Need a cheap but reliable phone

[sepheronx]

So I gone through an ASUS Zenfone 2, and Google Pixel 1 (and various other ones over a a decade and half) and found that if I splurge on a phone, I get shafted (Google Pixel and iPhone 3GS two examples). My google Pixel shuts itself off at 70% use. Battery is done for and replacing it is too expensive and a hassle

So I was looking at Motorola One. But also saw Umidigi phones. Good price and decent looking with decent specs.

Any recommendations?

 

[Vya Domus]

I'll be frank, you're wasting your time looking for a phone with good reliability. It's just not something that you'll find, they are all built in the same way with most of the same components and likely in the same factories too.

Realistically, if you're concerned with reliability the only thing to do is buy a cheaper phone which will be cheaper to repair/replace. That's about it.

 

[GreiverBlade]

well my current Honor View 20 is fine (and no no Trump'etisme mumbo jumbo albeit being Huawei off brand, well neither has my Huawei Mediapad M5 any issue with that on the matter ... but i reside in Switzerland ... i wonder for north america ... ) and a flagship design and build at 449chf is what i call cheap phone (well just as performant as a Pixel last gen or a crapsung sXX or a iForgot "theydidexist"), as for the reliable part: regular update, more than 2 days battery (shut down at 0% tho ... )

non expandable storage is my only grief but at the price given the specs ... can't complain Kirin 980, 6gb/128gb (they have a 8gb/256gb model, although i would gladly take a 6gb/256gb ... 8gb is useless) overly excellent camera with 48mp (single objectif but no gimmick and good, although there is a TOF camera aside ) gorgeous IPS screen with a minimalist punch hole selfie cam (well i don;t verse in the idiotic trend of the selfie ... but it's still useful for video call ... ) quite fast fingerprint scanner (rightfully placed on the back where it belong, not that inscreen or bottom front scanner are bad ... but the placement make them a little impractical when used to unlock with the index and even switching to thumbprint the grip is less secure ... )

i got a UMI phone (which is UMIDIGI) hum ... their recent lineup are not bad at all but i would rather go with a known brand like Xiaomi/Redmi or Huawei/Honor

I'll be frank, you're wasting your time looking for a phone with good reliability. It's just not something that you'll find, they are all built in the same way with most of the same components and likely in the same factories too.

Realistically, if you're concerned with reliability the only thing to do is buy a cheaper phone which will be cheaper to repair/replace. That's about it.

naaaaaaaaahhhhh some brands have better reliability and also cost quite less than other while still retaining good specs (proving some other brands are just taking their faithful customer for some milk cows )

i.e.: i see more people with fractured Samsung Apple phones than the 2 recent brands i got thru (and which cost way cheaper but offer the same performances ) or i see more "warranty return" from OnePlus or Googles phones.

although OnePlus and Google are slightly above Samsung and Apple (tho google is starting to think they are "a la" Apple and their pricing is becoming too cheeky for what they offer )

 

[sepheronx]

thanks for suggestion but Honor 20 is about $500 CAD which is way too expensive.

 

[Raovac]

Take look at the Samsung Galaxy A10e.
Staples.ca for $200.00 CAD.

 

[GreiverBlade]

thanks for suggestion but Honor 20 is about $500 CAD which is way too expensive.

well that's cheap ... technically... for me a Pixel 1 was 943,34 CAD when launched double the price

not specially the View 20, but they have some lesser model that still give a run for the money to the flagship for even cheaper than the View 20

Take look at the Samsung Galaxy A10e.
Staples.ca for $200.00 CAD.

well that's 2 time the price of some phone from Umdigi (in addition of being Samsung )

the Umidigi A3X would be a better option than that one

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

Nokia 7.1 plus or similar , Google one os , capable , reliable.

 

[GreiverBlade]

Nokia 7.1 plus or similar , Google one os , capable , reliable.

i could second that ... (although my ex Nokia 8 that my mother use atm .... did have some reboot recently but i suspect it was for update ... although i am not sure since it was without warning of update/reboot notification )

 

[bug]

Nokia 7.1 plus or similar , Google one os , capable , reliable.

Get the Nokia 8.1, it's even better. I have one and it's amazing. It got Android 10 two months before the Samsung S10 did. Plus it's got great hardware (3,500mAh battery and 10nm SoC).

Edit: https://www.amazon.ca/Unlocked-Noki..._1_3?keywords=nokia+8.1&qid=1577724025&sr=8-3 CAD430, not sure whether that's cheap enough for you.

 

[sepheronx]

I was looking at this.

UMIDIGI A3 Pro GSM Unlocked Cell Phones 3GB+32GB(Expandable Storage to 256G) 5.7" inch 19:9 Full-Screen Display 12MP + 5MP Dual Camera Global Band Dual 4G LTE 2 + 1 Card Slots Android 9.0(Rose Gold) https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07KKFGGW9/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_J0HcEb8XRZ5H6

Yay or nay?

 

[ixi]

thanks for suggestion but Honor 20 is about $500 CAD which is way too expensive.

Damn, that is a stiff price. In my country we can get honor 20 starting from 210 euro... 500 euro for it... expensive.

There are many great phones starting from 200 euros.

Reliability - samsung.

Have been using samsung phones since galaxy s2 then after this jumped to galaxy s6 and then galaxy s9+. None of them broke down or had any problems. On other hands. Few of my friends did have HTC, Iphone, Mi, Huawei and all of them broke down usually within 2 years. I can bet that they used them somehow "wrongly"... but for me atleast samsung did never fail me.

