Phone Buying Guide Holiday 2020

The holiday season is upon us, and for many that means a brand new cell phone from Santa. We’ve had the fortunate opportunity to review a number of mobile devices over the past year, and we are sharing them below in no particular order! Check them out!

TCL 10L and 10 Pro

The TCL 10L and 10 Pro are the same phones with a few hardware upgrades available in the Pro that are not available in the 10! We wrote all about the TCL 10L here and highlighted the differences in the TCL 10 Pro here!

From our review,

Overall, the TCL 10 L still offers considerable power and value, while coming it at $350 CAD (from Bell). While this phone won’t stand toe-to-toe with the latest high-end iOS and Android devices, it certainly has a spot on the market for those looking for a very usable device at a much more attractive price point. Anyone looking for a solid device and is willing to compromise somewhat on camera and audio quality will be quite happy with the 10 L. In comparison with the TCL 10 Pro, I have not found a significant enough difference in the Pro’s performance to justify the additional cost.

You can get your own TCL Smartphone here!

Alcatel 1B and 1X

Over the past two years, Alcatel has released two full smartphone devices, both coming in under $150.00. While neither have the specs that other phones on this page have, they are both still reliable and accessible devices that are perfect for those looking to make calls, play a few games, and browse social media networks.

From our review of the 1B:

Overall, the Alcatel 1B greatly exceeded our expectations and we have no qualms in recommending as a viable option for anyone in the market for an ultra-value smartphone. These types of devices are especially useful for an elderly or non-tech savvy relative or loved one, as a kid’s first phone, perhaps used as an exercise to determine how responsible they are with such a device, or as a stop-gap for anyone who wants to save up for a new phone or lost their current phone and is waiting out the existing contract. Either way, there is plenty of space in the market for the Alcatel 1B.

You can find out more about the Alcatel 1B and 1X here!

Google Pixel 5

We just recently finished up our review of the Google Pixel 5, and for those looking for everything they could possibly want in a cell phone for an affordable should be taking a second look at this device. While the Pixel 5 might not have the bells and whistles of the more expensive iPhone 12 or the Samsung Note 20 Ultra, it provides more than enough for the average persons needs, coupled with what is still the industries best camera to date.

From our review,

And ultimately, I think Google nails it here with the Google Pixel 5. It’s stripped out nice-to-have, niche features that most people will quickly forget about, and instead delivers a fantastic Google experience that we all expect with a few necessary upgrades, specifically to the battery. What good is super powerful phone if it cannot get you through the day? Yes, you can play games. Yes, you can take pictures. Yes, you can multitask multiple apps. Is there more you want out of a mobile phone? Did we mentioned reverse charging? While not having it all, it still feels like Google Pixel 5 has it all, and we would recommend this Google flagship to anyone!

You can buy your Pixel 5 from the Google Store here!

Check out our full review of the Google Pixel 5!

Google Pixel 4a

Google has been releasing their ‘a’ lineup of devices for a few years now. For those unfamiliar, the Pixel A series take many of the features of Google’s numbered flagship phones, strips out a few of the higher end features, and delivers a very affordable mobile phone that still has all those Google (perhaps not hardware, but software) features.

Here is a bit from our review:

What I’ve found is that incredibly expensive smartphones have gimmicks and processing power that hte average person doesn’t need. There is no folding design here like Samsung is trying to push, and you aren’t talking about the latest and greatest chips that Apple is using. But that is perfectly fine. I can have multiple apps open at once and quickly swap between them on the Pixel 4a. I can play any game I want on the Google Play Store, without issues and without taking a graphical hit. For a phone at this price point, it’s really hard to get more features than what you end up paying, but somehow Google brought all the best from the Pixel 4 / Pixel 4 XL and gave it to us at a lower price.

You can buy a Pixel 4a here!