There are several smartphones in the market under varying budget ranges. When you have a budget of hundred dollars, there are several phones to choose from. It is necessary to go through the specifications of the same, reputation of predecessor models and the brand and know what features you prefer in order to shortlist the ones that will certainly make your budget purchase value for money. In order to help you wade through the overwhelming number of choices, there are ten popular phone reviews given below. Take a look at the specifications and reviews given in order to come to a decision or to narrow down your list of choices.
I have worked very hard to pick 10 best phones under this price range because $100 is very less budget to buy a smartphone and there aren’t many new smartphones available at this price range so to pick best phones which could manage to give you whole day battery and good overall performance was very tough task. Well finally the list is here so you don’t have to do any work rather than selecting one from the below given list.
All below listed smartphones are well-built and durable so that it can resist your daily wears and tears. They have enough hardware specifications to run all your daily used apps smoothly. All of them have enough storage to store all your photos, videos, music etc. And with whole day of battery life these smartphones can be considered as best phones under 100 dollars. You can buy any smartphone from below given list as all of them are inspected by me so that you can end up buying best phone for yourself from here. Not wasting more time, Let’s proceed with the list of phones now. If you have any questions or if you need any personal suggestion on buying smartphones then drop us a line in the comments section below.
List of Best Phones under 100 Dollars of 2016
1) Acer Liquid Z410 –
This phone was released in February 2015 but still it manages to beat other smartphones in this price range. It is based on the 4.4.4 Android Kitkat OS which offers nice overall user interface on this phone. It comes with storage of 8 GB and has a microSD slot as well. The resolution of the screen is 540 x 960 pixels which shows everything in nice details on its 4.5 inch screen. The camera is 5 MP on the rear side and the front camera is of 2 MP. It comes with 2 GB of RAM and quad core CPU of 1.3 GHz which offers good processing speed resulting into buttery smooth performance of apps and games. It is 4G enabled smartphone and supports most of the LTE bands so you can enjoy faster internet on this phone no matter wherever you are. All standard features are offered on the phone as in models that are in higher price ranges. The brand has also earned a stable name in the smartphone market by now so definitely this phone is worth buying under your budget of 100 dollars.
Specifications –
| OS | Android OS v4.4.4 Kitkat |
| RAM | 2 GB RAM |
| CPU | Mediatek MT6732M 1.3 GHz Quad core processor |
| GPU | Mali T760MP2 |
| DISPLAY | 4.5 Inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display with 245 ppi pixel density |
| CAMERA | Primary Camera – 5 MP autofocus with LED FlashSecondary Camera – 2 MP |
| MEMORY | 16 GB, Expandable up to 32 GB |
| SIM | Dual SIM (dual standby / micro SIM) |
| BATTERY | Li-Po 2000 mAh battery |
| WEIGHT | 5.11 oz |
| OTHER | FM Radio, 4G LTE |
Price – $100.00
2) Motorola Moto E (2nd Generation) –
I think this phone is the best smartphone under 100 dollars. why? Well there are lot of reasons for it. Most noteworthy one is the brand name itself. This phone is from Motorola who built Nexus 6 last year so all Motorola phone line ups will possibly receive all latest Android updates. This phone runs Android Lollipop out of the box and thanks to its powerful hardware specifications because it manages to keep this phone faster in every type of works. It has 1 GB of RAM and quad core processor. You get 8 GB of built-in storage which can be extended via microSD card. This phone has 5 megapixels of rear camera without flash which might disappoint few people whereas the front camera is standard VGA camera. This phone spots quad HD display which is sharpest display in its class. On looking at its overall design, the phone looks pretty much premium to hold and its unbelievable to have such a good built phone at price lesser than 100 dollars! Well there are still few drawbacks of it like insufficient storage and camera without flash but how about water resistant smartphone? This phone has water repellent coating on it which makes this phone best budget daily driver for all of us.
