You’re in the market for a new smartphone and you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a new phone. In fact you don’t want to spend more than a cup of coffee or a slice of pizza on a new phone. But you still want a top-of-the-line phone, and therein lies the conundrum —or does it? It turns out there are several great options for your tight wallet. Here are the top five SmartPhones for less than a dollar.
5. iPhone 4: Free – $0.99
If don’t mind going back a couple of generations, an iPhone is still in your grasp in this price range. If it’s not necessary for you to have the newest and the fastest, but instead to have the most iconic, trustworthy, and easy-to-use smartphone this may be the choice for you. It still touts some impressive specs, with its 3.5in retina (960×640) display, front facing camera, a solid 5mp back camera and still fast enough for most, 512 MB of RAM and a A4 processor.
A lot of people still have this phone and love it and never found it necessary to upgrade. And if you do decide to upgrade later down the road, it’s easy enough to find the one that best suits your tastes by doing research and checking into user reviews.
4. Samsung Galaxy SIII – Free
When released in May 2012, the Galaxy SIII was touted by many as an “iPhone killer.” Although it didn’t do that, it did place #1 on TechRadar.com’s and Stuff’s best smartphones list and is still an excellent phone. The Samsung Galaxy SIII phones are known for their smooth rounded pebble-like edges and design.
The Galaxy SIII comes with Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich OS and is upgradeable to 4.1.2 jellybean, it boasts a 4.8 in, 720p AMOLED gorilla glass 2 display, a 1.5 ghz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and 2 GB of RAM. The impressive 8MP rear camera was upgraded from its predecessor to include zero shutter lag, making it great for capturing spur-of-the-moment images.
3. Nokia Lumia 925 – Free
If you find the Windows 8 cellphone OS intriguing and want a phone that’s known for outstanding picture-taking abilities, then this may be your phone. It has an outstandingly thin profile, a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, and 1 GB of RAM. It also has a vibrant 1280×768, 4.5-inch AMOLED display that produces rich colors and deep blacks along with one of the best cameras in the industry, especially in low light situations. So for those you out there that are bored of iOS and are turned away from Android’s complexity, this is currently the best free Windows Phone out there. Nokia is the best in the field of Windows Phone, and Nokia Lumia 925 is one of their top selling phones.
2. LG G2 – Free
Now if you’re more interested in what’s regarded as a current flagship phone, the LG G2 may be for you. The G2 runs Android Jellybean 4.2.2, it boasts a 1080p IPS LCD gorilla glass 2 display, a blazing-fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset, 2 GB of RAM, a solid 13.2mp back camera and a very long lasting (~20 hours) battery. Not to mention, it has the unique feature of being one of the only phones (if not the only) to have a well-placed multi-functioning button on the back where your index finger usually rests, for easy selfies, among other things.
1. Sony Xperia Z – Free
If you’re looking for a chic smartphone that’s also water- and dust-resistant, the Sony Xperia Z may be your best bet. The Xperia Z Runs Jelly Bean 4.2.2 (upgradeable to KitKat) with a custom and classy Sony OS skin that’s laid upon the 5-in., 1080p TFT display. It also has a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 with 2 GB of RAM under the hood for smooth and snappy performance. With generally all-around great reviews, it’s touted by a few as “one of the most impressive Android experiences” on the market (at the time of the release).
While there were some more contenders from the likes of Motorola and HTC, these are the current top five smart phones you can get for under a dollar. Your options at this price point really are not too bad, considering each of these phones at the time of their release were considered flagship phones for their respective brands or OS. Do you agree or disagree? Was any SmartPhone left out? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Author Bio: Elliot Martinez is a freelance writer and social media junkie. He likes to compare cell phones from T-Mobile and cover all tech topics.
When i saw this post title, i was really surprised! but yes, you made everything clear here, thanks for this post Anirudh. i love this.