Android Go – 'Black Friday', which is always with you

Based on materials from Android Central

While Black Friday is raging everywhere and everywhere, let's take a look at the devices that always, without any discounts, cost as little as a working Android smartphone can cost. The Android Go project is Google's attempt to offer an admission ticket to the world Android at a minimal cost. For its part, the company provides a lightweight version of the operating system that could run on minimal performance hardware. On the other hand, manufacturers are limited to certain requirements common to the entire class of ultra-budget smartphones. And here, as in sports, the rules are common for everyone, but the result is far from equal. Let's see what you can get in 2019 by purchasing Android Go device.

Nokia 1: minimum investment – maximum result

Android Go - 'Black Friday', which is always with you

The name Nokia was once synonymous with expensive, technologically advanced and generally the best in all phones and smartphones. Times have changed, and the technology leader HMD Global, now responsible for the release of devices with the Nokia name, is obviously not. Just look at her suffering with all the latest flagships. But if you look at the bottom of the market, the Nokia 1 is the undisputed top. Albeit in the ultra-budget segment. The polycarbonate body fits well in the hand, giving a feeling of strength and reliability, which are rarely found in models of the budget category.

Despite the fact that there are quite impressive margins around the 5-inch screen, the rest of the phone is compact and pleasant. It has a microSD card slot, which solves the problem of just 8 GB of internal storage, allowing you to get up to 128 GB of usable storage. For photography, a 5 MP main and 2 MP cameras are provided, however, we will not say anything about quality. But there is full support for 4G LTE, as well as FM radio for those who listen to music for free.

Strengths:

  • polycarbonate body
  • slot for memory card up to 128 GB
  • LTE support
  • 3.5mm audio jack
  • FM radio

Minuses:

  • large bezels around the screen

Price:

  • In Russia – 4 300 rubles
  • On the world market – $ 60

Alcatel 1: best camera phone on Android Go

Android Go - 'Black Friday', which is always with you

It is not surprising that the brand Alcatel has its representatives in the Android Go family of devices. One of the last to be launched on the market Alcatel 1. This is another 5-inch smartphone, but it looks much more modern than the archaic design of the Nokia 1, which is facilitated by smaller margins around the screen and its 18: 9 aspect ratio. He also has 8 GB of internal memory, but the expansion options are much more modest – officially only support for 32 GB of memory cards is said.

Formally, its photographic component also looks identical to the Nokia 1 – 5MP main and 2MP front cameras. There is nothing special in their hardware component – optics and sensor are typical for the ultra-budget segment. The trick of the manufacturer is that the software component is much better developed than that of competitors. Alcatel uses a proprietary camera app that has much more functionality than the standard Google app. For example, the Photo Booth mode allows you to take a series of four frames in 3 seconds, then choose the best one, Instant Collage allows you to create collages, and there is also a mode for one-handed operation, when all camera controls move to one edge of the screen.

The smartphone can be purchased in one of three colors (black, blue and gold), and there is also support for two SIM cards and LTE networks.

Strengths:

  • Modern 18: 5 screen
  • Additional camera functions
  • Memory card slot
  • LTE support
  • Choice of body color

Minuses:

  • max memory card 32 GB

Price:

  • In Russia – 4 thousand rubles
  • On the world market – $ 70

Samsung Galaxy J2 Core: maximum memory and a lot of battery

Android Go - 'Black Friday', which is always with you

Samsung is focusing on promoting more expensive smartphones, so lately we are used to seeing Galaxy A models as the most affordable phones.However, this is not entirely true, and Samsung is quite officially shipping ultra-budget Galaxy J c Android Go on board. The Galaxy J2 Core deserves to be included in the list of the most interesting Android Go smartphones due to its large storage capacity. Like most competitors, the internal memory is 8 GB, but you can add a microSD card with a capacity of up to 256 GB. True, you need to understand that such a card itself will cost only half the price of another Android Go smartphone. But if you need a lot of memory space, then any alternatives will be significantly more expensive, so there is almost no choice.

It should also be noted that Samsung attaches great importance to the battery life of its smartphones. So the Galaxy J2 Core received a 2600 mAh battery, which is quite capacious by the standards of this segment. For comparison, the aforementioned Nokia 1 and Alcatel 1 are content with 2150 and 2000 mAh batteries, respectively. Also, the device is made in the style of more expensive Samsung models, but the company does not hesitate to charge a premium for the brand and technologies, so this is not the most budget solution.

