So the time to upgrade the Huawei 20 pro after 6 years has come!
I have to say it's been a very good phone and had better spec than the S8 or 9 at the time but the usb port is playing up.
So, as you can't get Huawei phones anymore here, what's recommended?
Will probably buy the handset (£500-600 I guess) but if there's good deals on ee or o2 that might work.
So spec needed
256gb storage
minimum 8gb ram
a decent camera.
Don't need AI nonsense!
Anything out there?
Could up the budget a tad if needed.
Cheers
I just got a Pixel 9 Pro for £25+ £16.99 a month on Talk Mobile with 30gb data/unlimited call and text. £430 all in for handset and all the calls and data I need for two years. Sorted, and cheaper than buying a handset.
Done via Fonehouse.
My own bias here, but I'd start by looking at Pixel 9a. It's Google, so gets the cleanest version of Android and the quickest updates. Pretty well-built and they've probably stopped using defective batteries by now...
I just got a Pixel 9 Pro for £25+ £16.99 a month on Talk Mobile with 30gb data/unlimited call and text. £430 all in for handset and all the calls and data I need for two years. Sorted, and cheaper than buying a handset.
Done via Fonehouse.
What network do they use please?
My own bias here, but I'd start by looking at Pixel 9a. It's Google, so gets the cleanest version of Android and the quickest updates. Pretty well-built and they've probably stopped using defective batteries by now...
Defective batteries, sorry not heard about this? Dodgy batch or something?
Defective batteries, sorry not heard about this? Dodgy batch or something?
An issue with some Pixel 6a and 7a phones, batteries were prone to overheating after a certain number of charge cycles. Affected phones were eligible for a free battery replacement or a discount off a new phone. As above, hopefully this has been resolved in their newer phones. I've had a few Pixel phones, currently on a 9a and they've all been excellent.
I just got a Pixel 9 Pro for £25+ £16.99 a month on Talk Mobile with 30gb data/unlimited call and text. £430 all in for handset and all the calls and data I need for two years. Sorted, and cheaper than buying a handset.
Done via Fonehouse.
What network do they use please?
Vodafone
What network do they use please?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mobile_virtual_network_operators_in_the_United_Kingdom
(edit - oh FFS, this was supposed to quote @sharkattack)
I had a Fairphone 6 for about a week before I sent it back. I'd gone for the e/os (de-googled android) version and couldn't get one or two of my key apps to work so sent it back under their trial period thing.
Annoyingly, it turns out that the problems were with apps not yet being compatible with the latest version of Android and not e/os so I had the same issues with the Motorola edge 70 I bought instead. (The edge 70 is really slim, relatively well specced and slightly different in terms of design but had a fair bit of bloatware btw)
The Fairphone itself was actually quite a nice device, a little chunky but I'm not one to judge so... I would say though that if you don't want a de-googled phone or aren't fussed about getting something a bit more ethical then the hardware itself is possibly a touch underpowered for the long-term.
On the other hand I really liked e/os so my next phone will almost certainly be an e/os Fairphone but probably at least one model on from where we are now.
Fairphone themselves were really good to deal with as well, answered lots of techy questions really quickly.
Honor phones will be feel quite familiar coming from your Huawei. I've had a Magic 5 Pro, 7 Pro and now an 8 Pro on some cracking deals. Wife has a 400 Pro which is also good.
Another Pixel 9 owner here. It's my third pixel likely won't be the last
I'm on a pixel 7, came from a pixel 4a after a long historic sucession of all sorts of android phones of various makes.
My pixel 7 is still going strong but when the time comes, my default benchmark will be whatever pixel phone is current at the time.
Probaly a 14 or a 14a at this rate lol
Defective batteries, sorry not heard about this? Dodgy batch or something?
Yeah - Pixels 4a, 5a, 6a and now 7a had two different battery providers, AFAIK; one of them seemingly supplied batteries that after several years got unreliable, so Google pushed out firmware updates that really shortened battery life as a safety measure. It first came to light around the beginning of last year, so they will have fixed it now for new devices
I always go for whatever the previous gen Samsung Galaxy is when my contract renews. Still using a S23 at the moment until I can change it in September.
Since the S20 they're not nearly as bloated as the used to be, and most of what's on there you can uninstall or disable. OneUI is really good now too, although I use Lawnchair launcher so I can hide apps I don't use then the OS puts any apps I can't get rid off into deep sleep.
We have Pixels in the family and they're fine, but they don't feel as "premium" as a Galaxy, IMO. Plus Google have just as much AI shite in their phones these days too.