Specifications –
| OS | Android OS v5.1 Lollipop (Planned upgrade to Marshmallow) |
| RAM | 1 GB RAM |
| CPU | 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 410 Quad core processor |
| GPU | Adreno 306 |
| DISPLAY | 4.5″ Quad HD display with 245 ppi pixel density |
| CAMERA | Primary Camera – 5 MP f/2.2 autofocus without flashSecondary Camera – VGA |
| MEMORY | 8 GB, Expandable up to 32 GB |
| SIM | Single Micro SIM |
| BATTERY | Li-Ion 2390 mAh battery |
| WEIGHT | 5.11 oz |
| OTHER | FM Radio, 4G LTE, Water resistant, Gorilla Glass protection |
Price – $105.06
3) Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 –
For those who are looking to find best phone under 100 dollars will surely look towards the Samsung brand as well because they offer variety of budget smartphones. Well if we talk about Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 then it offers an beautiful capacitive touch screen of 4.0″ inch. The design of the phone is minimal yet chic and the rounded edges of the phone provides nice grip and makes it easy to use this phone with one hand. The 1 GHz dual core processor runs Android Kitkat at its best and 512 MB RAM accompanies it for more smoother and faster performance. It has 4 GB inbuilt storage which can be considered as very low for the smartphone but glad to see microSD card slot on this phone. It will let you extend storage memory of this phone up to 64 GB. This smartphone has 3 MP rear camera and there is no front camera in this phone which makes this phone disappointing for the selfie lovers. Still Samsung apps and Android OS makes it a pleasure to use and benefit from in many ways, even at this budget. I would recommend this phone to the people who wants phone to mainly take calls because of its long lasting battery of 11 hours!
Specifications –
| OS | Android OS v4.4.2 Kitkat |
| RAM | 512 MB RAM |
| CPU | 1.0 GHz Dual core processor |
| DISPLAY | 4.0 Inch TFT Capacitive Touch screen display |
| CAMERA | Primary Camera – 3 MP without flashSecondary Camera – N/A |
| MEMORY | 4 GB, Expandable up to 64 GB |
| SIM | Dual SIM |
| BATTERY | Li-Ion 1500 mAh battery |
| WEIGHT | 4.37 oz |
| OTHER | FM Radio |
Price – $87.99
4) Nokia Lumia 635 –
In this budget range this is a Nokia Lumia phone that is worth considering, especially if you are on the lookout for a Windows phone. There are several advantages of using this phone. The camera is a decent one with autofocus capability. It supports 4G LTE so its easy to access fast internet on the go on this phone. However, one should be ready to have a phone whose screen resolution is not too sharp and there are no front cameras or flash which are serious shortcomings of the phone. The phone is equipped with Windows 8.1. Released in 2014, this phone is considered a follow up model of the 630 model. The glossy body of plastic is what you get that is different in the latest model. If you are fan of Windows phones then this phone is the best budget windows phone for under 100 dollars.
Specifications –
| OS | Microsoft Windows 8.1 |
| RAM | 512 MB |
| CPU | 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 Quad core processor |
| GPU | Adreno 305 Graphics |
| DISPLAY | 4.5″ IPS LCD Capacitive Multi-touch screen display |
| CAMERA | Primary Camera – 5 MP autofocus without flashSecondary Camera – N/A |
| MEMORY | 8 GB, Expandable up to 128 GB |
| SIM | Micro SIM |
| BATTERY | Li-Ion 1830 mAh battery |
| WEIGHT | 4.73 oz |
| OTHER | Gorilla Glass 3 protection, FM Radio |
Price – $64.98
5) Blu Life One 4G LTE Smartphone –
Among the new releases of budget friendly smartphones, this is a phone that was released in April last year. The phone works on the Android version 4.4.2 out of the box and you will be able to upgrade this phone to Android v5.0 Lollipop. It comes with an 8 GB in-built memory with memory expanding option. The Snapdragon processor works fine with a 2GB RAM memory. You will surely find delight in the camera of 13 MP which is rare in phones of this price range. It has 5 inch of HD display with screen resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. The other standard features like Quad core processor and geo tagging as well as touch focus or smile and face detection of the camera are found in this loaded phone along with other entertainment apps and features. Most people have much to say about this feature rich budget friendly phone and brand. This phone is recommended for the people who are looking for best camera phones under $100.
