[Closed] Smartphones - what's the 'sweet spot'?

I have a moto g5 plus. Bought it on UK launch day to replace a relatively expensive Sony Xperia z5 compact.  It does everything I want it to,  battery life is great, I've not run out of storage yet with a sd card inserted. Operating system is kept up to date promptly and there is no apps to clutter the operating system. I'm a serial screen breaker (which finished off the Sony as they are more expensive and tricky to replace). I have yet to crack a screen.

I don't see the need to spend a fortune on an android phone. The only thing to get used to is the size of the screen but bigger phones have bigger batteries in general. Recommended.

The cost of phones HAS shot up hasn't it...

I was like you..get the newest oneplus for about £200-250... now the 5t is what, £6-700..

Anyway, I got a practically brand new (but second hand) galaxy s8 for £360 and it's amazing..perfect size, slim, tough...
With teh s9 coming out, that's definitely a worthwhile contender, and pretty flagship still...

DrP

You can pick up a Moto G new for about £180-200 ish.

I've had a couple of generations of them. They do everything that you want in a competent manner.

I could be wrong, but didn't G3 have a replaceable battery? If so, get a new battery, and perform a factory wipe and reset, followed by updating everything to the latest available option - that should solve both issues you're having at the moment.

Can't be of much help with the rest as my personal priorities are a decent camera and as close to vanilla Android as possible, so I have the first generation Google Pixel XL which I really like. Buying a midrange phone outright and getting a sim-only contract is my preferred option, instead of paying through the nose for the latest and greatest for features I neither need nor want.

I only really know iPhone at the moment, but there's very little difference between my iPhone 8 and my Sons SE bar the size really, both are 'quick enough' and the only technical difference is sadly being waterpoof which would have been handy as idiot son took his swimming, actually in his shorts in the pool. It's knackered obviously.

The 5T is £500 for the 8gb / 128gb version, which is still a chunk less than most flagships, and should be pretty futureproof but is also a shedload of money! The Nokia 8 is a pretty decent spec for £349 (same processor, 4gb / 64gb but apparently the camera has issues.

I don't like Samsung's version of Android, so they're out but I have had a look at second hand / refurbs which do look pretty good value, but on the other hand spending over 300 quid on something with no warranty is a bit scary (I sent the G3 back when I got it 'cos it had a dead pixel).

Buying something from China is another option (the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 is amazing spec and sometimes drops close to £300) but there's the same warranty issues.

My sensible head says spend £200 on a Moto or A1, but then if I listened to my sensible head all the time I'd probably be riding a Bossnut rather than a Rocket, and I do use my phone a lot, every day.

*edit* the G3 does have a replaceable battery, and I will be changing it (possibly with an extended one) but I also do factory resets on a more or less monthly basis which is getting a bit wearing. Also the latest Android (that it can run) takes up a BIG chunk of the 16gb storage and doesn't leave a lot of space for apps.

I went from various Samsung Galaxy S's to a Ulefone S8.

First point: it looks nothing like a Samsung S8, but it's a nice aluminium smartphone in its own right, kinda like an S7.

Camera - shit, fine for taking pics for messages etc, but it's not even close to a flagship phone.*

GPS - a bit shit (satnav speedo flutuates +/- 5mph, skips off the motorway onto side roads etc)

Charging - shit (not sure if it's 500mA or 1000mA, but it's barely enough to run the phone whilst charging)

Screen - mehhh, if you're picky and comparing it to a 4k Apple it's shit, but as a screen it's fine. Same sort of quality as you'd get on a replacement screen from Timpsons, blacks aren't totally black, white's bleed slightly etc, it's a phone not a cinema.

Sound - better than chinese phones used to be, but I'd still use a chromecast audio rather than a jack into the back of the hifi.

But it cost £60, apps run fine, it looks expensive, the fingerprint unlock actually works unlike Samsung, the battery lasts 2 days of moderate use or a day of bored internet browsing, and I solved the charging issue by just buying a spare battery to swap if I'm in a hurry.

I'm sure a £300 (or £600) phone is better, will run quicker etc, but when the most demanding thing I do is sat-nav, strava or spotify it's fine.

*bearing in mind the price difference between this and an S8 (or S9 now) would buy you an entry level DSLR and some mid-range glass that's not surprising.

Email sent.

I was a reasonably early adopter but now I'm not really interested in much detail...

I had an iPhone and I've flirted with Android... my work phone is Apple (or I have to pay) so I use Apple - nothing wrong with android.

My work phone is an older iPhone 5 something... (yep that's how interested I am)

My personal phone is a iPhone 6 ... which I got when my 4 broke and was a generation behind at the time.

