The Smarter Choice: Top 5 New Smartphones of 2017 Under $250

Basic version Xiaomi Redmi 4a 16 GB became a real bestseller last year. And to this day it is undoubtedly the best smartphone in the price category up to $100. Xiaomi fans had only two comments, or rather wishes: to increase the volume of the built-in flash memory, so the Android operating system no longer allows you to transfer applications and games to a microSD card, and to release a version of the smartphone in conservative black. And this is the rare case when the manufacturer listened to the opinion of the audience and fulfilled both wishes. The additional 16 GB of flash memory resulted in an increase in the price by only $ 20, which is approximately equal to the cost of a fast microSD Class 10 card of a similar volume.

Externally, the black 32-gig Redmi 4A has become very similar to the once flagship Mi4c (see the article "Five cool smartphones that are now being sold at a big discount"). Only instead of polycarbonate of the back cover, ordinary, less wear-resistant plastic is used. And the screen is covered not with Gorilla Glass, but with an unnamed glass with a mediocre oleophobic coating, which, however, is characteristic of many low-cost (and not only) smartphones. The fingerprint scanner has been abolished in order to save money.

The processor model, the amount of RAM and the camera resolution of the updated Redmi 4A remained the same – Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (see article"Which processor should I buy a smartphone or tablet with?"), 2 GB and 13 MP. If you value the technical characteristics of a smartphone more than the quality of the case materials, then Xiaomi Redmi 4A is definitely your choice. And as a useful bonus, you will also receive the function of a universal infrared remote control for TV and other household appliances.

Meizu continues to experiment with the case materials of its low-cost smartphones. So, the M3 and M5 models, similar in characteristics, are made of plastic, the U10 is made of glass, and finally the M5s is made of metal. And, perhaps, metal is the most practical solution: it looks and feels solid and, unlike glass, is not afraid of falling. Externally, the M5s resembles its more "diagonal" counterpart Meizu M5 Note 16 GB / 3 GB . The case is almost completely metal, with the exception of narrow plastic inserts under which the antennas are located, and in addition the chamfers are worn to a mirror shine.

The smartphone screen is covered with tempered glass with a tactile pleasant 2.5D effect (rounded edges), and the fingerprint scanner is combined with the menu key. The Meizu M5s looks definitely more solid than its main competitor – also a metal state employee Xiaomi Redmi 4x 16 GB / 2 GB . But on the contrary, it loses by technical characteristics.

The main disadvantage of the Meizu M5s is the relatively short battery life. With a 3000 mAh battery and a low-power quad-core MediaTek MT6753 processor, it can work for only a day without recharging. In addition, the aforementioned processor hardly handles with modern three-dimensional games even at low graphics settings. As a result, the stylish-looking Meizu M5s is more suitable for a girl who has enough space for a power bank in her purse than for a guy, especially if he is a gamer.

On the one hand, the LG K8 2017 is more expensive than similar Xiaomi Redmi 4X and Meizu M3s, and even inferior to them in terms of quality of materials – the case is not metal, the most ordinary plastic. On the other hand, many buyers are still distrustful of Chinese smartphones, trusting South Korean brands more. At the same time, the LG K8 2017 is significantly cheaper than its "countryman" Samsung Galaxy J5 2016 16 GB / Duos , which, by the way, is also made in plastic.

In K8 2017, LG's corporate identity is well recognized, the beginning of which was given by the popular L-series of 2014. The front panel is devoid of physical keys (they are virtual on-screen), and the back cover is made of plastic with a checkered texture. This material does not scratch for a long time and does not try to slip out of your hands. A fingerprint scanner is placed under the eye of the 13-MP camera. There were three separate slots inside the smartphone: for two SIM cards and a memory card.

The screen resolution is 720p, which is quite tolerable for a small diagonal of 5". Fortunately, the matrix is installed with good colour reproduction (most likely, LG's own production) and is covered with tempered 2.5D glass on top. In this price category, most likely, even the relatively small volume of supported microSD memory cards – less than 32 GB - will not be a problem. Finally, we note that K8 2017 has an older brother – LG K10 2017 16 GB / 2 GB with a slightly larger screen size and a more powerful processor.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X is the most complete smartphone worth up to $200. Its heart is an eight-core 2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor with an integrated Adreno 506 video core. This chip not only handles perfectly with any modern games on high graphics settings, but also thanks to a sophisticated 14-nm process, it economically consumes battery power, the capacity of which is as much as 4100 mAh. As a result, we get one of the most "tenacious" smartphones on the market.

The main thing is not to confuse Redmi Note 4X with Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 32 GB / 3 GB , which is built on a ten–core MediaTek Helio X20 processor - even more powerful (perhaps even overly powerful), but much more wasteful in relation to the battery. Also note that the 64-gig version of Xiaomi Redmi Note 4x 64 GB / 4 GB based on the same Helio X20 instead of Snapdragon 625, which is used only in the 32-gig version. But all versions have the same 2.5D glass and an infrared remote control.

Impressive processor power and a capacious battery are complemented by a 5.5-inch FullHD IPS screen, a metal case and a fingerprint scanner. But the camera, which is weak relative to other components, does not allow us to call the Redmi Note 4X an perfect smartphone. Worth about the same amount Huawei P8 Lite 2017 16 GB / 3 GB photographs much better. However, if you take photos rarely or only in good light, feel free to take Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X.

To begin with, the American company Motorola no longer develops smartphones on its own, as it does not do it under the patronage of Google. Now the owner of the Moto brand is Lenovo. However, there is nothing shameful in this, because Lenovo already has a successful experience of "resurrecting" the American laptop brand Thinkpad, previously owned by IBM. So, the brand new Moto G5 smartphone is a simplified version of the Moto G5 Plus.

But there were probably too many simplifications. It would be fine if only the processor power (Snapdragon 435 instead of 625) and the amount of memory (2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of constant instead of 3/32 GB) went under the knife. So also the metal of the case was replaced with plastic. Fortunately, although the screen was not simplified (the same FullHD IPS), and taking into account the diagonal reduction, the PPI indicator even increased. A fingerprint sensor is placed at the bottom, and it does not perform the function of the menu button, unlike Meizu smartphones.

The size of the camera matrix, compared to the G5 Plus, has also decreased, but thanks to good software optimization, the G5 photographs better than most "classmates". The clean version of Android 7.0, devoid of any extraneous graphical shell (now it is very rare), has a positive effect both on the speed of the smartphone in conditions of limited processor power and RAM volume, and on battery life with a relatively small battery volume (2800 mAh). Those who require speed from a smartphone in daily tasks, and not games, will not be disappointed for sure. In addition, a nice bonus will be separate slots for SIM cards and microSD.