Received any good news today? No problem. Okay! how about this. You don’t need to spend a lot on a phone anymore to enjoy a great smart phone experience. That’s not a secret though, given the sea of affordable smartphones that deliver value for the shilling.  It’s quite easy to get a smartphone that provides great value for money without necessarily costing you an arm, leg, a kidney or any other valuable body part.

Flagship phones like the Samsung Note 9 and iPhone X can be up into the $700 to upwards of $1,000. However, you can comfortably live and enjoy a smartphone that doesn’t have some features that make these devices expensive. Features that come with them, like wireless charging or waterproofing, aren’t fundamental to a device’s enjoyment. They’re bonus features.

The prices of recent budget smartphones have dropped so much yet they retained so much of their more expensive counterparts’ characteristics. Consequently, it’s often not worth recommending those expensive flagships anymore. So, hey Pulsers, below are our top picks for the best affordable smartphones you can buy now.

1. Infinix Note 5.

This is a typical 2018 smartphone with its specs earning outstanding marks across the board. It offers a large 6-inch vibrant HD display with minimal bezels. The Note 5 really shines with its 12MP Artificial Intelligence enabled large pixel camera department that takes awesome photos. It also has visual smarts with Google lens to enable you search the world around you. Infinix Note 5 is also an Android One device. This means that you will be at the top of the game with faster security and software updates straight from Google, something most expensive phones don’t offer. Did I mention that you can take very beautiful Selfies even in low light? You can get the Infinix Note 5 for a price below UGX 700,000 from any infinix branded shop or from Jumia.

2. Xiaomi Mi Redmi 5.

The Redmi 5 a tremendous phone, especially for a price between UGX 570,000 – 670,000. There’s very little it does badly. Xiaomi is one of those companies that were a rare sighting in the country, until recently. Although it hasn’t really received its fair share of coverage, which is a shame, it is really striking. When it comes to the flagship-level specs and features to be found here, the Redmi 5 touts an almost bezel-less design, a potent 12MP rear cameras, an 18:9 aspect ratio display, a headphone jack and spacious storage. This phone is an unbeatable value. You could also get the Redmi 5 Plus if you are lucky enough to land on this gem.

3. Nokia 6.

Nokia announced its return to the smartphone segment earlier last year. Whereas it might have lost its world’s top phone maker throne to rivals, it still has great offers on its resume. When Android software meets Nokia’s durable hardware, you have yourself an awesome smartphone. The Nokia 6 follows Nokia’s storied history when it comes to design. Being a 2017 device, it has bigger bezels which may be a turn off to some people. But Stock Android and the 16MP camera which is mostly excellent are the deal sellers. Other specs include a 1.4GHz octa-core, 8MP front camera and 3GB of RAM. It costs about UGX 885,000 at Simba Telecom.

4. Tecno Camon X Pro.

The Camon X Pro and its little sibling the Camon X received a glamorous launch event in Lagos. It’s one of the best smartphone releases of 2018 here in Uganda. It offers quite some interesting specs that you can be excited about. Finished with a solid 6-inch FHD+ screen with 2.5D glass display, the Android 8.1 Ore-powered device impresses even more in its internal memory configurations and camera sensors. Did we mention that there is also a massive battery on the inside? It feels premium and has a beautiful design. Whereas, you might be missing out on the edge-to-edge display of the Galaxy S9, you won’t miss much with the Camon X Pro. The X Pro costs between UGX 850,000 – 950,000 but still manages to compete favorably with devices above UGX 2M.

5. Huawei Y7 Prime.

It’s a 5.5-inch device with the capacitive touch screen that supports the resolutions of 720 x 1280 pixels. It is 4G supported device, run by an Octa-core 1.4 GHz processor. Looking to store more files on your phone? Its 32GB of storage and 3GB of RAM have you covered in every angle. The battery is a full blown powerhouse at 4000mAh. Whereas most expensive devices limit you to a single SIM card, the Huawei Y7 Prime supports Dual Sims. The rear camera is a 12MP sensors while an 8MP camera caters for all your selfie needs. Huawei Y7 Prime is equipped with a fingerprint scanner too. It costs about UGX 850,000 on Jumia.

Guest Article by John Ivan Kisekka . Tech Writer at Techjaja