This is just age... it's what I have but I think for me it would be the same for Android

Regardless of Apple/Android I use whatever storage is available... 128GB takes a bit longer to fill than 64GB etc. but once you do your problems are the same.  Either manage it or don't but its possibly even more hassle having more storage.  Removable storage IMHO doesn't help manage... you still have to do something.

Cameras are a step change better than my old 4 and old Nexus 5.... but I don't think that I need better... indeed the lower storage of the 5 is fine and less hassle

For what I use 4G seems more important than CPU ... stuff that stutters is usually because it needs a faster connection... Apps and pages just use the bandwidth...

My physically newer work 5 battery lasts way longer than the older physically but newer model 6..

How much is battery age vs using CPU I don't really know... but the bigger screen probably also draws more power.

In terms of screen/CPU then there is a question for me not only of how much is a bigger screen/.faster CPU worth in ££ but also in battery life and on top of that how much storage demands and my time to manage it makes.

I wonder of both were actually the same price if I'd pay more ?  I do use the 6 more instead of a tablet/PC ... but ???

I went from the OnePlus One (which was supposedly a 'flagship killer' at the time) to the Xiaomi Mi A1.  It feels like a good step forward, not so much in terms of speed (i don't game and nearly everything I do was instant on the OPO anyway and still is on the Mi A1) but the camera is better, the OS is better, it has a fingerprint reader etc.

now the 5t is what, £6-700..

£449

I'm thinking about the Nokia 7plus, available in April for £350  android one, big battery, big screen 4/64gb

Ive got an XZ wife has an XA1

the camera is bettr on the XZ and more storage but for a phone they are very similar.

Wileyfox Swift 2 Plus.  Picked up one for £129 on Amazon.  In Rose Gold, but then it was for the Wife and she'll have a case on it.

See I was tempted by the Nokia 8, currently at £350 but similar spec to the Oneplus 5T 4/64gb. Only trouble is reports of the camera being a bit poop but that can be replaced by sideloading the Pixel camera app, and the fact that it just looks a bit... Poggy.

Went from an iPhone SE (OK not flagship but had 6s internals) to a Samsung A8 (2018) Dual Sim. Purchased for £370. They'll be about £400 when the single SIM model arrives in the UK.

It absolutely knocks the spots of my iPhone in all areas. It almost replaces my iPad too, save for the fact there's some work software that's iOS only.

Only downside is I can't remove Ramadan from the calander as it's a UAE model. I find that more amusing than annoying!

I like having flagship features, nice screen and camera etc so imo anything that offers that around the £300 mark is a good deal. Used flagships from a year or two ago, or Xiaomi.

I'd reconsider about Samsung too. I went from an LG G3 to an S7 Edge. I don't like the look of their software out of the box but they do make it fairly easy to pick a theme you like. I'm using the pixel launcher apk and a stock android icon pack and I'm happy with it.

Only downside is I can’t remove Ramadan from the calander as it’s a UAE model. I find that more amusing than annoying!

Brilliant!!

DrP

but there’s very little difference between my iPhone 8 and my Sons SE bar the size really, both are ‘quick enough’ and the only technical difference is sadly being waterpoof

Hm. I guess I could try Samsung, but I don't think I'd want to commit without having a good play first.

and force touch, Bluetooth 5, wireless charging, massively better front cam, better video recording, double the RAM…

I'm not sure any of those are any advantage to me and several are positively a disadvantage...

Bigger photo's and "better video" are more of a hassle to me than advantage.

I don't have any BT5 devices... and I don't see how more RAM helps me.

but there’s very little difference between my iPhone 8 and my Sons SE bar the size really, both are ‘quick enough’ and the only technical difference is sadly being waterproof.

<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">Well the ability to be able to plug in bog standard headphones is a plus for the SE....</span>

Only downside is I can’t remove Ramadan from the calander as it’s a UAE model.

That's not a downside at all, it's an invaluable feature to warn you when Bradford's taxi drivers are going to be grumpier than usual.

Just has an email from Amazon who've today dropped their price on the Moto G5s, 3GB RAM 32GB storage to £178

I'd be buying that, quickly.

I’m not sure any of those are any advantage to me and several are positively a disadvantage…

I'm sold on cheap Chinese phones, currently using a Xiaomi Redmi 3s, not the fastest but does everything I need it to and if I lost it, sat on it, dropped it or soaked it then it was £120 to replace.

I've had it nearly two years and it's still getting weekly updates and everything works as it did when I first got it. The battery still lasts 2 days and the camera is still good. Not sure why anyone who doesn't 'game' (3d or intensive gaming) would need anything else?

I’m sold on cheap Chinese phones, currently using a Xiaomi Redmi 3s, not the fastest but does everything I need it to and if I lost it, sat on it, dropped it or soaked it then it was £120 to replace.

