We are at the time when rumors about smartphones are running rampant.  And since we are in tax season in the United States, this is a good time to release a new phone.  Since many of you that contact me want to move to Korea, or another part of the world, you will need a good phone to take with you.  But you also probably can’t afford to break the bank on this purchase.  So you would have been the perfect consumer for the Nexus project that Google had for many years.  Nexus phones were some of the most highly anticipated phones each year.  But now Google has decided to go with the Pixel line instead of the Nexus line.  But what was the Nexus project?  And does anyone still live up to this standard, or are consumers going to be stuck with paying high prices for really good phones?

The Nexus Project

If you are not familiar with Nexus phones, they were phones that were sold direct from Google to you.  These phones were unlocked, had different radios for different service providers in different countries and had only pure, or vanilla Android on the phone.  Because of being “bloatware free”, the preinstalled software that you service provider provides for their own apps that many do not use, the software ran the way Google intended it to.  Nexus phones also got the latest Android updates before other Android phones did, meaning Nexus users always had the latest and greatest software features each month. This made the Nexus phones a it with many who love Android.  But Google also kept the price low by shopping around phone makers each year.  This resulted in Nexus phones being made by companies like Samsung, LG, Motorola and so forth.

This all changed with the Nexus 6 that was made by Motorola.  The phone was larger than previous Nexus phones and was also pricier than previous Nexus phones.  As a result, some decided not to purchase this phone.  This was also the first Nexus phone that had the option of making monthly payments to try and sell the phone to more consumers.  While the following year saw 2 Nexus phones, the top of the line Nexus had a price tag similar to what the Nexus 6 had.  Now that the Nexus project is dead and the Pixel project is alive and well, lower priced flagship quality phones from Google probably will be a thing of the past.  So if you are in the market for a new phone, but don’t want to pay $650+ for it, where can you find that will make the spirit of project Nexus feel alive and well?  Here are a few options you may want to consider.

Flagship Killing Phones

Alcatel: The Alcatel Idol 4S can come with either Android or Windows OS for the phone.  The Android version of this phone comes with a 16 megapixel camera that can shoot video in 4K and slow motion video at 720p HD resolution.  The phone has quick charging, VoLTE and optional VoWiFi built in,  as well as 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of ROM and can take up to a 200 GB Micro SD card. While the phone price can vary, you can get the US version of this phone on Amazon for $388.44 for just the phone, or with VR for $408.44.

Motorola:  The Moto G4 comes with up to 64 GB of ROM and 4 GB of RAM and has many customized  features.  The phone comes with a 16 megapixel rear facing camera and a 5 megapixel front camera.  The phone also comes with a fingerprint reader and turbo charging.  With the phone being water repellent and having gorilla glass, this is a very durable phone.  The 64 GB version of this phone can sell for $279.99.

OnePlus: The OnePlus 3T  features Dash Charging, making it what many consider to be the fastest charging phone in the world.  The phone comes with 6 GB of RAM and up to 128 GB of ROM.  The phone also has a fingerprint reader and a alert slider to quickly mute the phone for meetings and other events where you need your phone muted.  With the dark theme option, you can possibly improve your battery life.  As of this writing, the 128 GB version is out of stock.  But the 64 GB version goes for $439.00.

These are just a few of the options for phones you can get for under $500.00 that should last you for a long time.  While on the sites mentioned above, you can search for other options as well.  As long you keep supporting phone makers that seek to make quality phones at prices that are more affordable prices, the spirit of the Nexus Project will stay alive and well.