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Mobile phone recommendations please... (Read 165078 times)

Paul B

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Thanks for the assurance about GMS and you're also correct in that the no. of models is baffling. I'm considering whether 64GB internal memory is sufficient as I'm running on about 40GB currently. As soon as you go into the 128GB model you change price point and other options flood in.

sxrxg

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Depending on the camera you have now you may need more memory than you think. If you go for a 108mp or 64mp camera the photos may take up considerably more space than you are used to. Also most phones will record in 4k now unless you set it to a lesser resolution again eating into storage space quickly.

sxrxg

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If you do decide to go Xiaomi they have decent offers in the mi.com daily pick offers. For example on Sunday the Poco X3 NFC 6GB + 128GB is £80 off reduced to £169.

kelvin

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Thanks for the assurance about GMS and you're also correct in that the no. of models is baffling. I'm considering whether 64GB internal memory is sufficient as I'm running on about 40GB currently. As soon as you go into the 128GB model you change price point and other options flood in.

The latest Android uses 24gb -33 gb.

I was pretty shocked  after being used to earlier Android systems.

I bought a 64gb phone and added another 64gb by buying a £7 memory card

Paul B

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If you do decide to go Xiaomi they have decent offers in the mi.com daily pick offers. For example on Sunday the Poco X3 NFC 6GB + 128GB is £80 off reduced to £169.

Good tip. The different models are making my brain hurt though!

I bought a 64gb phone and added another 64gb by buying a £7 memory card

This is what I feared. Cheap storage seems to mean apps are getting bigger and bigger.

Paul B

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If you do decide to go Xiaomi they have decent offers in the mi.com daily pick offers. For example on Sunday the Poco X3 NFC 6GB + 128GB is £80 off reduced to £169.

I went for this in the end as it seemed really good value. Thanks.

Paul B

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Update (if anyone cares); I've had to return the Xiaomi pretty instantly as it was glitchy as hell. Within the first day I'd had it stuck on the bootloader and anything with autoplay videos was requiring a force stope. Perhaps it was the update that landed (as others on Twitter were seemingly having similar issues) but as I use it for work I just couldn't rely on it. I've found Xiaomi fairly poor to deal with so far (with their online returns system not accepting returns).

I bought the Nokia in the end (5.4) which I'm now setting up but for a budget phone I managed to get it, a rubber cover and wireless earbuds for £150 which seems very very good value. The screen instantly feels like a downgrade but I'll survive (although I'm still mourning the death of the Honor 10 Lite).

sxrxg

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Sorry for recommending and then you not having a good experience. I know someone that has had similar with a Redmi phone that is the cheaper Xiaomi range. Not sure if Poco software is developed by the Poco team or the Xiaomi team that do the Mi phone series... My Mi 9t has always been decent software wise and I haven't suffered any glitches or problems in over a year of ownership.

Paul B

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No worries at all, you were trying to help (and TBF I did ask!)  ;D

andy_e

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#609 Re: Mobile phone recommendations please...
November 01, 2021, 09:14:11 pm
What's the beta on refurbed phones? I was looking at Samsung Galaxy S10 or S10+ as that seems to be a decent phone at a price I can afford when refurbed. Are refurbs generally OK?

chris j

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#610 Re: Mobile phone recommendations please...
November 02, 2021, 08:48:27 am
The last two phones I've bought have been refurbs (Galaxy S6 & S8). Bought i recall through suppliers on Amazon. I am careful about the ratings of the supplier to avoid anything sounding dodgy. Both have been more or less as new, no problems encountered. I can't bring myself to spend more than ~£300 on a phone so i suspect I'll be doing the same next time i change also.

JJP

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#611 Re: Mobile phone recommendations please...
November 02, 2021, 09:13:35 am
we bought a refurb phone for my daughters first phone a couple of years ago and have had no problems - still going strong and gets pretty heavy use. i cant remember what site we used (might have been giff gaff) but as chris j mentions would make sure seems reputable. 

andy_e

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#612 Re: Mobile phone recommendations please...
November 02, 2021, 10:07:11 am
Cheers all, guess I'm worried about the screen not being in good nick, but it should be?

