If you’re like me, you love technology. Unfortunately, if you’re like me, you also are strapped for cash. As any lover of tech knows, these two things don’t mesh together very well. The life of a technophile with a budget is a sad one indeed. The solution to this dilemma is, of course, to purchase and use lower-end devices with weaker specs and features. Since I’ve been living this life for a while, I’ve found out the hard way which features and specs to skimp on and which ones must always be a priority. Flashy cameras, brilliant displays, and blisteringly fast processors can be sacrificed in the name of saving a dollar, but the following cannot.
1. Battery:
The most important feature on any phone is the battery. You may have a blazing processor, a brilliant screen, and all your music stored on the device, but without a battery to keep it running, none of it will matter. A beautiful, intuitive dead phone is just as fun to use as a horribly designed dead phone, so make sure your phone can handle the stress you plan to put on it. To find out, it is important to read the spec description on the manufacturer’s website, but be warned: the manufacturer tends to exaggerate the amount of time a phone or tablet will stay alive. A good way to beat a bad battery is to have a device with a removable battery and carry around a few extras for when your phone goes kaput. Some good devices for strong batteries are the Moto G, Moto E, and the HTC Desire 610. A few great tablet choices for strong battery life are the two Nexus 7s. As far as removable batteries go, Samsung again always has this option (for smartphones), and while the feature is coming back into style, at this point it seems to be a luxury on phones from other manufacturers.
2. Storage:
This is especially important on a tablet, since apps used on the larger devices tend to be big, space-intensive games that will quickly fill your device. However, even phones will fill up if you put all of your favorite apps on them. Unfortunately, most budget phones and tablets have only 8 GB of storage on them, which won’t come close to covering your needs even if you’re a casual user. Thankfully, expandable storage in the form of micro SD cards seems to be making a comeback. If you can put at least 32 GB of expandable storage in your device, you will be able to store contacts, songs, videos, and maybe some apps. Otherwise, you will most likely need at least 32 GB of storage to cover your needs. Samsung has always been faithful with its expandable storage, but Motorola has been adding the feature to its product line as well with its second-gen Moto line. HTC has been working it in also, with devices like the HTC Desire 610. As far as tablets go, the Asus MeMo Pad 8 comes to mind. If you just want pure storage, an old Galaxy Nexus will have 32 GB, as will an HTC One (M7) and an LG G2, but those might cost a little more than you planned, unless you buy used.
3. Build Quality:
If there is one category that a manufacturer will neglect more than any other in the realm of budget devices, it’s build quality. Most budget phones look and feel like they are worth every dollar you spent on them, which in this case is not a good thing. Build quality is a major reason that I shy away from fringe manufacturers, especially for budget devices. However, just because a manufacturer makes quality devices doesn’t mean that its budget phones will be superb. Although HTC has some of the most beautiful devices the market has seen, even its budget phones suffer from some necessary shortcuts. In general, it is still a good idea to look at a manufacturer’s high-end devices, then move down until you find the device in your range. For example, the HTC Desire 610, Moto G, or LG Transpyre all have hints of their pricier cousins in the design without the price tags. Nexus devices are also notorious for being cheaper with relatively sturdy build quality, especially among the tablets. Amazon’s tablets (I know, I know, it’s not REALLY Android), have excellent build quality as well. However, let it be known that just because your device looks beautiful doesn’t mean it has the sturdiness to back it up. I’ve seen plenty of cheap-looking plastic devices handle a scrap or two, so make sure you watch plenty of drop tests before purchasing (no matter how painful it may be).
4. Upgrade Potential:
For an uncomfortably long time, all budget phones ran on Gingerbread. This embarrassing fact was the norm from the Gingerbread days up until just last year, when Kitkat improved the ability for low-end devices to run software that wasn’t from 2011. Now most devices are on Jelly Bean or KitKat, with a few potentially being upgraded to Lollipop. Unfortunately, as updates keep happening, and Google continues to move forward with its OS, some devices, like budget devices, will inevitably be left behind again. In order to combat this issue, take a look at the manufacturer. Since Google’s OS is open source and available to anyone, manufacturers are the ones who dictate which device gets what update. It helps if you take a peek at the manufacturer’s history. Has the manufacturer been showing some sweet Kitkat love to its low-end devices? Does it have any plans of doing the same with Lollipop? Many manufacturers have fixed up their game in this regard, like Motorola and LG, and started sending out updates faster. However, what is even more important than the availability of updates is the usability of updates. As we saw with the Nexus 7 2012 Lollipop debacle, an upgrade that renders your device useless is hardly an upgrade at all. As long as you keep up with your potential device’s manufacturer’s track record, you shouldn’t have too much of a problem.
5. RAM
RAM is one of the most important features in increasing the usability of a device. Android is already a fairly RAM-intensive operating system, so having a phone with anything less than 1 GB of RAM is going to be painful. Apps will run sluggishly, transitions will drag, and the phone will be a chore to use. The same goes for a tablet, but you might want no less than 1.5-2 GB. It’s not necessary to splurge for 3-4 GB of RAM on any budget device, but these minimums should be met or, and if possible, exceeded slightly. This shouldn’t be too huge of a problem: RAM has exploded in recent years in the mobile realm, making it hard to find a device with less than 1 GB. However, if you’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel to get your device, you may run into a phone or tablet short on RAM. Give it a pass.
Taking all of these features into consideration, a few devices stand tall in my mind. The Moto G, LG Transpyre, and HTC Desire 610 are all well-priced, capable devices that were released this year. If you want a used, high-end device of yesteryear, a few that have been steadily dropping in price are the LG G2 and HTC One. Any older Sony device would also be a good choice; since Sony tends to stay ahead of the technology curve with many of its devices aging well. For tablets, both Nexus 7s are still capable and inexpensive, Amazon’s tablets are perennial favorites, and Asus has been making some waves as well in the area of value tablets.
Is there any feature or spec that I missed? Do you have a specific device in mind that deserves to be mentioned? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.
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