Poll: Best Android Budget Phones for 2017 (Under $250)

scrimshaw on 21/07/2017 - 14:17
Last edited 24/09/2017 - 14:37

Moderators at OzBargain have decided to run yearly polls to decide the best products in popular categories that get asked repeatedly in the forum. Our aim is to have a central thread where users can vote on the items, suggest options and also change their vote throughout the year. The polls will end once the year is over.

Question

What is your favourite Budget Android Smartphone for the year 2017?
(under $250)

To make the number of choices more manageable, we’ve split the questions into three separate polls — one for each price bracket and tier (consisting of "Budget", "Mid-end" and "Flagship"). Also we recognise some devices may not strictly belong in a certain category because phone prices continually change throughout the year and might exist in more than 1 poll.

Tips:
Found a phone you liked? You can click on the 'Related Products' section to view current or active deals, and see forum discussions related to it.

  • Don't see a phone that you like in the poll options? Make a (sensible) suggestion and we'll add it to the list.
  • You are allowed to change your vote.

How to Suggest a Poll option? Simply type into the textbox above your Comment box and then submit your comment.

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Poll Options expired

This is part of What Should I Buy poll for 2017. Check out other recommendations from the OzBargain community.
Mobile ASUS Huawei Lenovo Mobile Phone Motorola Nokia Sony What Should I Buy Xiaomi Android

Comments

  • Wampus on 21/07/2017 - 15:08
    +2

    Someone on OzB suggested a PP King 7 to me, I bought it via Gearbest for about AU$150. It was described to me as the best kept secret in china droids and I completely agree. Fantastic big screen, decent specs, very reliable, can't believe it was only $150

    • Wystri Warrick on 21/07/2017 - 16:34

      **** the specs on that phone, and 2k screen for $150?
      Have you tried VR?
      How's the screen compared to something like Xiaomi Redmi note 4x?
      Any hiccups all smooth?
      How long have you had it for?
      How often do you use it for?
      Do you play games on it?
      Does it get hot?

      • Wampus on 23/07/2017 - 09:34
        +2

        Havent tried VR but based on specs should be ok
        The screen is better than the Redmi note IMHO
        Only hiccup is a Chinese text page that pops up sometimes when I'm looking at call history
        Had it for 6 months
        Use it all day every day
        Dont play games on it really but look at the specs if you're concerned at that
        Doesn't get very hot at all, unlike my wife's Apple

        • Wystri Warrick on 23/07/2017 - 14:29

          Wow, thanks Wampus :)

        • tonyjzx on 03/11/2017 - 22:42

          i believe the PPTV is now closer to $150 usd now and its getting harder to find since they did a once off blow out of stock like gearbest is wont to do.

          I like my pptv but I kind of like need something to go alone with it but with slightly newer features.

          I would love a better than 1,440p screen and am reticient to go back to 1,080p but would do so if forced to.

          I really only would like better than PPTV Helio X10 performance say 4gb ram 32gb rom but type-c charging and 3.5mm and prefer SD card.

          I say its a hard ask for sub $250.

  • Wystri Warrick on 21/07/2017 - 16:21

    What about LeLco? LeEco Le 2 great specs.

  • edgar28 on 21/07/2017 - 18:16

    Huawei Y6 elite after rebate 39 dollars (plus 40 dollars sim)

  • [Deactivated] on 25/07/2017 - 14:21

    Homtom HT17 Pro. Retails from $110 AUD.

  • lovepeoplenotmoney on 01/08/2017 - 10:47
    Suggested Xiaomi Redmi Note 3

    The Kate is great on older MIUI. There are some UI inefficiencies, and Singapore is the closest location since Australia is not selectable. Best phone <$200

    • scrimshaw on 01/08/2017 - 12:26

      Kate is the Redmi note 3 Pro Special Edition right?
      I tried to look for it on BangGood and Aliexpress, not in stock anymore. Clear, who works alongside the Chinese stores, say it's hard to find since it's no longer being manufactured.

