Top 4 best phones for Verizon priced at about $400 (Fall 2015 edition)
Back in August, Verizon announced that it will no longer offer subsidized smartphones to new subscribers when they sign a two-year contract. While the Big Red carrier does allow subscribers to pick up phones through a monthly installment plan, Verizon's new rules make it much easier for people to realize the full price of a smartphone.
If you're planning to switch to Verizon or get on the carrier's new data bucket plans but are unwilling to shed top dollar for the new iPhone 6s, here are the best Verizon phones that you can currently get for about $400.
Note: our picks for the best Verizon phones at this price range are listed in the ascending order of their price. These are all solid alternatives, but you should pick one depending on your budget and personal preference.
Motorola is one of the few smartphone makers that go through the trouble of making special CDMA versions of their unlocked phones, and the new Motorola Moto X Pure Edition continues this tradition.
Priced at $399, the Moto X Pure Edition is actually jam-packed with high-end specs, and is definitely the best Verizon-compatible phone that you can buy at this price range if you're into gargantuan display sizes.
The specs include a 5.7-inch display with a resolution of 1440 by 2560 pixels, a hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset, 3GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage (32GB and 64GB versions are available at higher prices), a 21MP primary camera, a 5MP selfie shooter on the front, as well as a 3000mAh battery.
In terms of software, the main attraction is the near-stock version of Android 5.1 Lollipop. If you're into vanilla Android, you'll find that the Moto X Pure Edition only comes with minor changes/improvements compared to the stock Android version you can find on Nexus phones.
To find out if this is the Verizon phone you're looking for, head on over to our full Motorola Moto X Pure Edition review.
The HTC One A9 comes with a 5-inch AMOLED display running a resolution 1080 by 1920 pixels, an upper-mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 chipset, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable internal storage, and a 2150mAh battery. We won't go again into the full details, as you can always head on over to our HTC One A9 review to get them.
What's interesting about the HTC One A9 in the context of this article is that this is the first non-CDMA phone that's compatible with Verizon. This is possible due to a thing named VoLTE, which essentially means that the One A9 does everything - from handling calls and texts to browsing the web or file downloads - using Verizon's 4G LTE network. Hopefully, the HTC One A9 will be just the first of many non-CDMA phones that Verizon subscribers will be able to use in the near future.
Currently, HTC sells the One A9 at $399 through its retail store. If this seems like a good price to you, then you'd better hurry, as the price of the phone will go up to $499 come November 7th.
If you're willing to shed out just a few more bucks, you can get the Verizon variant of the LG G4 for $432 upfront. That's a steeper price than the other phones on this list, but it could be well worth it if you're interested in having complete manual control over the primary camera.
The LG G4 comes with the same core specifications the Motorola Moto X Pure Edition, such as a hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset paired with 3GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable internal storage, as well as a 3000mAh battery. Also, the display runs at the same 1440 by 2560 pixel resolution, but the size of the panel is slightly smaller (5.5 inches), which helps with overall maneuverability.
Compared to the other phones on this list, the LG G4 finds its strong point in the quality of its cameras: a 16MP primary camera that delivers great photos in both manual and auto mode and an 8MP secondary sensor on the front for high-resolution selfies.
If you're interested in getting this phone on Verizon, head on over to our LG G4 review for the full details.
Motorola Droid Maxx 2
Price: $384
This past week, Verizon unveiled two new Motorola Droids, the high-end Droid Turbo 2 and the mid-range Motorola Droid Maxx 2. The latter is one of the best phones that Verizon subscribers can get for about $400, especially they value battery life.
As we've mentioned before, the strong point of the Droid Maxx 2 is its battery: a super-sized 3630mAh unit that should last for about a couple of days between charges with regular use.
In terms of hardware specs, we're looking at a mid-range device but with some interesting touches. The Motorola Droid Maxx 2 comes with a 5.5-inch LCD IPS display running a resolution of 1080 by 1920 pixels, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable internal storage, a high-resolution 21MP primary shooter, as well as a 5MP selfie camera on the front.
As we've mentioned before, the strong point of the Droid Maxx 2 is its battery: a super-sized 3630mAh unit that should last for about a couple of days between charges with regular use.
Price: $399.99
Motorola is one of the few smartphone makers that go through the trouble of making special CDMA versions of their unlocked phones, and the new Motorola Moto X Pure Edition continues this tradition.
Priced at $399, the Moto X Pure Edition is actually jam-packed with high-end specs, and is definitely the best Verizon-compatible phone that you can buy at this price range if you're into gargantuan display sizes.
To find out if this is the Verizon phone you're looking for, head on over to our full Motorola Moto X Pure Edition review.
Price: $399.99 for a limited time
The HTC One A9 comes with a 5-inch AMOLED display running a resolution 1080 by 1920 pixels, an upper-mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 chipset, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable internal storage, and a 2150mAh battery. We won't go again into the full details, as you can always head on over to our HTC One A9 review to get them.
What's interesting about the HTC One A9 in the context of this article is that this is the first non-CDMA phone that's compatible with Verizon. This is possible due to a thing named VoLTE, which essentially means that the One A9 does everything - from handling calls and texts to browsing the web or file downloads - using Verizon's 4G LTE network. Hopefully, the HTC One A9 will be just the first of many non-CDMA phones that Verizon subscribers will be able to use in the near future.
Currently, HTC sells the One A9 at $399 through its retail store. If this seems like a good price to you, then you'd better hurry, as the price of the phone will go up to $499 come November 7th.
LG G4
Price: $432
If you're willing to shed out just a few more bucks, you can get the Verizon variant of the LG G4 for $432 upfront. That's a steeper price than the other phones on this list, but it could be well worth it if you're interested in having complete manual control over the primary camera.
Compared to the other phones on this list, the LG G4 finds its strong point in the quality of its cameras: a 16MP primary camera that delivers great photos in both manual and auto mode and an 8MP secondary sensor on the front for high-resolution selfies.
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