Boost Mobile might not be as large as the biggest players on
the market, but that hasn’t stopped them from growing a large following. They
operate on the MVNO operating on the Sprint CDMA and LTE network. They offer
prepaid services and due to them being a CDMA carrier, they only allow other
CDMA phones onto their network (much like Verizon and US cellular).
This makes finding a Boost Mobile compatible smartphone
especially tricky. They have a decent selection of current smartphones
available for both those on a budget and for those looking for high end phones.
While their coverage is reliable for the most part, be sure to check out
Sprint’s coverage map here and compare it to other network providers
just to be sure you are covered, and if you aren’t which network provider would
suit you best.
Budget-friendly Options
LG Stylo 3 16GB
The LG Stylo 3 is a 2017 smartphone that is
budget-friendly and offers a good overall performance. It comes with an
embedded stylus that can be used on its large 5.7-inch display. The Qualcomm
Snapdragon 435 and the 2GB of RAM work together to drive decent performance,
but you may find that it slows down noticeably when you have too many apps
open. The front facing 5MP camera is average at best, and the 13MP rear camera
does well in good lighting. It does not have image stabilization, however, so a
steady hand will give you the best results when taking photos. It runs 7.0
Nougat and has a removable 3,200mAh battery, which should last you the day when
used moderately. The 16GB of internal storage is rather limiting, but you can
up that by inserting a microSD to up your overall storage.
SPECS:
●
Qualcomm MSM8940 Snapdragon 435
●
2GB RAM
●
Internal Storage: 16GB
●
Removable Storage: microSD, up to
256 GB
●
Cameras: Front 8MP, Rear 13MP
●
5.7 inches, 1280 x 720 pixels
(IPS)
●
Android 7.0 Nougat
Samsung Galaxy J7 Perx
The Samsung Galaxy J7 Perx has a 5.5-inch 720p HD
display and packs a 2.2 GHz Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor under
the hood, which is an improvement over the original Galaxy J7’s Qualcomm
Snapdragon 617 processor. It offers a respectable mid-range performance, coming
with 2GB of RAM and a modest 16GB of memory, and the inclusion of a microSD
card slot means you can further expand the memory up to 256GB. Some owners
reported some slowdown when there were multiple applications running, so the
2GB of RAM does reach its limits fairly quickly. It comes with Android 7.0
Nougat, and a 3,300mAh battery that packs plenty of juice for a full day’s use.
The rear camera is 8MP and the front is a 5MP, both of which perform decently
overall.
SPECS:
●
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625
●
2 GB RAM
●
Internal Storage: 16 GB
●
Removable Storage:MicroSD, up to
256GB
●
Cameras: Front 5MP, Rear 8MP
●
5.5 inches, 720 x 1280 pixels
●
Android 7.0 Nougat
High End Options
Samsung Galaxy S8
The
Samsung Galaxy 8 is Samsung’s newest edition to the Galaxy family,
and it is the best one yet. It has incorporated the cascading screen design of
the Edge and Plus, sporting a 5.8-inch QHD AMOLED display that is covered in
Gorilla Glass 5. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset delivers a stellar
performance, but it should be noted that the international version comes with
the Exynos 8895 processor that is quite a bit faster. It has 4GB of RAM, which
further ensures a solid day-to-day performance and the dust and water resistant
IP68 rating makes it suitable for use in the most demanding environments. It
runs Android 7.0 Nougat and comes with a 3000mAh battery, which reportedly runs
around 16 hours. It charges fast both wirelessly and wired, although charging
it wired through its USB Type-C port will be a little quicker, taking around an
hour and a half for a full charge. The camera quality of the both the front
camera and the rear camera are great. The rear camera is dual-pixel 12MP and
the front camera 8MP. The 64GB of internal storage should be enough for most,
but the microSD card slot allows you to further expand it.
SPECS:
●
Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835
[View Benchmarks]
●
4GB RAM
●
Internal Storage: 64GB
●
Removable Storage: microSD, up to
256 GB
●
Cameras: Front 8MP, Rear 12MP
●
5.8 inch, 2960 x 1440 pixels
●
Android 7.0 Nougat
Samsung Galaxy S7
The Samsung
Galaxy S7 may be Samsung’s 2016 flagship, but it still outclasses
many of the top-tier phones of 2017. It is designed using metal and glass and
has 5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display that is stunning. The Qualcomm
Snapdragon 820 processor and 4GB of RAM drive a great performance, and while it
may only have 32GB of memory, inserting a microSD card will ensure that you
never run out of space. While it comes with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, it is
upgradable to 7.0 Nougat. It is rated IP68 for water and dust resistance, and
it comes with a 12MP dual-pixel rear camera and a 5MP front facing camera, both
of which are said to be great. The battery is a non-removable 3000mAh battery
and it supports both wireless and quick charging.
SPECS:
●
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 2.15 GHz
●
4GB RAM
●
Internal Storage: 32GB
●
Removable Storage: microSD, up to
256 GB
●
Cameras: Front 5MP, Rear 12MP
●
5.1 inches, 1440 x 2560 pixels
●
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Conclusion
Again, if you are unsure of your coverage in
your area, check out their coverage map to make sure Boost Mobile
is available in your area. Boost Mobile have limited support for smartphones
which is why it’s so important to do your research when searching for the best boost mobile phone. The
list of phones above is based on hours of research finding the best value for
money phones based on reviews and technical specs.