Specifications –
| OS | Android v4.4 Kitkat operating system (v5.1 lollipop upgrade available) |
| RAM | 1 GB |
| CPU | 1.2 GHz Quad core 64-bit Snapdragon 410 processor |
| GPU | Adreno 306 Graphics |
| DISPLAY | 5.0″ HD 720p display |
| CAMERA | Primary Camera – 13 MP Sony IMX 135 Sensor with autofocus and LED flashSecondary Camera – 5 MP |
| MEMORY | 8 GB, Expandable up to 64 GB |
| SIM | Dual SIM (Micro-SIM, Dual Standby) |
| BATTERY | Li-Ion 2420 mAh battery |
| WEIGHT | 4.23 oz |
| OTHER | Gorilla Glass 3 protection, FM Radio, 4G supported |
Price – $99.00
6) Lenovo Golden Warrior S8 Smartphone –
If you wish to look towards the Lenovo brand then this is a stylish phone to opt for. The golden hue of the phone makes it look chic and sophisticated and will surely appeal to you as the best smartphone under 100 dollars. If you have been following the releases of the Lenovo brand, this particular phone is an upgraded version of Lenovo S898t. the models have similar designs though the champagne gold is a great color to have on this phone. The phone comes with IPS screen of 5.3 inches which is best to enjoy music videos and movies. It has loud speakers to keep you always entertained. This phone runs Android v4.2 Kitkat and it manages to perform well with hardware of this phone. Well if we talk about its hardware then it packs pretty high end hardware specifications inside. It has 2 GB of RAM and octa core processor! You won’t find these much high end specifications in any other smartphones in same segment. The phone is 3G enabled which will allow you to access faster internet on this phone. This phone has got good reviews so you can buy this phone without any type of hesitation.
Specifications –
| OS | Android v4.2 Kitkat operating system |
| RAM | 2 GB |
| CPU | 1.4 GHz Octa core Mediatekprocessor |
| GPU | Mali 450 MP4 |
| DISPLAY | 5.3″ IPS Capacitive display with 1280 x 720 resolution |
| CAMERA | Primary Camera – 13 MP with LED flashSecondary Camera – 5 MP |
| MEMORY | 16 GB, Expandable up to 32 GB |
| SIM | Dual SIM, Single Band |
| BATTERY | Li-Ion 2000 mAh removable battery |
| WEIGHT | 5.15 oz |
| OTHER | FM Radio, Gorilla Glass protection |
Price – $91.21
7) BLU Studio C 5+5 Smartphone –
If you are a fan of the Blu series you could look at a phone that was released earlier, in August 2014. This phone was ahead of its times at the time it was released. It comes with the same Android OS as the 2015 models and flaunts slightly less storage capacity with memory expanding option. It has 5 inch IPS touch screen display with HD resolution which is best for gaming and performing other day to day tasks. The phone comes with an 5 MP camera on the rear side with features like HDR, Panorama etc. and front camera is also of 5 MP which is great for selfies and video calling. Overall design of this phone looks really great and you also get various other color options like black, white, blue, orange, gold. My personal favorite is white because it looks more premium in that color. Now if we talk about its performance then RAM can be considered as slightly less than the standard 2 GB. This one has 1 GB of RAM but it manages to run everything smoothly on this phone. It has Snapdragon chipset with Quad core processor and Adreno graphics which makes BLU Studio C 5+5 a high-end budget friendly smartphone in $100 price range.
Specifications –
| OS | Android v5.0 Lollipop operating system |
| RAM | 1 GB |
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 1.1 GHz Quad core processor |
| GPU | Adreno 304 graphics |
| DISPLAY | 5-inch IPS LCD display with 196 ppi pixel density |
| CAMERA | Primary Camera – 5 MP autofocus camera with LED flashSecondary Camera – 5 MP |
| MEMORY | 8 GB, microSD up to 32 GB |
| SIM | Dual SIM (Micro SIM), Dual standby |
| BATTERY | Li-Po 2000 mAh battery |
| WEIGHT | 5.54 oz |
| OTHER | FM Radio, Loud Speaker, different color options available |
Price – $89.99
8) HTC Desire 610 Android Smartphone –
If you are looking to opt for the best smartphone under 100 dollars from the HTC brand then you will surely want to take a look at the HTC Desire 610. HTC was the first brand to launch the touchscreen phones so they are major role player in changing the smartphone market. Its smartphones are always equipped with newest technology. Well if talk about this HTC phone then it is beautifully designed phone with lot of useful features. The phone has a chunky but well-made design along with a screen that has lower resolution than the contemporary models. It has 8 MP camera sensor on the back and 1.6 MP of front facing camera (capable to take good selfies). The phone is factory unlocked and 4G enabled so just insert your nano-SIM in phone and it will be ready to go. This phone runs HTC Sense 6 on the top of Android Kitkat which offers great user interface and adds extremely useful and noteworthy features to the phone. HTC Desire 610 is considered to be a best mid-range 4G phone. However, with the brand reputation of HTC many might want to consider this model in this budget range.
