Test results from a consumer association show that this sub-$350 smartphone model will do for most people.
There are many variants of smartphones. They allow you to take photos and videos, to chat, to play games, to locate your position. And of course, you can still make calls. The prices of these advanced gadgets vary from almost 100 euros to almost 2700 euros. But the most expensive smartphone is not necessarily the best. Some expensive models don’t always work very well. While many relatively inexpensive models do very well, and are even excellent.
The Dutch consumer association Consumentenbond (the equivalent of 60 million consumers in France) tested the smartphones on several aspects, including battery life, screen and cameras. A total of 283 available smartphones were tested. Two models are the best in the test: one from Apple and one from Samsung. These are phones over 1000 euros so we cannot say that they are bargains. But the association also elected the “Best Buy”, that is to say the best value for money. And there it gets interesting.
According to this consumer association, if you are looking for a cheaper but still good quality smartphone, the Google Pixel 6a is for you. It is worth less than 350 euros and some merchants sell it off at just over 300 euros.
This phone has a good photo camera and very good connection and sound quality during phone calls. It is 5G compatible. Additionally, Google guarantees Android version updates until at least July 2025 and security updates until at least July 2027. No other brand makes such concrete promises on updates. software updates. So you are sure that you can use the smartphone for many years. Here are its characteristics: screen diagonal: 6.1 inches; weight: 178 grams; System version: Android 13.
On the imperfections side, it’s a shame that the battery drains quite quickly, that facial recognition to unlock your screen is not possible and that the camera on the front does not focus automatically. But if you can live with that, you’ll get a good smartphone for a reasonable price.