It’s harder to get a bad smartphone nowadays at any price range as long as you do not have unrealistic expectations. This, however, means you need to dig through the pile of phones but luckily for you, I have done exactly that so you do not have to. A $100 smartphone good enough to do your daily smartphone tasks like checking email and browsing the web to do-it-all $1200 smartphones, all brand new.
Note that the prices are as of the time of this writing and they change over time.
$1200
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G
The best 2020 smartphone from Samsung with a chipset from Qualcomm both coming in a boxy Note outstanding design with the best 6.9 inch Adaptive Dynamic AMOLED display that can change its refresh rate and go as high as 120hz depending on what you are viewing. A long-lasting 4500 mAh battery with Super Fast Charge capability when you run out of charge. It also comes packing 5G to future-proof your device. An S-Pen comes in handy for those who can use its note-taking capability. Check it out below on Amazon.
$1,000
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra without 5G
You can also pick the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra without 5G for $995.00. Note that this is the international model.
Avoid Samsung Galaxy Note 20 at all cost. It’s price to features
iPhone 12 Pro
A cinema-grade triple camera paired with the best processor in the market, an A14 Bionic chip, and an OLED display to increase picture quality and potentially prolong battery life since black pixels do not have to be turned on. This is one of the best smartphones of 2020 and future-proofed with 5G connectivity.
$700
Apple iPhone 12 mini
Looking for a small powerful smartphone? Apple iPhone 12 mini is the answer. How Apple manages to fit all that in a tiny body is beyond anyone. It comes it with the latest A14 Bionic chip and 5.4-inch display and of course 5G for next-gen connectivity.
$600
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G
This is the best price to feature smartphone of 2020 when specs are compared to price. It checks all the specifications of a high-end smartphone with the specs of a mid-ranger. As a plus, it’s the screen is curved on the sides. It comes with a 6.5 inch Super AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+ Full HD (1080 x 2400) display with triple flagship-grade cameras and 5G. It also comes with a 4500 mAh Li-Po with a 25-watt fast charge capability.
$500
Motorola Edge
6.7” HDR10 OLED 90 Hz Endless Edge display, 6GB RAM + 256GB Storage, 4500 mAh battery with Turbo Charging. These are specifications of the Motorola Edge worthy of a solid mid-ranger.
$500
TCL 10 Pro
AMOLED, Quad camera at the back, 4500mAh battery with fast charging, Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 with 6GB of RAM paired with 128GB of storage all under $500? This is one of the best mid-rangers alongside the Google Pixel 4a. TCL also included an under-screen fingerprint scanner. Note that this does not include 5G. In my opinion, 5G still has a long way for it to be a crucial feature, give it till 2022.
If 5G is important to you, Google Pixel 4a with 5G is your second best choice. This comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, 6.2 inch full HD (1080 x 2340) OLED at 60 Hz refresh rate, 6GB or RAM paired with 128 GB of storage. One of the best cameras in the Industry is a plus at this price range and fast charging.
The above two smartphone are the ones you should be buying to get you through 2021. They are the best value when price to specification and general user experience is considered.
$400
OnePlus 7T
This may be an aging smartphone but at $400, you can never go wrong. Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ is no sluggish b any means. It gets the job done but do not expect a life longer than 2 years. It may go past it but enjoy it as it lasts. It’s a better alternative to many mid rangers out there.
Google Pixel 4a
If One Plus isn’t your favorite brand, then Pixel 4a without 5G at $349 is where your eyes should be set. This is a good one for smartphone photography enthusiasts. Good cameras became a necessity long time a go and this nails it at this price point.
$300
Google Pixel 4
Looking for the best smartphone camera at around $300? Google Pixel 4 at the price of $318 is where you should be looking at. Tame your expectations and this smartphone will be magical when $310 is in the equation.
$200
Moto G8+ plus
This is a late 2019 smartphone but at this price point in 20121, you want a smartphone that does the basics right. Browsing the web, email and light gaming. 4GB of RAM works and you will always push it to it’s limits. 6.3 inch LTPS 1080p display. It received Android 10 in July of 2020. 4000 mAh and 15W fast charge.
$100
Nokia 1.3
At this point, you are looking for a smartphone that can do smartphone stuff like emailing and social media or just a second smartphone. This is slow but works. 1GB of RAM is not enough for anyone to do anything in 2020. Web browsing and switching between apps will feel like it’s taking forever. 16 GB of storage will fill up quickly. Qualcomm 215 won’t rescue it as expected but if you just need a smartphone for $100 in 2021, then you have Nokia 1.3.
