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Amazon discounts LG's budget Galaxy Note rival on Prime
If you're on the hunt for a budget Galaxy Note competitor, look no further than Amazon Prime. The LG Stylo 4 is the latest smartphone to join Prime's exclusive phone lineup, and at $250, it's a lot easier on your wallet than LG's V35 ThinQ or the Moto Z3 Play.
Alcatel's redesigned low-cost phones get 18:9 TCL screens
Although CES 2018 has almost every electronics company in the world announcing new devices, most phone makers are saving their big reveals for the upcoming Mobile World Congress in February. It's no surprise, then, that Alcatel didn't have new devices ready to unveil. But the company did give us a preview of the low-cost handsets it plans to give more details about later this year. The new phones will not only use (parent company) TCL's screens with 18:9 aspect ratios and feature sleek designs but also use a simplified naming system. We saw prototypes of the Alcatel 1x, 3v and 5 -- which are potential models of the sub-$100, sub-$200 and sub-$300 series, respectively.
The best phones under $250
The iPhone X: $999. The Galaxy Note 8: $930. Even the more affordable Google Pixel 2 commands a significant investment of $650. Today's flagship phones are expensive enough that spending a significant chunk of your rent on a handset is seemingly the norm. You can opt for an installment plan to pay it off more easily, and for some people it's worth paying a service provider for two years to own one of the best devices available. But many other people can't afford, or would prefer not, to spend that much money on something they'll replace in two years (or less). Fortunately for the budget-conscious, you can find a better selection of phones for $250 than you could even a few years ago.
Alcatel Idol 5 hands-on: A decent phone for $200
Alcatel is back with a new Idol flagship that won't cost you a month's rent (unlike some other phones we know). The Idol 5 is the latest addition to the company's line of affordable handsets that offer mid- to high-end specs. The international version made an appearance at IFA earlier this month, but we now have details of the Idol 5's release here in the US. The phone will be available exclusively on Cricket Wireless starting October 27th for just $200, and from my brief hands-on with a preview unit, I'm cautiously impressed by what it offers.
LG to start shipping the G2 mini in April
The G2 mini's far from being a perfect smartphone specimen, but LG's hoping it has what it takes to compete in developing markets when it comes out in April. That's right -- the 4.7-inch Android KitKat phone's coming out next month, and it's making the Russian Commonwealth its first stop, followed by countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. The phone's specs and features haven't changed since we've last seen it at Mobile World Congress, which means it'll ship with LG's knock-to-unlock function and, sadly, that disappointing 960 x 540 qHD display. It will, however, come in several versions with slightly different components.
The $299 Blu Life Pro is aimed at the selfie set with a 5-megapixel front cam
When we first spotted the decently spec'd Blu Life series, it seemed like a nice Android handset option for folks on a budget. However, the times they have a-changed, and the former KIRF company's latest device, the Blu Life Pro, is now looking decidedly less cheap. Spec-wise, it's packing a 720p screen, quad-core 1.5GHz MediaTek CPU, Android 4.2, HSPA+ 3G, 1GB RAM, 16GB of memory, 12-megapixel BSI camera with 1080p video and a standout 6.9 mm profile. At $299, it'll have to go up against plenty of similarly-priced and technologically superior rivals, but the key feature that distinguishes the Blu from the rest is its 5-megapixel, 1080p front-facing camera with a BSI sensor. Nevertheless, given the option between this and a much cheaper 720p phone like the spiffy Moto G, our vanity probably does know some bounds.
Nokia's new 110 and 112 dual-SIM phones are cheap and chatty (video)
Nokia may be serving up polycarbonate slabs of smartphone with one hand, but the other is still dishing out candy bars for the masses. The new 110 and 112 models, announced today, are perfect examples of this. Once again, these phones are dual-SIM, which should appeal to the Asian / Indian markets, and offer money-saving features like crunching websites in the cloud first -- which Nokia claims reduces data consumption by up to 90 percent. As for the rest of the phone, it's all about being social, with direct access to Facebook and Twitter from the home screen, and the eBuddy IM service preloaded. Those 1.8-inch displays might not be ideal for watching movies, but are likely adequate for viewing the shots taken with the VGA camera. These stripped down specifications thankfully equate to a stripped down price, with the 110 landing at around 35€ and the 112 just three euros more when they show up sometime this quarter. Full PR after the break.
