The month of February 2017 saw several smartphones come to life, but most of these phones will start selling as from this month onwards.
In fact, we’ve already seen the LG G6 go on sale, but this one is beyond reach for some of our readers. As a result, we’ve prepared this short guide to the best affordable smartphones that have just joined the party, adding to the likes of Huawei Honor 6X, Honor 8, Moto Z Play, ZTE Axon 7, Moto G4/G4 Plus and OnePlus 3, among others from 2016.
If you are running on a budget but would still want to rock a device that does just about everything in a good way, there’re a number of new options that have just popped up. The likes of Moto G5 and G5 Plus lead the way, but you can also take a look at the new Nokia 3, Nokia 5 as well as Nokia 6 handsets. In fact, these two groups – Motorola and Nokia – are the closest you can get to stock Android OS, much like what Google Nexus and Pixel users are enjoying.
The Moto G5 is the smallest of all, coming in with a 5-inch 1080p screen. It packs a Snapdragon 430 SoC, 2GB RAM and just 16GB of expandable storage. The battery capacity is great at 2800mAh and it runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. On the back is a 13MP shooter while the front comes with a 5MP lens. The Moto G5 has a price tag of €199 in Europe and could land in the U.S. at about $199.
To get your hands on the Moto G5 Plus, you’ll have to part with $229. This, however, gives you a slightly larger 5.2-inch 1080p screen, a bigger 3000mAh battery, a stronger Snapdragon 625 SoC and twice the storage of the standard G5. Even though there’s a 4GB RAM and 64GB storage variant of the Moto G5 Plus, the U.S. market will have to do with the 2GB/32GB model. There’s a better 12MP sensor on the back, but the selfie shooter remains the same.
Both the Moto G5 and G5 Plus phones come with a front-mounted fingerprint scanner as well as fast charging technology. Like the former, the latter also gets Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.
If you are a fan of Nokia, the Finnish tech company seems to be back and it’s back with a bang. So far, there are four phones from the company, but only three are Android-based, with the other – Nokia 3310 – based on Series 30+ OS.
The high-end offering is the Nokia 6, which was released in China a while back but is yet to make its global debut. It’ll set you back $230, which is same as the Moto G5 Plus, but for this figure, you get a larger 5.5-inch 1080p screen and more RAM – 3GB – than the U.S. variant of the G5 Plus. However, the processor is same as what you find on the standard Moto G5 – a Snapdragon 430 – while the storage is 32GB with room to expand it via a microSD card slot. The back of the Nokia 6 has a 16MP shooter and the front comes with an 8MP lens. Software-wise, there’s Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.
If this variant is too hot for you, the Nokia 5 comes in a lower cost of just $199, which is same as the Moto G5. However, the Nokia phone has slightly weaker specs as compared to the Motorola phone. Although the screen size is a little larger at 5.2 inches, the resolution is lower at 720p. As for the internal specs, you get the same Snapdragon 430, 2GB RAM and 16GB of expandable storage.
In terms of screen size, the Moto G5 is joined by the Nokia 3 on 5 inches, but unlike the former, the latter has a 720p resolution. Under the hood, the Nokia 3 ships with a MediaTek MT6737 SoC, 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, which can also be expanded via a microSD card. Both cameras come with 8MP lenses and to keep the phone alive is a 2650mAh battery unit. Like the rest, Android 7.0 Nougat runs the show out of the box. The Nokia 3 has a price tag of just $150.
All of these phones are not yet available for purchase. While we know that the Moto G5 Plus will start selling in the U.S. this coming month, the same cannot be said of the Nokia 3, 5 and 6. However, the latter group will for sure be available for purchase in Europe.
So, what do you think about these phones? Which model is your preferred best affordable smartphone in the market right now?