Busted phone 🙁 ch...
 

Busted phone 🙁 cheap tide-over?

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Well that's annoying. 

Washing machine died yesterday afternoon and now my phone has decided to die! - screen suddenly borked - completely unusable

Looks like it will be warrantied by samsung but that's going to take several days. 

I really need a phone for day to day life so will probably pick somethign up to tide me over for a few days. Also we have been talking about getting a spare family phone for problem scenarios like this.

What's cheap, good and readily available? Doesn't need to be anything flash.


 
Posted : 28/12/2025 8:32 pm
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Have you not got an old phone stashed away in a kitchen draw somewhere?


 
Posted : 28/12/2025 8:34 pm
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What Samsung is it? If its an S2x you might be able to plug it into a monitor and use Dex and then use a USB C cable to shift the settings and data over to a new one. If you were otherwise happy with samusjng just get another cheaper one. The new ones all come with multiple years of OS upgrades so it can be a useful spare for a good while.


 
Posted : 28/12/2025 8:46 pm
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Any motorola from £100 on argos or pixel 9a £319 at John Lewis / Amazon 


 
Posted : 28/12/2025 8:48 pm
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Posted by: vlad_the_invader

Have you not got an old phone stashed away in a kitchen draw somewhere?

Yeah, loads of broken ones 🙂

Posted by: johnnystorm

What Samsung is it? If its an S2x you might be able to plug it into a monitor and use Dex and then use a USB C cable to shift the settings and data over to a new one.

Cheers - yes that's what I've just spent the last hour doing. 

 


 
Posted : 28/12/2025 8:54 pm
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Kids here have cheap end of Motorola lineup. They work fine. Probably not fast and cameras not high end quality but few(er) tears if lost and easy to get from Argos.


 
Posted : 28/12/2025 9:23 pm
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The 9a is £259 unlocked in o2


 
Posted : 28/12/2025 9:31 pm
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In a shop? Don't see that deal on the web.


 
Posted : 28/12/2025 11:17 pm
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Cheap classic Nokia?


 
Posted : 29/12/2025 3:56 am
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Any motorola from £100 on argos or pixel 9a £319 at John Lewis / Amazon 

Wow £319 for a cheap tide-over? 


 
Posted : 29/12/2025 10:31 am
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Wow £319 for a cheap tide-over?

I first mentioned any motorola for £100. The pixel 9a is a bit more expensive but it has updates guaranteed for 7 to 8 years so may end up as a main phone instead of a 'tide-over' so yea wow indeed. 


 
Posted : 29/12/2025 10:47 am
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Just buy something cheap from CEX. If that has any problems, they'll swap it, but we've always been fine.


 
Posted : 29/12/2025 10:57 am
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Posted by: johnnystorm

What Samsung is it? If its an S2x you might be able to plug it into a monitor and use Dex and then use a USB C cable to shift the settings and data over to a new one.

 

 

Cheers - yes that's what I've just spent the last hour doing. 

If it's an Android phone made in like the last 10 years then it should do this automatically via Google?  You set up a new phone and it goes "do you want all your shit back?" (to paraphrase).


 
Posted : 29/12/2025 11:53 am
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Posted by: el_boufador

What's cheap, good and readily available? Doesn't need to be anything flash.

£99 for this seems pretty good: Motorola Moto g35 Smartphone, Android, 4GB RAM, 6.7”, 5G, SIM Free, 128GB, Graystone


 
Posted : 29/12/2025 12:31 pm
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The budget Samsung's are pretty good value but no wireless charging (A series phones).  Can often get in Currys or next day on AO.  

Other than that a Pixel 6 onwards from CEX etc.  would probably stop gap well.  


 
Posted : 29/12/2025 12:42 pm
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Posted by: Cougar

Posted by: johnnystorm

What Samsung is it? If its an S2x you might be able to plug it into a monitor and use Dex and then use a USB C cable to shift the settings and data over to a new one.

 

 

Cheers - yes that's what I've just spent the last hour doing. 

If it's an Android phone made in like the last 10 years then it should do this automatically via Google?  You set up a new phone and it goes "do you want all your shit back?" (to paraphrase).

Probably the case but for the OP I was thinking more of the Dex feature to view the phone as the screen was fubar.

 


 
Posted : 29/12/2025 1:10 pm
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Went with a samsung a17 5g in the end. Not too spendy at 170 but gets 5 years of updates so can sit in the cupboard as a spare and that'll be worthwhile.

 

Amazing how much stuff I now just can't easily do with a phone. Couldn't check out online shopping due to no bank app to authenticate in. Couldn't set up bank app on tablet temporarily because no phone to get a verification code sent to. Can't get into other apps for the same kind of reasons

 

Nightmare in this instance, and overall a bit worrying to have it demonstrated how reliant I (we) are on them for basic day to day stuff.

im sure i coukd findmy way around the problems but it would be really really really inconvenient 


 
Posted : 29/12/2025 2:21 pm
slowol reacted
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Pixel 9a £259 is in store .


 
Posted : 29/12/2025 3:45 pm
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Just bought and set up a Motorola at £120 for my Dad, amazed at how nice it felt, screen great, v quick for basic functions, camera good, just great vfm


 
Posted : 29/12/2025 4:03 pm
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Posted by: garage-dweller

The budget Samsung's are pretty good value but no wireless charging (A series phones).  Can often get in Currys or next day on AO.  

Other than that a Pixel 6 onwards from CEX etc.  would probably stop gap well.  

 

I like my A25 because it has a headphones socket. 

Does everything  else I need as well. Camera? Maybe not top end but good enough.

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F-SRbej6FNc

 


 
Posted : 29/12/2025 4:05 pm