I would avoid iphone 3gs. Old as hell.

 

[sepheronx]

Damn, that is a stiff price. In my country we can get honor 20 starting from 210 euro... 500 euro for it... expensive.

There are many great phones starting from 200 euros.

Reliability - samsung.

Have been using samsung phones since galaxy s2 then after this jumped to galaxy s6 and then galaxy s9+. None of them broke down or had any problems. On other hands. Few of my friends did have HTC, Iphone, Mi, Huawei and all of them broke down usually within 2 years. I can bet that they used them somehow "wrongly"... but for me atleast samsung did never fail me.

I would avoid iphone 3gs. Old as hell.

Not recommending iPhone 3gs. Saying I had one and it broke after 1 year

 

[ixi]

Not recommending iPhone 3gs. Saying I had one and it broke after 1 year

You can check galaxy a50 or a70. Gf uses a70, really good phone and cheap for it specifications.

 

[bug]

You can check galaxy a50 or a70. Gf uses a70, really good phone and cheap for it specifications.

Unfortunately Samsung's software acts both as resource hog and a barrier to timely updates
The hardware is great, but if you're not buying the top S-line, the only updates you'll ever get are old security patches.

 

[ixi]

Unfortunately Samsung's software acts both as resource hog and a barrier to timely updates
The hardware is great, but if you're not buying the top S-line, the only updates you'll ever get are old security patches.

Samsung uses android same as many other competitors. If Android has update then other manufacters needs as well to address it. If they don't then samsung is only the winner while other companies which uses android and doesn't force their customer phones to fix bugs then it's sad not winning.

 

[bug]

Samsung uses android same as many other competitors. If Android has update then other manufacters needs as well to address it. If they don't then samsung is only the winner while other companies which uses android and doesn't force their customer phones to fix bugs then it's sad not winning.

True, but these days there are many Android One phones out there. And even if they don't receive updates quickly, they're both guaranteed to get two major OS updates and running a clean version of Android (which means a butter-smooth experience using less than top-of-the-line SoCs).

 

[P4-630]

Good price and decent looking with decent specs.

Any recommendations?

Motorola G7 Power, Samsung Galaxy M20.

 

[Regeneration]

Nokia 3310 is cheap and likely to survive even a nuclear war.

 

[ixi]

True, but these days there are many Android One phones out there. And even if they don't receive updates quickly, they're both guaranteed to get two major OS updates and running a clean version of Android (which means a butter-smooth experience using less than top-of-the-line SoCs).

Well, I personally don't know what is in those two big updates but somehow I have a feeling that in those updates there are the bug fixes and security holes . If you get them one by one and faster is better than to wait for 6 months or more to fix few months old bugs or holes... But in the end they both get them fixed.

 

[bug]

Nokia 3310 is cheap and likely to survive even a nuclear war.

Grandpa! Tell Us Again About Your Fall From the Third Floor TANESE Nokia 3310 | Fall Meme on ME.ME

"Grandpa! Tell us again about your fall from the third floor." TANESE Nokia 3310 from Reddit tagged as Fall Meme

me.me

Well, I personally don't know what is in those two big updates but somehow I have a feeling that in those updates there are the bug fixes and security holes . If you get them one by one and faster is better than to wait for 6 months or more to fix few months old bugs or holes... But in the end they both get them fixed.

You should look it up then

 

[Deleted member 185158]

OK so I'm in the US and shopping in CA. Not easy, even your walmart has poor selection of phones..... But I'm gonna suggest this one to you.

Good name brand, decent price, should do everything you need.

Verify Your Identity

EDIT it states price not available, but it's 110ca. Can be viewed at this page. 4th to the right.

https://www.walmart.ca/en/electronics/cell-phones/samsung/N-2413+1020817

 

[tabascosauz]

@sepheronx would you consider buying a Pocophone F1 from AliExpress (or Taobao, can't remember)? My friend had to replace his Nexus 5X (the NAND was definitely dying after this long) two or three months ago and ended up getting the F1 for about $250US. It's made by Xiaomi, but the line focuses on flagship hardware and a clean UI at lower prices.

I have a OnePlus 6T and comparing the two, they are pretty similar. They belong to the same hardware generation, Snapdragon 845 (technically "last" generation, but phones have gotten so fast last few generations it's hardly noticeable) and are plenty, plenty quick and efficient for everything. Similar battery life and screens (6T uses AMOLED, though, which I love because portions of the screen turn off for deep blacks, for battery life and better contrast.

The only catch is that you have to jump thru the AliExpress hoops. Perhaps it's still available, since the F2 isn't released yet; I'll have to look.

It's not the cheapest, but what you get for the price is really stellar. They're really doing us dirty up north here; OnePlus kept the more affordable 7 away from Canada, and the 7T is hardly affordable anymore.

 

[Vario]

I've been using a Moto G Play for a couple years. Its pretty cheap.

 

[Jetster]

My last three phones were Motorola Moto G phones. Moto G 1, G 3, G5 All were great phones. I used Replubic wireless and still do. My bill is $33 a month
I have a Samsung A50 now which was about $100 more but honestly I miss the Moto G

none of the Moto G failed and I sold them all

 

[sepheronx]

Thanks for the suggestion guys.

I would normally look on AliExpress buy right now I'm waiting on a AMD Ryzen 3500X that should have arrived by now so I'm reluctant to order anything else till it comes in.