More than-a-billion smartphones were sold across the world in 2014. One of the great things about the current rush to upsell the last smartphone-holdouts and break into emerging markets is that prices are going down. According to-IDC,-the average selling price declined by more than 12 percent in 2013 and settled at $337, and it fell even further to $314 last year. That makes buying a smartphone outright, without being locked into a two-year contract, a realistic possibility for everyone under the sun. Related: AT&T vs. Verizon vs. Sprint vs. T-Mobile: Who has the best individual plan? Under $400 Our first five smartphones come in at $400 or less. If your budget is tighter than that, you can skip to page two for five great phones-that are $200 or under. Motorola Moto X Style Pure Edition ($400+) Motorola’s $400 flagship phone may be the most expensive on our list, but it’s worth it. The Moto X Style delivers all the high-end specs you’d expect to find on a $600+ phone, but for $200 less. The-5.7-inch screen sports a 2,560 x 1,440-pixel resolution, and it’s powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 808 with 3GB of RAM. A 21-megapixel camera sits on the back, and Motorola popped a 5-megapixel cam on the front for selfies. It comes in 16, 32, and 64GB storage options, all of which have a MicroSD card slot. A 3,000mAh battery with fast charging rounds out the specs. You can even design your own phone with Moto Maker. Read our full-review Available from: Motorola-| Amazon OnePlus 2 ($389+) OnePlus has done it again with the OnePlus 2. It may be a little more expensive than last year’s model, but it also touts-better specs and offers a refined experience. A 5.5-inch Full HD screen adorns the front of the OnePlus 2, and the back plate comes with-several different styling choices, including-wooden options-and the classic Sandstone Black. It’s powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 v2.1, which shouldn’t overheat, and 3GB of RAM. The OnePlus 2 has a zippy fingerprint sensor on the front of the device for added-security and comes with either 16 or 64GB of storage. A-13-megapixel back camera and 5-megapixel front shooter round out the specs. Read our full-review Available from: OnePlus ZTE Axon Pro-($380) The all-metal body of the Axon Pro from ZTE looks and feels gorgeous, and it has a set of features and hardware specs to match. There’s a 5.5-inch display with an impressive 2560 x 1440 pixel-resolution, a 2GHz octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 3,000mAh battery. The dual-lens on the back combines a 13-megapixel and a 2-megapixel camera, but there’s also an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. It can record 4K video, and there’s even support for high-quality audio through the front-facing speakers. The only thing that isn’t top end about this phone? The price tag. Read our hands-on-review Available-from: Amazon OnePlus X-($250) With a stylish design and a 5-inch AMOLED display, the OnePlus X is tempting regardless of the-price.-It houses a-Snapdragon 801 inside with 3GB of RAM, which will provide plenty of power for the average person. You also get a 13-megapixel rear-camera, along with-an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. There’s only 16GB of storage, but you can easily boost the storage capacity using the integrated-MicroSD card slot. Americans should proceed with caution though, because LTE coverage-for supported carriers AT&T and T-Mobile is spotty.-If you live elsewhere, it’s -definitely worth considering. Read our full review Available-from: OnePlus Alcatel Onetouch Idol 3 5.5 ($250) This budget brand is trying to make a name for itself in the United States, and the Idol 3 is its first flagship to land stateside without carrier branding. Sold unlocked directly from Alcatel, this smartphone packs a real punch for the money. There’s a 5.5-inch, 1080p screen, an octa-core processor, stereo speakers, a 13-megapixel camera, and support for LTE on AT&T and T-Mobile. It also has an 8-megapixel wide-angle selfie cam, and it runs Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box, with a very minimal UI on top. Storage is 16GB, but there is a MicroSD card slot for expansion. Available from: Amazon Next page: Five great smartphones for $200 or less… Motorola Moto G, 2015 Edition ($180+) Motorola’s Moto G series represents the very best of the cheapest budget phones. The recently-launched-Moto G, which just launched in July 2015, is even more powerful and impressive than the last one. It has a 5-inch, 720p screen, a Qualcomm 410 processor, either 1 or 2GB of RAM, and 8 or 16GB of built-in storage that’s expandable via a built-in MicroSD card slot. To sweeten the deal, the Moto G boasts IPX 7 waterproofing, so you can drop it in the tub without ruining it, along with Moto Maker’s full set of customization options. It also comes with 4G LTE and a-2,470mAh battery. Read our hands-on review Available from: Amazon-| AT&T-| Boost Mobile HTC Desire 626 ($180+) HTC’s Desire series just got a big update in the form of the Desire 626 and 626S (T-Mobile). Both models sport a 5-inch, HD screen with a 1280 x 720-pixel resolution. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 quad-core processor also powers the 626, along with 1.5GB of RAM. Depending on which carrier you have, you’ll get an 8-megapixel and 2-megapixel camera combo (626S) or a 8-megapixel and 5-megapixel combo (626). Both versions sport plastic unibodies, though, with colors reliant on the-carrier. Available-from: -Amazon Asus Zenfone 2 ($200+) Here’s an Android 5.0 Lollipop smartphone, with a solid set of specs, that starts at just $200. The entry-level model boasts a 5.5-inch, 1080p display, a 64-bit Intel 1.8GHz quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage. It also boasts-a 13-megapixel rear-camera with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, as well as-support for 4G LTE and the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard. For an extra $100, you can even -boost the processor up to 2.3GHz, add another 2GB of RAM, and jump to 64GB of storage. Read our full review Available-from: Amazon-| B&H Huawei Ascend Mate 2 ($200) If you’re after a big screen, then the 6.1-inch Mate 2 from Huawei should suffice. The resolution is only 1280 x 720 pixels and the design isn’t very sexy, but the price is right. It has a 1.6GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage. You also get a decent 13-megapixel camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The enormous-3,900mAh battery will also keep you going all day long (and then some), while the 4G LTE support will ensure it works on both-T-Mobile and AT&T in the United States. Read our full review Available-from: Amazon-| Best Buy-| Walmart-|-Huawei Microsoft Lumia-640 ($80+) Anyone who likes the look of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8.1 platform could do far worse than the Lumia 640. This is a 4G LTE phone with a 5-inch, 1280 x-720-pixel display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, and 1GB-of RAM. You’ll also find 8GB of expandable-storage and a decent 8-megapixel camera. The downside is the sheer lack of apps currently available on the platform and their lack of polish, but that said, it likely won’t be a priority for everyone. The phone also features Microsoft’s new personal assistant, Cortana. Read our hands-on review Available-from: Amazon-|-AT&T-| Walmart-|-Cricket Wireless



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