Recommended budget phone for up to €300 ($360)?

[Sithaer]

I disagree. My phone with 3 GB RAM does everything just fine. Funny enough, I also have 1.4-1.5 GB free when nothing's running. Android uses whatever it has available.

Storage is a different story. I used to think 32 GB with an SD card would be enough for the rest of my life. It isn't.

Same here with my ~150$ 3/32 budget phone, I'm using it since 2018 June so a good 3+ years old and it still does the everyday tasks I use it for 'YT/media and net browsing/messenger' + some light gaming on the side.
I also have the habit of closing everything I don't need/use and don't run a bunch of apps at once.

32 GB space is an issue tho, almost running out and I don't have much stuff installed tbh.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Really? One more reason for me to stay on budget phones.


I used to think the same way until a few years ago. Now, as phones evolve more rapidly than ever, I tend to use budget ones. They have similar hardware specs as high-end phones only a couple years back, only with smaller resolution screens that use less power. A win-win for me. And frankly, my Galaxy S6 became obsolete just as quickly as my A20e will. Why spend the extra money, then?


Personally, I would think twice before spending extra money on more RAM, but I wouldn't save a few pennies on storage. If I get more RAM with my bigger storage, that's fine.

Not planning on going budget, as I actually use my phone quite a bit, or at least have used it quite a bit for work, since I need to take pictures and send to my clients of their projects, view 3D drawings on it and I also send tons of emails using it when I'm out and about, as well as the occasional phone conference...

That said, high-end models have just gotten stupidly expensive, I'm not paying over ~US$700 for a phone and even that is pushing it.
We'll see what's out there next time, but I'll most likely get something comparatively lower end than my ZenFone 6 was when I bought it.

And yes, most of the time you have to go for more RAM to get more storage.

This phone finder wasn't working for years. But I checked now and it found me a 155 gram phone upgradable to android 11

Eh? It's been working for the past few years for sure, as I've used it several times. Maybe something buggy with some adblocker or something you use?

 

[tabascosauz]

Ok, after re-checking the prices and reading up more reviews, comparisons, user experience, etc. I think I'll go with the Poco F3. Even tho it's a bit of an overkill for my casual use, the prices for other phones have gone up, and weirdly enough only the F3 remained the same.

Now I just need one final confirmation before finalizing my choice, and that is, once again, to go with the 6/128GB or 8/256GB version?

I hate to bring this up again, but since the price difference is about €30 ($40-45), is the additional 2GB of RAM worth it, especially for futureproofing? The 128GB capacity is plenty enough for me, so an additional 128GB is just a bonus, which is (sort of) useful because the phone does not have a microSD slot. Nonetheless, would it be worth it for someone like me to spend an additional $45-50 for the extra RAM, or should I just stick with the 6GB variant?

BTW, is closing apps after your done using them bad for your battery compared to when you leave them in the background? I found this article which states that you shouldn't close apps, and instead leave them running since Android has it's own memory management system to take care of it: https://www.wired.com/2016/03/closing-apps-save-battery-makes-things-worse/

Like I said, go for the 8/256 if it's not a financial problem, I'm still not sure if the 6/128 is even using the same hardware (LPDDR5) since Xiaomi has done this shit once before. And how certain are you right now that you will never need the increased storage 3 years down the line?

The issue isn't Android, the issue is that MIUI is a RAM hog out of the box. Even slimmed down, I think I'm still floating 2.7GB used with everything closed. I don't foresee any running out of RAM symptoms, but I also don't game on my phone. RAM usage should be better on AOSP roms, but again, ride out the warranty first.

Although technically, it allegedly isn't the unlocked bootloader that voids your warranty, it's the ROM that you've flashed. So you could always go custom and hope fastboot/TWRP works well enough to flash back to Global ROM before you send it off for warranty.

From using Android 9, 10 and 11 on my OnePlus I've never had any memory issues. That phone is a 8/128 model. Android has come a long way since Lollipop (I'd say the last time for me where running out of RAM actually slowed everything to a standstill).

As for battery, MIUI will inform you of abnormally high battery drain. But if you want your screen to be readable outdoors, the screen will always be the biggest battery hog in comparison to everything else combined, so it's not a big deal what you choose to do with most apps.

For most apps, you can either not optimize, optimize minimally (MIUI Battery Saver), close apps after 10 minutes inactivity, or close them immediately.