      We'll need to think of an alternative :P

      • lovepeoplenotmoney on 01/08/2017 - 13:04

        Yes Kate is the Special Edition. Kate is still sold but for around $240, so unfortunately the Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML is the better value unit despite being several years old (was top 10 phone for so long) because has more RAM, ROM, CPU

        • supatight on 24/01/2018 - 20:21

          the battery is crap,had mine for few months now and wont even last 8 hours before needing to be charged only light use aswell. Looking to buy new phone again!

      • gimli on 06/08/2017 - 08:12

        that makes sense. Was wondering why we didn't see any more deals for it.
        I don't think it was less than $200. Got mine for about 240 (including $10 for priority shipping) start of this year. The special thing about it was the band 28 but I still not sure whether it really matters haha.

      • gimli on 06/08/2017 - 08:26
        +1

        also scrimshaw. Could I suggest we add price range to the phones. because some of the phones are 200-250 compared to 100-150 for the cheaper ones which is a huge difference when comparing phones at this budget.
        p.s. (i know prices do drop which makes it hard but that's why i suggest a range. Or may we can do something like Redmmi Note 4x (160-190) Aug 2017. )

        • scrimshaw on 07/08/2017 - 14:13

          Good suggestion, but the Ozbargain system won't allow it now.

          It's not possible to edit the poll options — once I've set it to "take suggestions from commenters", I lose the ability to edit the poll.

          I would have to start from scratch and it would cause the poll to reset.

    • MishyMoo on 13/10/2017 - 15:10
      +1

      I've had to nominate Singapore also. I've been looking out for any weird things happening because of it… Has it made any difference to anything on your phone so so far?

      • lovepeoplenotmoney on 14/10/2017 - 00:35
        +1

        Nothing weird but the battery is unable to charge since the July update

        • MishyMoo on 14/10/2017 - 01:38

          So you can't use it unless it's plugged in? That would suck!

        • lovepeoplenotmoney on 15/10/2017 - 17:16

          @MishyMoo: just doesn't charge, I need to replace battery or charging port for it to work again

        • MishyMoo on 15/10/2017 - 20:40
          +1

          @lovepeoplenotmoney:
          Since the update.. Is it a software issue??
          If hardware and
          you want to keep it, and
          If you want it fixed cheaply (vs expensively) and
          if you happen to be passing through S.E.Asia at some stage, you may be able to get it fixed cheaply there. That's a lot of 'ifs', I know.
          I had an old fave phone .. Huawei Mate (2) that wouldn't charge at all (the bit on the phone that you plug it into had broken). I was in Spain when it broke.. it was going to cost $80 to fix (it only cost 200 new). I waited til I was on the way home. In Malaysia it cost $20 to be fixed. They somehow also fixed the bluetooth & gps that had always been dodgy ! I had nearly thrown it out. Now it's my backup.

        • lovepeoplenotmoney on 15/10/2017 - 20:46

          @MishyMoo: that's the plan, I gotta figure out which parts it uses and I can fix myself. Note 3 Kate is really good if it wasn't broken

        • MishyMoo on 15/10/2017 - 22:02

          @lovepeoplenotmoney:
          I've read so many great things about Kate. I settled for a Note 4x (the mediatek, not snapdragon 😐).
          Loooove it, but will need to get the smashed screen fixed next time in Asia. Have promised myself that I'll start using phone covers from now on.
          I love tech but don't know how to fix hardware.

          Good luck with Kate. She seems the type that you'd want to have around for a long time

        • lovepeoplenotmoney on 16/10/2017 - 11:01

          @MishyMoo: screen is easy to fix, just YouTube. Having phone ring holders (I use two) will control drop damage. I don't even use a case anymore

        • MishyMoo on 17/10/2017 - 03:01

          @lovepeoplenotmoney:
          I had a look on YouTube. I don't have the tech hardware confidence to do it.

