Alcatel's $250 Idol 3 is a Nexus by another name — and that's great

For Android purists, there are no better devices than Google's own Nexus-branded ones

There are many reasons why Nexus phones are better than other Android phones: They run Google's unaltered version of Android, they're the first devices to get software updates, they don't have bloatware, and they're really well-designed.

For a time, Google sold the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5, two phones with all of the above at very attractive prices from around $200-$399 unlocked. Then in 2014, Google switched gears with the Nexus 6. It's an excellent phone, but its price isn't very Nexus-like: $649 for an unlocked model Read more...