Strengths:

  • Expandable memory up to 256GB
  • High-capacity battery
  • Strict design
  • Three colors for choice
  • FM radio

Minuses:

  • The relatively high price of the smartphone itself
  • 256GB on microSD isn't cheap either

Price:

  • In Russia – 6 thousand rubles
  • On the world market – $ 84

Huawei Y5 Lite: best screen in the segment

Android Go - 'Black Friday', which is always with you

The company Huawei could not ignore the segment of affordable devices, so the model Huawei Y5 Lite is the most natural thing that could happen on the market. And the company's logic here was the same as in other segments – to try to give the user maximum opportunities for a minimum of money. This device, of course, cannot be called the most budget-friendly, but in terms of functionality it is definitely among the leaders. For example, it has the best screen possible. Slim bezels, 18: 5 ratio and 1440 x 720 pixel resolution. So if you play or watch videos, this is the best choice.

Other opportunities are also, at least in formal terms, some of the best. It supports memory cards up to 256GB like the Samsung Galaxy J2 Core, but also has 16GB of internal storage. The camera of the 8 MP model is the main one and 5 MP for selfies, however, to say that it somehow stands out for the quality of the pictures is hardly possible. It's the same story with the battery – a 3020 mAh battery, but the battery life is typical.

Strengths:

  • HD screen with thin bezels
  • 16 GB internal memory
  • 3020mAh battery
  • Large selection of colors

Minuses:

  • 2018 model will obviously be replaced soon

Price:

  • In Russia – 5 thousand rubles
  • On the world market – $ 90

ZTE Blade L8: Best Design Award

Android Go - 'Black Friday', which is always with you

ZTE produces so many budget smartphones that its portfolio could not but find a place for a model based on Android Go. The ZTE Blade L8 was introduced in April 2019 and has proven to be very successful in the market. Probably the reason for the popularity of the model, which in some places is even below average, was its design. Yes, its body is not metal, so it cannot be said that it has any advantage, but its surface is made of glossy and iridescent, which corresponds to the fashion for transparent colors of its more expensive brothers. The choice of colors is small – either gloss black or blue. In the latter, the smartphone looks really more expensive than its value.

The hardware is based on a 4-core Spreadtrum processor, but with only 1 GB of RAM. But the built-in can be 16 and 32 GB, and the memory card adds up to 128 GB. The battery is small – 2000 mAh. What is typical for Chinese smartphones is a lot of MP for cameras: eight for the main one and five for the front one. This superiority over competitors with lower numbers has a minimal effect on quality.

Strengths:

  • Stylish design with glossy back panel
  • 16 or 32 GB of internal memory
  • Quad-core processor for minimal money
  • 8MP main camera

Minuses:

  • Not everyone likes gloss

Price:

  • In Russia – less than 4 thousand rubles
  • On the world market – $ 64

Nokia 1 Plus: best overall

Android Go - 'Black Friday', which is always with you

The updated version of Nokia 1 was named Nokia 1 Plus and in everything, except for its cost, can be considered an exemplary Android Go smartphone. It has a 5.45-inch screen with a modern aspect ratio, good picture quality and small margins. HMD honestly did not call it a bezel-less design, which is the sin of many manufacturers of budget devices, as soon as they manage to make minimal progress in reducing the useless area of ​​the front panel. On the other hand, everything is also very good. Here, as in the Nokia 1, there is polycarbonate, but of a different kind: a 'seamless polycarbonate case with a 3D nano-pattern'. Whatever that means looks really good.

The Nokia 1 Plus features 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal memory, a slot for memory cards with a capacity of up to 128 GB, an 8 MP main camera with flash and a 2500 mAh battery. All this looks frivolous against the background of the flagships and clearly does not even pretend to be a record in its class, but the scanty OS requirements Android Go allow this hardware to show acceptable performance results. It is only worth noting that the price of a smartphone is not that low – without discounts, it will cost 6 thousand rubles.

Strengths:

  • Textured polycarbonate housing
  • 5.45-inch relatively large screen
  • Thin frames
  • 8MP main camera
  • Battery 2500 mAh

Minuses:

  • Relatively high cost

Price:

  • In Russia – about 5 thousand rubles
  • On the world market – 100 euros.

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