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They have affordable prices for anyone. They move with ease in everyday use. Used to send and receive WhatsApps to take pictures, to read the newspaper to watch videos… talk about the mobile input range (with Android), those with prices that are below 150 euros. But, at the same time, practically all entry-level phones fail in the same things. The Motorola Moto E (2015), the ZTE Blade L2, the Huawei G620S, the Samsung Galaxy Core 2, theSony Xperia M2 or the LG G2 Mini; none are spared. From our point of view, we tell you the three things that should be improved in entry-level mobiles.
1. The screen size
Why have manufacturers been determined for years that an entry-level smartphone has to have, yes or yes, a small screen? It seems that in recent months the situation is changing, but even today we continue to witness the launch of entry-level mobiles with screens that are around 4.5 inches. We will agree that not all users have to like a large screen (that's what phablets are for), but we should not despise users of the lower ranges thinking that with a small screen they have enough.
All content is better consumed on a large screen (videos, newspapers in their mobile version, conversations through messages, etc.), and from here we encourage manufacturers to standardize the screen size of entry-level mobiles towards a more universal measurement such as, for example, five inches. What does not make much sense is that, to buy an entry-level mobile, you have to go through a tiny screen.
Of the six phones that have mentioned the beginning of this article (Moto E, Blade L2, G620S, Galaxy Core 2, Xperia M2 and G2 Mini), only two have a screen size of five inches (Blade L2 of ZTE and Ascend G620s of Huawei). And, if we go to even cheaper mobiles, the strange thing is that we find a screen that exceeds four inches.
For now, if we want a slightly larger screen than usual, we have no choice but to stretch our budget to 250 euros.
2. Internal storage capacity
No, as much as companies insist on claiming otherwise, neither 4 nor 8 GigaBytes are enough for an entry-level smartphone. Assuming that the user has at his disposal half of the capacity advertised on a mobile phone (we explained it in his day, and nothing can be done to fight against it), 2 or 4 GigaBytes of internal memory are filled in A matter of days, and a user who buys an entry-level mobile usually ends up regretting his decision after a few days of use.
But, at that moment, the manufacturers appear and remind us that these affordable phones almost always incorporate a slot for external microSD memory cards. And it is true, since it is very rare to find an entry-level mobile that does not allow memory expansion. But, to be honest, the question manufacturers would have to ask themselves is… how many low-end mobile users know how to transfer all applications to the external memory card ? And not only that, but… how many low-end phones come standard with a version of the Android operating system that is updated enough to have complete freedom when it comes to moving applications to the microSD ?
3. Layers of Personalization
We can understand that flagships such as the Samsung Galaxy S6, the LG G4 or the HTC One M9 incorporate custom interfaces with layers of each manufacturer, since it is a hallmark that helps to give that personal touch to mobiles that compete in the sector elite. We can even understand that mid-range mobiles incorporate layers of personalization, since it is a very even sector in which companies have to look for any aspect to stand out from their competition. But what is the point of entry-level mobiles incorporating layers of personalization ?
Layers of personalization on cheaper mobiles only make the user experience worse. In a cheap mobile, it makes no sense to force the user to go through a personalization layer that, in these ranges, does not provide any really useful addition. The pure version of Android is more than enough for any user looking for an affordable phone, since it has all the basic functions that can be asked of a mobile (from an alarm to a calendar, through all the functions of the system. Android operating).
In short, an entry-level mobile without a personalization layer (or with a lighter layer) would probably be more fluid, have a higher probability of receiving updates in the future and, in short, offer a much longer lifespan. Not to mention the internal storage space that would be saved by reducing the weight of the personalization layer.