ZTE Orbit is (another) budget Windows Phone: 4-inch display, 1GHz processor, 4GB storage
Remember the ZTE Tania? Well, the Orbit has similar specs, a nicer name and is destined for "major markets" around the world. There's a 4-inch 800 x 480 screen, a single-core 1GHz Qualcomm processor, 5-megapixel camera, 4GB of onboard storage and a full 512MB of RAM. HSDPA data flows at up to 7.2Mbps, while there's also an FM radio, a full complement of sensors, DLNA and NFC. It's scheduled to become available in the second quarter of this year, likely around the same time that the Tania hits the UK. Press release after the break.
Motorola Citrus budget candybar outed by Verizon, sports Android 2.1 and Blur
Boy, Motorola must've been real busy lately. Sharing the Verizon limelight with the Droid Pro today is this new entry-level Citrus candybar, which is actually the WX445 we saw exclusively back in July. Sadly, said handset will still be shipped with a slightly disappointing Android 2.1 OS and Blur skin, but hey, we did say it's entry level, right? The good folks over at xda-developers will probably Froyo-lize the phone in no time, anyway. Not much else is known right now, but bear with us while we look out for more deets. Update: Okay, the press release is out -- check it after the break. The Citrus is hitting this quarter for an unannounced price (a low one, we'd presume), and one of its claims to fame is the fact that it's fashioned of 25 percent post-consumer recycled plastic and is both PVC and BFR free. Better yet, the phone's also given the CarbonFree certification by Carbonfund.org for its carbon-neutral status. Good on ya, Motorola.
ZTE Racer review
In a battlefield now abundant with Android handsets, there's only one easy way for a young smartphone brand to grab our attention: make a seriously dirt cheap handset. And we're not just talking about a free phone chained to a pricey 18-month contract (like the Vodafone 845); we're looking for a Pay & Go smartphone tagged with a standalone dumbphone price, so even the £200+ ($316+) "budget" HTC Wildfire and Sony Ericsson X10 Mini / Mini Pro are out of the question. This is where Three UK's ZTE Racer comes in: priced at just £99.99 ($158) or for free on various contracts, this Android 2.1 handset has quite rightly stolen the paper crown from the 845. But don't let that price tag fool you -- this 14.5mm-thick device still comes with a fairly modern 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 chipset (as featured on the Aria and X10 Mini / Mini Pro), garnished with a 3.2 megapixel camera (sans flash), HSDPA 7.2Mbps connectivity, 2GB microSD card, FM radio, GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi, and a Skype app for free Skype calls within the UK. There is just one caveat: you'll have to live with a 2.8-inch QVGA resistive touchscreen. So, is this an immediate deal-breaker? Can the other features make up for this flaw? Read on to find out.%Gallery-98528%
Motorola C139 offers low admission onto Cingular
Our friends over at Engaget Chinese showed us the Motorola C139 not too long ago, and now the palm-sized GoPhone is available on US shores from Cingular. Although embroiled in a few legal matters, Cingular isn't missing the opportunity to boast about their affordable new offering. This dual-band GSM handset includes a minuscule 96 x 64 TFT screen, SMS-capability, games, monophonic ringtones, iTAP, and some simple tools such as a calculator and currency converter. How do you sell a phone in 2006 that lacks a built-in camera and can only store 100 contacts? Why, by offering a rock bottom price, of course. The C139 can be had for $39.99, and that includes a $10 pre-paid card (better talk quick!). While limited to being a pay-as-you-go device, the boon here is the tiny pricetag. The handset is available now through all major Cingular outlets to handle the basics.
