Best Value Android Phone for under $100

My vision for this thread is to keep track of the best value Android phones for under $100 as they are released and drop in price.

Please feel free to contribute with reviews, specifications discussions and links to new (or old) deals…

Comments

  • +1

    Best value android phone was $0!

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/235529

    • Looks like the $79 is over.

  • It's not worth buying an Android device with less than 1GB RAM because of significant performance issues. I think buying a feature phone makes more sense because it's more functional.

  • My vision for this thread particular duck is of one far too fancy to own a <$100 phone, but one that would also say: "Only because not exe enough to be a waterproof one, my fallen-on-hard-times, Uncle, Scrooge."

    Also - "Who is OzBargain?"
    and "Will they feed me some bread?"

    • This will be more of a "business" phone. Not one to which I want to get too attached lest it be touched by water, another fluid, or yet some other aspect of "the business".

      No one shall get close enough to it to distinguish it from any other matte black with satin black details rounded-off rectangle with an ostentatious ringtone.

      • +1

        This will be more of a "business" phone…
        … some other aspect of "the business".

        "Burner phone" for "Scrooge McDrug Dealer?"
        Nooooooooooo…

        I know that Flintheart Glomgold bastard set you back on your heels, but "no". Just, "No". Scrooge.

        No one shall get close enough to distinguish it from…

        No one?

        :(

      • Little then did I know, that "the business" was pokemon go…
        :)

        Suspicion of nefarious activity on pond-adjacent mean streets, now slightly allayed.

        (Stay out of trouble, McDuck. Don't even look over the shoulder of you know who while she's at a supermarket self-checkout. Appears a very high chance of nasty incident where both police and ambulance would need to be called? ! :)

  • I've been looking for a super cheap phone for a complete technophobe acquaintance, expecting to find something suitable in the Woolies catalogue, but they've dried up on phones last week and this week.

  • Bump. Need a cheap Android phone to get on the Telstra Pre-paid train.

  • It depends if you want to buy a phone in Australia from an Australian seller, or whether you are prepared to buy from a Chinese seller, wait a month for it to be delivered, and hope that nothing goes wrong with it because it is uneconomic to return it. I choose the latter option because you get more phone for your money but it is riskier.

    • shahbisc, what did you actually buy? On ebay?

      • Ah, whaddya mean? I've bought 494 things on ebay.

      • Which phone did you buy that you refer to in the post about. And, how did you buy it, was it on ebay or some other way?

        • Oh, for my technophobe acquaintance. Nothing yet. I'm waiting for something under $50 to appear in the Woolies catalogue. He won't be needing a smartphone, just a phone with the appropriate frequencies. I doubt he will even get to sms's if my father is any guide. He's a friend of my father.

        • @shaybisc:

          I choose the latter option because you get more phone for your money but it is riskier.

          I'm waiting for something under $50 to appear in the Woolies catalogue.

          I'm confused.

        • @28Degrees:

          I'm willing to take extra risk but not willing to impose extra risk on other people unless they ask me to.

        • @shaybisc: So to answer anna10 - you didn't actually buy a phone from China.

        • @28Degrees:

          I have bought my 2 smartphones from china and will probably buy the next one from china but if a smartphone newbie asks me to buy them a phone I buy it from woolies or Coles- Unless the newbie asks me to buy from china but that's hardly likely.

        • @shaybisc: If you were going to buy a phone from China now, what do you recommend?

        • @28Degrees:

          I don't know. It took hours of research to find my last phone and the winner of that search only won because of a big discount no longer available.

          You will struggle to find a cheap Chinese phone that has 3G 850/900/2100 so you can use Optus and Telstra network in the city and the country.

          This one has those frequencies. No 4G though.

          http://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp_273255.html?currency=…

        • I guess in that price range it's hard to go past the 4G -
          Huawei Y635 (Optus Locked) $69 [Was $99] @ Coles
          Also you don't have to worry about any problems if something goes wrong with it because you are covered under Australian consumer law. Unlock codes are $6.00 on ebay.

        • I've bought three brands in the past few years and all have served well, although would not recommend one of them.

          UHappy - phone worked well but one of the handsets had adware on it and you could not get rid of it. Give uHappy a miss.

          Cubot - NOTE S and Dinosaur - great phones, no issues, good spec.

          Homtom - HT17 Pro - This is THE phone to grab! Fingerprint technology, 4G, Android 6. Just a sensational phone for $115. Still using it and have no plans to upgrade for some time.

          Just a tip for the Chinese phones. Search Aliexpress for a phone cover that matches your choice of phone and order at the same time. There are a few chinese companies that will cut a cover for any make of phone. Very cheap too. If you're buying for kids this is a must. My daughter loves her Cubot Dinaosaur and her cases. She laughs at kids with iPhones.

  • Homtom ht7 $57 us http://m.everbuying.net/product1117354.html

    Only 3g but 5.5"

    • Get the HT17 pro - far superior.

      • Please whats the best site to buy the HT17 pro?
        Thanks heaps
        Cheers
        :-)

        • Search on eBay for the cheapest price. Mine arrived in a week but can take up to 6.

          This is the best phone I've ever had.

  • +1

    I would highly recommend going to Dick Smith and seeing if they have any Telstra 4GX Buzz left. Got one yesterday at Chatswood for $39 and have been very impressed so far. Vanilla Android 5.02, no lag for what I am using it for (runkeeper, zombie run, google maps). If it had a slightly better screen I would be happy to use it as my daily phone.

    • Thanks, I saw those last week and they're a bargain. But I was still put off by the lack of Dual SIM and 720p compared to Chinese phones.

  • +2

    Giving this thread a bump in case there's something newish come up over the past 10 months or so.
    Would be keen to see what people suggest for a sub $100 phone these days.

  • Cheap phones don't seem to have improved much since this thread. Improvement now only happens when you pay more, as iPhones go through the roof, and keep going.

    Someone please prove me wrong!

    Moore's Law end, US-China tariffs/Huawei don't help. The PC party ended in 2000; now the Phone party is over too. Maybe we'll get some one-off sales to switch the late majority to 5G?

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