The best mid and low range smartphones currently 2016

Buying a new smartphone is something that is not always easy, the market is full of endless options and less expert users tend to get lost in the middle of the vastness of so much catalog. For this reason we bring you the best guide to mid-range and low-end smartphones currently on the market.

Smartphones are devices that advance very fast and for this reason it is normal that at the least you neglect a few months the panorama has completely changed to how you remembered it.

Index of contents

The best low-end and mid-range smartphones

We have prepared this guide to try to help our dear readers in the task of choosing a new smartphone, because we are focused on the medium and low ranges. Our main priority is that each one of the euros invested is worth it, in other words, we are going to look for the terminals with the best relation between price and benefits instead of focusing only on looking for the best features, the latter would be more typical of those that aim at the highest range.

Of course this is our selection and that surely some of our readers do not agree 100%, so if you have any suggestions we will be happy to assist you and value your options so that we can also help other users.

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Display: recommended size and resolution

One of the first dilemmas when buying a new Smartphone is the size of the screen to choose, it is increasingly difficult to find terminals with a screen less than 5 inches and it is even more and more common to see abundant 5.5-inch models. Those two sizes are ideal for an excellent experience, the 5 inches are the most recommended for all users, although if you have big hands or are going to consume a lot of multimedia content such as videos and games, you may be more interested in making the jump to a diagonal a little bigger.

By cons users with small hands or looking for a very compact device can benefit from choosing a smaller size, at this point the 4.5 or 4.7 inches can be the most interesting and even the 4 inches if we want a really very compact mobile. We must bear in mind that the smaller the screen, the worse our user experience will be, especially with multimedia content and web browsing.

The other important aspect of the screen is the resolution of a mobile phone, which determines the number of points that make up the image and therefore its definition and quality. In the ranges of the terminals in this article, most of the terminals will have an HD resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, this resolution is very suitable for a size of 5 inches or similar, if we go to 5.5 inches it is also acceptable although here the 1920 x 1080 pixels Full HD is much more recommended. In the case of smaller screens of 4.5 ″ and even 4 inches we can accept resolutions lower than HD, especially in the 4 inches .

Recommended processor and memory

Another key aspect is the internal specifications, the most important are the processor and RAM, although storage is also very important so as not to be short on space. Dual-core processors are less and less used as the experience gained with them is far from ideal with slow and heavy operation.

A quad-core processor is the minimum that we sell to require our smartphone to have a pleasant operation, with it the operating system and applications will move smoothly and it will not make us eternal to move from one application to another. Beyond that we have the six and even eight core processors that provide superior performance. Therefore a quad-core processor is the minimum that we must demand from a Smartphone today and a six or eight-core processor is recommended, although if we have a tight budget it will be difficult.

Regarding RAM, a similar situation occurs, 1 GB is the minimum amount for the Smartphone to work properly, terminals with 2 or more GB will work even better, although it is not absolutely necessary unless we are very demanding and want to get the best performance.

Selection of low-end smartphones

	Energy Phone Neo Lite	ZTE Blade A452	LG K8	Motorola Moto G 2015	LG K10
screen	4 ”WVGA	5 ”HD	5 ”HD	5 ”HD	5.3 "HD
Processor	MTK 6580	MTK6735P	MT6735	Snapdragon 410	Snapdragon 410
RAM	1 GB	1 GB	1.5 GB	1 GB	1.5 GB
Cameras	5 MP and 2 MP	8 MP and 5 MP	8 MP and 5 MP	13 MP and 5 MP	13 MP and 8 MP
Storage	4GB	8 GB	8 GB + microSD	8 GB + microSD	16 GB + microSD
OS	Android 5.1	Android 5.1	Android 5.1	Android 6.0	Android 5.1
Battery	1, 500 mAh	4, 000 mAh	2, 125 mAh	2, 470 mAh	2, 300 mAh
Other features		LTE	NFC + LTE	LTE	NFC + LTE
Price	60 euros	100 euros	133 euros	139 euros	150 euros

Energy Sistem Phone Neo Lite

The Energy Sistem Phone Neo Lite is the cheapest smartphone in our proposal. It is a little 4-inch with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels that will delight those looking for a very compact terminal to handle it perfectly with one hand and carry it around without making it too bulky. Inside we find a MediaTek MTK 6580 quad-core processor accompanied by 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB of expandable storage with a microSD card. It has a weight of only 118 grams making it very very light.

ZTE Blade A452

The ZTE Blade A452 is an economical smartphone that does not renounce some very interesting features, among which we find a 5-inch IPS screen with HD resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels for great image quality and a MediaTek MTK6735P quad-core processor accompanied by 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of expandable storage. We continue with dimensions of 145 x 71.5 x 8.9 mm, a weight of 159 grams, the Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system, 8 and 5 megapixel cameras and a 4, 000 mAh battery for autonomy that will be the best we can find for this price but the best.

LG K8

The LG K8 is a solvent smartphone that we can include within the low range for its price but with some of the most interesting features. We highlight its 5-inch screen with IPS technology and a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels for a very remarkable image quality. Its features continue with a MediaTek MTK 6735 quad-core processor that is accompanied by 1.5 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage, 8 and 5 megapixel cameras, a 2, 125 mAh battery and dimensions of 144.6 x 71.5 x 8.7 mm with a weight of 156.9 grams.

