Say congrats to your grad with a new phone

Whether you want to congratulate them on a job well done or prepare them for the next step, a new phone for your grad will go a long way. Here are our favorite choices that range from super affordable to premium.

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Starting at $439, the 3T doesn't cost a lot of money, but will give your grad top-of-the-line hardware like a 5.5-inch display, a 16-megapixel camera and the Snapdragon 821 chipset. And if you want to score extra cool points, the phone comes in a limited matte black variant.

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The Moto Z Play is the cheapest of Lenovo's Moto Z line, but it has one of the best battery life scores we've seen. In addition, it connects with modular accessories called Moto Mods, including a speaker, a battery pack and a projector.

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While the rebooted 3310 isn't a good choice for your grad's modern phone needs, nostalgia for old tech is real. It only has a 2-megapixel camera and 2-inch screen, but it'd make a cool secondary phone for its throwback design.

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The 5.2-inch XA1 and 6-inch XA1 Ultra are Sony's latest midrange offerings. Aside from their barely there bezels, they have 23-megapixel cameras, 32GB of storage and MediaTek processors.

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With its fantastic camera and useful Assistant software, the Pixel is one of the best Androids around and stands out from the crowd. While we like the 5-inch pocket-friendly original, there's a 5.5-inch XL version too.

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User-friendly and equipped with a great camera, the iPhone 7 is a guaranteed win if your grad is already in the Apple iOS ecosystem.

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You don't have to break the bank for a reliable Samsung phone. Case in point is the Galaxy J3, which costs less than $100 and has a decent 5-megapixel camera, Snapdragon 410 chipset and expandable storage.

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Aside from its waterproof design, the G6 has two cameras on the back, which includes a wide-angle lens. That means less straining for everybody with those group selfies. And if your grad is active on Instagram, the phone's Square Camera app will give them tons of new photo tricks.

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The Galaxy S8 is one of the most high-end phones around. Packing a crystal clear 5.8-inch display, a 12-megapixel camera and Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 835 chipset, the S8 is sure to be a winner.

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