Best Budget-Cell-Phone Right Now
TKS!

I know about cell phones about as much as the average user… which is laughably little.

Experience with electronics has taught me that although the more expensive is usually superior, and generally more reliable, some less expensive products can offer equal (or almost equal) performance at a much lower price. Those are the brands/models I’m seeking out right now. Additionally, a lot of the modern, fancy smartphone functions don’t appeal to me, so I don’t think finding a suitable phone should be too difficult.


The new phone I am planning to get, I expect to serve me well for the next two years (or so). I can afford about $200. I’m looking for a smartphone that:

- Has the screen size and resolution for comfortable reading (e-books and comics/graphic novels). I don’t mean Kindle-quality – my old Alcatel M’Pop was generally ok for reading, assuming the books were properly formatted. But I could use a bigger screen.

- Has a solid keyboard (screen response, size) for efficient typing. I like to write stuff on my phone; I sometimes write up to 2000 words, so I do need comfortable typing.

- Reliable as a PHONE. As in battery life, connection, making calls, texting… not prone to crashing…

- Okay performance online. I don’t use a lot of apps and widgets; I don’t even use Instragram and Snapchat (or whatever); but I do use the internet for communication, Googling things, checking forums, and occasional entertainment.

- (Optional): Good camera. I want to able to take decent pictures and videos. Again, optional, but I wouldn't mind having a solid camera.

I hope those are not the qualities that make a phone really expensive. As I said, I don’t know much about phones.
I am not asking the community for a specific model, as much as a good brand and insight on what specs I should look for in order to meet my requirements. At the moment, I am looking at LG, Lenovo, Nokia, and Huawei. Have these been performing well lately? I will look into other brands if you can recommend any (assuming they are available).


Up until now (for about two years), I’ve been using an Alcatel One Touch M’Pop. For the most part, during the first 12-15 months, I was very pleased with it. Being my first smartphone, I found it very enjoyable. It was fast, accurate, and generally reliable. I have no comparison references, so I might be wrong, but I thought it was a good model.

That is what I mean when I mention cheaper brands/models that offer good performance for a lower price. It may not boast the “really-impressive, super-cool: water-resistance, voice-command unlocks, motion sensor, defibrillator-pocketknife-flamethrower-dragontamer features”, but when it comes to being a phone bred with a portable computer, it gets the job done.


And about Nokia – I’ve had good experience with Nokia phones. I know they still have the reputation of being extremely tough, endurant, and reliable. I’ve never tried out a Nokia smartphone, however, and I only recently learned that these are all Windows Phones.
Does that matter, though? What does Microsoft have to offer in the phone-market? I have noticed some seemingly quality models, but I don’t know how to feel about a Windows phone…
How limiting is the software, anyway? How fairly do they treat their users? My most used apps in Android are Writer, Perfect Viewer and Viber. Does Microsoft have these (or solid replacements) – and are they free? What about privacy? How does it communicate with other software (Android and Apple)

And one more thing. When the store mentions a default OS version, does that mean that the specific phone can ONLY use that version, or it works best with that specific version… if I have a phone that comes with Lollipop, and I decide I would rather use KitKat – is it advisable to downgrade (and vice versa)?
I’ve noticed that phones that come with KitKat are generally cheaper. Does this indicate performance, or is it simply about them being older models – and if so, should them being older worry me?


Thanks.