          I'd need to practise on a phone that doesn't matter first to get the hang of it 😊

  • demiurge on 12/08/2017 - 14:20

    I see the Nextbit Robin is available on ebay again for $140 + $30 shipping….

  • CodeXD on 05/09/2017 - 11:13
    Suggested Lenovo ZUK Z2

    ZUK Z2 - A lot of custom roms available
    top range specs, 820SD, 4gb RAM, 64gb ROM

    • scrimshaw on 05/09/2017 - 11:16

      The ZUK company has been dissolved I think, so the phone is no longer in production and stocks are getting low now.
      Added to the poll.

  • [Deactivated] on 06/09/2017 - 08:54

    I've just purchased for AU$139:

    LEAGOO KIICAA MIX 4G Phablet Android 7.0 5.5 inch MTK6750T Octa Core 1.5GHz 3GB RAM 32GB ROM 13.0MP + 2.0MP Dual Rear Cameras Front Fingerprint Scanner
    Display: 5.5 inch, 1920 x 1080 Pixel screen
    CPU: MTK6750T Octa Core 1.5GHz
    System: Android 7.0
    RAM + ROM: 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM
    Camera: 13.0MP front camera + 13.0MP + 2.0MP back cameras
    Sensor: E-Compass, Gravity Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Touch Sensor
    SIM Card: dual SIM dual standby. Nano + Nano SIM
    Feature: GPSA / GPS
    Bluetooth: 4.0
    Network:
    2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
    3G: WCDMA 900/2100MHz
    4G: FDD-LTE B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20 TDD-LTE B40

    The mighty Homtom will be passed from father to son when he starts high school in 2018…..

    • MishyMoo on 13/10/2017 - 15:09

      Where did you buy it and what's it like so far?

  • aimon on 20/09/2017 - 15:34

    What about the mi a1

  • scrimshaw on 21/09/2017 - 19:32
    Suggested Motorola Moto C

    Motorola Moto C is added. It costs $119 from Officeworks. Very cheap but also lacking in a lot of areas, like memory and RAM. But it has 16GB of internal memory, android 7.0 out of the box, which is a welcome improvement from other low-end devices.

    5.0” FWVGA (854×480) 196 ppi
Android 7.0, Nougat
1GB RAM
16GB Internal (Expandable to 32GB)
MTK 6737M 64-bit Quad-core 1.1GHz processor
5MP Fixed Focus, LED flash
2MP Fixed Focus, LED Flash
Gravity Sensor
GPS A-GPS
FM Radio
Dual SIM slots
2350mAh
    • tonyjzx on 22/12/2017 - 10:51

      I think these masses of china phones has skewed our reality in what we accept for the money.

      Its hard to pay $119 for a 480p phone with 1gb (!!!) when you can get so much better specs if you're willing to go with a china mail retailer.

  • InfraRed on 11/11/2017 - 11:59

    Which one has the best selfie camera?

    • [Deactivated] on 20/11/2017 - 09:21

      Oppo has good Selfie in gerneal, but its not in this list.

  • lucyeva on 20/11/2017 - 23:36

    I would love to go with 4G Optus X Smart with this price range.

  • tonyjzx on 22/12/2017 - 00:10

    the Le Eco S3 X626 at under $150 would get a look in? no?

    no SD no 3.5 and of course, no friggin' support from this failing company but it seems like great specs

  • dexx on 29/12/2017 - 14:29

    Great specs are only one aspect of a good phone. A friendly reliable OS is even more important. As is sound quality and battery life.

  • virhlpool on 05/01/2018 - 23:06

    This is a good deal for Mi A1: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/353878. Ordered one.

  • gimli on 20/01/2018 - 19:57

    are we going to have a 2018 edition. Or continue this?

    • scrimshaw on 20/01/2018 - 20:45

      Yes, we will. Expect perhaps end of Jan / early Feb.

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