What’s the Best Phone under $200?

In recent years phone prices have soared to astronomical heights, $1000+ was unheard-of when I bought my first mobile 14 years ago. For most people, spending upwards of $1000 USD on a mobile phone is unrealistic and nonsensical. I have a solution, there are decent phones on the market at almost all price points, so I thought I’d start a blog series of posts to highlight the sub $1000 USD smartphone. The question I will be answering today is, What’s the Best Phone Under $200?

As with all technology, initially, it is super expensive if you want the best of the best. Over time the gap between the best and the worst gets smaller and former flagship specifications become entry-level. Below I have listed 4 phones from 4 different manufacturers, all these phones are under the $200 and aim to be the Best Phone Under $200. Keep in mind they may also be on special at this time. I will list the Specs that matter, Pros and Cons, and what makes them a good purchase.

Samsung Galaxy A20

Credit – SAMSUNG

• Display – 6.4 inch Super AMOLED Capacitive Touchscreen / 720 x 1560 pixels
• Weight – 169 grams
• OS – Android 9.0 (Pie)
• Chipset – Exynos 7884
• Memory – 32GB internal memory, 3GB Ram, expandable storage
• Battery – 4000 mAh / 15W Fast Charger
• Rear Camera – Dual Cameras, 1 x 13 MP, 1 x 5 MP Ultrawide
• Front Camera – 8 MP camera
• Sound – 3.5 mm Jack and onboard Speakers
• Security – Rear Fingerprint Sensor
• Bluetooth – 5.0
  
• USB input – USB C
  
• Colors – Black, Deep Blue, Red, Coral Orange, Gold

A few years ago a spec list like the A20 would have been considered a flagship model for Samsung. Back in 2014, the Samsung Galaxy S5 had a quad-core processor, 16GB of internal storage, and 2GB of ram, phones have come a long way. The Samsung Galaxy A20 is a prime example of how phones have evolved.

In today’s market the A20 doesn’t compare to modern flagships when it comes to raw power and speed, but it excels in other areas. It has a great battery life and fast charging, the cameras are decent and its priced well. The screen despite being a Super AMOLED and near bezel-less is somewhat underwhelming but gets the job done if you are just browsing Facebook and YouTube.

The A20 isn’t a flagship killer, but nothing on this list is. If you’re looking for a phone with a big battery, Samsung build quality, and a near bezel-less display, the A20 is for you.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7

Credit – AMAZON

• Display – 6.3 inch IPS LCD Capacitive Touchscreen / 1080 x 2340 pixels
• Weight – 186 grams
• OS – Android 9.0
• Chipset – Qualcomm SDM660 Snapdragon 660
• Memory – 32GB, 3GB Ram / 64GB, 4GB Ram / 64GB, 6GB Ram / 128GB, 4GB Ram
• Battery – 4000 mAh battery / 18W Fast Charger
• Rear Camera – Dual: 48 MP and 5 MP, depth sensor (other options available)
• Front Camera – 13 MP
• Sound – 3.5mm headphone jack, onboard speaker
• Security – Rear Mounted Fingerprint Sensor
• Bluetooth – 5.0
  
• USB Input – USB C
• Colors – Blue, Black, Twilight Gold, White

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 is the bargain buy of 2019. Nowadays people seem to be a little more on edge than they used to be when it comes to purchasing Chinese tech. Rest assured, there are still reliable Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomi and OnePlus that haven’t been banned from selling in America.

The Redmi Note 7 is constructed with a glass back and front, around the sides is a plastic composite. These phones are very slippery and fingerprint magnets so I do recommend a cover. When you first pick up the phone you immediately notice the massive display that is made to consume media. The screen doesn’t seem to get as bright as the Samsung displays but that is my only gripe, other than that, you would have to look long and hard to find any faults with the display.

Performance-wise the Note 7 is no slouch, the Snapdragon 660 maybe a 2017 chipset but it is very snappy here. That coupled with up to 6GB of Ram, makes this phone a budget performance monster. Nothing else on this list compares to the pure horsepower here. Battery life is also fantastic, it boasts a 4000 mAh battery with 18W fast charging.

I have to mention the 48 MP camera, the only thing I have to say is, more isn’t always better. 48MP is a lot of pixels for a phone camera and not many phones can compete, but what this phone does with that 48MP isn’t great. If you are looking for a phone with a lot of processing power, great screen, and a decent camera, the Redmi Note 7 is a serious bargain.