 

[Jetster]

Love Moto Gs I've had three of them. Tried other brands for budget but I end up back
Latest is the Moto g stylus

 

[Solid State Soul ( SSS )]

BTW, is closing apps after your done using them bad for your battery compared to when you leave them in the background? I found this article which states that you shouldn't close apps, and instead leave them running since Android has it's own memory management system to take care of it: https://www.wired.com/2016/03/closing-apps-save-battery-makes-things-worse/

lamo, no, having app open in the background eats unnecessary resources from ram and cpu all the time, reducing battery life, closing app after you done using them clears the app data from the cache, reducing load, and increase battery life

 

[AusWolf]

lamo, no, having app open in the background eats unnecessary resources from ram and cpu all the time, reducing battery life, closing app after you done using them clears the app data from the cache, reducing load, and increase battery life

With that analogy, you should never close your games on your PC because loading them up eats resources. Letting them run all the time eases stress on your HDD/SSD. What a load of...

 

[blabla21]

Jesus, I hate to keep this thread alive for any longer since I already got all the information I needed, but recently the Galaxy A52s 5G has released in my country, and now I have the option to take it for the price of ~€20 cheaper than the F3.

I've been looking over the comparisons between it and the regular A52 5G model, and from what I've seen, they're quite close with A52s being only slightly better with it's improved CPU (Snapdragon 778G vs. Snapdragon 750G), and GPU. Other than that, they're mostly the same.

Now I'm wondering, how does it compare to the Poco F3? Is the F3 still a better value compared to the A52s?

From the looks of it, F3 still has slightly better specs than the A52s, but the A52 has better software stability and more updates which does make them go hand-in-hand in terms of longevity / future-proofing.

The only other difference between the two that remains is the price, and the memory which it come with a lower amount (6/128GB compared to F3 8/256GB).

Anyway, I apologize for making this thread so long, I have the option of cancelling my order for the F3 should the A52s prove to be a better choice, but at this point I really need to make a decision, since I've been overthinking these things for way longer than I expected. So I promise this will be my last post

 

[TheLostSwede]

778G isn't just slightly better than the 750G, it's on a different level even if the model name doesn't imply it.

The 750G has two Cortex-A77 like cores and six Cortex-A55 like cores.
The 778G on the other hand has one "faster" Cortex-A78 core and three fast Cortex-A78 cores, plus the four Cortex-A55 cores.

Outside of that, you get a lot more capable GPU, better camera ISP and other improvements all around.

As such, it's a lot better.

List of Qualcomm Snapdragon systems on chips - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[tabascosauz]

Jesus, I hate to keep this thread alive for any longer since I already got all the information I needed, but recently the Galaxy A52s 5G has released in my country, and now I have the option to take it for the price of ~€20 cheaper than the F3.

I've been looking over the comparisons between it and the regular A52 5G model, and from what I've seen, they're quite close with A52s being only slightly better with it's improved CPU (Snapdragon 778G vs. Snapdragon 750G), and GPU. Other than that, they're mostly the same.

Now I'm wondering, how does it compare to the Poco F3? Is the F3 still a better value compared to the A52s?

From the looks of it, F3 still has slightly better specs than the A52s, but the A52 has better software stability and more updates which does make them go hand-in-hand in terms of longevity / future-proofing.

The only other difference between the two that remains is the price, and the memory which it come with a lower amount (6/128GB compared to F3 8/256GB).

Anyway, I apologize for making this thread so long, I have the option of cancelling my order for the F3 should the A52s prove to be a better choice, but at this point I really need to make a decision, since I've been overthinking these things for way longer than I expected. So I promise this will be my last post

If you don't have a grace period in which you can return a device you don't like, sure? If you can return it within x period, why cancel on your existing order?

778G is a big step up from any other 600/700 Snapdragon but it's not even in the same ballpark as 870. It's not intended to be. One's a kneejerk response to inadequate 780G supply (which itself was a kneejerk response to 700 being too shitty), and the other is Qualcomm's actually practical flagship SoC (888/888+ is an inferno).

The upgrade in CPU config is nice, but Apple has demonstrated for the past 10 years that as long as you have a good-enough CPU, it's the GPU and NAND performance that will carry the day for the life of the device. Especially if you're trying to push 120Hz, which both devices are. Adreno 642L is just not on 650's level.

I've heard good things about One UI, but that's got to be of utmost importance to you to trump the much weaker GPU and less storage/RAM for just 30eur less. The A52S offers pretty crappy value by comparison, but if One UI just floats your boat and you just hate MIUI, then it's pointless to compare "value" because the A52S would be the right phone for you.

 

[The red spirit]

Just get the Samsung A52, it is a well reviewed phone and its predecessor the A51 was one of the best selling mid range android phone of its time.

A51 was poor value phone and was overpriced by 100 Euros. Totally not recommended. Previous A50 was awesome, but mostly due to offering nearly the same hardware as in A51 for less than 300 Euros. A52 did very little to make value better and it still stinks in value. And let's be honest, people buy Samsungs, due to how relatively safe purchase they are and due to relatively decent support and dependable brand, but they are very rarely value kings, unless we are talking about much lower end devices. Right now I would say that only A22 and S20 FE makes sense. A32 is somewhat okay too, but anything between these and S20 FE are just not worth it. If you want something better than A22 (A32), then save up for S20 FE. Don't like those phones, then just look at something that is not Samsung.

