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Well kind of a PSA. I know people are always asking which budget Android phone and at £279 this looks to tick every box and then some...
https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/01/realme_7_5g/ (review)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/realme-5g-Simfree-Unlocked-Smartphone/dp/B08MQ1CJ1G (Buy)
Tempted by one as my next work phone
Being android I just worry about ongoing software updates from a company I've never heard of.
But then I realise I dont really care.
Being android I just worry about ongoing software updates
from a company I’ve never heard of
FTFY. Even some of the likes of Samsung's lower rung phones only receive updates for a couple of years at best....
Mines still getting updates four years later although it was flagship samsung at the time. You pay your money you take your choice though.
Being Android, you can install an open OS like LineageOS, but only if someone has built one for it. There is only currently one for the RealMe 2 Pro, so it doesn't look like RealMes are well supported in that regard. A secondhand big brand phone is much more likely to be capable of being updated with a current Android version when it is no longer supported by the manufacturer. If that maters to you. LineageOS has definitely given my 2016 Samsung S5 neo a new lease of life.
Even some of the likes of Samsung’s lower rung phones only receive updates for a couple of years at best….
Samsung are notoriously crap at releasing updates.... Other companies are much much better.
But I'd have concerns about an "unknown" company.
Realme are a sub brand of Oppo, who also have OnePlus as a sub brand.
They are massive, just not (yet) a big UK name.
Some Realme phones (maybe all, not sure) have a 3 year UK warranty and the promise of regular Android version and security updates, though no guarantee.
Samsung aren't great for updates - after one or two Android version updates you are lucky to get security updates, and even those are only every few months.
Fwiw my oneplus 3 got 3 Android version updates and still gets security updates. That's 4.5 years old.
Is £300 a budget phone these days? I thought that was solidly midrange..
Despite the complaints, the Realme 7 5G is decent value. There are flaws, certainly, but they're what you'd expect from a device in its category.
Sure, the camera is only so-so, and the display isn't as vibrant as we'd like. Realme redeemed itself by including extras that more than make up for those sins, including an excellent battery, fast charging, and a generous complement of RAM and storage.
This is a phone you can give to a parent or younger child, and they won't hate it. We'd recommend it over more expensive models, like the OnePlus Nord and Motorola's Moto G 5G Plus. And for £279, who can argue with that?
That's positive but it doesn't sound like the best ever for the money
The realme 7 and 7i were well regarded budget phones but hard to source.
https://www.techradar.com/uk/reviews/realme-7-review
Some of the cheaper brands/models are built for the Indian or Chinese markets where the buyers are a bit more tech and price savvy than the western consumer; I've been using various cheap eastern phones a long time now with no issue and less worry of trashing a £150 phone, however, the 5g models are still a bit expensive so I'm sticking with 4g for the next 12 months while the UK rollout happens and I'm WFH anyway.
Xiaomi Mi10 lite is good also. I'd agree neither are budget though.
They're not that hard to source, I got my Realme 7 Pro from Amazon for £230 just before Christmas. Massively impressed with it, my Note 9 went for repair so bought the Realme to tide me over and not only is it not shit in any way it's better than the note in several aspects.
Samsung are notoriously crap at releasing updates…. Other companies are much much better.
They're much better than they were - their January security update is out before Google have released it for their own devices.
If updates are a concern (and they really should be), look at the Android One programme.
I bought a Realme 7, 6+64GB 4G version from Amazon in December for £199 based on reviews from techradar and the like. I hadn't heard from them before but yes, they are a big manufacturer just not well known in the UK yet.
Bonus was Amazon were doing an installment plan for interest free.
I quite like it.
I've got the xiaomi redmi note 9 pro 128gb, got it for 240 quid a few months back, belter of a phone tbh. well happy with it.
Similar to that, not 5G mind, but I'm not really arsed about 5G.
Edit: one of these
The realme is available from aliexpress for pretty cheap