Motorola Moto One

Credit – AMAZON

• Display – 5.9 inch LTPS IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen / 720 x 1520 pixels
• Weight – 162 Grams
• OS – Upgradable to Android 9.0 (Pie) or Android One
• Chipset – Qualcomm MSM8953 Snapdragon 625
• Memory – 64GB, 4GB Ram
• Battery – 3000 mAh, 15W Fast Charging
• Rear Camera – Dual: 13 MP, 2MP, Depth Sensor
• Front Camera – 8 MP
• Sound – 3.5mm headphone jack, onboard speaker
• Security – Rear Mounted Fingerprint Sensor
• Bluetooth – 5.0
• USB Input – USB Type C
• Colors – White, Black

At a glance, you could mistake the Moto One for an iPhone, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If you have purchased a budget smartphone in the past, it’s likely that you have seen numerous Moto G models. Over the years Motorola has become a mainstay in the budget category. People want iPhones, they just don’t want to, or can’t afford to pay $1000 for one, hence why most budget phones take styling cues from flagship phones.

Software is one of the main pros on the Moto One. It runs stock Android One, which is android bare-bones software for a budget phone. Android one is less taxing on the phone and requires less hardware to run efficiently. With the hardware found on the Moto One, this phone has snappy performance an overall clean UI experience.

Everything else on this phone is a fairly basic experience. You’re not going to receive the best of any spec here, but what is present works well together. You get an average size battery with fast charging, a 720p resolution on the display, and a middle of the road rear and front camera set up.

The Moto One is not going to blow your socks off, but it will get the job done as a reliable budget phone for those that don’t need bells and whistles. The Android One experience is what makes this phone, the One UI is clean and bare-bones Android is a good thing for Android lovers.

BLU G9

Credit – AMAZON

• Display – 6.3 inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen / 720 x 1520 pixels
• Weight – 165 grams
• OS – Android 9 (Pie)
• Chipset – Mediatek MT6762 Helio P22
• Memory – 64GB, 4GB Ram, Expandable SD
• Battery – 4000 mAh
• Rear Camera – Dual : 13 MP, 2 MP and depth sensor
• Front Camera – 13 MP
• Sound – 3.5 mm headphone jack, onboard speakers
• Security – Rear Fingerprint Sensor
• Bluetooth – 4.0
• USB Input – USB Type C
• Colors – Black, Blue

The Blu G9 is the best looking phone on this list, it oozes style and presents much higher than its price point. Screen to body ratio is 88.8% with a near bezel-less display and a teardrop notch cut out for the front-facing camera. The cameras aren’t anything special, but you do get a dual camera set up on the rear and a 13 MP front-facing camera that gets the job done. Are there better cameras on the market? Yes, would you complain about this setup, No.

Build quality on the BLU G9 is what you would expect on a sub $200 device. It’s made from a glossy plastic with a fingerprint sensor on the rear, and it is an absolute fingerprint magnet. The display is definitely an area that BLU cut costs on, it’s at 720P display and isn’t scared to show it, it’s not great.

The phone runs a lightly skinned version of Android that is a near-stock experience. This is great when it comes to battery consumption, and when you pair it with the 4000 mAh battery it really shines. Expect to get all-day usage out of the battery with no issues.

The BLU G9 as an overall package is a decent amount of value. Nothing too exciting, but for the sub $200 category nothing really is. This phone would make for a great work phone, you get what you pay for and don’t have to worry about charging it every few hours.

Summary – Best Phone under $200

So what’s the best phone under $200? In the past, I have shopped in this price range and back then I chose a Motorola Moto G model. Fast forward to 2019 and I prefer the Samsung Galaxy A20 as the best phone under $200, but that’s only because of the Samsung Build Quality and Display. Naturally, I’m a little biased because I run a Samsung S10 as my daily driver, but that Samsung Build Quality and reliability is built into their entire line.

Now clearly there are way more options under $200, but I thought I would present you with a few mainstream ones. When purchasing a phone in this price range, it’s important to choose a manufacturer that is reliable and has a history of success. Keep this in mind when making any purchase, but especially when purchasing a cheap mobile phone.

Hopefully, you found this article helpful and answered the question, What’s the Best Phone Under $200? If you have any experience with the phones I mentioned or any questions, please comment below and let me know.

Thanks

Marv