On a budget, but still want to enjoy top Android phone features? Here are our top 5 sub $100 Android phones for March 2015.
Chinese Android smartphones have always meant great value, and for 2015 pricing is lower than ever and specifications are on the up. If you are on a budget and looking for an Android phone for less than $100 here are our top 5 phones to choose from.
Landvo L200
Landvo’s range of phones are made up of affordable entry-level models, the the Landvo L200 is the most wallet friendly they have launched yet. At only $76 the phone is very accessible, and the OnePlus One styling is sure to impress some buyers.
Specification highlights include a quad-core MT6582 processor, 1GB RAM, 5-inch display and 8 mega-pixel rear camera.
Elephone G2
Elephone have launched the new G2 with the usual budget specs, but are also marketing the phone at the type of customer that likes to switch ROMS. The G2 can be loaded with stock Android, Cyanogen, MIUI, EMUI plus others.
Not only are the ROM options impressive but the hardware isn’t bad either. The processor is a Mediatek MT6732 boasting LTE support and 64bit architecture, there is 1GB RAM, 5 mega-pixel rear camera and lots of colour options to choose from.
The Elephone G2 is on pre-sale now for $99.99.
Mlais M9
Mlais have easily made the most attractive phone of the bunch. The M9 comes in either white or black with a narrow body design and 5-inch display.
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Processing comes via an octacore MT6592 processor with 1GB RAM, there is also 8GB memory on board plus room for dual SIM and a micro SD card. There is also an 8 mega-pixel main camera and 5 mega-pixel shooter up front.
The Mlais M9 is on sale now for just $99.99
Ulefone Be X
The Be X is another octacore MT6592 phone, this time with a 4.5-inch display, 1GB RAM and 8 mega-pixel rear camera, The phone is very compact in the hand and feels positively tiny in comparison to the larger flagships phone s on offer.
The Ulefone Be-X is available now for just $99.99.
Maxon X3
If you are after a bigger screen then Chinese phone maker Maxon offer the X3 with 5.7-inch HD display can be had for $97. The Maxon X3 should normally be priced up at a little higher but at its current low price you get some nice features that the other phones on this list don’t offer.
As well as the larger HD display there is also 2GB RAM, and an octacore MT6589 chipset plus 32GB of internal memory. The front camera is a 5 mega-pixel while the main shooter is 13 mega-pixel with dual LED flash.
Top 5 sub $100 Android phones
As this list is still early on in the year we only get to see one 64bit MT6732 phone make it in to the top 5, with the other phones on the list making use of the older MT6589 chipset. As the year progresses we expect more Chinese phone makers will build budget 64bit phones with LTE support so keep posted for more updates in the future.
What a coincidence… Maxon x3 looks a lot like micromax’s doodle 2…and more powerful on hardware front though..
Cheaper too?
Yes maxon is cheaper and better in hardware front….micromax has a mt6589 processor and it was launched a year ago in India
5″ Maxon X3 mini on the way too (actually Pandawill have it for $95). Decent camera and screen it appears. Review of either please.
Most of these MT6589…MT6592..phones are cheap because of use of e.o.l. Octacore SOC..perhaps only Elephone powered by MT 6732 should be considered…rest are junk…
Sir 6592 is considerably a very good processor though it lags 4g support….great performance at affordable price is what defines 6592
elephone wrost than all others
why elephone is bad ? cause i”m waiting for the p7000
their build quality poor and 25% of their products defeated
Sad but true. I had two Elephone P8 devices – both failed within 3 months. There’s even a guy on AliExpress selling spare USB boards for the phone and he’s making a mint!
You will regret it. Believe me, I made the mistake with Elephone – never again. Just Google the words Elephone+Problems and you’ll see what I’m talking about. I recommend buying what most Chinese buy. For example, Xiaomi and Meizu make excellent phones. For a few $ more you can buy the Xiaomi MI 2S or the Meizu Blue Charm with the newer MediaTek MT6732 SoC.
I Agree. The Blue Charm is by far better than any on the list above. Don´t waste your money guys. Buy a Meizu or Xiaomi.
Ya big tard luboo. It’s fun trying out different brands. Have had jiayu , asus, doogee and huawei phones and loved them all.
Blue Charm?? Does it have FDD LTE? Nop, it does not, thats why his is not in the list…(i hope you r not talking about Meizu M1 NOTE)..
The target audience for these cheap phones is developing nations where LTE is still in the planning phase or very few 4G sites have actually been deployed. If you’re in the US, chances are LTE is not compatible. If you’re in Europe, it may or may not work. Meizu Blue Charm has just been released in China. The M1 Note is their mid-range model. No connection. For more info, link here: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Meizu-Blue-Charm-unveiled-the-best-affordable-Android-phone-youve-never-heard-of_id65302
I know that, thats i’m talkin about- Blue Charm is not a match..Doogee Turbo Mini F1 is missing and UHAPPY on MT6732. IMHO
Buy what the Chinese buy and you won’t go wrong. Everything else is pure crap and made for Western fools …”Gwailo” as they say in South China. 100,000 Blue Charms just sold out in a minute – that’s more phones than Doogee and Uhappy combined ever produced! http://www.phonearena.com/news/Gone-in-a-flash-100000-Meizu-M1-Blue-Charm-units-sell-out-in-60-seconds_id65620
mt6592 can still handle pretty much everything (it’s still slightly more powerful than new mt6732), just because there are newer SoCs doesn’t mean the older ones are junk, especially on this price range!
