I often get queries like “which is the best phone for around $600?” or “what’s the best budget phone under $300?” Before I start my research to answer, I find myself asking if the person posing the question lives in the U.S. or Asia. For the former, it’s easy to list the few options that are available here, with the pros and cons in tow.
For roughly $310, OnePlus itself sells the Nord CE 2 5G elsewhere that offers an AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, a MediaTek Dimensity 900 system on a chip ticking alongside 8 gigs of RAM, and a 4,500mAh battery with support for much faster 65W charging. Plus, it comes equipped with a more capable 8-megapixel ultrawide camera and happens to be easy on the eyes as well.
The choices are extremely limited The U.S. smartphone market is extremely skewed toward two segments: The high-end phones hovering around $800 and the midrange class that covers the $350 to $500 ballpark. The flagship segment is strictly an Apple-Samsung duopoly, with a resurgent Google now trying to make its presence felt with the Pixel 6 series as an alternative choice for customers.
If you want a phone with top-tier silicon and don’t necessarily care much about cameras, there’s a phone for you that will pass on those cost-cutting benefits to your wallet. The likes of iQoo focus on offering top-of-the-line performance. Vivo makes phones with solid camera chops. Oppo tries to balance eye-catching design with reliable hardware, while Xiaomi and Realme undercut every brand at nearly every price point.
Brand priorities are to blame A key reason that the U.S. smartphone market is starved of value-for-money phones is market prioritization by brands. Take for example OnePlus, the only “alt” smartphone brand that is currently trying to sell phones on either side of the “golden” value-centric price bracket between $400 and $500 in the U.S. The best case study would be the freshly launched OnePlus Nord N20 5G. It’s a great phone for the price, if I am asking a tech guru in the U.S.
Motorola’s new G-series midranger phones are decent iterative upgrades, but at their asking price, it is hard to pick them over the likes of Samsung Galaxy A53, iPhone SE 3, and the Google Pixel 5a. TCL, despite offering some compelling phones, continues to remain an afterthought for buyers, part of which can be blamed on brand reputation compared to more established names. Even Samsung keeps its value-centric Galaxy M-series phones away from U.S.
I always had LGs till now.... :(
What's that rainbow one on the left? I must know.
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