Motorola Logo
A Motorola Mobility logo is seen on a screen at the public unveiling of their global headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, April 22, 2014. Reuters/Jim Young

Most of the flagship smartphones from industry leaders like iPhone 6, Galaxy Note 4, Xperia Z3 and so on carry expensive price tag. Apart from these, there are many budget-friendly smartphones that offer similar smartphone experience. These low-cost smartphones offer smooth performance, good viewing experience, decent cameras and acceptable design.

We have listed the top 5 low-cost smartphones on the basis of positive reviews from users:

Motorola Moto G 2014

Cost: Starts at $179

Moto G 2014 is the only handset among the Android smartphones in this list to feature the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop update. The handset can be customized with colourful cases. It features a large IPS LCD 5-inch which supports HD resolution. The Snapdragon 400 chipset and 1 GB of RAM deliver snappy performance. Other impressive features of the handset include dual-SIM, frontal dual stereo speakers, 8 MP camera and 2070 mAh battery. Endgadget calls it the best budget smartphone.

Nokia Lumia 730

Cost: USD 240-off contract

One of the last handsets to feature the Nokia brand name comes with powerful features. Our comparison of Moto G 2014 with Lumia 730 shows that the latter is a serious competitor. Like the Moto G 2014, the Lumia 730 also features full HD screen and Snapdragon 400 SoC accompanied by 1 GB of RAM. The Super AMOLED screen of the device is of 4.7-inch. It has a marvelous selfie camera of 5 MP. It comes with features like dual-SIM, 6.7 MP rear camera, external storage support of up to 128 GB, Windows Phone v8.1 Lumia Denim update, and 2200 mAh battery.

Xiaomi Redmi 1S

Cost: USD 130-off contract

The Xiaomi Redmi 1S is an impressive handset that is not only popular in China but also various markets across the globe. It has catapulted the Xiaomi brand to become the third largest smartphone manufacturer in the world.The stellar specs of the device include dual-SIM support, 5-inch HD display, Snapdragon 400 SoC, 8 MP camera and 2000 mAh battery. The only obsolete feature of the device is Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS. Still the handset offers good user experience through the MIUI skin.

Asus Zenfone 5

Cost: USD 160 off contract

Our previous report shows that the Asus Zenfone 5 is also a good alternative for Moto G 2014. The 5-inch IPS LCD supports HD resolution. The Zenfone 5 has many good features onboard such as dual-SIM support, Snapdragon 400, 1 GB of RAM and 8 MP camera. The Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS loaded on the device is overlaid with proprietary Zen UI.

Sony Xperia M2

Cost: USD 240-off contract

The dual-SIM Sony Xperia M2 which comes with 4.8-inch screen that supports 540 x 960 pixels has managed to salvage many positive reviews. It is running on Snapdragon 400 SoC which is complemented with 1 GB of RAM. Other notable features of the Xperia M2 are appealing design, 8 MP camera and massive 2300 mAh battery. The only downside of the device is it comes preloaded with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.