OnePlus Nord N300 5G for $230: This nearly $200 smartphone has some pretty crazy specs, but naturally there are plenty of caveats. It is only available in T Mobile and T-Mobile Subwayand OnePlus has already delivered the only Android OS update this phone will receive (android 13). At least you’ll get two years of security updates. Still, there’s 5G connectivity, and I used tap-to-pay via Google Pay to get through the New York subway turnstiles without having to pull a transit card out of my wallet. The 5000mAh battery cell easily lasts two full days, and I have no qualms with the 6.5-inch, 90Hz LCD screen. Additional perks include a microSD card slot, fingerprint sensor, and headphone jack. . Performance is smooth and fast, and my only real complaints are that there’s no water resistance rating and that the cameras are just okay.
i tried Samsung Galaxy A23 5G and found its performance annoyingly slow, which shouldn’t be the case for a $300 smartphone these days. I don’t recommend the Motorola one either. Moto G Play 2023, Moto G Power 2022and Moto G pure 2022 because the previous phones beat them in every way and don’t cost much more.
He nokia g400 5g (6/10, WIRED Review) is a good phone, but its software policy isn’t quite as good as our top recommended devices above, and its performance can be choppy when you’re juggling multiple apps. He Nokia G100 was fine until the screen started to lock up and wouldn’t accept touch input. I tried a second drive and ran into the same problem. I have also tried the Doogee S89 Pro, a rugged smartphone. While I didn’t run into any glaring flaws, it’s a pain in the butt to carry and uncomfortable in the hand, too. Sure, there’s a whopping 12,000mAh battery, but it didn’t last as long as I’d hoped. The company also has a spotty track record with software updates.
TCL, Nokia, and Motorola will launch some new phones soon, but we’re confident with our top picks in this guide right now.
Consider last year’s flagship phones
If none of these phones have the features you want or aren’t as powerful as you’d like, your best bet is to look to last year’s flagship smartphones, which can be heavily discounted. They are sometimes easy to find, but manufacturers may stop selling them altogether. Keep in mind that you’ll lose a year of software support, but that’s often better than the software support available on cheap phones anyway. He OnePlus 10 ProFor example, it’s down to $450.
5G is the next generation network and it’s widespread enough to try to stick to phones that support it. It’s not completely replacing 4G LTE, so you’ll see this in your status bar as you travel across the country. Can read more about it hereBut in summary, 5G comes in two main types: sub-6 and millimeter wave (mmWave). The latter is usually only available on flagship phones and gives you access to super-fast speeds, but you’ll rarely find mmWave (think select areas in major cities and certain places, like stadiums and airports). Sub-6 isn’t much faster than 4G LTE, but it has a wider range and is more affordable these days. Most of the smartphones we recommend here are sub-6 5G compatible, even the ones that cost as little as $200.
Check network compatibility
If you buy an unlocked phone on this list and try to take it to one of your wireless service provider’s retail stores, they may tell you that it doesn’t support the network. It probably is. Simply use a paper clip or SIM eject tool to pry the SIM out of your current phone, then slide that SIM into your new phone. If it doesn’t work at first, please restart your phone or wait a couple of hours.
If you need a new SIM, try ordering one online from your carrier or see if they’ll give you a SIM when you activate a line in the store (if you’re starting coverage). Tell them you have a phone. Many times, representatives will want to sell you a phone; that’s one potential reason you might be pestered into buying a different device from the store.
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