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This is 2021 and there is still no mainstream smartphone made in the USA. The only smartphone we know that has its components manufactured and assembled in the USA is the little known Librem 5 USA. It is a variant of the generic Librem 5, which is not made in the USA.
Have you heard of Librem 5? Likely not. It is nowhere as big as any of the brands that you know – Apple, Samsung, Motorola, Google Pixel, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and the like. So, for all intents and purposes, there are no mainstream smartphones made in the USA.
Librem 5 USA is a smartphone made in the USA
The big question is, Why? And that is what I shall answer in this article. It boils down to manufacturing advantage: costs of production.
Most smartphones in the world are made in China. Name any of the big brands and most of their production is in China. Some are made in India, Korea, and Brazil. And in some cases, Germany and Rwanda are on the map as well. But the manufacturing base is minute compared to what happens in China. And as such, you will find that those devices are more expensive than their mainstream counterparts.
Because, it costs much less to produce in China than elsewhere on the planet right now. Let me break it down.
Why there is no mainstream smartphone made in the USA?
Let’s look at the main factor – cost of labour. In China, factory workers are sometimes paid as low as $2 per hour for their work. In the United States of America, that cost jumps up to as much as $10 to $15 per hour. If you add other benefits, the cost of production for smartphones, and indeed other items, go pretty high.
With those figures, it will be difficult for anyone manufacturing smartphones in the USA to compete with manufacturers based in China or India.
Have a look at the Librem 5 USA, for example, and you easily see that for the features it offers, it costs much more than the typical smartphone in its category. For its $1,999 price tag, you could buy one of the new cutting edge foldable phones in the market. Yet, the Librem 5 USA is a mid-range smartphone and would ordinarily sell for not more than $350 to $450.
Have you asked why Sony Xperia smartphones cost as much as they do? The production is done in Japan, where labour and other production costs are also higher than what obtains in China. Factory workers in China often get paid peanuts compared to workers in North America, Europe and most of Asia.
If you want smartphones that are made in the USA, you have to be willing to pay much more for fewer features and fewer capabilities than what you are getting now from Apple, Samsung and others. And that is the real dilemma.
Are Americans willing to pay that price to preserve jobs in the country? Another angle to this is the security angle. By outsourcing production of all American electronic items to China, the USA is also opening itself up to security risks.
Are the lower prices worth the loss of jobs and security? Are Americans ready to sacrifice some extra dollars to take back some control of their fate as a nation? But even much bigger is the question: “Even if Americans are willing to pay more, is the rest of the world where American brands like Apple and Google sell their products willing to embrace the increase in prices?”
If they are not, the manufacturers will lose serious market share and have to scale back production from the current levels. Apple would lose its spot in the global smartphone market. Google Pixels would sell in much fewer numbers than they currently do. Business would not be the same for these brands.
These are the reasons why there are no mainstream smartphone made in the USA any more, and until the factors involved change, the situation is likely to stay this way.
Author:MobileChic
That motivated, gadget-loving geeky chic who tries to stay on top of things. Unapologetic iFan.
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There are now budget 90/120 Hz refresh rate phones in the market for individuals looking for smoother scrolling and better effects and animations on their smartphones without breaking the bank.
60Hz has been the smartphone industry standard refresh rate for years. Recently, smartphone manufacturers began to implement higher refresh rate screens – 90Hz and 120Hz being the most common, though there are even higher refresh rates available. These first appeared on expensive, premium, high-end smartphones. But now, high refresh rate displays have showed up in full force in the budget smartphone segment.
What is screen refresh rate and how does it work? A 60Hz display refreshes images on the screen 60 times a second. Taking that principle forward, it follows that a 90Hz display refreshes images 90 times a second, while a 120Hz refresh rate screen refreshes images 120 times a second. You can apply that to any refresh rate that is quoted for any smartphone.
Of course, a high refresh rate display has an impact on battery life, because more resources go into providing the improved visual experience. As such, smartphone makers have to find ways to balance between high refresh rate and battery life.
