilitarian, the processor is a bit slow, and its OS is running a little behind.
Sharp Aquos Crystal
The Sharp Aquos Crystal is a $240 Sprint exclusive that's kind of an oddity. Although the front is very eye-catching, the back looks pretty cheap with BandAid-like dimples. The screen distorts a bit around the edge. You don't notice right away, but it sticks with you.
Lumia 1320
A great option for a phablet smartphone but currently only available on Cricket and also packed with all the well-known shortcomings of Windows Phone.
HTC 816
Much to love here, including BoomSound speakers and LTE speeds, but HTC's Sense UI is still too obtrusive. Not worth paying $300 via Virgin Mobile, when the OnePlus is a clear winner. Maybe if you can find a great deal.
ASUS PadPhone X Mini
This $200 Frankensteinian experiment from Asus tries to deliver a tablet/phone hybrid. Maybe a neat idea for a small niche of people, but unfortunately it does neither very well. The tablet has massive bezels and is incredibly uncomfortable to hold because of the dock on the back, and the smartphone itself is really bulky and is just all around gross.
ASUS ZenFone 5
Actually a neat little smartphone with a great design that hangs tough with the Moto G, but I'm not in love with ZenUI and the Moto's Snapdragon processor seems more capable than the Intel Atom on board the ZenFone. It's also $20 more at $200, which makes me feel even more "meh."
Sony Xperia M2
I love Xperia flagships—that's no secret. But Sony sacrifices too much with its mid-range offering with a disappointing 229 pixel-per-inch screen. All for $280? Nope nope nope.
Sony Xperia T2 Ultra
Actually a smartphone worth checking out if you're into the 6-inch size thing, but in almost every category the OnePlus One just does "bigness" better at near the same price.
iPhone 4s
This is the only iPhone I could actually put on this list, and the inclusion is near pointless. This smartphone has been basically software upgraded into oblivion. You can run an old OS for the rest of your device's life, or just buy an Android phone that's much, much better.
Alcatel OneTouch Pop Mega
For $250, you get an outdated operating system (Android Jelly Bean) and a piss-poor screen resolution. Nah, you can do better.
Pictures by Michael Hession and Nicholas Stango
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