The other sub-$50 single-board computers

Despite phone makers seemingly fast running out of people who haven’t yet bought a mobile phone, 2019 was still a decent year for them, with market heav y weights Apple and Samsung leading the way. However, according to market analyst firm Omdia, the largest-selling Android phone for the year wasn’t the Galaxy S10, or the Google Pixel 4 XL nor was it officially sold in Australia. It was the budget-friendly Galaxy A10. Now this is a phone that sits under the Galaxy A20 that sells in local supermarkets for around $180 (and which came fifth in 2019 sales charts). However, it shows that while many of us look longingly at folding screens with three-digit refresh rates or SoCs with laptop-busting performance, we buy what keeps the bank manager (or significant other) happy. In fact, budget phones can offer a lot of fun, provided you manage the risks.

QUAD-CORE COMPUTER FOR $19

There’s no taking away from the Raspberry Pi how it has rewritten the textbook on ‘low-cost computing’. I wrote a cover feature about it back in the September 2012 issue of APC. But the rapid proliferation and commoditisation of mobile tech has created plenty of similarly-priced alternatives – some closer to home than you’d think.

My first Android phone was an HTC Desire, purchased on