- BEST 2016 ANDROID PHONE UNDER $200 720P
- BEST 2016 ANDROID PHONE UNDER $200 UPDATE
- BEST 2016 ANDROID PHONE UNDER $200 SOFTWARE
It feels substantial when held and there's a mighty useful stylus built-in. Of course, it is now available at half the launch price, which explains the high-quality construction. The Moto G Stylus (2021)'s hardware is built far better than you'd expect for a phone in this price tier.
However, the 2021 iteration of the G Stylus is almost perfect in all other regards.
BEST 2016 ANDROID PHONE UNDER $200 UPDATE
The one big caveat is that it runs Android 10 out of the box and you can only update it up to Android 11. While not without fault, all things considered, it's one of the best phones you can buy when looking at Android devices this cheap. The Moto G Stylus (2021) hits the very top of our $200 budget. Best value Android phone under $200: Moto G Stylus (2021) TCL does promise two years of security updates though. What prevents this phone from being our number one pick is the lack of any future platform upgrades or any manner of waterproofing. Under the hood, you will find a Snapdragon 460 chipset to keep the entire phone afloat.
BEST 2016 ANDROID PHONE UNDER $200 SOFTWARE
On the software side of things, the TCL 20 SE is powered by Android 11. You get a nice set of quad cameras featuring a 48MP primary lens. The TCL 20 SE has a generous 5,00mAh cell that tops up quicker than any phone in this category, owing to its 18W fast charging speed. There's also a fingerprint scanner on the aesthetically pleasing backside of the phone. You get lots of memory, with 4GB RAM and 128GB of storage that can be increased up to 256GB. TCL gives you a nice deal along with all that screen real estate. The waterdrop notch looks a little dated, but it's the entire package as a whole that bolsters the worth of this phone. Under $200, you won't find a more captivating display than this phone's 6.82-inch vivid LCD panel. It may not have the most cutting-edge specs, but don't you sleep on the TCL 20 SE. Best display on an Android phone under $200: TCL 20 SE While Motorola's custom take on Android is just as strong here as it is on the Moto G Fast, offering at least one update would've been greatly appreciated. Perhaps the biggest downside to the Moto G Play (2021) is that Motorola has all but confirmed that it would only see one major platform update - and that is to Android 11! That's right, this thing ships with an out-of-date version of Android (10). Unlike cheaper phones like the Moto E (2020), this device thankfully has USB-C charging (but no wireless charging). There's also a headphone jack and support for expandable storage, along with an awesome 5,000mAh battery and support for all U.S. The Moto G Play (2021) has a fingerprint sensor on the rear in the Moto logo, which is every bit as fast and reliable as you could ask for. You'll find more noticeable downgrades with the 13MP + 2MP dual rear cameras, but they're serviceable for quick uploads to your favorite social media app. You also benefit from respectable bezels and a small waterdrop notch, making this a pretty good phone for watching videos or playing light games.
BEST 2016 ANDROID PHONE UNDER $200 720P
The display is a 6.5-inch, 720p HD+ LCD, but it does the job.
Of course, it makes a few spec compromises to reach this price tag, but it's still a perfectly enjoyable piece of tech. Moto is the king of the sub-$200 category, and the updated Moto G Play (2021) is its most recent affordable phone under the Play banner. Best alternative Android phone under $200: Moto G Play (2021) Nokia packed just the right features into this value-rich device, making the G20 our top sub-$200 recommendation. You also get a quad-camera setup, including a 48MP primary camera that is surprisingly decent. The Nokia G20 sports an IPX2 rating, making it splash-proof in nature. The phone comes with a lovely textured back available in two colors, with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.
The software experience is delightful as there's no bloatware and Nokia sticks to stock Android. The phone ships with Android 11, but it's slated to get Android 12 and also 13 in the future. The Nokia G20 is powered by Android One, which means you'll get two years of Android upgrades and three years of monthly security patches, which should get you through 2023. Unfortunately, there's no fast charging, but you shouldn't have to mess with it too much, thanks to the generous 5,050 mAh battery. While it costs a bit more, you get an HD+ resolution of 720x1600, a MediaTek processor, 4GB of RAM, and an impressive 128GB of expandable storage (up to 512GB). The Nokia G20 is equipped with a 6.52-inch IPS LCD, making it larger than its cheaper predecessors. You can get a lot of value from every dollar spent on the G20 instead of the cheaper G10. Sitting towards the upper limit of $200, it's the best budget phone in this range at the end of the day.
None of the phones on this list are considered expensive, but if you're trying to spend your money on something reliable, the Nokia G20 is for you.