Cheap Android phone recommendations

[Brainaddict]

Refurbished phones from places like Envirophone etc are worth a look.

The S6 is available for around £150 refurbed, which will come with a warranty and has a 16mp camera as opposed to the S7/S7edge's 12mp

Thanks, just had a look there and seems a good option. Also Sony Xperia z5 looks a pretty good option for camera on there. Just £130 and better than the Galaxy S6 apparently.

Edit: Actually the LG G4 seems similar spec to the xperia z5 and goes for much cheaper - £85 from a refurbisher on ebay.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Well it's come to a head and need to replace my GFs phone. Currently a Moto G4 so needs to be at least as good as that, ideally better.

I guess contenders are the G5 with 3gb and the Honor 9 Lite. Other suggestions? Camera would be what makes the deal. Looked at second hand S6s, but there is the issue that battery will also be second hand...

 

[Chz]

The direct comparison is the G5s Plus. Specs wise, the two are nearly identical and price should be the main factor. But there are a few differences to note:

- The Moto is a more "stock" Android experience. EMUI (Huawei's skin) used to be bloody awful and is now tolerable.
- The Moto is "splash resistant", whatever that means.
- The Honor has the new 18:9 screen shape that a lot of new phones have. It means a larger screen in a smaller body. The phone itself is close enough in size to the Moto as to not really matter (it's a teensy bit smaller), but a bigger screen is always a treat, I guess.
- The Honor has a more over-the-top front camera, being the same number of pixels (though still not as good in other ways) as its back camera. The Moto is more "normal" in having an 8/13MP setup instead of 13/13. But hey, if your life is selfies...

The cameras are close enough to be a wash, so far as I can tell. Both come in 3GB/32GB and 4GB/64GB versions.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

That's great, thank you. Closer to stock Android would be nice, but not the end of the world. Seems the G5 plus is slightly more expensive. Argos are doing the 9 Lite for £170 whereas the cheapest I can see the G5 plus is £200

I don't think my other half has ever taken a selfie.

 

[Slo-mo]

Looked at second hand S6s, but there is the issue that battery will also be second hand...

And not user replaceable either. You could take it to a market stall who specialises in these things, but unless you know them there is always a danger you'll be ripped off with a fake battery.

ETA, it looks like Samsung have just stopped security updates for the S6 as well. That's a pretty poor show really. Potentially an S7 edge could be in the same position in 12 months time.

Samsung cuts off updates for Samsung Galaxy S6 family | TechRadar

 

[cybershot]

Another reason why I ditched android. Not so bad if you are actually buying a cheap handset but when you’re not and you still get this 2 year update rubbish it’s bollocks. Especially for people who buy them a year later thinking they are getting a good deal. It’s daylight robbery. (I know, it’s sorted with Oreo, but will the likes of Samsung actually sort it thou!!)

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Another reason why I ditched android. Not so bad if you are actually buying a cheap handset but when you’re not and you still get this 2 year update rubbish it’s bollocks. Especially for people who buy them a year later thinking they are getting a good deal. It’s daylight robbery. (I know, it’s sorted with Oreo, but will the likes of Samsung actually sort it thou!!)

I've got Oreo on my S8

 

[cybershot]

I've got Oreo on my S8

Get her an S8!

 

[editor]

Another reason why I ditched android. Not so bad if you are actually buying a cheap handset but when you’re not and you still get this 2 year update rubbish it’s bollocks. Especially for people who buy them a year later thinking they are getting a good deal. It’s daylight robbery. (I know, it’s sorted with Oreo, but will the likes of Samsung actually sort it thou!!)

Except the 2 years is completely different to how it would be in an iPhone. Factor in the fact that you can get Android phones to rival iPhones for a whole load less and the comarison gets eve more vague.

Of course, in many ways, comparing OS updates on iOS to those on Android is, for the lack of a better expression, like comparing apples to oranges. I dove into these caveats in a little more detail back in 2015, and most of what was true back then still holds today.

OS updates on Android are less relevant than on iOS since systems apps are updated independently of the operating system.

First of all, we have to take into account that Android is exceptionally modular — leaps and bounds above iOS, in fact. This modularity arguably makes OS updates much less relevant on Android than they are on iOS since systems apps like the Play Store, Gmail, Maps, Calendar — and even ones like Google Play services or WebView — are all updated independently of the operating system. Not only does this mean that system apps can be updated regularly and independently of the OS, it also means that being stuck on an old OS version doesn't equate to being stuck with outdated system apps like on iOS.

Android versus iOS software updates revisited: Two years later and not much has changed

 

[cybershot]

OS updates are just as important as app updates especially when Android for the most part is running on a Linux kernel, which has had its own fair share of major security vulnerabilities over the past 24+ months. An app update isn't going to fix a bug as big as shellshock/heartbleed. If anything a rogue app in the google play store will take advantage of it, and nothing stopping what was a once safe app updating their code to take advantage of a vulnerability.

Home - Android Vulnerabilities <bit old, but still.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Get her an S8!

Much as I love her the budget doesn't stretch that far, even if she likes the photos I take, most of the rest of it would be wasted.