I think the only phone that may tempt me away from Samsung is the Nothing Phone (3) just because it's different.
Well I just got a Samsung A16 (4G version) for £120 new. As a stop-gap as I trashed my other phone and needed something. Normally i would buy a previous version Samsung S something like @citizenlee. But so far the thing is doing fine, so I suspect it will end up being my phone for a couple of years. Less than the cost of a pair of s****y mtb or gravel tyres ;/
I just got a Pixel 9 Pro for £25+ £16.99 a month on Talk Mobile with 30gb data/unlimited call and text. £430 all in for handset and all the calls and data I need for two years. Sorted, and cheaper than buying a handset.
25+17=42
42x24=1,008?
Edit: Ah. 25+(17x24) ?
That's pretty good!
It's still quite good even if they've bumped it up by £3 a month twice by the end.
Following as my contract has just finished, can't find anything I want.
At the moment I've got a Pixel 8 which has mostly been a nice device apart from the screen problems (flickering areas). Google have been absolutely useless dealing with it, so I'd prefer to avoid them.
Samsung is an option but I don't like that we get stuffed with the Exynos CPUs instead of the Snapdragons the Americans get (and therefore the version most of the online reviews are of). I had an Exynos S10 and the idle battery drain was awful.
My favourite phone was the OnePlus One, but looking at OnePlus now, it's less "flagship killer", more just "flagship".
I had a Fairphone 6 for about a week before I sent it back. I'd gone for the e/os (de-googled android) version
To be fair, i think its worth pointing out that you dont have to have the e/os degoogled option. They do do a "proper" android Operating system version too.
Ive got the FP4. Very happy with it. I dont compare it to anything else, and i dont do anything of significant with the photos.
Sit it next to a new Pixel and its obviously a bit fat and a bit slow, but nothing you notice when its stood on its own. no noticeable slow down on any apps yet. Still recieving the latest android updates, as promised.
My only criticism is that i find it too large. I would rather they did a 4" or 5" version really.
I do like the look of the FP6, which is slimmer and prettier but that upgrade would totally defeat the point of the Fairphone!
New s26 is about to launch. Probably no deals but might mean some s25 bargains?
Yep, I've just bought a S25FE from Voxi for £378, reduced from over £700.
I had a Fairphone 6 for about a week before I sent it back. I'd gone for the e/os (de-googled android) version
To be fair, i think its worth pointing out that you dont have to have the e/os degoogled option. They do do a "proper" android Operating system version too.
Ive got the FP4. Very happy with it. I dont compare it to anything else, and i dont do anything of significant with the photos.
Sit it next to a new Pixel and its obviously a bit fat and a bit slow, but nothing you notice when its stood on its own. no noticeable slow down on any apps yet. Still recieving the latest android updates, as promised.
My only criticism is that i find it too large. I would rather they did a 4" or 5" version really.
I do like the look of the FP6, which is slimmer and prettier but that upgrade would totally defeat the point of the Fairphone!
True, and I did mention that I'd specially gone for one particular version but as a phone in its own right the "android android" version doesn't seem as worthwhile as the e/os version.
It's repairable so physically it should last longer but underpowered so it'll likely slow down sooner than something more mainstream so in terms of longevity I'd say it'd be about average. It also lacks a decent IPxx rating compared to most similarly priced alternatives.
It is a bit more ethically produced though (apparently, anyway) so for some people that's worth something but for me, on balance I was happy to sacrifice the hardware performance to try e/os but not to just run android.
That said, I did like the phone and will definitely look at their next release/s.
Yep, I've just bought a S25FE from Voxi for £378, reduced from over £700.
Good price, how's the camera/battery life on it?
Very happy with it, camera is better than my old S21 & battery was fully charged last night & sat at 86% currently - I'm not expecting to charge again until I get home Thursday evening.
On gsmarena they tested the latest Exynos chipset against the Snapdragon & were surprised at how close the performance was.
https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s25_fe_5g-14042.php
Price has gone up since I bought mine in November but still good for the 256GB
https://www.voxi.co.uk/phones/samsung/galaxy-s25-fe
https://www.mobiles.co.uk/sim-free/google/google-pixel-10a?tariffcode=simfreeprice&giftcode=NA&productcode=SIMGPXL102562&colour=lavender&capacity=256gb&preferred_variation_tariffcode_simfree=simfreeprice
For a pixel 10a at £599.
If you go direct to Google they are doing some trade-in deals on the Pixel 10a
I just got a Pixel 9 Pro for £25+ £16.99 a month on Talk Mobile with 30gb data/unlimited call and text. £430 all in for handset and all the calls and data I need for two years. Sorted, and cheaper than buying a handset.
