There's never been a time like this since the first iPhone was introduced, starting the ARM's race of specs, screen resolutions, camera sensor competition, and all the surrounding paraphernalia of sensors.
Each year manufacturers outbid themselves with the latest and greatest the silicon and screen panel industries have to offer, and as a result last year's flagships and mid range fall in price significantly when the new crop arrives, paving the way for sub-$250 handsets that not only do the job, but will probably let you do whatever it is you do with a $600 phone, if you are not looking for trouble.
Each year manufacturers outbid themselves with the latest and greatest the silicon and screen panel industries have to offer, and as a result last year's flagships and mid range fall in price significantly when the new crop arrives, paving the way for sub-$250 handsets that not only do the job, but will probably let you do whatever it is you do with a $600 phone, if you are not looking for trouble.
Blue Life Pure
The Florida natives from BLU are known for selling value-for-money champions, but with the Pure series they outdid themselves. There's no phone under $200 that offers you a 5" 1080p display, thin frame, 32 GB of internal storage, and a 13 MP camera, but BLU Life Pure does exactly that. The downside - it runs on a quad-core 1.5 GHz MediaTek chipset, which is not with the strongest of GPUs, plus it supports Android Jelly Bean only, and has known issues with picking up GPS signal fast. If those compromises don't bother you much, you can't beat the price for what you are getting here.
Sony Xperia T2 Ultra
Looking for a large screen, thin chassis, and amazing battery life for under $250? Look no further than Sony's awesome deal of a phablet, the 6" Xperia T2 Ultra. It sports decent 245ppi pixel density, a slim 7.65mm chassis, and a generous 13 MP rear camera - did we mention it is light and feels awesome in the hand? Read our review here.
Motorola Moto G
For less than $200 you are getting a phone with a 5" HD display, 8 MP camera, and expandable storage, not to mention the stereo speakers in the front that Motorola threw in, or the fact that the phone is already being upgraded to the newest Android 5.0 Lollipop, which is making it the best deal at the moment, period. Read our thorough review here.
Sharp Aquos Crystal
Surely the most novel-looking of the bunch, the Aquos Crystal is an inexpensive Android device that makes do quite well without a bezel. Its 5-inch, 720p display runs edge-to-edge, and it's also equipped with a capable 8-megapixel camera and 4G LTE. Interested buyers can nab it for $150 on Boost Mobile or $240 on Sprint without an agreement. Read the full review here.
Nokia Lumia 635
A bright body, sturdy build, and the Cortona voice assistant are three good reasons to consider the Lumia 635. The 4.5-inch smartphone works well with Windows Phone 8.1, and the 1.2GHz quad-core processor adds a burst of speed not seen in previous budget Windows phones. The 5-megapixel camera also takes decent-enough shots. The handset can be yours for $140 on AT&T, $100 from T-Mobile, or $75 on Cricket after you send in a rebate. Read the full review here.
Huawei Ascend P6
Last year's finest from Huawei is one of the most stylish handsets you can get for under $250, as it offers a 6.18mm thin unibody, clad in premium materials, a 4.7" HD display, quad-core processor, and an 8 MP camera. It also has a penta band radio you can use almost anywhere in the world, for that matter.
HTC Desire 510
Think you need to spend a lot of dough for a handset with a signature look from HTC? Think again. The Desire 510 costs about $80 to $216 depending on the carrier (Cricket Wireless, Boost, Virgin Mobile and Sprint offer it), and it packs a 4.7-inch display, 4G LTE, and Android 4.4. Read the full review here.
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