In this age of evolution, your mobile devices are more than just a dial-in and dial-out device. From social interaction to even making payments for groceries, fuel, and buying or selling services, our smart phones are a much needed necessity rather than a fancy accessory. Stating a fact, in 2014 alone, Apple iPhone smart phones are being used by 41.4 percent American consumers whereas 22.7 percent use android based smart phones (Samsung in lead). The remaining 37 percent of users plan to purchase a smart phone.
When most people think of smart phones, they think of the high purchasing cost. This is a misconception that as with the dire competition emerging from NFC technology (a chip required for interacting with the NFC reader), mobile companies are building low-end cell phones that cost less than 200 dollars.
For all you folks who are looking for low cost smart phones, with competitive features and integrated NFC technology for tap and pay, let’s review my top 5 picks under $200:
Pick 1: Sony Xperia P Lt22i 16GB
With the added capability of Dual SIM, this cell phone is slim, smart and down-right effective. It is integrated with one-touch NFC mirroring, 4″LED, 5MP camera with HDR and 1 GHz dual-core Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ S4 processor. And the price is just under $150.
Pick 2: Samsung Galaxy S Duos 2 S7582L
The Samsung Galaxy S Duos 2 is a very stable smart phone, with 2G and 3G network support, dual SIM, and comes in 121.5 x 63.1 x 10.6 mm dimension; with weight just under 118g. the only flip side to this device being that since it is not NFC enabled, you would require to purchase a NFC sticker that would enable your device for tap & pay. Moreover, the device is ultra-fast with 1.2Ghz CPU speed, 4GB ROM and 0.75GB RAM.
Also note for consumer particularly in Asia and middle-east; this device is most preferred brand with the upcoming technological vendors for mobile payments with reason being it’s platform (Android’s Jelly Bean Smoother transitions).
Pick 3: LG Lucid 4G VS840 8GB Verizon CDMA 4G LTE
For those interested in perfect combination of speed and functionality, the Lucid has a fast dual-core 1.2 GHz processor combined with the quickness of 4G LTE. Powered with Android v2.3.6 Gingerbread OS (upgradable), Dual-Core 1.2 GHz Processor, Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 Chipset, and Internal memory of 8GB, 1GB RAM and micro SD slot (up to 32 GB), this is an excellent choice for you.
Pick 4: Huawei Honor 3C
Never the one to miss out on a party, Huawei packs in great hardware at a very affordable price with the Huawei Honor 3C. The tech specs include a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor, a healthy 2 GB RAM, 8 GB internal memory, 5-inch display, 8 MP primary camera and a 5 MP front facing camera. This device is also powered with NFC!
Pick 5: Motorola Moto G (2nd generation, 2014)
Last, but not the least, the Motorola Moto G is an excellent smart phone that has everything and with price being under $200. The device is equipped with 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 1 GB RAM, 8 GB internal memory and 5-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and 8MP camera. Though the device does not have NFC chip, for a few bucks, you can get an external NFC Sticker attached to the device for processing mobile payments we well.
Author Bio: Umar Jamshed is an IT expert and a former consultant with The World Bank. He is a graduate of Curtin University, Australia. He writes for Inbound.Zone and manages his IT firm.