Battle of the budget: Nokia vs Samsung phones
While Samsung and Apple tend to be the ones battling it out in the courtroom, it’s Nokia that Samsung is fighting on the high street. With tens of new smartphones released every month, it’s no surprise that Nokia is hot on Samsung’s heels, especially when it comes to its affordable smartphone range.
For the purpose of this head to head battle we are comparing the Lumia 635 and Lumia 530 with Samsung’s Galaxy Ace 4 and Galaxy Young 2. So let’s get down to it; if you’re looking for a budget smartphone that doesn’t break the bank, which should you opt for? Let’s compare Samsung and Nokia phones and find out!
Alternatively, find out why we think Samsung could take over the world!
Samsung vs Nokia Design
When it comes to design, both Samsung and Nokia are at the top of the pile, offering smart-looking devices at both ends of the scale.
Nokia, historically known for its customisable cases, has opted for a more colourful design on its Lumia range of mobiles, with low-cost handsets such as the Lumia 530 and Lumia 635 available to pick up in vibrant shades of green, yellow and orange.
Samsung, on the other hand, offers more of a serious approach to its cheap smartphones, mimicking the high end design of its premium flagships. For instance, the Samsung Galaxy Young 2 sports a smart leather-look casing just like the much pricier Note 4. The Galaxy Ace 4 , another affordable smartphone from Samsung, sports a smooth polycarbonate casing which is available in a more subdued black or white.
**Nokia 1: 0 Samsung **
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Budget smartphone, Budget Specs?
So the Finnish company may have been able to edge ahead with its colourful design, but what about when it comes to the specs of its cheap phones?
The Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 has hit the market to replace its older brother, the Ace 3, and offers a dual core processor, 4GB of internal memory and 512MB of RAM. The Galaxy Young 2 sports an identical set of specs, making both handsets perfect first-time smartphones.
So how does Nokia compete? Both the Lumia 635 and 530 boast a faster quad-core, rather than dual-core, processor, making the handsets stand out slightly more on paper. On top of that, both Nokia mobile phones offer a 512MB of RAM, mirroring their Samsung rivals, though the Lumia 635 just edges it with an 8GB of internal memory compared to the Galaxy Ace 4 and Young 2’s 4GB. That said, with both Samsung smartphones offering an SD slot for you to extend your internal memory, this extra space in the Nokia handset doesn’t count for all that much!
Nokia 2: 0 Samsung
**Like the look of the Lumia 530? **Take a look at our in depth Nokia Lumia 530 review!
Camera Comparison
Whatever your budget is, one of the key features you would expect on any smartphone is a camera. And thankfully, both smartphone makers have given us an impressive camera lens on all of their affordable smartphones.
Let’s start with the Lumia 635 and 530’s cameras. Offering a 5 megapixel lens, both devices allow even the most novice of photographers to snap the perfect shot. Plus, with Nokia’s range of camera features on board, including the Lumia camera app and panoramic mode- amongst others- there’s no end to the fun you could have with one of these budget Nokia mobiles.
When it comes to photography, Samsung’s low cost handsets offer up a similar set of camera lenses and features. The Galaxy Ace 4 boasts a similar 5 megapixel lens, whilst the Young 2 sports a slightly smaller 3.15 camera. Despite this difference in megapixel count, the phones do benefit from Samsung’s own in-built editing features, narrowing the gap ever so slightly. Plus, with Android KitKat on board the Galaxy Young 2 and Ace 4, users have thousands of additional camera apps to choose from!
Nokia 3: 0 Samsung (though it was a close one!)
Windows Phone vs Android
When it comes down to features, both manufacturers have often led the way, offering music players, fingerprint scanners and wireless charging plates. But whether these such features will be translated onto their budget smartphones is another question.
Luckily Nokia has managed to do just that, bringing us great media features onto the Lumia 635 and 530 including MixRadio, an app which allows you to stream as much music as you like for free. Plus, both of these handsets- just like all current Nokia phones- are built on the Windows Phone operating system, which not only gives you a unique, customisable home screen, but also offers thousands apps found in the Windows Store.
The reasonably-priced Samsung handsets, meanwhile, come with one of the latest versions of Android on board, which offers access to even more apps than their Nokia rivals. Plus, because of Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface, both handsets are super simple to use, and even come with a selection of Gameloft games to download- ideal for any serial gamers!
Draw! Nokia 4: 1 Samsung
**If you’re looking for more cheap handsets, we’ve picked out the best budget HTC phones on the market right now! **
Price tag
When money’s tight then the most important thing to consider is just how much your next phone will set you back. And with both Nokia and Samsung being the kings of the budget world, it’ll be no surprise to learn that all four handsets are more than affordable.
The Samsung Galaxy Young 2 will be available for just £69.99 SIM free, with the Ace 4 coming in slightly higher at around the £140 mark. On the other hand, the Nokia Lumia 530 is priced at £83.99 SIM free, with the Lumia 635 featuring a higher £145.99 price tag.
Plus, with pay monthly deals available for the Nokia handsets, and the Samsung offers on their way, owning a feature-packed smartphone whilst being thrifty has never been so easy!
Nokia: 4: 2 Samsung
Verdict
So there we have it: Nokia vs Samsung on the cheap phone front. Nokia has managed to race ahead in this tightly fought battle thanks to its colourful design, strong spec sheet and impressive camera. And while Samsung might be more conservative when it comes to style and specs, its price tags make Samsung phones the perfect companion for anyone on a tight budget.
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