Motorola Moto G 2015

The Motorola Moto G of the year 2015, a terminal that a year later remains one of the best options to have a low cost Nexus experience. We have a 5-inch IPS screen with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels that is brought to life by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor along with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of expandable storage. A very efficient processor that gives excellent performance together with the optimization of Motorola terminals, unsurpassed in this regard and at the height of Google's Nexus range. It has 13 and 5 megapixel cameras, a 2, 470 mAh battery that will give a remarkable autonomy along with the efficiency of its components, dimensions of 142.1 x 72.4 x 11.6 mm and a weight of 156 grams.

LG K10

The LG K10 is another LG smartphone for the low-end. In this case we have a 5.3-inch screen with IPS technology and a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels for remarkable image quality. At its core we find a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad- core processor that is accompanied by 1.5 GB of RAM and 16 GB of expandable internal storage, 13 and 5 megapixel cameras, a 2, 300 mAh battery and dimensions of 146.6 x 74.8 x 8.8mm mm with a weight of 140 grams.

Selection of mid-range smartphones

	Motorola Moto G4 Play	Huawei P8 Lite	Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)	Huawei P9 lite	Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
screen	5 ”HD	5 ”HD	5 ”HD	5.2 ”Full HD	5.2 ”Full HD
Processor	Snapdragon 410	Kirin 620	Snapdragon 410	Kirin 650	Snapdragon 410
RAM	2 GB	2 GB	1.5 GB	3GB	2 GB
Cameras	8 MP and 5 MP	8 MP and 5 MP	13 MP and 5 MP	13 MP and 8 MP	13 MP and 8 MP
Storage	16 GB + microSD	16 GB	16 GB + microSD	16 GB + microSD	16 GB + microSD
OS	Android 6.0	Android 5.1	Android 5.1	Android 6.0	Android 5.1
Battery	2, 800 mAh	2, 200 mAh	2, 600 mAh	3, 000 mAh	2, 900 mAh
Other features	LTE	LTE	NFC + LTE	NFC + LTE + fingerprint reader	NFC + LTE + fingerprint reader
Price	167 euros	175 euros	200 euros	262 euros	289 euros

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Motorola Moto G4 Play

We arrived at Motorola / Lenovo and its excellent Motorola Moto G4 Play, a terminal with dimensions of 14.5 x 7.2 x 1 cm and a weight of 136 grams that will provide you an excellent experience with pure Android 6.0 Marshmallow in the most Nexus style.. It features a 5-inch IPS screen with 1280 x 720 pixel HD resolution for great image quality and an efficient quad-core processor with a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor accompanied by 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage. It is not the most powerful but the excellent optimization of its software earns several points in performance until it surpasses more powerful terminals. It has an excellent 2, 800 mAh battery and 8 and 5 megapixel cameras with high quality video recording.

Huawei P8 Lite

We continue with the Huawei P8 Lite, a mid-range option that has been one of the most successful smartphones of the Chinese firm and it is no wonder. This terminal offers us a powerful eight-core HiSilicon Kirin 620 processor that is accompanied by 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of expandable storage with a microSD card. All this at the service of its 5-inch IPS screen with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels that looks great both in sharpness and in colors. We continue with 13 and 5 megapixel cameras and dimensions of 143 x 70.6 x 7.6 mm with a weight of 131 grams that make it a very compact and lightweight terminal.

Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)

We continue with the Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016) Smartphone , an excellent mid-range smartphone that breaks with all the previous ones by including a Super AMOLED screen that provides much more vivid and intense colors, it is a 5-inch panel with 1280 resolution x 720 pixels with excellent image quality. The display comes alive with a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor coupled with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage that will seamlessly move your Andorid 6.0 Marshmallow operating system with the TouchWiz customization feature. It has a large 3, 100 mAh battery for excellent autonomy along with the efficiency of its AMOLED screen and 13 and 5 megapixel cameras.

Huawei P9 lite

We finished with the Huawei P9 Lite, personally the smartphone that I like the most in this selection with an excellent 5.2-inch screen with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels that is powered by a Huawei Kirin 650 eight-core processor that offers excellent performance with a very contained battery consumption. In this case we find 3 GB of RAM that will help the Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system to move more freely and offer exquisite performance. Its features continue with 16 GB of expandable storage, a 3, 000 mAh battery, 13 and 8 megapixel cameras and a slim 8 mm thick chassis with a total weight of 145 grams.

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)

We finished with the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) which has a Super AMOLED screen with a 5.2-inch panel with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels with excellent image quality and the vivid colors of OLED technology. In this case it has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 eight-core processor that will give excellent performance along with the Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system with the optimized TouchWiz customization. The processor is accompanied by 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of expandable storage so you do not run out of space. We continue with dimensions of 144.8 x 71 x 7.3 mm, a weight of 155 grams and a 2, 900 mAh battery for excellent autonomy. We do not forget its high quality 13 and 5 megapixel cameras.

Here ends our selection of the best mid and low range smartphones on the market, as always we ask you to share the post on social networks if you liked it and to leave us your comments. Until another!