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Trousers down for six of the best affordable Androids

Stylish Googlephones for not-so-deep pockets

Huawei Ascend G6

RH Numbers

The Ascend G6 is made from much the same components in the Huawei parts bin as EE’s Kestrel is and the basic specifications of the two devices are rather similar. Up front is a 4.5-inch qHD IPS screen and inside a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon CPU with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. The slim, but rather unusual, body is also the same, right down to the rounded bottom, oddly placed microUSB port and iPhone 5-ish design. Since the G6 is rather more expensive than the £99 Kestrel surely that makes it a non-starter? Not entirely.

You see the Kestrel is blighted by a grotty camera while the the G6 boasts a much better 8MP main snapper and a 5MP webcam. Yup, that’s not a typo, it really is a 5 megapixel component. That makes the G6 a far more photographically accomplished device than the Kestrel. Hell, if you are selfie-obsessed then that webcam makes the G6 a close to default purchase. The G6 also has an NFC chip which the Kestrel doesn’t.

Huawei Ascend G6

And there is the small matter of Huawei’s rather unusual Emotion launcher. There’s actually a lot to like about it (assuming you are not an Android purist, natch) in its latest iteration, which the G6 has but the Kestrel doesn’t. I’ve heard people remark that the Emotion launcher is rather iOS-like, and apparently they mean that as a compliment. At the moment you can pick up an unlocked G6 for £160 from Argos, which isn’t bad value if that 5MP webcam appeals.

Price £160
More info Huawei

Motorola Moto G Mk.II

RH Numbers

Ah, the Moto G: the device that saved Motorola’s European bacon is quite rightly the benchmark for all affordable smartphones. Admittedly this second generation incarnation isn't quite the bargain it was originally but it still holds its own. It features a quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor, 1GB of RAM and a very nice 720p 5-inch IPS screen plus a fairly up-to-date version of KitKat. At time of writing it was version 4.4.4 with an update to 5.0 due soon – all the v2.0 Moto G lacks is 4G which is a pretty shocking omission in my book.

A few other niggles have been rectified in the move from the original Moto G to this model. The 5Mp camera – which was a pretty poor example of the breed – has been ditched in favour of a far superior 8Mp unit, and the webcam has been bumped from 1.2 to 2MP. What you don’t get is an NFC chip though that's something most people can probably live without. The battery is still built in and the same capacity as before at 2070mAh and there’s a microSD card slot to boost the standard 8GB of internal storage.

Motorola Moto G Mk.II

At 149g and 11mm the new Moto G is not as heavy or thick as I had expected it to be and like the original it is a very well made and handsome lump. The forward-facing stereo speakers gives the HTC 610’s pair a run for their money and there is a nice line of flip covers that clip onto the back, a rare optional feature in this price range. And don’t forget the water resistant coating. All in all for £150 it’s a cracking bit of kit. If only there was a 4G version.

Price £150
More info Motorola

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