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What are the best smartphones around $50?

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6 Options Considered

6 Options ConsideredPriceMemoryBluetooth version
Nokia Lumia 530
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Nokia 215
8 GB3.0
LG Phoenix 2
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Tracfone Alcatel Onetouch Pizi Glitz
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ZTE Zinger
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Nokia Lumia 530

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Zack H
HardwareHero
Top Pro

Smooth performance in the UI

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Windows phone doesn't require high-end hardware to run well, it will work smoothly on just about any hardware.
HardwareHero
Top Pro

Long battery life

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The battery may only be 1430mAh, but with components that require less power that battery goes a long way. You can get up to 10 hours of talk time on 3G, or up to 51 hours of music playback.
HardwareHero
Top Con

Lack of apps

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Being a Windows Phone, the Lukia 530 doesn't have access to the Android or Apple app stores. The Windows store doesn't have nearly as many titles as other operating systems, and usually updates roll out slowly (if at all).
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Nokia 215

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HardwareHero
Top Pro

Great battery life

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With the small screen, the Nokia 215 can accomplish 20 hours of talk time or 29 days of standby time.
HardwareHero
Top Con

Runs proprietary OS

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There will be virtually no app support, as this device doesn't run any mainstream smartphone OS.

LG Phoenix 2

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Tracfone Alcatel Onetouch Pizi Glitz

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HardwareHero
Top Pro

Performance is OK for basic tasks

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For basic social media and music playback, the phone performs good enough. There's some touch input latency when interacting with the display as well, but for $20 I don't think you'll do much better.
HardwareHero
Top Con

Components are cheap

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As you'd expect with a $20 phone, you get what you pay for. The 3.4" screen is a plastic 320x480 display, there's only 2GB of ROM and 512MB of RAM. The 2MP camera is barely worth using.

ZTE Zinger

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Blu R1 HD

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HardwareHero
Top Pro

Ads are removable

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Currently, ads can be removed if you install an alternative lock screen (downloading one from the Google Play Store works). This may be removed in a future update, but for now this 'hack' is working.
HardwareHero
Top Pro

Dual SIM

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This device can take 2 SIM cards at the same time. This is important for some users (especially in Asia and Europe) who require 1 SIM for work and 1 for home, or perhaps 1 for data and 1 for texts/calls.
HardwareHero
Top Pro

Decent hardware subsidized by ads

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This is actually a $100 phone which is subsidized by ads on the lock screen. That means that you're getting better hardware at a cheaper price, and all you have to do is put up with ads on your lockscreen. By default there is also an ad widget on the homescren, however this is easily removed....
HardwareHero
Top Con

Very little storage

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With just 8GB of storage and 1GB of RAM, you will likely require a SD card slot and clear out recently used apps for a decent experience.
HardwareHero
Top Con

Poor update history

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Blu is a budget phone manufacturer, and they are known to update their phones very slow, and cut support early. This phone likely won't be getting many future updates.
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8 Community Recommendations

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Callixtus
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IngeniousElcmar
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