Vote Now! Best Tech Value Awards - Mobile

Graybush

Estimable
Hey there everyone!

Is it just us, or is 2017 a particularly good year for tech? With the gift-giving season soon upon us, the Tom's Guide team has reviewed hundreds of products this year to help members like you find the best tech for your needs. And now…it's your turn to tell us what you think is the best gift to buy!

We're introducing our Community Best Tech Value Awards! This allows you, our dear members, to vote on your favorite products and let us know what you think is the best tech for the money. Your input is part of the first annual Tom's Guide Best Tech Value awards, in which our editorial team gives out awards to products that they think deliver the most bang for the buck. This is your chance to do the same!

So we ask you, what's the best product for your money?
If you have suggestions that are not on this list, let us know in the thread!

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Guest

Guest
I'm kind of surprised that Verizon isn't on this list? Yeah, T-Mobile is great in urban and suburban areas, but when you get outside of a 50-mile radius I was never able to get a signal!
 

okcnaline

Honorable
Herald
Nov 17, 2013
449
0
11,210
Moto G5 Plus is really bad for the value. The SoC is ancient compared to ones in other phones; the phone looks UGLY, and it doesn't bring any features other than being water resistant. At $70 more I would rather get the Xperia XA1 which has flagship grade camera, a much improved SoC, much better body design, bigger screen, and insane battery life. At the same price I would much rather bite the bullet for the Nokia 6 whose body design just looks so much better despite a lower-grade SoC. Also, the Nokia 2 at $99 is the best for value in any case. It's tiny, durable, and usable.

As for smartwatches, the best advice is to buy used. At the price it's ALWAYS the best. One can get a previously-flagship watch that provides a better experience than a new one of the same price point.

Same with the laptop. The Asus UX330 does not have as good of a keyboard as the Lenovo ThinkPads. One can get a ThinkPad T470 refurbished for $500; a refurbished ThinkPad Yoga 370 is much more versatile than a simple ultraportable due to the form factor conversion and the ability to use a Wacom pen, even if the pen needs to be bought separately. "Gaming" laptops with a GeForce 940MX can be found at about $600-700, which provides a budget proposition for gaming and photo editing.

Overall, this is a typical list of best value for mobile devices from CNET, Verge, and other sensationalist tech news websites. I expected Tom's Guide and Tom's Hardware to uphold a better standard for their content; please don't attempt to fall into the sensationalist race. Most of the products are commonly seen in paid advertisements.