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" While iPhone prices stay firmly stuck in the $500+ range without a contract offer, Motorola and Nokia are stirring up the smartphone market with new contract-free options under $200. But low price doesn&amp;#039;t mean low functionality: They&amp;#039;re fully capable smartphones running the latest Android and Windows software. So if you&amp;#039;re looking for affordable tech \u2014 and want to avoid a dreaded contract \u2014 consider one of these options. They make me want to dub this year &amp;quot;the year of the inexpensive smartphone&amp;quot;.   Motorola Moto E  This entry-level phone, packed with Android 4.4 KitKat, 1GB of RAM, and a 5-megapixel camera comes at a bargain price: $129.   Motorola Moto G A step up from the Moto E, the Moto G ($179) features slightly improved specs such as a quad-core processor, a higher resolution screen, and optional 4G data connectivity (but that ups the price $40 more).  Nokia Lumia 635 This is the most affordable smartphone Nokia has released in the U.S., and it debuts Windows Phone 8.1 software, which will feature Microsoft&amp;#039;s new voice assistant Cortana, and a much-needed notification tool (so you can easily keep up with your messages and social feeds). Getting all this, plus 4G data, a 5-megapixel camera, and more, for a contract-free price of $189 makes jumping aboard the Windows platform more enticing than ever. Gordon Grajek is a test engineer in the Consumer Electronics lab of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute.  NEXT: New Fitness Trackers You&amp;#039;re Never Going to Want to Take Off \u00BB "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/institute/a24994/cheap-smartphones/>