25+17=42
42x24=1,008?
Edit: Ah. 25+(17x24) ?
That's pretty good!
It's still quite good even if they've bumped it up by £3 a month twice by the end.
Talk mobile don't do mid contract price rises.
So it's £16.99 for 2 years. Paid £25 up front.
Btw the reviews suggest there's no point paying a premium for the Pixel 10a, as it's basically the same inside as the 9a
Thank all, a bit to take in so I'll have a read up.
Talking to a mate and he said the local phone shop didn't charge 'that much' to fit a new USB port on his phone so that might be an option in the meantime plus pestering work mates to see what phones they have and have a play 😂
https://www.mobiles.co.uk/sim-free/google/google-pixel-10a?tariffcode=simfreeprice&giftcode=NA&productcode=SIMGPXL102562&colour=lavender&capacity=256gb&preferred_variation_tariffcode_simfree=simfreeprice
For a pixel 10a at £599.
ee or o2 networks due to lack of/poor signal with the other 2.
https://www.mobiles.co.uk/sim-free/google/google-pixel-10a?tariffcode=simfreeprice&giftcode=NA&productcode=SIMGPXL102562&colour=lavender&capacity=256gb&preferred_variation_tariffcode_simfree=simfreeprice
For a pixel 10a at £599.ee or o2 networks due to lack of/poor signal with the other 2.
I'm on 3 currenty (and for longer than I can remember, over ten years at a guess) and find it fine..although the price has crept up a bit..i think I'm paying about £15 per month at the moment but I find the free european/international roaming (including data) quite a sweetener, as i do get a lot of value out of that.
I should probalby look at other options for suppliers (I buy phones outright and then just get a sim only contract) but I'm totally happy with 3 in terms of service.
20gb data per month and unlimited calls and texts, within reason (inc international) is all I need, I could probably get away with 15gb data PCM without a problem really as I don't really stream videos or movies from my phone.
I'm on wifi 95% of the time, if I'm out and about its usualy just web browsing etc. that uses no data at all really.
For a pixel 10a at £599.
Same price as from Google direct but Google will give you trade-in + £100. 128GB model is £499.
Pixel 9 for 369 here with code PIXEL30
Another very happy recent purchaser of a Samsung A16 here, £95. Can't work out why you'd need to spend more but that's probably me missing something.
OP - I was going to suggest getting the USB port replaced - I think I paid about £30 on my Motorola. I thought it was the battery at first as it was getting quite hot when charging, but when they opened it up they spotted an issue with the USB port so replaced that instead.
If you do decide to get a new phone then at least you have a spare or could just sell it.
Another very happy recent purchaser of a Samsung A16 here, £95. Can't work out why you'd need to spend more but that's probably me missing something.
I've got one of these as a spare at home from when the Mrs had her phone stolen, and it's pretty excellent for the price. You can see where corners have been cut, the screen is not the best in bright sunlight for example.
But it's still a very decent phone, I'm not knocking it at all. SD slot is a game-changer for loading up with kids iplayer downloads for long car journeys.
I like my Nothing 3a Pro. The camera is really good IMO.
Nothing Phone 4a and 4a Pro launch on Thursday 5th
They should be good handsets
Never heard of Nothing phones....! off to have a butchers!
Good spec on those Nothing phones.
Reliable etc?
Any more feedback on the Nothing phones anyone?
Cheers
there's lots of reviews online and on YouTube
look at Tech Spurt channel on YT
https://www.youtube.com/@TechSpurt
I like my fair phone4 especially as it did the major release recently, I'd say another of these or buy a pixel handset as the CPW deal above (didn't realise they were still in business!)
Sim free Pixel10 with £350 off and free PixelSnap charging pad and 24 months 0% from EE.
I went for it as I wanted a phone with wireless charging and satellite SOS to replace my 5 year old Moto that is physically bent and out of updates but working.
Right latest afer looking into this, reviews etc.....
Fairphone 6 - reviews kind of ok but camera not 'that' good compared to others? And no wireless charging? Decent years of updates, 8gb ram. Any feedback on camera quality?
Nothing 3 - Good spec but only 4 more years of updates & 6 years of patches, but can be bought for £550 for 256gb.
@bearGease, any feedback on the 10? Tempted by the deal at the mo. 7 years of updates too.
Pixel 10a & 9 options maybe too lol.
Samsung 24 or 25 too. A lot of reviews saying poor battery life? The batteries do seem a bit smaller than on other phones, so any truth in that?
It's a blinking nightmare lol, too much choice.
