Motorola has room for improvement here to match some of the metal unibody
budget handsets from Chinese OEMs.
Smartphones are a hot item, and not just the big - name one: retailers are listing deals for everything from the Pixel and latest iPhones to
budget handsets from prepaid carriers.
This is why markets such as China and India are home to many
budget handsets from all sorts of companies.
We had noticed that when the company released Honor 5X last year, which was an attractive
budget handset from a company with brushed, all - metal body.
Not exact matches
The
handset does come with few firsts
from the brand and is one of the best buy in the
budget segment as of now.
The Xperia X8 is the
budget handset, which sits in - between the 4 - inch screen of the X10 and the 2.6 - inch display of the X10 mini whilst running
from the same 600Mhz processor as the latter model.
The new phone is the successor to the very first
budget INQ 1 social networking mobile
from 2008, along with their follow - up
handsets in the INQ Mini 3G and Chat 3G —
from late 2009.
This
handset surfaced on TENAA (China's equivalent to the FCC) quite recently, and it seems like we're looking at a new
budget smartphone
from ASUS here.
The new phones are the successors to the very first
budget INQ 1 social networking mobile
from 2008, along with the follow - up
handsets; the INQ Mini 3G and Chat 3G
from late 2009.
The Sony Ericsson W8 Walkman appears to be a rebranded
budget Xperia X8
handset from late last year, which in itself was a successor to the low cost X10 mini — a cut down version of their large screen flagship X10
handset.
The HTC Wildfire S is the update to the
budget model Google mobile OS driven Wildfire
from last year, along with being one of the smallest
handsets in their arsenal at 10.13 cm long and 5.94 cm wide.
The following most significant piece came
from Vodafone announcing the
budget Android Vodafone Smart
handset is now available, with a cost of # 60 and with high - end features under the company's own brand name.
The Galaxy Note is pretty expensive, so if you need a more
budget - friendly
handset, T - Mobile has you covered with a pair of new myTouch devices, myTouch and the myTouch Q
from Huawei.
Samsung's domination is largely a result of making
handsets for all market segments: smartphones for all market segments,
from budget to premium, as well as featurephones, which until recently held the majority of the market share.
This is the first
handset from Xiaomi with a 18:9 aspect screen ratio with a
budget price tag.
This
handset surfaced on TENAA (China's equivalent to the FCC) quite recently, and it seems like we're looking at a new
budget smartphone
from ASUS here.
It's definitely a trend with Honor's phones, and
budget Android
handsets from Chinese OEMs in general.
Some Moto G4 Plus owners were upset when the originally promised news of an upgrade to Android Oreo disappeared
from Motorola's marketing and it was suggested the
budget handset wouldn't ever be upgraded to Android 8.
Samsung's
budget smartphones have, in fact, not suffered
from the level of shake that I have seen on the A series
handsets, and this year, the Korean giant seems to have gotten serious about improving the imaging experience on its
budget offerings.
Unfortunately, all the last year's
budget handsets are missing
from the roadmap which could disappoint some potential loyal users.
It will certainly disrupt the
budget market, One that is being ruled by
handsets from Xiaomi with its Mi 4i, that comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor.
Motorola started the
budget smartphone segment
from scratch with the first Moto G. India got excited, because never before was there a
handset that included a great processor, great build quality and more importantly, one that sold at a low price tag.
But it's a matter of perspective: the G4 Plus performs just as well, if not better, than
budget competition like the OnePlus X. It's not about to blow high - end
handsets from Samsung and Huawei out of the water, but considering its price tag, it doesn't have to.
Although it's not much of a set up
from the Wildfire S and Explorer, the HTC Desire C is a well rounded
budget handset with offers more than enough at its price point, even if it is a little under powered compared to some of its rivals.
A step up
from the
handsets it's replacing the HTC Desire C is a decent
budget -
handset, although you may want to look elsewhere if you want more bang for your buck.
A varying selection of hits and misses, the HTC Explorer's web - based features and characteristics see a host of abilities that far exceed the
handset's
budget price tag and entry - level stature brought back to Earth by an equally numerous collection of infuriating options detract
from the plus points and on occasion create an uninviting online environment.
Far
from the grandest
handset on the market, the hardwearing HTC Explorer is a strong performer on the entry - level smartphone scene, replacing the market - leading collection of multicore processors, minimalist form factors and high megapixel cameras with a first - time friendly interface, responsive touchscreen display and
budget phone price tag.
We've heard
from smartphones manufacturers over the years who have quietly told us that while they tout flagship
handsets as their star products, it's their
budget phones that see the most sales.
The
handset will sport a 5 - inch 1080p display and draw power
from Intel's SoFIA chips (developed in partnership with Rockchip) that were initially said to go into
budget Android tablets.
Although, it might be too much to expect
from this
budget handset, but we would have loved a Moto Display like feature, where you could get a peak at notifications.
Inspired
from the success of Chinese
handset makers such as Xiaomi, Lenovo, LeEco in India, Transsion Holdings has forayed into the Indian market with the launch of a feature and
budget smartphone under the itel branding.
If you'd looked at the smartphones available on the market available 18 months ago, those with a minimal
budget would have had a limited choice consisting of the highly - commended original Motorola Moto G, or a range of low - spec Android
handsets from Huawei, Alcatel or Samsung.
In a move to woo Indian audience seeking for
budget handsets with decent specifications, InFocus has aggressively launched a couple of
handsets with little price variation, giving its consumers to choose
from a list of options according to needs.
The
handset is positioned to offer everything you would expect
from a high - end smartphone, but at a
budget price.
The two
handsets are yet another $ 100 - $ 200
budget offering
from the company, mostly just building on last year's Moto E3 with improved specs and new metal designs...
Here's a closer look at the devices that grabbed our attention,
from a mighty flagship (and one of its attendant accessories) to an attractively priced
budget handset with an impressive - looking concept phone thrown in for good measure.
The
budget - friendly phone will start at a
budget price of just $ 199, but both
handsets will be available for purchase in the country as
from July 12.
There has never been quite a greater time for smartphone diversity than today, where the available gamut of feature - packed
handsets range
from fully spec'd, top - tier everything - you - need - plus - more devices; inexpensive but decent mid-range entries; and even
budget phones that, while lacking the bells and whistles of higher - rank phones, still remain decent, passable, and functional.
That's as better as one could ask
from any
handset in the
budget segment.
Budget smartphone maker Honor has a
handset on the way that appears to borrow heavily
from those designs, and it will likely cost much less.
It doesn't look like the best designed
handset on the market
from a visual perspective either, though it's certainly better than ZTE's previous efforts in the
budget smartphone space.
From the mightiest flagship to the humblest
budget handset, your phone's camera is getting smarter.