Budget 90/120 Hz Refresh Rate Smartphones of 2021
Here is a quick list of some budget high refresh rate phones that are available in the market in 2021.
- Infinix Zero 8 (90Hz screen): $250
- Infinix Zero 8i (90Hz screen): $207
- TECNO Camon 16 Premier (90Hz screen): $270
- OPPO Reno5 (90Hz screen): $360
- Pocofone POCO X3 NFC (120Hz screen): from $230
- Pocofone POCO X2 (120Hz screen): from $250
- Motorola Moto G30 (90Hz screen): $220
- Samsung Galaxy A52 (90Hz screen): from $310
- Samsung Galaxy A72 (90Hz screen): from $530
- Samsung Galaxy A32 (90Hz screen): from $290
- Xiaomi Redmi Note10 Pro (120Hz screen): from $297
- TECNO Spark 7P (90Hz screen): $155
The above budget 90/120 Hz refresh rate smartphones is not an exhaustive list of available devices in that category in the market right now, but those are some of the most high profile in North America, Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
The question now is, Which are the best? We hand-pick a few recommendations for you to consider.
The best budget 90/120 Hz refresh rate smartphones in 2021
Samsung Galaxy A52 (the 4G variant) is easily our top pick for the best budget high refresh rate phone. It has a 90Hz Super AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass protection. Even more, it has IP67 dust and water-proof rating.
Samsung Galaxy A52
Under the hood is a decent Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chipset. It runs OneUI 3.1 based on Android 11, and has a 64MP quad-camera at the back, a 32MP front camera, 4500mAh battery, and 25W fast charging. The 6/128 GB variant is available for about $310, depending on whether you are in the US or Canada. In the UK, it sells for £420. In Nigeria, you can pick one up for ₦139,500.
OPPO Reno5 has a 6.4-inch 90Hz AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection on a gorgeous and stunning body, capable Snapdragon 720G chipset, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB ROM, 4310mAh battery, and 50W fast charging. It is available for $360 or ₦169,000.
It is one of the costliest on our list of best 90/120 Hz refresh rate, but it also offers much better performance than most of the others. This makes it one of the best budget 90/120 Hz refresh rate phones around. See our OPPO Reno5 review .
OPPO Reno5 is one of the top budget 90/120 Hz refresh rate phones around.
TECNO Camon 16 Premier sports a 6.9″ 90Hz refresh rate IPS LCD. Under the bonnet, it is powered by a MediaTek Helio G90 chipset, coupled with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB ROM. Battery capacity is 4500mAh battery and there is 33W fast charging to go with it. It sells for $270 or ₦123,000.
The last and the most affordable of our recommendations is the Samsung Galaxy A32 . It sports a 6.4″ Super AMOLED 90Hz display, and is powered by a Helio G80 chipset. Battery capacity is 5000mAh, and it has 15W fast charging available for topping that up. The 4/128 GB option is available for about $290, while the 6 GB RAM + 128 GB ROM variant of the A32 sells for about $250 or ₦113,500.
Just after we began celebrating Samsung A32 as the most affordable budget 90/120 Hz refresh rate phone of 2021, TECNO Mobile announced the even more pocket-friendly Spark 7P . It is arguable that it is the best, but it is certainly the most pocket-friendly and the best value for money on this list.
For $100 less than you spend on the Galaxy A32, you can have the TECNO Spark 7P instead and get a 90Hz refresh rate, Helio G70 chipset, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB ROM, and a 5000 mAh battery.
The above are our recommendations. There are many more budget 90/120 Hz refresh rate smartphones in the market that you can explore. A little Google or Bing search can yield wonders and help you find a surprise treasure.
We will update this page as new devices show up. In the meantime, happy shopping!
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Author:Mister Mobility
Digital Skills and Communication Coach | Mobile Phone Connoisseur since 2001 | Tech Blogging since 2004
