The Best iPhone Alternatives Running Windows Phone

In the United States these days, devices running Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8.1 operating system don’t get much credit as iPhone alternatives. That’s a shame, because some of them really are capable of replacing either Apple’s iPhone 5s or iPhone 5c smartphones.

In the past year Microsoft has finally began to catch up to Apple’s mobile offerings in most ways that count. The iPhone 5s is a high-end smartphone with glass and metal everywhere. It’s an art piece and so are Windows Phone devices like the Lumia Icon, which matches the iPhone 5s’ sharp sides and clean lines. Cheaper Windows Phones offer some of the same colorful options as the iPhone 5c, with out the two-year contract that purchase the iPhone 5c or other smartphones require. More importantly, they do so without the hefty price tag associated with being an iPhone user.

This isn’t just an advancement in hardware though, the Windows Phone 8.1 update Microsoft showed off earlier this year adds tons of crucial features too. Here are 4 of the best iPhone alternatives running Windows Phone 8.1. Three of them are available on most four of the nation’s largest carriers. The last one is available from Amazon for use on two different carriers.

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