Is MT6589 good chip? I know is older, but is it enough for usual usage without gaming ?
Anyone having the phone? What do you think is this good deal? Any possibility to have android 5 on it ?
For its time mtk 6589 was powerful enough sir….it waa launched in the beginning of 2013 and it was an instant hit….atleast in India
finally interesting article. i this period too much boring.nothing new,nothing special. i dont know why. however thankx andi
Andi, how can you overlook the THL 4000 again? Do you have something against THL?
There’s about 3 dozen phones he could have went with but it looks like he chose the newest 5 that were under $100.
Probably true except for the fact that there aren’t any 4000mah battery phones with quadband 3G (At&t and T-Mobile compatible too) for under $100 except the THL 4000.
True but it’s also over a year old and the components inside it are no better than anything listed here, except for the battery. If battery life is that important to you, you would be better off saving a little bit extra and buying the Blu Studio Energy which has a 5000mAh battery, quad band 3G, confirmed Android 5.0 update and most importantly a US warranty all for under $150.
First I don’t like Lollipop (have it on my Nexus 7). Second I already have the THL 4000 and it’s a great value, smooth and stable for only $90. That’s the main criteria for this article. My daily driver is the Nubia Z7 Max which Andi seemingly refuses to review also.
“refuses to review also”. It’s not always that they refuse to review a phone, sometimes they can’t get one from a supplier without paying out of pocket. They did review the THL phone in August. If you already own the phone though why do you need to see a review of it or see it on lists? These lists are meant for people who are looking to buy a new phone that costs under $100. These are the 5 newest ones available at the moment. If someone wants to buy the THL they can easily find the review on this site or one of a thousand other sites.
To the best of my knowledge this list started a few months ago and the THL has never been on it. Newer doesn’t necessarily mean better and a sub $100 phone with a usp the others don’t have should at least get a mention given it’s also worldwide 3G to go along with the massive battery.
I check this site every day and just did a search. There’s no review for the THL 4000 but I did see reviews for the THL 4400 and 5000. I only discovered the phone when it was reviewed on another site in December. Though I’m biased, it certainly deserves a place on these lists so readers understand there are other ‘older’ proven phones out there that will meet the 3G requirements of their operators as well as providing excellent value.
This particular list is titled “March 2015”. The only phones included are those that are brand new for this year. The THL was released last year. These lists have been around for quite some time, but lets go back a few months and we find the best gifts for under $150. And in that list is the THL T6 Pro, which many believe is a better phone than the 4000/4400. At the end of the day though these lists are one mans opinion. Any rational person who is buying a phone should be using more than just one list with 5 phones on it to make his decision.
The 4000 is a stripped down version of the 4400, it’s essentially the same exact phone with a slightly smaller battery and a non hd screen. There really isn’t a need for a separate review.
First you say it’s been reviewed and then you say it’s the 4400. Then you say the phone is a year old. None of these statements are true. When I refer to previous sub $100 lists you bring up the $150 lists and pricier phones. Come on bro. You know what I mean. Why are you being so pedantic?
The THL 4000 only became available around November. It’s not the same as the 4400. Screen resolution affects phone performance and battery life significantly. You know that as well as I do. Again, it should get a mention on these lists.
The mention of the $150 list is in response to your perceived notion that there is some sort of bias against THL. There is not, the 4000 just isnt the greatest budget phone in the world like you think it is.
The 4400 and 4000 are the same exact phone with a lower spec screen and higher battery on the 4000, everything else in the phone is carbon copy. It would be next to useless to do a separate review. If anything add a footnote saying “The 4000 gives you X amount of extra battery life with a worse looking display with a slight performance boost”. Why should it get a mention on this list? Was it released in February/March of 2015? No. Like I said originally there are dozens of phones that could have been on these lists but when narrowing it down to just 5 not everyone favorite makes the cut. You have one already and you love it, why does it matter so much to you that its on some list?
He want the review so can read it whilst jerking of with his THL 4000 stuck up his anus….. Oooh ah could crush a grape !!!
Hi Andi,
For me, the screen resolution is very important. I hope you could consider this when writing this kinf of articles.
Thanks 🙂
6589 is quad core, not octacore.
Well the MT6589 is a quad core chipset not octocore.
Most of the phones here are MT6592 which is the old Octocore chip set from Mediatek.
The MT6732 is the best of the three chip sets, period.
And you know I’ve writting from a MT6592T phone…
It is realy cheap phone,if can recommend some cheap accossories is better~~~~like new xiaomi positon 3 earphone 19usd, compared with posion 2 earphone, with some new feactures.http://flosmall.com/blog/306-unboxing-of-brand-new-xiaomi-piston-3
does anybody know something about camera performance of Elephone G2?