Smartphones exist across a broad range of price points. On one hand, it is totally possible to buy a new brand-name smartphone for less than $100. On the other, the price of a high-end, flagship-grade smartphone hovers around the $650 mark. Of course, in a perfect universe, we would all be using the best smartphones – the phones from the latter part of the price spectrum – but in reality, many of us have a budget to fit into. That is why when we give our opinion as to whether a phone is worth getting, we usually take into account its value-for-money ratio. Thankfully, in between the aforementioned price extremes exists a middle ground where a considerable number of good value-for-money phones reside.
This brings us to today's post in our PhoneArena Awards series – the one where we honor the year's best value-for-money phone. Our top pick comes from a company that knows a thing or two about making phones delivering great bang for the buck. In fact, its budget-friendly G series has been selling by the millions. But it wasn't a member of this particular lineup that got the first price. Instead, our award for best value-for-money smartphone goes to the...
Motorola Moto X Pure Edition
The Moto X PE is far from the prettiest, thinnest, or lightest smartphone out there. It is not the most technologically advanced either. But its excellent value-for-money ratio makes it well worthy of the top spot. Seriously, there's a lot to like about Motorola's phone – the large, high-resolution display, the smoothness of near-stock Android driven by the Snapdragon 808 SoC, the outstanding customization flexibility delivered by Moto Maker, and the protective coating that guards the handset against splashes, to give a few examples. Sure, the phone's battery life could have been better, and the camera can't quite impress with its low-light shots, but considering that the Moto X PE costs $400 unlocked, these are imperfections we're more than willing to accept.
Motorola Moto X Pure Edition (2015)
The Motorola Moto X Pure Edition comes with a 5.7-inch LCD display, protected by Gorilla Glass 3. A resolution of 1440 x 2560 gives the screen a pixel density of 520ppi. Under the hood is a Snapdragon 808 SoC, which includes a hexa-core 1.8 GHz CPU and the Adreno 418 GPU. 3GB of RAM is inside with 16GB/32GB/64GB...
Motorola Moto X Pure Review
There are two Moto X versions this year: the Moto X Pure Edition for the US, and the Moto X Style for international markets. The two devices are almost identical in terms of both hardware and software, with the only difference being that the Moto X Pure Edition is sold unlocked, and has all the needed...
Runner-up: Motorola Moto G (2015)
As we already mentioned, Motorola knows how to make a smartphone that's both cheap and good. Take its low-cost Moto G lineup as proof – all Moto G-series phones have been launched to positive reviews and have been selling really well worldwide. That is why to not mention the 2015-edition Motorola Moto G in this article would have been quite the goof. With a starting price of $180 unlocked, this is certainly one of the greatest cheap smartphones right now – snappy, fun, and functional with its lightweight software, highly customizable design, and solid battery life.
Motorola Moto G (2015)
The Motorola Moto G (2015) still packs a 5” display with a 720 x 1280 resolution, giving it a 294 PPI density. This is crisp enough, especially for the class of device, and we are a bit relieved the Motorola didn't try to boost the resolution, which might've ended up overburdening the GPU and battery....
Motorola Moto G (2015) Review
We can’t forget how Motorola popularized the mid-range segment with the original Moto G, but their latest offering is aiming to continue the legacy of delivering exceptional value and performance. Even with thick competition already in the midst, the third-generation Moto G stands firmly in its ground...
