Nowadays, with so many competitors vying for business in the smartphone market, even entry-level phones boast great cameras and powerful processors with just a few hardware compromises. And if you only need one for calling and texting, what’s the point of buying an expensive flagship model? Below are the Motorola One Action and Samsung Galaxy A50, two fantastic phones that won’t break the bank. Get them for as low as $200 at Best Buy today.
Motorola One Action – $200, was $350
The Motorola One Action is poised to end vertical videos once and for all thanks to its unique action camera. This camera is placed horizontally in the module, so even if you film vertically the footage it captures is in landscape orientation. Vertical videos plague the internet for the reason that it’s much easier to hold your camera in an upright position. This simple yet effective video recording solution is the phone’s primary selling point, plus it’s pleasingly narrow, perfect for watching movies, and very affordable. If you activate today, you’ll be able to get the Moto One Action for just $200 instead of $350 at Best Buy – a huge $150 off. Better take advantage of this deal right now because you’ll be paying an extra $50 if you choose to activate later.
The Moto One Action is a rare 21:9 phone, something that you’ll love if you’re a cinephile. This aspect ratio translates to a narrow, tall screen instead of the wide and short screen on 16:9 phones (an example is the Samsung Galaxy S7). It also means zero black bars above and below the picture as most movies are typically filmed in this aspect ratio. Unfortunately, most YouTube videos are filmed in 16:9, which makes content look a bit squished. Furthermore, this phone is very easy to hold with just one hand (it’s like holding a remote) and its LCD IPS display is pretty sharp and colorful, though brightness could use some work.
This phone has three rear cameras: a 12-megapixel main sensor with an f/1.8 aperture, a 5-megapixel depth sensor for portrait mode photos, and a 16-megapixel wide-angle action camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a 117-degree field of view. The first two lenses are standard for phones at this price point, but the latter lens makes it stand out. A wide-angle lens means you’ll be able to squeeze a whole lot more scenery in one shot. Then there’s the action camera which allows you to film horizontally even when holding the phone in portrait orientation. It works really well plus it’s capable of shooting at a 21:9 cinematic aspect ratio in ultra-high-definition. We wish more phones had this very intuitive photographic feature.
Powered by Samsung’s Exynos 9609 processor with 4GB RAM, the Moto One Action’s performance was adequate for basic tasks such as browsing social media, checking emails, and messaging. We would like apps to load more quickly but the slight delay isn’t enough to frustrate. However, the Exynos chip may feel weak if you’re deeply into gaming. If you want a faster phone that’s better equipped for playing games, take a look at the Samsung Galaxy A50 below with its more powerful Exynos 9610 processor. Finally, this phone packs a 3,500mAh battery, which should be more than enough to make the phone last for a full day of use.
The Motorola One Action promises an innovative take on photography at a low price point. Get it at Best Buy today for just $200.
Samsung Galaxy A50 – $250, was $350
Samsung is mostly known today for its Galaxy S and Note phone series, upper midrange to premium offerings that the public consumed almost as ravenously as they did the latest iPhone. But did you know that the company also manufactures more budget-friendly phones through the A and J-Series? These mid-tier devices offer an almost premium phone experience for a lot less, like the Samsung Galaxy A50, a solid phone that not only looks great but also boasts a lot of near-flagship features. In fact, it’s our choice for the best cheap Samsung Galaxy phone. If you choose to activate today, you can get it at Best Buy for $250 instead of the usual $350, and $300 if you activate later.
When we first laid our eyes on the Samsung Galaxy A50, we thought that it resembled more expensive phones thanks to its extra-large screen, slim bezels, and the ubiquitous notch design. Its backside reminded us of the iPhone XS a lot with its vertically stacked cameras. Although made of plastic, the back panel doesn’t look or feel cheap, and it has a beautiful iridescent sheen that has rainbows on it when hit by the light. Unfortunately, the material is a fingerprint magnet, and it will clearly pick up scratches and dirt over time unless protected with a phone case.
The power and volume rocker are found on the upper right edge and are easy to access, and there’s a USB Type-C charging port on the bottom right next to the audio jack. On the left edge is a dual nano-SIM card slot and a dedicated Micro-SD card slot.
It has a 6.4-inch AMOLED screen that has a 2,340 x 1,080-pixel resolution that looks stunning. Watching videos on it was an absolute pleasure and with the Widevine L1 DRM video encryption, you can stream HD content from Netflix.
When it comes to performance, the Galaxy A50 is sufficiently fast. Powered with Samsung’s own Exynos 9610 with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, browsing through the interface, opening apps, and surfing the web was smooth with just a few occasional stutters.
This phone’s rear triple-camera system is an utter delight. It has a 25-megapixel main lens, a 5-megapixel telephoto depth lens, and an 8-megapixel wide-angle lens, all working together to capture breathtakingly good photos. Images were finely detailed, colors were vibrant, and the wide-angle lens can take wonderful panoramic shots. You can also capture shots with a dramatic bokeh effect, where the focal point remains pin-sharp while the background gradually blurs.
Samsung devices are known for their terrific battery life, and the Galaxy A50 is no exception. It can easily last an entire day with extra juice to spare and can even last for two days when used lightly.
The Galaxy A50 really shows that Samsung can churn out quality phones regardless of the cost. With its gorgeous display, impressively fast performance, terrific camera system, and lengthy battery life, this one’s tough to beat for the price range. Get it for $250 at Best Buy today.
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