Smartphone companies have come up with great phones that offer great design and excellent performance.
However, it is also safe to say that they aren’t always spot on. Sometimes, they come up with devices that are odd quirks and not so great features.
Not just rating on how they look but also in terms of their purpose, value and price.
Therefore, you must ensure that you pick a quality smartphone with excellent price value.
But before you begin your search for the right device to buy, make sure to keep yourself familiarized with the types of phones you should avoid.
The Worst Value for Money Phone Of 2020
Here’s a list of the worst value for money smartphones of 2020 to make you think twice if you’re considering buying them.
1. Samsung Galaxy S8
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is a decent, modern, and capable device. But a little too pricey to be a worthy purchase in 2020.
- One of the main drawbacks of the Samsung Galaxy S8 is its non-removable weak battery of 3000 mAh. The S8 is a powerful device, so a 3000 mAh battery seems very unlikely to be enough for a device costing this much and barely able to last a whole day.
- Granted, the battery life of a smartphone highly depends on how you use it or how long you use it. But if a device, no matter how stylish looking or excellent, has a battery that can barely last a day, it’s of no use. What are you supposed to do when your device dies in the middle of the day? You can definitely go for it if you don’t mind charging your phone multiple times in a day.
- And on top of that, the battery is non-removable, which means it doesn’t give you the option to swap batteries.
- Plus, it comes with a somewhat awkward position for the fingerprint scanner. Most manufacturers place the fingerprint reader right below the camera or on the front or sides. But the Galaxy S8 has the reader right beside the phone’s rear camera. And because of this position, users find it harder to reach it. They usually end up placing their finger on the camera module causing smudges on the camera and disappointments.
- Moreover, the S8 comes with a ton of bloatware, causing unnecessary clutter. The bloatware is everywhere and it’s a waste of space that can also impact the battery life.
Specifications
- Processor – Qualcomm MSM 8998 Snapdragon 835
- Display – Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen
- Display size – 5.8 inches
- Screen resolution – 1440 x 2960 pixels
- Weight – 5.47 oz
- Rear camera – 12 MP
- Front camera – 8MP
- RAM – 4GB
Apple iPhone XR
The iPhone XR was announced by Apple on September 12, 2018. It features an IPS LCD display and it powered by Apple’s very own A12 Bionic chipset, it can handle any task you throw at smoothly and can last you a whole day. It doesn’t offer value for money anymore if you are planning on buying it brand new for $849. However, you can buy a refurbished one for $649 AUD. We wouldn’t recommend going for the iPhone XR for the retail price of $849 as you can buy a refurbished or like new iPhone 11 for $849 AUD from Phonebot.
- It has IP67 water and dust protection.
- It has the same Face ID feature as other iPhones which means unlocking your phone is a breeze.
At the right price, it’s one beast of a phone.
Specifications
- Display – Liquid Retina IPS LCD.
- Screen resolution – 828 x 1782 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio
- Chipset – A12 Bionic (7nm)
- Rear camera – 12 MP wide with OIS
- Front camera – 7 MP
- Battery – 2942 mAh
- Weight – 6.84 oz
3. Royole FlexPai
Royole FlexPai was the Android’s first-ever foldable phone on the market. No doubt, it attracts a lot of attention because of the whole idea of a device that is both a phone and a tablet.
Unfortunately, the flexible, foldable phone doesn’t look very promising and is rather ugly looking.
- It has a 7.8 inch AMOLED screen with flexible plastic and a resolution of 1440p.
- This phone folds with the screen on the outside, which is not the best way in our opinion. That is because this leaves the most sensitive part of the phone exposed.
- Also, the device cannot fold all the way flat on each other, so you end up with a much thicker phone. And that’s why the whole thing can become a little too chunky to fit in most pockets comfortably.
- Another drawback of the Royole FlexPai is the ugly rubbery hinge, which is in the middle of the phone. There is doubt that it will tear and start malfunctioning over time.
- The display of the FlexPai is also unimpressive. The screen on certain spots is strangely dim, especially around the fold.
- While using a smartphone that folds is pretty futuristic, the screen’s material that makes it flexible feels pretty cheap.
- Then, there is the software and performance. Even though it comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor and 6GB of RAM, it still lags and jitters. The basic operations of the FlexPai are not smooth at all. Any time you fold/unfold or rotate the device, the whole transition is jittery and it feels like the device is struggling to keep up with you.
- And when you switch from the phone to the tablet mode, apps will stack upon each other with widgets overlapping. These issues really shouldn’t be present in a device that can cost you around $1000.
The bottom line, with all the drawbacks, it’s not worth the price you’ll be paying.
So, the Royole FlexPai, clearly is the worst phone of 2020.
Specifications
- Display – 7.8 inches flexible AMOLED
- Processor – Snapdragon 855
- Battery – 3970 mAh
- Camera – 16MP + 20MP
- RAM – 6/8GB
- Screen resolution – 1920 x 1440
Conclusion
Deciding on whether a phone is bad can depend on personal preferences. But regardless of your priorities, generally awful phones are those that do not offer the same value as their price.
With companies trying to innovate as much as possible, there will be a lot of odd-looking smartphones in the market.
To make sure that you know which smartphones to avoid, take notes of the worst phone of 2020 mentioned here.