Notebookcheck's Top 10 Smartphones under 160 Euros

The Nokia 5 features a 5.2-inch IPS display with 1280 x 720 pixels. We noticed the good luminance during our review. Both the SoC and the memory equipment are typical for this segment. The smartphone also supports with great battery runtimes and a good camera. You also get full dual-SIM capabilities thanks to a dedicated microSD slot. A fingerprint scanner is integrated as well.

The visible backlight bleeding on black pictures is an issue. LTE Cat.4 is also a pretty old standard, but it does at least cover a lot of bands. An update to Android 8.0 Oreo is already in Beta testing.

The Motorola Moto G5 is a compact smartphone, and it also has one of the smaller panels at 5 inches. In return, you get the Full HD resolution on the small screen, which is a rare combination that provides crisp images. It features 3 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage, which can be expanded via microSD card. The replaceable battery is rare by now. It manages decent runtimes, and the camera takes good pictures under daylight. Lenovo also confirmed an update to Android 8.0 Oreo.

The ZTE Blade V8 mini is equipped with a slightly more modern entry-level SoC, which has a modem with support for LTE Cat. 7. The 5-inch IPS display features the small HD resolution. You get 2 GB RAM and 16 GB flash storage, which can be expanded via microSD card. A fingerprint scanner is included, just like two speakers, which provide a comparatively good sound. A dual-cam is rare in this segment and it takes good pictures.

The brightness sensor is a drawback because it did not work really well during our review.

Samsung probably thought it does not always have to be an OLED screen and equips the Galaxy J3 (2017) with a PLS panel for the first time. It is a 5-inch panel with 1280 x 720 pixels, but the manufacturer unfortunately did not manage to integrate an ambient light sensor. Inside the aluminum case is Samsung's own Exynos SoC with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage.

We liked the long battery runtime, the good camera, and the precise location. The quality of the microphone on the other hand iss less convincing and Samsung also switched to a non-removable battery this time.

The Huawei Y7 (2017) has similar specs to its competitors, but features a high capacity 4000 mAh battery, which enables long battery runtimes. You also get a 5.5-inch display with the small HD resolution, which is okay in practice, but could be higher. It is also unfortunate that Huawei limits the LTE modem to Cat. 4, even though the SoC supports more.

The operating system Google Android 7.0 Nougat is not up to date anymore, and we already mentioned the old security patches during our review. A major update for the Y7 is highly improbable.

The LG K10 (2017) is the biggest model from LG's entry-level line-up. Thanks to its 5.3-inch IPS display, 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage, it is competitive in its segment. The storage can also be expanded via microSD card. The battery runtime of the replaceable battery is decent, and the camera takes good pictures in daylight.

We are not that impressed by the sound qualities of the K10. The speaker is rather tinny and we were not impressed by the microphone quality, either. The update policy from LG is exemplary though; the K10 does not only get regular updates, but an update to Google Android 8.0 is planned as well.

Huawei's Y6 Pro (2017) is a compact smartphone with a nice design, which is placed in the upper entry-level segment. It features a 5-inch HD display (1280 x 720 pixels), an entry-level SoC as well as 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage. The latter can be expanded via microSD card, but you cannot use the dual-SIM functionality in this case anymore due to the hybrid slot.

We liked the long battery runtime, the precise GPS module as well as the good build quality during the review. The storage is unfortunately pretty slow, and the speaker is not the best, either. An update to Android 8.0 Oreo is improbable.

Lenovo's C2 comes with the common configuration for an entry-level smartphone. With its older quad-core SoC, 1 GB of working memory, and 8 GB of flash memory, the smartphone base is solid but the buyer should not expect any quantum leaps from it. The bright IPS screen has the low HD resolution (1280x720 pixels). Fortunately, two SIM slots plus an additional micro-SD slot are present. The battery is also replaceable.

Considering its low price, the C2 does not exhibit any real weaknesses. Only the installed microphones could be a bit better. Unfortunately, they only presented a mixed call quality.

The Honor 6A is the smallest smartphone from Huawei's subsidiary and is primarily targeted towards students. The 5.0-inch HD display is pretty bright with an even brightness distribution, but it uses PWM to regulate the luminance, which is tiring for the eyes in dark environments. The other specs are decent and you get a nice aluminum case.

We were especially impressed by the excellent battery runtimes. However, the storage space is very limited, but can be expanded via microSD card. The cameras are just mediocre.

The Motorola Moto E4 features a 5-inch touchscreen, which creates decent images with the small HD resolution. The memory equipment is comparatively good with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage, which can be expanded via microSD card. You can also replace the battery and there is a fingerprint scanner. The other specs are average for this class, so the performance is not very high. The use of pure Android 7.1 Nougat is therefore a good thing for the user. The camera performance is not great, either.