If you're in the market for a new phone and you're not buying a
smartphone, good luck. There arent many basic phones left and
the only people buying these days are the elderly and anyone
trying to comfortably smuggle a phone into prison. Lucky for you,
the price of a good smartphone has never been cheaper.
I'm Donald Bell, and today we're counting down the Top 5
smartphones under $50 for June of 2012, picked by CNET
Senior Editor, Jessica Dolcourt.
Starting off at #5 Nokia Lumia 710. This is a relatively new
Windows Phone on contract from T-Mobile. Were actually
seeing this as a free option from a few retailers, which is
surprising since you get a 5 megapixel camera, 720p video
recording, AMOLED screen, and turn-by-turn GPS. Microsoft
and Nokia really, really want you to try a Windows 7 phone.
Guys, you had me at free.
At #4, the Samsung Focus 2. Same basic premise as the last
one, only this is on AT&T and its just a little bit cooler. You get a
larger Super AMOLED screen, it works over 4G LTE, great
camera, GPS, mobile hot spot. Again, youre rolling the dice with
the Windows Phone OS, but we wouldnt rate it so highly if we
thought it was a dud.
An Android phone slides in at #3. The Pantech Burst, which
were actually seeing direct from AT&T right now for one penny
on contract. Its basically an Android version of that Samsung
Focus 2. You have the 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, 4G LTE,
and a 5 megapixel camera. It runs a 1.5 GHz dual-core
processor, and most of all, it runs Android, so you can trust that
theres plenty of apps for it.
At #2, the LG Nitro HD. Heres another one on AT&T. Its a 4-star
review from CNET, works with 4G LTE, and its camera takes
1080p video. If youre buying for screen size, this is the one to go
for. Its a giant 4.5-inch IPS screen that packs a 1,280x720
resolution. When LG says HD, they mean it.
Now, before we get to #1, lets take a look back at CNETs picks
for the best cheap phones of 2011. One common feature on all
of these phones -- they all had physical keyboards. Weve come
along way ...I think.
And now, the #1 smartphone under $50 is: the Nokia Lumia 900.
This is hands-down, the flagship Windows phone from Microsoft
and Nokia. Carl Zeiss optics, 4.3-inch screen, a great design that
stands apart from the herd. Now this is $99 direct from AT&T,
but more than a few big online retailers have this discounted
right at the $50 mark. It's a 4-star from us, and a great choice if
you're looking for something that's both simple and very capable.
Those are the best cheap smartphones on the market right now,
as chosen by our CNET editors. For more videos like these
check out Top5.CNET.com. I'm Donald Bell, thanks for watching.
