| The COVIDsafe app is out, letting people track their exposure to Covid-19 via their phones. There’s a few light requirements on the COVIDsafe app – the phone must have Bluetooth enabled, and run Android 6.0 or higher, or Android Go. |
| If you’ve got a really old phone, it may not be compatible with the app – but there’s still inexpensive options to upgrade to newer platforms. Not only do you get better app compatibility, but fewer security issues and, of course, all the nice features offered on newer versions of Android. The G-mee Connect coming in at $149.95 offers Android 9.0, 32GB of storage, and a range of security-minded features like call and SMS blocking. Nokia’s 1.3 Android Go smartphone is the first to be updated to Android 10, and is designed to be a great barebones smartphone experience for those on a tight budget. It’s available for $169 Stepping up to the Nokia 2.3 gets you Android Go like its smaller sibling, but also a larger display and accordingly larger battery. You can get one for $199. The Alcatel 1S provides a smooth experience thanks to an octa-core processor and 3GB of RAM – most phones in this budget range offer slightly less powerful internal hardware. The Alcatel 1S costs $199. The Vivo Y12 provides a huge 5000mAh battery that should last most users two days comfortably, along with a big 6.35-inch display, and 64GB of onboard storage, while most other phones in the range only offer 32GB. $199 will get you the Vivo Y12 in your choice of red or blue. Oppo’s sister company Realme offers budget smartphones like the Realme C2 with 64GB of storage, attractive outer design and decent hardware specs. The Realme C2 is available for $199. Budget phones don’t have to mean a poor smartphone experience, and any of these options will get you updated to a newer platform for under $200. |
