GSMArena smartphone buyer's guide:January 2018 edition
January 2018 edition
Phones for €100-€200
If you landed here directly from the home page - Welcome! No need to check the previous page. If you were thorough about it and already read through it, please don't go back. We have some great value options in this price bracket we can recommend with a clean conscience.
Kicking things off, we have the Xiaomi Redmi 4, otherwise known as the Redmi 4X in most Asian markets. You can currently get your hands on the base 2GB/16GB version for as little as €123, and it alone should be enough of a reason not to consider anything below the €100 mark. Besides a pretty decent 720p display, it actually has eight Cortex-A53 cores at its disposal, making it an actually functional device. Plus, it's camera is not half bad either and it is rocking a solid 4,100 mAh battery.
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Frankly, the only reason not to get the Redmi 4 (or 4X) if you are on an extremely tight budget, is because you are waiting on the Redmi 5. It sweetens the deal quite a bit, throwing in a new battery-friendly, Snapdragon 450, 14nm chipset. Not to mention a trendy new 18:9 screen aspect ratio and a substantially bigger panel, overall.
It shouldn't be long now before the Redmi 5 becomes widely available throughout retailers. But, in the meantime, if you are looking for a decent 5.5-inch device and potentially one that is easier to obtain outside of China, the Huawei Y6II Compact seems to be a good bet. Sure, it is a bit older than the Huawei Y6 (2016), but it makes up for that with a bigger display. The same applies to the Huawei P8 Lite.
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Speaking of the P8 Lite, the 2017 version might be worth considering as well. Sure, it will cost you about €30 more than the Huawei Y6II Compact or the Xiaomi Redmi 4, but you do get 3GB of RAM as standard, a 1080p panel and a somewhat better Kirin 655 chip. If you value those enough, €30 doesn't really sound unreasonable.
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But what if 5.5-inches is just a bit too much for your pocket? €130 is still enough to buy you the Moto G5. Its panel might be smaller, but it is also FullHD. We found the Moto camera pretty decent as well. Just don't expect any marathon runs out of the 2,800 mAh battery.
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Moving the budget up a bit more, we find the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X. You can currently find the base 3GB RAM model for around €160. The base model also comes with 32GB of storage.
The Redmi Note 4X has a lot going for it - a decent 5.5-inch display, efficient Snapdragon 625 chipset, serviceable camera, and a beefy 4,100mAh battery. Frankly, we wouldn't hesitate to recommend this one to every casual user out there. It is a truly versatile device. Just be sure to opt for the Note 4X, over the regular Note 4, since the price difference isn't significant at all, while the former offers a lot more network bands.
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Then again, if you are willing to spring a bit more, it is a slippery slope from there. €30 more and you can get the superb Xiaomi Mi A1. Now, technically, that puts its price at around €209, so we are bending the limits of the price segment a little. Still, there are plenty of options to consider in the sub-€300 range, as it is and you don't want to skip on the Mi A1.
What you are getting on top of the already solid Redmi Note 4X package is more RAM and storage - a whole 64GB of it. Also a notably better 12MP camera - a dual camera setup at that. Phone buffs need not look any further in this price range. To top it all off, the Mi A1 offers the stock vanilla Android experience and will get faster updates thanks to the Android One program.
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And since we are already at the €200 threshold, and perhaps even a bit past It, there are a few other excellent devices worthy of your attention. The Sony Xperia XA1, for instance is a solid all-around option, with only a few minor compromises for its price, like the 720p display and relatively small battery. However, selfie fans will love its 8MP, f/2.0, autofocus front camera and it just might be enough of a reason to pick one up.
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For the AMOLED enthusiasts out there, Samsung has a couple of worthwhile offers around the €200 mark. The Galaxy J5 (2017), for one, has fallen in price quite rapidly. Last time we checked, it was firmly placed in the next price bracket. Now, it deserves a recommendation for its excellent panel, even if it is 720p, as well as for its solid battery life.
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If you are all about endurance, though, and wouldn't mind a slightly bigger Super AMOLED panel, the Galaxy J7 should be right up your alley. Even though it is a year old now and still sports the older plastic design, we still recommend the 2016 model, over its 2017 refresh. The difference between the pair really doesn't go much deeper than cosmetics and it's clear where the better value is. Just be sure to look for the Exynos 7870 14nm version.
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Now that we've sufficiently bent the rules ever so slightly, it is probably time to move on to the €200 to €300 bracket. As promised, it is buzzing with choices.
Reader comments
- Tanase Adrian
- 10 Jan 2018
- SvB
having spent some more time with the device, i can't say that the camera is great and i don't any reason why dxomark gave it a better grade thana huawei mate 9,cause it is waay behind!! it overexposes a lot, photos lack contrast, no eay near those ta...
- AnonD-709656
- 08 Jan 2018
- Hxh
IKR. Mi Note 3 is possibly the most balanced phone of the year. Amazing camera like the HTC U11, good performance similar to OnePlus 3T, fast fingerprint scanner, good sound quality, etc.
- AnonD-709656
- 08 Jan 2018
- Hxh
A perfect phone in my opinion should have: A metal body and water resistance like the iPhone 7 Google Pixel 2's camera and LG V30's wide angle lens. Fingerprint scanner position like G6 and accuracy like the Mi 6 Front Firing speakers and 18:...