 

[editor]

OS updates are just as important as app updates especially when Android for the most part is running on a Linux kernel, which has had its own fair share of major security vulnerabilities over the past 24+ months. An app update isn't going to fix a bug as big as shellshock/heartbleed. If anything a rogue app in the google play store will take advantage of it, and nothing stopping what was a once safe app updating their code to take advantage of a vulnerability.

Home - Android Vulnerabilities <bit old, but still.

Ah yes, these dire vulnerabilities which I've yet to meet anyone who has suffered from. It's all a bit FUD tbh unless you're in the habit of installing obscure apps and sideloading.

 

[cybershot]

Thats kind of the whole point of remote code execution, they wouldn't know!

 

[editor]

Thats kind of the whole point of remote code execution, they wouldn't know!

Back to the FUD then.

Here's some more: https://www.skycure.com/pr/report-f...-android-malware-iphone-ten-year-anniversary/

 

[cybershot]

At least it gets patched quickly! Which is my main point.

 

[editor]

At least it gets patched quickly! Which is my main point.

Everyone loved the iOS update the slowed their phones down!
Apple says an update to fix its iPhone throttling will come ‘this spring’

This is getting tedious now. There's plenty of people who are very happy with their Android phones and don't encounter any of the problems you're so keen to bring up - and this thread is about buying an Android phone. I had an iPhone and fucking hated it.

 

[cybershot]

I think it's important to highlight considerations before people dive into still spending three figure sums on a x year old refurbed phone. I didn't mention iphone once. I suggested get something that supports Oreo.

Exactly the thread is discussing Android, so I don't know why you've come barging in posting FUD about Apple?

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I think it's important to highlight considerations before people dive into still spending three figure sums on a x year old refurbed phone. I didn't mention iphone once. I suggested get something that supports Oreo.

Indeed. It's the battery that has put me of the S6, but that's certainly a serious consideration.

Think it will be the Honor 9 lite, just because it's £30 cheaper then G5 Plus. She think Android Pay and Fingerprint readers are weird, but bet she ends up using them once they are there.

 

[Chz]

Fingerprint readers are awesome, but I've only used RFID payment once (to prove it works). There's no point when I have a contactless credit card in an Oyster folder that I use as Oyster-alike and payment method. The phone is clunkier and takes longer to use. The only benefit I'm aware of is that the limit before PIN entry is higher than £30.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Fingerprint readers are awesome, but I've only used RFID payment once (to prove it works). There's no point when I have a contactless credit card in an Oyster folder that I use as Oyster-alike and payment method. The phone is clunkier and takes longer to use. The only benefit I'm aware of is that the limit before PIN entry is higher than £30.

I use it loads, saves faffing round getting my wallet out and as symptom of the modern age, I've often got my phone in my hand when waiting anyway.

 

[Slo-mo]

Indeed. It's the battery that has put me of the S6, but that's certainly a serious consideration.

2nd hand flagship phones rather than cheap new phones ought to be an eco no brainer but both the age of the battery and the lack of updates combined with rip off pricing is putting me off.

I've decided to keep plodding on with my Moto G3 until it conks or becomes completely unusable.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Indeed. 2nd hand flagship phones rather than cheap new phones ought to be an eco no brainer but both the age of the battery and the lack of updates combined with rip off pricing is putting me off.

I've decided to keep plodding on with my Moto G3 until it conks or becomes completely unusable.

It's very frustrating. On my last Samsung (Note 4) I just changed the battery after 12 months.

 

[editor]

I think it's important to highlight considerations before people dive into still spending three figure sums on a x year old refurbed phone. I didn't mention iphone once. I suggested get something that supports Oreo.

Exactly the thread is discussing Android, so I don't know why you've come barging in posting FUD about Apple?

Err, in post #156 you were telling everyone you ditched Android (and switched to iPhone) because of the "lack of support for 2 year old phones." So you're introducing a comparison that no one asked for.

 

[cybershot]

No one asked for it, but now they have it as a consideration when thinking about reconditioned 2 year old phones.

 

[editor]

No one asked for it, but now they have it as a consideration when thinking about reconditioned 2 year old phones.

Yes. It'll work fine for years.

 

[Slo-mo]

Yes. It'll work fine for years.

Hopefully you are right. It'd be a fun project to find an old S2, say, and see how well it still works years after the updates stopped.

I was hoping mine would turn up in a recent house move, but I suspect I recycled it at some stage.

 

[Chz]

App bloat makes phones that old quite horrid to use. I find 2GB of RAM makes some things slow down but it's bearable, and you need 3 (on Android) to really make things fly. I don't like using the spare Galaxy S5 for that reason. I looked at some of the common apps yesterday and realised that I could install two of them on my first smartphone (HTC Desire) before I ran out of space!

 

[UnderOpenSky]

One thing I've just noticed, but I guess isn't surprising is the lack of decent cases for more budget phones. Can't get a Tech 21 one for example, but guess most people don't buy a sub 200 phone and then blow 30 on a case.

 

[editor]

One thing I've just noticed, but I guess isn't surprising is the lack of decent cases for more budget phones. Can't get a Tech 21 one for example, but guess most people don't buy a sub 200 phone and then blow 30 on a case.

I've never spent more than a fiver on cases!

 

[Badgers]

I always get an Otterbox case for £20-30 with my phones.
They have saved my phones dozens of times over the years.