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MediaTek gets a lot of flak—and, at least in part, it's deserved—but the company's products occupy a necessary niche. After pretty much every ARM chipset manufacturer excluding Qualcomm pulled out of the smartphone race in the early 10's, MediaTek was left to fill the entry-level void, and it has. The fact that its chipsets typically end up in lower-end devices means we're especially excited for today's news, as the company is launching the Helio A series destined for low to mid-range hardware, starting with the A22.
HMD can't seem to stop making new Nokia phones and after the 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8, today we go to the lower end of the market with the new Nokia 2. Though the specs are pretty much the bare minimum, the recently leaked Nokia 2 has its own appeal not the least of which is HMD's commitment to a pure Android experience and fast updates.
There are plenty of great choices for web browsers on Android, but if you have a cheaper (or older) device, you may find the top picks unsatisfactory. For example, Chrome can slow down quite a bit on low-end phones and tablets, and Firefox isn't much different.
Even though the company has started to slack on fast updates, Motorola is still very good at creating budget devices. The recent Moto G5 and G5 Plus, the latest devices in Motorola's mid-range lineup, have received great reviews. Now it looks like Motorola is getting ready to make its cheapest Android phones yet, the Moto C and Moto C Plus.
LG likes to keep a large, rolling selection of mid-range and low-end phones available for a variety of customers, and today it's revealing two more. The K8 LTE and K5 are both 5-inch phones with a focus on style over substance thanks to somewhat low specifications, but they should do well enough if they're launched at the right price. Unfortunately the press release doesn't say how much the phones will cost, but the K8 will sell in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Russia, while the K5 will be limited to Europe, Russia, and Latin America. Both should be available to purchase later this week in some markets.
Unlike Samsung and LG, HTC doesn't seem to be ready to reveal its next flagship, the One (M10), at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week. But the company's portfolio doesn't stop at the One lineup. There's the Desire range as well, and one of its impending models is codenamed A16 and pictured in the leaked photo above, courtesy of Evan Blass (@evleaks). There are six color variants including plain black and white, and starry / sparkly black, white, red, and navy. Or at least that's the way my eyes see it.
Android One is an exciting program. Inexpensive devices with standard hardware running stock Android, with lightning-fast updates straight from Google - what's not to like? But according to a report this weekend, Android One hasn't been as successful in its premiere market as Google would have liked. The Financial Times, in an interview with Google's managing director for India and Southwest Asia, reports that big changes are coming to the series. First up: even cheaper Android-powered phones.
LG G Stylo is not the name of South Korea's first robot hairdresser. Nope, it's a low-end LG phone designed around a big screen, a stylus, and not a whole lot else. The name, according to LG's press release, is a pun on both "stylus" and "stylish." Feel free to spend a minute or two letting that marketing decision sink in.
With the Galaxy Tab A, Samsung is giving its budget tablet line-up a touch of class. This is no dinky Tab 4. This 4:3 slate has a metal chassis! And now it's coming to the US. On May 1st, Americans will be able to buy the device from the likes of Amazon, Best Buy, and HH Gregg.
We've already seen how the new Moto E looks, but now Motorola has made things official. The 2nd generation low-cost handset is available now in the US for $149.99 with LTE. A $119.99 3G-only option is coming soon. Note, the version you can get today is the GSM model, not the one coming from Verizon.
Sony's smartphones and tablets have had a nearly universal aesthetic over the last few years, focusing on hard angles and monochromatic designs. It's a good look, but the company seems to be shaking things up a bit with the low-end Xperia E4. This budget device translates Sony's industrial design into a softer, curvier plastic body. The white version is two-toned, Nexus-style, with a white housing and black screen bezel. Other touches, like the middle-mounted power button, are more familiar.
Much of the innovation in Android right now is happening on the budget side of things. At a time when high-end phones are making largely incremental improvements over previous models, low-end handsets have gone from being barely functional iPhone sales pieces to compelling devices that make for great starter phones.
HTC's Desire family is the brand that just won't stop, having survived not one but two company-wide product refreshes. And strangely, it looks like it will also host the first HTC device to come with a 64-bit processor. The Desire 510 is a low-end phone aimed at bargain hunters and pay-as-you-go wireless users, but its inclusion of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 410 system on a chip makes its otherwise lackluster specifications notable.
The HTC Desire 610 is now available from AT&T, marking the first time in years that the Desire brand has appeared on carrier store shelves in the US. The phone is very affordable, going for just $199.99 without an annual contract. With one, it's only 99 cents.
There it is folks, the Moto E has been announced. We've known about it for a little while thanks to a couple of leaks, one of which even included specs. Today, Motorola held an event in India to officially launch the budget handset, starting it at just 6999 Rupees (about $117 USD). Shortly after the show was over, US pre-orders also went live with a starting price of $129 without contract. The Moto E will ultimately roll out to more than 40 countries over the next few weeks.
At this point there's little doubt that Motorola will be unveiling the "Moto E" at its event next week. In addition to a leak on Facebook comparing the phone to the low-end Moto G, some new information and a promotional image has come out of FastShop, a Brazilian Internet retailer. According to the specifications that briefly appeared on the site, we're looking at a phone that's very similar to the G with a redesigned case and budget-minded specs.
Some companies have made a business out of selling high-quality Android slates at a good price by making the right compromises. Other companies, are Archos. The newest devices from the French tablet maker are the three Neon tablets, the 90 Neon, 97 Neon, and 101 Neon.
ASUS is breaking out its phone lineup at CES in a big way. The new "ZenFone" series is coming in 4-inch, 5-inch, and 6-inch versions to suit just about anybody, and each one of these new devices will be sold in a variety of metallic colors. Features and specs vary a bit between models, but the basic gist is that you pick your screen size and work up from there. All of them are on the low end and aimed at price-conscious buyers.
Nokia Normandy, The Company's First Android Phone, Reportedly Still Set For Release Despite Microsoft Buyout
Nokia Normandy, The Company's First Android Phone, Reportedly Still Set For Release Despite Microsoft Buyout
When Microsoft initiated a purchase of Nokia back in September, a lot of Android fans let out a defeated sigh: there was no way the company would ever release Android-powered hardware. Well hold on to your dreams, true believers, because multiple leaks indicate that a new Nokia phone will indeed run Google's open-source OS.
If you can tear your gaze away from KitKat and Nexus news today, there's actually other stuff going on in the Android world. The indefatigable Evleaks has just posted what he claims is a photo (of a photo) of the Moto G, which he himself was sent via a tip. It looks a lot like the Moto X, but as some have predicted, with more low-end specs.