Smartphones, in general, are meant to suit the purpose of staying connected and anything beyond that could be considered a luxury. If yours is slowly giving up even when you’ve updated its software, it might as well be telling you that you’re due for an upgrade. No one deserves to sit through infuriating lags considering there are many cost-efficient phones available. It’s possible to get quality on a budget as Motorolla made quite the comeback in packing high-end features into more affordable handsets. And Best Buy lets you bank on savings with the Moto One Action and G7 selling up to $120 below retail.
Motorolla Moto One Action — $230 ( $120 off)
Motorolla’s Moto One Action is ready to immerse you with its 21:9 aspect ratio. Its narrow and tall 6.3-inch IPS LCD screen lets you watch movies the way it’s typically filmed with no black bars or bezels getting in the way. It adopts a similar display to Samsung’s S10e that is punctured by a 12-megapixel punch-hole selfie camera. Its glossy-plastic rear may be quite the fingerprint magnet but it can easily be remedied with the right case. Otherwise, this long and thin device proves to be a pleasure to hold and you might even get to enjoy texting with one hand again.
The Moto One Action supposedly runs with Android One for a bloatware-free Android experience however the U.S. model didn’t make the cut. So you’re most likely in store for Android 9.0 Pie that is coupled with Samsung’s Exynos 9609 processor and 4GB RAM. There seems to be no immediate issue even with multiple background apps but it may not be the best phone for gaming. Rest assured, you’ll have enough space for contacts, music, photos, and more with 128GB of internal storage that can be expanded to 512GB by adding a microSD card.
Those looking for a solid phone camera can get the most out of its 12-megapixel main sensor, 5-megapixel depth sensor for portraits, and of course, its 16-megapixel wide-angle action camera. The first two lenses may not be far from ordinary but the latter allows you to get more in a shot with pixel-binning technology that helps it perform better in low light.
Motorolla’s Moto One Action boasts a day-long 3,500mAh battery to help you power through the daily grind. Usually ringing in at $350, you can snag it for only $230 on Best Buy.
Motorolla Moto G7 — $200 ($100 off)
Fans of a massive screen would not be missing out much with the Moto G7’s 6.2-inch IPS LCD screen. It only has a tear-drop notch and minimal bezels for you to enjoy its Full HD+ Max Vision display at its finest. With a pixel resolution of 2,270 x 1,080 along with a 19:9 aspect ratio, you won’t have problems with clarity as it delivers captivating images in all conditions, regardless of how the phone is held.
In terms of performance, Android 9.0 Pie and 4GB of RAM seems to be just as promising here as it is with the Moto One Action, however wired with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 632 processor. There are also Moto Actions you can apply to create custom shortcuts as well as display options that would enable you to interact with notifications from the locked screen. And with Moto Voice, your text messages can even be read out to you which could come in handy when driving.
As soon as you flip it over, you’ll find its dual-camera setup for a 12-megapixel main lens and a 5-megapixel lens for depth. It’s acceptable and equipped to capture stunning photos in the right conditions as it struggles in low light. With a variety of shooting modes, effects, and AR stickers that can be applied, you’ll likely be able to get the most out of your shots and make the experience fun. As for the 8-megapixel front-facing camera, it does more than take selfies as it enables you to unlock your phone through facial recognition. You’ll also be able to get past the G7’s lock screen through the fingerprint sensor that is one and the same as the M logo at the back.
Its 3,000mAh battery should have enough juice to last a full day’s worth of use and features TurboPower charging through the future-proof USB-C port. The Moto G7 is often considered the midrange champ with a four-star rating on our review. It is also our editor’s pick as the best $300 phone in our roundup but Best Buy gives you a better price at just $200.
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