My first cell phone was an old brick type Nokia that once got hit by a car but still worked. I think I paid $50 for it originally. As for smartphones, I have bought Chinese phones for around $200 to $230(Canadian $) each. Jiayu g3, elephone p6000, umi plus e and Xiaomi redmi note 5. For the most part I have been pleased with performance/quality of these phones (not so much the elephone) but now I am hoping my redmi note 5 holds up for a long while cuz I just don't want to spend money in China any longer. From the treatment of the Uighur minority to the terrifying dystopian surveillance, I just can't justify buying anything from a place like that.