GSMArena smartphone buyer's guide: July 2015

Under €100

Believe it or not, the under €100 category has always been the most difficult. This is where the hidden gems are but amidst plenty of potential disappointments. Usually the people looking to get a new budget smartphone are either first-timers or really need a specific smart feature but can't afford to splash. Both types deserve a proper purchase, otherwise a poor choice can affect their whole perspective on smartphones.

The €50 Alcatel Fire E keeps its place for yet another edition of our Buyer's guide. It's an incredibly affordable phone running on the newborn Firefox OS, which is good at making novice users comfortable. The specs are similar to the Moto E, you get a 4.5" IPS qHD display, a dual-core processor, a 5MP camera, 4GB of expandable storage, but half the RAM at 512MB. Don't you worry though, the Firefox OS can run perfectly fine on 512MB RAM as it was designed to manage with even less.

Alcatel Fire E	Pros	Cons
	Firefox OS 1.3 4.5" IPS screen, 540 x 960px (245ppi) 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, 512MB RAM 4GB expandable storage 5MP camera, 1080p video	Limited app selection

And our personal favorite in this category, the Motorola Moto E, which you just can't go wrong with. It's a beautiful little gadget that manages to stay relevant more than a year since launch. The original Moto E is built around a 4.3" qHD display, with 256ppi.

The Moto E is powered by an entry-level Snapdragon 200 chip with a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, Adreno 302 GPU and 1GB of RAM. The latter has been a rarity among the KitKat phones of 2014 and a bright highlight into the Moto E key features. The hardware package is wrapping up with a 5MP rear cam and expandable 4GB storage. Oh, and there is a dual-SIM version as well.

The best thing about the Moto E is it's already running the latest Android 5.1 Lollipop, a feat even an HTC One M9 can envy. The snappy vanilla Android, in our opinion, is better for newbies than any skinned Android out there.

Motorola Moto E	Pros	Cons
	Upgradeable to Android 5.1 Lollipop 4.3" screen, 540 x 960px (256ppi) 1.2GHz dual-core Cortex-A7, 1GB RAM 5MP camera, 480p video	Fairly thick and heavy for its size
Review

The Microsoft Lumia 532 costs as much as a Moto E, but packs more punch under the hood. It has a 4" WVGA display and is powered by a quad-core 1.2GHz processor on 1GB of RAM. The Lumia 532 has 8GB expandable storage, a 5MP camera and dual-SIM flavor.

Windows Phone 8.1 is quite a treat and offers a plethora of free apps right out of the box. You get a complete office package, voice-guided navigation, pre-installed Skype, various camera apps, among others.

Microsoft Lumia 532 Dual SIM	Pros	Cons
	Eventually upgradable to Windows 10 4" screen, 480 x 800px (233ppi) 1.2GHz quad-core Cortex-A7, 1GB of RAM 5MP camera, 480p video Dual-SIM

The Tizen OS, which has been in development for quite a while, turned out quite a capable and lightweight mobile OS. The Samsung Z1 originally launched in just one market, but has expanded its reach since. Its specs are pretty basic - a 4" WVGA screen, a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 768MB RAM, 4GB of expandable storage and a 3MP camera.

One particular reason for buying a Tizen phone is its native Android app support. The TouchWiz influences can be both pros and cons.

Samsung Z1	Pros	Cons
	Tizen OS 2.3 4" screen, 480 x 800px (233ppi) 1.2GHz dual-core Cortex-A7, 768MB RAM Dual-SIM 3.15MP camera	Android app compatibility is suspect

The new Acer Liquid Z220 is now on sale for about €95, which gets you a 4" WVGA display and a dual-core 1.2GHz processor with 1GB of RAM. It doubles the storage of the predecessorto 8GB, upgrades the main camera from 2MP to 5MP and introduces a 2MP front snapper for video chats. And the new Liquid Z220 runs on Android Lollipop. What an upgrade indeed!

Acer Liquid Z220	Pros	Cons
	Android 5.0 Lollipop 4" screen, 480 x 800px (233ppi) Dual-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 CPU, 1GB RAM 8GB expandable storage 5MP AF camera, LED flash Optional dual-SIM	The 1,300 mAh battery may result in poor battery life

If you're after a Lumia smartphone with a bigger screen, an extra €25 on top of the Lumia 532 will get you the Lumia 535. It boasts a bigger 5" qHD IPS display, an autofocus 5MP camera, and a 5MP selfie camera, all powered by a bigger battery. You can opt for a dual-SIM model as well.

Microsoft Lumia 535	Pros	Cons
	Eventually upgradable to Windows 10 5" IPS screen, 540 x 960px (220ppi) 1.2GHz quad-core Cortex-A7, 1GB RAM 5MP camera, 480p video 5MP selfie camera 8GB expandable storage Optional dual-SIM	No 720p video Screen looks washed out and generally, of poor quality User reports suggest touchscreen accuracy issues, proximity sensor problems
Review

Finally, the €99 Lenovo A6000 once again makes the sub-€100 category. It is the best equipped phone of the bunch with a 5" 720p IPS display, a 64-bit quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, an 8MP camera and 8GB of expandable storage. It is also the cheapest LTE-enabled phone you can buy today.

Unfortunately, the Lenovo A6000 is still available in just a few markets, but if you're lucky you may come across the Lenovo K3, which is the same device under a different name.

Lenovo A6000	Pros	Cons
	Android 4.4 KitKat 5" IPS screen, 720 x 1,280px (294ppi) 1.2GHz Cortex-A53, 1GB of RAM 8MP camera 8GB expandable storage Dual-SIM, LTE	Spotty availability