Not everyone has the money or desire to rush out and grab the latest flagship phone. They just want something that will allow them to make calls, send texts, and do a little extra. Having the biggest and baddest (insert spec) is not required. What is required is getting the best bang for the buck.
If that is you then I have two phones I would like to talk about, and both are by Motorola. The first phone I will talk about will be the Motorola One.
Motorola One
The Motorola One is a phone running Google’s Android One software. This is software optimized for budget phones. What that means for you is that you are going to get a phone optimized to provide a smooth experience, despite the specs not being as powerful as some of the latest flagship devices on the market. Specs wise you will be looking at a phone with a 5.9 inch (1520 x 720 resolution) screen, 3,000 mAh battery, 4GB of RAM, running a Snapdragon 625, and 64 GB of internal storage.
For most everyday tasks this phone is pretty smooth. Once the phone was done setting up, I was impressed how fluid and smooth the device felt. And I was running the device up against more powerful phones like the Pixel 3XL, One Plus 6t, and Razer Phone 2. Now I am not saying the Motorola One would beat those phones in any kind of benchmark tests. I am just saying that for checking mail, watching videos, listening to music, and checking social media, this phone will do the job and not feel like a budget phone.
Out of the box you get a gorgeous looking phone that already has a case and screen protector on it. Other than that, that’s it (minus the power cord). But don’t be fooled, this phone may be a $400 phone, but it for sure will make you look twice at phones that cost twice as much. The overall look and feel of the phone feels like a phone. Even with the case on it, the phone do not feel large or bulky. It feels like a phone that is comfortable to hold and use one handed. But the display is large enough to enjoy a few YT videos on the go.
I personally love where they placed the fingerprint sensor, its almost hidden, as the M emblem on back is the sensor. And the camera isn’t bad at all, as I’ll place a few shots below.
If you’re in the market for a solid smartphone this year, and not feeling shelling out over $500, check out the Motorola One. You can catch it at Best Buy for $400.
Motorola Moto G6
The other Motorola phone I am going to recommend is the Motorola Moto G6. This is the goto phone that I have recommended all year, and people who have used it loved it. Motorola knows how to take a budget phone and make it feel flagship like. This phone is amazing. I bought two this year for family members and a few co-workers picked up some for themselves and their family members.
For specs, we have a Snapdragon 450 processor, 4GB of RAM, 5.7 inch (1080×2160) display, 64GB of internal storage, 3000 mAh battery, and running 8.0 Oreo. Specs aside, this phone ran smooth and (display) looked awesome overall. The fingerprint sensor is on the front in what looks like a home button. This adds to the the overall size of the phone. But I like the choice options available for configuring the function of that sensor.
This phone is a near stock android device with a little flare. The build quality feels solid, it has fast charging, a decent size battery, the ability to add a SD card, and priced under $300 new. This is the ideal budget phone for anyone wanting to spend less than what the Motorola One cost. And though the phone may cost less than $300, it too feels like a phone that could go for a little more. It will handle all of your day to day tasks of texts, calls, emails, social media, and will take a few decent camera shots.
Will it have the power to handle the same amount of multitasking as a Note 9, have the display quality of an iPhone Xs or Samsung, or have the camera quality of a Pixel 3, Note 9, or iPhone, no to all of that. But it will do enough. The display will be good enough to enjoy videos and movies, camera good enough to share with family, friends, or post on social media, and will handle a number of apps and games just fine. And for most people, that is what they want.
