Earlier today we released a list of the top 10 phones worldwide.
One argument raised was that the list did not reflect the needs and constraints of the Zimbabwean consumer. So we have decided to come up with a list of phones that best suit the Zimbabwean environment according to the following factors:
- Network capabilities (4G LTE capable)
- Dual-Sim (not a must but preferred)
- Price (Up to $500 brand new in the local market)
- Battery Life
- Expandable Memory (sd-card slot)
- Camera
So here is our list in no particular order:
Nokia Lumia 930
Network: GSM/HSPA/LTE | Weight: 167 g | Dimensions: 137 x 71 x 9.8 mm | OS: Windows 10 |Screen: 5.0 inches AMOLED | Resolution: 1080 x 1920 | CPU: Snapdragon 800 | RAM: 2GB |Storage: 32GB | Battery: 2420mAh | Rear camera: 20MP | Front camera: 1.2MP | SD-Card Slot: None
Pros: FullHD screen, 2,2 GHz quad-core processor, impressive battery, supreme build quality, durable
Cons: No sd-card slot, Windows App support low, updates come once in a while
Local Price: $300- $400.
Iphone 5S 64GB
Network: GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE | Weight: 112g | Dimensions: 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm | OS: iOS 10 |Screen: 4.0 inches IPS LCD | Resolution: 640 x 1136 | CPU: Apple A7 | RAM: 1GB |Storage: 64GB | Battery: 1560mAh | Rear camera: 8MP | Front camera: 1.2MP | SD-Card Slot: None
Pros: Build Quality, Touch ID fingerprint reader, Siri virtual assistant, Great Camera, Wide variety of apps, still supported in updates
Cons: No sd-card slot, Small Screen
Local Price: $450-$500.
HTC M9
Network: GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE | Weight: 157g | Dimensions: 144.6 x 69.7 x 9.6 mm | OS: Android Nougat |Screen: 5.0 inches Super LCD3 | Resolution: 1080 x 1920 | CPU: Snapdragon 810 | RAM: 3GB |Storage: 32GB | Battery: 2840mAh | Rear camera: 20MP | Front camera: 4MP | SD-Card Slot: Yes-Up to 256GB
Pros: Amazing camera with 4K recording, super-fast CPU, great audio quality, long lasting battery. sd-card slot
Cons: Small Screen, Non-Removable battery for an Android, non-water/dust proof
Local Price: $500.
Huawei P8
Network: GSM / HSPA / LTE | Weight: 144 g | Dimensions: 144.9 x 72.1 x 6.4 mm | OS: Android Marshmallow |Screen: 5.2 inches IPS-NEO LCD | Resolution: 1080 x 1920 | CPU: HiSilicon Kirin 930/935| RAM: 3GB |Storage: 64GB | Battery: 2680mAh | Rear camera: 13MP | Front camera: 8MP | SD-Card Slot: Yes-Up to 256GB
Pros: Good price, Amazing front facing camera, Dual-Sim Capable, 1080p video recording
Cons: non-removable battery, easily scratched, feels light in the hand and no build quality
Local Price: $350-$450
Sony Xperia Z5
Network: GSM / HSPA / LTE | Weight: 154 g | Dimensions: 146 x 72 x 7.3 mm | OS: Android Nougat |Screen: 5.2 inches IPS LCD | Resolution: 1080 x 1920 | CPU: Snapdragon 810| RAM: 3GB |Storage: 32GB | Battery: 2900mAh | Rear camera: 23MP | Front camera: 5.1MP | SD-Card Slot: Yes-Up to 256GB
Pros: Good price, Both Cameras are amazing, Water Proof,
Cons: non-removable battery, waterproofing makes it heat up
Local Price: $500
Sony Xperia Z3 Dual
Network: GSM / HSPA / LTE | Weight: 152 g | Dimensions: 146 x 72 x 7.3 mm | OS: Android Nougat |Screen: 5.2 inches IPS LCD | Resolution: 1080 x 1920 | CPU: Snapdragon 801| RAM: 3GB |Storage: 32GB | Battery: 3100mAh | Rear camera: 20.7MP | Front camera: 2.2MP | SD-Card Slot: Yes-Up to 256GB
Pros: Good price, Both Cameras are amazing, Long Lasting Battery, wide angle camera, dual sim
Cons: non-removable battery, waterproofing makes it heat up
Local Price: $450-$500
LG G4
Network: GSM / HSPA / LTE | Weight: 155 g | Dimensions: 148.9 x 76.1 x 6.3 – 9.8 mm | OS: Android Marshmallow |Screen: 5.5 inches IPS LCD | Resolution: 1440 x 2560 | CPU: Snapdragon 808| RAM: 3GB |Storage: 32GB | Battery: 3000mAh | Rear camera: 16MP | Front camera: 8MP | SD-Card Slot: Yes-Up to 256GB
Pros: Good performance, great screen, and amazing camera
Cons: non-removable battery, smaller chip compared to other flagships of its time
Local Price: $300-$400
Samsung Galaxy S6
Network: GSM / HSPA / LTE | Weight: 138 g | Dimensions: 143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8 mm | OS: Android Marshmallow |Screen: 5.1 inches Super AMOLED | Resolution: 1440 x 2560 | CPU: Exynos 7420 Octa| RAM: 3GB |Storage: 32GB | Battery: 2550mAh | Rear camera: 16MP | Front camera: 5MP | SD-Card Slot: None
Pros: Good performance, great screen,amazing camera, sleek design, fingerprint scanner, premium glass design.
Cons: non-removable battery, high depreciation value, no water or dust protection, no Sd-card slot
Local Price: $500
Samsung Galaxy Note 4
Network: GSM / HSPA / LTE | Weight: 176g | Dimensions: 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm | OS: Android Marshmallow |Screen: 5.7 inches Super AMOLED | Resolution: 1440 x 2560 | CPU: Exynos 5433/Snapdragon 805 | RAM: 3GB |Storage: 32GB | Battery: 3220mAh | Rear camera: 16MP | Front camera: 3.7MP | SD-Card Slot: Yes
Pros: Large display, stylus pen, great screen,amazing camera, fingerprint scanner, premium glass design. big battery
Cons: Not the best-looking phone
Local Price: $500
There are still quite a few high-end/flagship devices one can pick up on the local market. These phones are more than capable to run most processes you could throw at them with ease.
Most of the devices had industry leading specs or components at their time of release so one can expect a good user experience, they also support all the latest applications and updates with ease.
Next we will be looking at the smartphones you can get under $300 in the local market brand new.
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8 comments
In my opinion the best phones on a shoestring budget are the Lenovo brands of phones. The Lenovo A2010 has LTE capability, 8Gig ROM, 1 Gig RAM , a decent processor, a respectable battery life and will only cost you $75.
Where can i get the Lenovo A2010
lg g4 has a removable battery even the g5 has
Man, I obsessed over the Lumia 930 for a while but the local prices aren’t falling fast enough for my pocket! It’s still a great phone though, the build quality puts to shame what microsoft did with the 950 and despite not supporting some of windows’ 10 tricks, i’d rank it as one of the best “affordable” windows phones out there.
Guys have a look at Xiaomi (Redmi)phones it is one brand that offers good specs for reasonable prices comparing with other similar phones.
we checked it out its a pretty cool phone!
Availability on local market a bit of an issue though
maprices ekupi ayo? which shops?
classifieds Zimbabwe, virtual storefronts for a lot of shops you find in town, prices negotiable as always