JJP

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#613 Re: Mobile phone recommendations please...
November 02, 2021, 10:26:24 am
hey
ye screen was fine. if you received it and screen was a problem you should be able to return it. the one we got had a 12 month warranty.
i was more worried about the battery as it is the thing that usually marks the end of a phone for me but seems to have been fine.

andy_e

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#614 Re: Mobile phone recommendations please...
November 02, 2021, 10:31:24 am
Good beta, cheers!

nai

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#615 Re: Mobile phone recommendations please...
November 02, 2021, 11:10:51 am
Got a good deal on a refurbed iphone for my daughter from backmarket.co.uk, think it was "good" condition but was hard pressed to tell it was used.

Came with 12 month warranty but not had to test how they respond to returns.

remus

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#616 Re: Mobile phone recommendations please...
November 02, 2021, 11:14:32 am
Not sure what your budget is like but a pixel 4a is a good option if you fancied going new. Good camera, good battery life (I regularly get 2 days out of mine), headphone jack, no extra bloat installed.

IanP

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#617 Re: Mobile phone recommendations please...
November 02, 2021, 01:33:37 pm
Not sure what your budget is like but a pixel 4a is a good option if you fancied going new. Good camera, good battery life (I regularly get 2 days out of mine), headphone jack, no extra bloat installed.

If you're happy to take out a new contract its worth checking available deals (Uswitch has worked for me) - factoring in £10 per month for around 20-30GB sim you can get a Pixel 4a for £250 to £320 on Id or O2 and a Samsung S20 FE for £320 to £360 on Three or O2 (daughter is getting the Samsung).

Paul B

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#618 Re: Mobile phone recommendations please...
December 09, 2021, 06:03:00 pm
My Dad has his birthday close to Christmas so I tend to be a bit lazy and lump his presents together; he's currently running a Moto G4 (perhaps 5) that is really really struggling.

The only thing he seems to want out of a new phone is wireless charging that seems absent on the budget offerings? I certainly don't have it on my Nokia 5.4 (which I'm not loving at all). Any recommendations? I've been looking at the Xiaomi sales daily.

IanP

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#619 Re: Mobile phone recommendations please...
December 09, 2021, 06:14:18 pm
My Dad has his birthday close to Christmas so I tend to be a bit lazy and lump his presents together; he's currently running a Moto G4 (perhaps 5) that is really really struggling.

The only thing he seems to want out of a new phone is wireless charging that seems absent on the budget offerings? I certainly don't have it on my Nokia 5.4 (which I'm not loving at all). Any recommendations? I've been looking at the Xiaomi sales daily.

Whats your limit for budget phones? My standard answer to this sort of question is to look at contract options, there's some pretty good deals around if you take into account a nominal £240 for 24 months of data and calls.

Paul B

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#620 Re: Mobile phone recommendations please...
December 09, 2021, 06:25:40 pm
I'm definitely not going contract. We're all on Three SIM only deals where Go Roam should roll on until we actively change or upgrade.

Sorry for the circular answer but it (budget) depends. It would seem a bit daft to be spending more than we both did on our own phones simply as his gets used a lot lot less.

IanP

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#621 Re: Mobile phone recommendations please...
December 09, 2021, 06:37:16 pm
I'm definitely not going contract. We're all on Three SIM only deals where Go Roam should roll on until we actively change or upgrade.

Sorry for the circular answer but it (budget) depends. It would seem a bit daft to be spending more than we both did on our own phones simply as his gets used a lot lot less.

Difficult tp help I guess then  ;). As earlier in this thread my daughter got a Samsung S20 FE on O2 with roaming included and 40GB of data for under £600 over 2 years so less than £360 for the phone, probably a bit high end for your needs.

Paul B

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#622 Re: Mobile phone recommendations please...
December 09, 2021, 08:16:42 pm
Completely! I guess rephrasing the question, what's the cheapest phone that charges wirelessly? I can't see any of the other specs being a deal breaker.

Paul B

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Can I ask UKB what the current recommendation is for a budget Android smartphone? I seem to have just ended my Nokia 5.4 by dropping it face down on some Tarmac (the screen has completely smashed). Whilst it can probably be repaired, it's never been wonderful so it'll get sent off to be recycled at some point.

Here's hoping for:
a decent camera
one hand operability (for photos) when riding a bike (the Nokia failed this by being too large)
NFC
USB-C charging

Typically I've done this right before going away so anything that's likely to be quick to get hold of would also be nice. TIA.

SA Chris

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Newest Samsung Galaxy you can afford, and a decent case! I had a https://www.punkcases.co.uk/ for mine, which has worked well for a few years, but one of the buttons has now fallen out.

 

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