Budget smartphone: good and bad (Topic)

The evolution of smartphones can be summed up in two words: bigger and more expensive. The main examples of this trend are devices from Apple and Samsung, the leading manufacturers of mobile technology.

Flagships are getting more expensive

This week Samsung presented a new flagship device Galaxy S9 , the younger model of which is estimated at $ 720 , and the older one with a slightly larger screen at $ 840 ... A few years ago, Galaxy smartphones started at $ 650 .

iPhone prices are also growing. Last year, Apple released its eighth model for $ 699 (for comparison: the starting price of earlier devices from this company was $ 649 ), and besides it presented a super innovative premium smartphone for$ 999 .

A modern smartphone is a representative of expensive consumer electronics. But unlike TVs, which fall in price and attract new buyers, smartphones are not going to get cheaper. Despite this, they are in demand.

Nevertheless, many buyers are not ready to spend 1-2 of their salaries every year on the next mobile novelty. In the last quarter of last year, Chinese manufacturer Huawei ranked third in the world in terms of mobile technology sales. Not the least role here was played by the fact that the price of most devices of Huawei and its subsidiary Honor does not exceed 30 thousand rubles.

And one more nail in the coffin of fancy flagships: cheap devices have never been so good. In the $ 200-300 range, you can easily find a fast, responsive smartphone for everyday tasks such as calling, navigating, and texting. But, of course, you have to sacrifice something.

Should you buy a budget smartphone? Let's start with its flaws.

• Photosensors of budget devices are not as advanced as those of flagships. Therefore, if you opt for a cheap camera, you will not get high quality images and a number of useful features like image stabilization and enhancements for night shooting.
• There are no innovative functions in the public sector. It cannot recognize the face of the owner, does not support working with a stylus and is unable to handle heavy graphics due to a weak processor.
• Displays of cheap devices cannot boast of high color rendering. Conversely, the OLED screens of flagship devices have fantastic brightness and high contrast.
• Manufacturers rarely support state employees with software updates. In 18 months, a cheap Android smartphone receives one major update and several minor security updates - and that's the best case scenario.

Despite all this, budget phones have their advantages.

• You get a good camera. Not great, just good. You can take pictures of quite acceptable quality on it. According to Nathan Edwards, senior editor at Wirecutter, the camera of a modern state employee is much better than what was on smartphones 3 years ago.
• You get a relatively decent display suitable for surfing, reading and watching videos. The screens of budget devices are still manufactured using LCD technology, but it is also being improved over time.
• A cheap smartphone copes with simple everyday operations as well as a flagship. If you are not an avid gamer and do not like to keep 100-200 applications on your device, a budget employee will be enough for you.

The bottom line is this: if your smartphone is the most important tool for work and play, it makes sense to purchase an expensive model with a set of advanced features. But if you are mostly indifferent to technological advances and use your mobile only for basic tasks, take a state employee.

How to choose a budget smartphone?

Choosing a good budget phone and not being disappointed is not an easy task. First, prepare to spend at least $ 200 .

According to Wirecutter, the best budget device today is the Moto G5 Plus from Motorola . Its price is $ 230 . It has a high quality camera, a good 5.2-inch screen, a fast fingerprint scanner, and plenty of storage. If you can spend a little more, grab the Moto X4 , which has an IP68 waterproof rating. The device costs approximately $ 400 .

Wirecutter also has a positive response from Honor 7X ( $ 200 ), which outperforms Moto G5 Plus for screen size and camera quality. However, its disadvantage is that it runs on the outdated version 7 of Android.

What if I want Apple?

If you prefer Apple technology, you can purchase one of the older iPhone models. iPhone 6s , introduced in 2015, is still on sale in the company's official stores. Its advantages are responsiveness, good camera and bright screen. Its purchase from the Apple store will cost $ 449 . According to the company, each iPhone model is supported for five years, so updates for the sixth iPhone will be released until 2020 inclusive.

The Topic of Article: Budget smartphone: good and bad.
Author: Jake Pinkman