Budget smartphones do not get near-enough attention as compared to flagship or other quirky releases, even though they occupy their own space in the smartphone market. For people on a tight budget or very limited needs, entry-level phones do the job well and save money while they're at it. If all you need is a phone for calls and texts, it is a no-brainer to prefer a much cheaper budget phone over a premium, top-tier flagship.
We have spotted two upcoming budget smartphones that are scheduled for a launch in the near future. What makes these devices special is the fact that they are ordinary but cheap, and come with Android Pie out-of-the-box.
Alcatel 1S
The Alcatel 1S is a budget smartphone but is different from the Alcatel 1X and Alcatel 1C that were announced at CES 2019. The Alcatel 1S (codename: Faraday) does not appear to be riding on the bezel-less or notch bandwagon, so what you get is a plain-looking smartphone (which is not a bad thing just by itself). The phone is powered by a Spreadtrum SC9863A SoC, consisting of 8x Cortex-A55 cores clocked at up to 1600 MHz. The GPU on the device is the Imagination Tech PowerVR GE8322, clocked at 550 MHz. The phone will come with 3GB of RAM, and an HD+ (720 x 1440) resolution display. And as stated above, the phone will launch with Android Pie out-of-the-box.
ZTE Blade A5 2019
The ZTE Blade A5 2019 is similar to the Alcatel 1S, in the sense that it sports the same SoC and display resolution. This means you get the same Spreadtrum SC9863A SoC and the Imagination Tech PowerVR GE8322 GPU, alongside a display with HD+ resolution. However, the ZTE Blade A5 2019 will come with 1GB of RAM. This budget phone will also launch with Android Pie.
It is currently unknown when these phones will be launched, or the pricing and regions that they are targeting. However, we expect both these devices to be available for cheap, as they are budget smartphones after all.