 

[Solid State Soul ( SSS )]

Jesus, I hate to keep this thread alive for any longer since I already got all the information I needed, but recently the Galaxy A52s 5G has released in my country, and now I have the option to take it for the price of ~€20 cheaper than the F3.

I've been looking over the comparisons between it and the regular A52 5G model, and from what I've seen, they're quite close with A52s being only slightly better with it's improved CPU (Snapdragon 778G vs. Snapdragon 750G), and GPU. Other than that, they're mostly the same.

Now I'm wondering, how does it compare to the Poco F3? Is the F3 still a better value compared to the A52s?

From the looks of it, F3 still has slightly better specs than the A52s, but the A52 has better software stability and more updates which does make them go hand-in-hand in terms of longevity / future-proofing.

The only other difference between the two that remains is the price, and the memory which it come with a lower amount (6/128GB compared to F3 8/256GB).

Anyway, I apologize for making this thread so long, I have the option of cancelling my order for the F3 should the A52s prove to be a better choice, but at this point I really need to make a decision, since I've been overthinking these things for way longer than I expected. So I promise this will be my last post

Get the A52, Samsung provides software updates up to 4 years, the longest next to Google and Apple 5 years period

 

[Jetster]

Samsung does not make good cheap phones. I tried them. Motorola

 

[Sybaris_Caesar]

My money's on A52s. Ultimately Samsung just makes better software than almost all of the Chinese brands.

 

[blabla21]

If you don't have a grace period in which you can return a device you don't like, sure? If you can return it within x period, why cancel on your existing order?

778G is a big step up from any other 600/700 Snapdragon but it's not even in the same ballpark as 870. It's not intended to be. One's a kneejerk response to inadequate 780G supply (which itself was a kneejerk response to 700 being too shitty), and the other is Qualcomm's actually practical flagship SoC (888/888+ is an inferno).

The upgrade in CPU config is nice, but Apple has demonstrated for the past 10 years that as long as you have a good-enough CPU, it's the GPU and NAND performance that will carry the day for the life of the device. Especially if you're trying to push 120Hz, which both devices are. Adreno 642L is just not on 650's level.

I've heard good things about One UI, but that's got to be of utmost importance to you to trump the much weaker GPU and less storage/RAM for just 30eur less. The A52S offers pretty crappy value by comparison, but if One UI just floats your boat and you just hate MIUI, then it's pointless to compare "value" because the A52S would be the right phone for you.

There is no period where I can return the phone, but the good thing is that the order can be cancelled until Monday, so I still have time should I reconsider.

The only question that remains now is, which of these two phones provide better longevity / future-proofing potential?

F3 has superior CPU, GPU and two more gigabytes of RAM, but with a buggier OS, whereas A52s has more software updates, better IP rating, and a bit more stable OS.

Seeing how the specs for both are overkill for my use cases, I'm still not sure which of these would suit me better, but I know for sure that whichever one I pick, it'll serve me well.

 

[tabascosauz]

There is no period where I can return the phone, but the good thing is that the order can be cancelled until Monday, so I still have time should I reconsider.

The only question that remains now is, which of these two phones provide better longevity / future-proofing potential?

F3 has superior CPU, GPU and two more gigabytes of RAM, but with a buggier OS, whereas A52s has more software updates, better IP rating, and a bit more stable OS.

Seeing how the specs for both are overkill for my use cases, I'm still not sure which of these would suit me better, but I know for sure that whichever one I pick, it'll serve me well.

If you're willing to do some work, you can always eliminate the software problem with any custom ROM of your choice. The F3 is pretty popular with devs, ArrowOS, Pixel experience, Xiaomi.eu, new LineageOS nightlies etc. These aren't X3 Pro-priced phones, there's no way I would personally sacrifice hardware for OEM software - a better ROM is a flash away, but you can't fix hardware. Warranty is always gone after a year anyway.

And then there's the ADB/fastboot toolbox that should always be your first task after getting the phone, literally a few clicks to remove MIUI's bullshit.

If you're not willing to get down and dirty (it's not that hard really), then Samsung offers better support.

As to the IP rating, the GSMArena review is pretty convinced that Xiaomi simply forgot about the IP52 on the F3 and that it's as IP52 as any other phone. In any case, neither phone is rated to survive an accidental dunk.

While Xiaomi has the stupid 7-day security waiting period for bootloader unlock, they are pretty lax when it comes to flashing, and I think you're also able to relock bootloader if you go back to a stock ROM (ie selling the phone). If past experience with Samsung is any case, Samsung isn't nearly so lenient, wouldn't be surprised if they still have a permanent bootloader flash counter.