I’ve had it nearly two years and it’s still getting weekly updates and everything works as it did when I first got it. The battery still lasts 2 days and the camera is still good. Not sure why anyone who doesn’t ‘game’ (3d or intensive gaming) would need anything else?

I definitely don't need a fancy phone, but it's nice to have one!

I've just gone from a Sony Xperia Z3 Compact to a Moto X4, sim free from Carphonewarehouse for £199. Only had it 2 days but first impressions are good.

I've had a OnePlus 5T for 2 months, as my work phone, and it seems pretty decent. Battery life is vary acceptable, the screen is biggish and clear, it works well with my Outlook, and makes better calls than my personal iPhone 6S. And it was £450.

It has a dual SIM so when my iPhone dies I'll just run it with both SIMs.

Hm. I guess I could try Samsung, but I don’t think I’d want to commit without having a good play first.

I don't get the hatred for Samsung's version of android. The differences are pretty minor apart from the bloatware. And some of it was genuinely good.

Motorola on the other hand I found completely unusable because of the stupid scroll bar.

I take my phone out on rides with me in all weathers and my stuff generally has a rough time of it. I'd love a flagship phone, but would cry if I broke it or covered in in mud/scratches.

In fairness that's pretty much my attitude to everything, no flash fancy bikes for me as it'll just get dented/scratched, nicked or broken.

Sweet spot for me is an iPhone 2 generations behind  - the ecosystem works for me and te family, never had any issues with them  so it's a question of balancing the spend/cost. To be honest looking carefully second hand I've always felt I've got value from them.

Have an SE for work - cracking little phone, cheap, rugged, capable enough and good battery life. Doable well under 300 brand new too.

The G3 (which covers a number a models!) can be upgraded using the LG update tool to marshmallow.

Batteries are available....

You can move apps/content to the micro sd card to free up space.

.....none of which matters if what you really want is a shiney new toy 😉

To be fair I've not used a Samsung phone since around the S2, so they've probably improved a lot since then. I also had a Samsung telly that was rubbish, but it was a really cheap one so probably not really a surprise.

The Moto X4 actually looks pretty ace (I had an original MotoX which I really liked) but I've got used to having a bigger screen and I'm honestly not sure I could go back. MrsMonkey has a G5 which seems pretty good, though she's a much lighter user.

Mine comes out with me on rides too, but I find as long as it's in some kind of protective sleeve (I have some neoprene ones; stopped using IKEA sandwich bags after I dropped the G3 into one only for it to fall straight out the hole in the bottom) it seems to survive pretty well. Screen is still scratch free, it has a few dings but nothing you'd not expect on a two and a half year old phone!

I've a Huawei P9 due for upgrade in 2 months, I'm thinking of side grading to the honour 9 which seems pretty identical, as the battery on mine has had it, and there's some marks on the screen.

It's perfectly fast enough, I don't see the point in the more expensive flagship phones, they just aren't much better than the mid range ones.

My Moto G5 has been great.. I went for the dual sim one which has 3gb of RAM which I think makes a significant performance difference (usage is often over 2gb if I check).

The only downside for me is it's so damn slippery and I've dropped it numerous times.. the screen still works ok with the cracks though. Holding out for the G6 to replace it..

I think this is doable.

This is as good value as you can get.

Samsung Note 4 is still a staggeringly good phone with an awesome camera.  Key thing as well is that is also has a normal removable battery, no easy smash edge screen, and SD card slot so you can whack a big one in.

circa £200 but you can go cheaper for second hand (then pay for another battery at some point).

eBay link

My Moto G5 has been great.. I went for the dual sim one which has 3gb of RAM which I think makes a significant performance difference (usage is often over 2gb if I check).

The only downside for me is it’s so damn slippery and I’ve dropped it numerous times.. the screen still works ok with the cracks though. Holding out for the G6 to replace it..

Minus the cracks, this is me exactly.  As this is my second and personal phone I was wondering to just get the G5 but Weill await the G6.  No cracks, so mine will be on sale here in a few months.

<p>Huawei P10 Lite.</p><p></p><p>Just bought one to replace my wifes Galaxy S4 which spontaneously died in that way Samsungs do. It was supposed to be mine to replace my Lumia which I dropped down the toilet.</p><p></p><p>Spec-wise it knocks everything at that end of the market and up to a ton more out the water. Almost stock Android and good on battery life. They are end of life now as the P20's are being unveiled at the end of the month, the 10's should have Android 8.0 by then as it's exactly the same barring an extra camera and the four faster processors are faster still. Carphone Warehouse jacked the prices up on Monday but you can still get them around £190 if you look about.</p>

I've got a ZTE Blade which you can buy for about £130.  I can't see why most people need anything more.

Z5 from CEX.

Have an iPhone 8 for work but mainly use the Moto G5S for personal. For media I use an iPad.