Specifications –
| OS | Android v4.4.2 Kitkat with HTC Sense 6 UI |
| RAM | 1 GB |
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 Quad core processor |
| GPU | Adreno 305 graphics |
| DISPLAY | 4.7″ capacitive touch screen with 234 ppi pixel density |
| CAMERA | Primary Camera – 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flashSecondary Camera – 1.6 MP |
| MEMORY | 8 GB, microSD up to 128 GB |
| SIM | Nano SIM |
| BATTERY | Non-removable Li-Po 2040 mAh battery |
| WEIGHT | 5.04 oz |
| OTHER | FM Radio, Loud Stereo speakers |
Price – $108.99
9) Nokia Lumia 820 –
If you are planning to buy Windows phone within your budget of $100 then Nokia Lumia 820 is another great handset to consider. The 820 is a less expensive model and a reliable Windows Phone. It has 4.3 inches of AMOLED display which you won’t find in any smartphone falling in similar price ranges. Its modular design looks great but makes it slippery and un-convenient to use the phone with one hand. The main advantages of this phone are wireless charging facility and a decent 8 MP camera that works great in low light conditions as well. If you are using Windows on your desktop or laptop then Windows phone will give you access to all goodies of your computer on your phone. This windows phone comes with Windows 8 phone OS so you will be able to access to all MS Office apps, outlook and One Drive. According to me this the best smartphone under $100 for Windows lovers.
Specifications –
| OS | Windows 8 Phone Operating System |
| RAM | 1 GB |
| CPU | 1.5 GHz Dual Core Krait Processor |
| GPU | Adreno 225 graphics |
| DISPLAY | 4.3 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen display with 217 ppi pixel density |
| CAMERA | Primary Camera – 8 MP Carl Zeiss optics with autofocus and dual LED flashSecondary Camera – VGA |
| MEMORY | 8 GB, Expandable up to 64 GB |
| SIM | Micro SIM |
| BATTERY | Li-Ion 1650 mAh battery |
| WEIGHT | 5.64 oz |
| OTHER | FM Radio, Dolby Headphones |
Price – $99.00
10) Samsung Galaxy Star Pro Duos –
Among the Samsung smartphones under $100 you could consider this model though there are certain limitations that you need to be aware of. The phone is not equipped with 3G enabled technology which is a big flaw if you are internet addicted person. Well it does support WiFi and has dual SIM option. The 1 GHz processor offers medium processing speed and inbuilt memory is 4 GB which can be expanded up to 32 GB via memory card. The rear camera is 2 MP and there is no front facing camera. These are some of the standard features that one can expect out of this phone from Samsung which comes in your desired price range. However, it surely falls short of features as compared to phones offered by other brands but this phone has battery backup of 15 hours. I will recommend this phone to the people who are looking for phone mainly to make – receive calls and send – receive text messages.
Specifications –
| OS | Android v4.1.2 Jelly Bean operating system |
| RAM | 512 MB |
| CPU | 1 GHz Cortex-A5 Processor |
| DISPLAY | 4.0 inch TFT capacitive touch screen display |
| CAMERA | Primary Camera – 2 MP without flashSecondary Camera – N/A |
| MEMORY | 4 GB, Expandable up to 32 GB |
| SIM | Dual SIM (Micro SIM), Dual Standby |
| BATTERY | Li-Ion 1500 mAh battery |
| WEIGHT | 4.27 oz |
| OTHER | FM Radio with recording |
Price – $87.72
These are some of the phones that you can consider when looking at best smartphone under 100 dollars. What features would you prioritize when choosing a phone in this range? That is a question you need to ask yourself when deciding on the phone to purchase within a certain budget range as personal preferences and usage differs between different individuals. You can also make a final decision by shortlisting two or three models from the reviews and descriptions given above and then check them out at the different phone outlets.
I hope this buying guide on phones under 100 dollars, helps you in buying best smartphone for yourself. If you can spare some more bucks for buying your new phone then its well and good because these smartphones won’t be able to fulfill all your expectations of multitasking and mobile gaming. You can check Tech Brij’s phone buying guides section to find best smartphone within your budget.
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Brijesh Gohil is the founder of Tech Brij, A popular Tech Blog which is focused on Tech tips & Buying Guides. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Google + & LinkedIn.