Old phone has died so time to join the modern age.

What do I want windows, iOS, Android, something else?

What’s the difference between cheap and expensive and is it worth spending more or are the cheap ones good enough?

Any recommendations?

Go play with them in a shop.

(Buy nothing.)

I am biased as all my kit is Apple so would only buy Apple. As I am far from alone Apple sells at a premium price, supply and demand. Where it gets more complicated is Apple kit in good condition will sell for an equally higher price 2 years old. When they price the contracts they assume the phone is worthless after 2 years, so if you do go Apple or indeed (say) Samsung Android then you have something to sell or to downgrade contract to sim only.

The new Samsung Note 7 is very nice, they have just suspended sales as a few caught fire. I am sure they’ll fix this soon and may then be some good deals to get sales moving again. New Apple 7 will be out this week, deal on a 6S maybe ? Get 32gb memory minimum.

Note you’ll think the phones are massive but you should see them as small computers and web browsers so a bigger screen is very useful.

Happy researching and welcome to 2016 😉

I’ve just done the same as you – old galapagos phone died so I had a hunt around learning stuff.

I don’t have anything apple apart from a ipod which is a pain in the arse when attached to a computer because itunes. So I ruled them out.

I looked at amazon phones, some killer deals – but you can’t do android stuff, yes amazon have a very similar (but smaller) choice of Apps – but you also get a shed loads of adverts (you can sideload android but it’s hard to do and doesn’t work great), I have quite a bit of amazon stuff (kindle and music) but I don’t want adverts.

So that left Android – massive choice of phones, it was just breaking them into categories.

I went with an unlocked Motorola G (3rd generation), 8gb (which is a low amount of memory so a little slower) off amazon dirt cheap. My reasoning was:

IPX7 – so pretty water resistant, good for cycling.
Good screen
I’m new to android, I want vibr for club messages, Pokemon Go for a bit of messing with the kids and some casting stuff for our chromecasts so I don’t need a sooper dooper processor (you pay more for more memory and faster processors).
Camera is surprisingly good, added a micro sim for picture storage.
It’s won loads of awards for best budget smartphone by people who have way more idea than me.
In the same way it’s recommended to buy a cheap hardtail to learn what kind of cycling you want to do, £108 is a relatively cheap way to learn about smartphones.
There are loads of accessories – with any smartphone buy a tough case and a tempered glass cover for your tempered glass screen – it’s used as a sacrificial part.

Only downside is that it’s a little bit big and the instructions to use it are non-existent so I’ve had to play around a lot to learn how to use it effectively. I do like the instant torch feature.

If you like taking photos, it’s worth noting that the cameras on phones are excellent these days, and worth paying for as you’ll usually always have your phone with you to take those special pics.

They’re good enough to warrant leaving your compact camera at home. Video quality is damn good too.

If you pay lots, you’ll often be worried about losing/dropping it. Make sure you do get a nice silicon (soft rubber) case for it. Not from a phone shop, but from eBay.

iPhones are very good, but you need to decide if you want to buy into the Apple ecosystem. Android gives you more flexibility and a bit more freedom. You need to google the reasons to avoid Windows/Blackberry – too many to list here !

And don’t be put off from getting something 2nd hand. For example an iPhone 5 or 6, Sony Xperia Z1 or Z3 compact (for Android, and the top Xperias can go underwater, so great for the outdoors).

There’s very little between the different OS’s so the apple phones aren’t as good vfm for my mind. I have a Huwaei P8lite and it’s great , decent screen and good chip power, has the latest android and was cheap as chips

Just bought a Motorola G4 from John Lewis for £130 with two year warranty. Very happy with it so far.

My recommendation would be to get an unlocked Moto E for about £40 and get 3’s 3-2-1 PAYG sim. The phone’s very good value, is much better than the price would suggest and is a good way to dip your toe in the water without committing too much money, it’ll do all the smart stuff and the PAYG deal is decently priced to get you started without committing to a contract before you work out what you’ll be using it for. The camera is mediocre though, and the built in memory is a bit limited at 8Gb if you turn out to be a big app collector, though it’ll take a 64Gb micro SD so is useful if you want music on the go without streaming.

I’d recommend a motorola moto g to get going. I’ve had two of them and my dad and brother have bought them from my recommendation and love them. I’ve just recently gone to an LG G4 for a faster more capable phone but there is little need for that if you’re buying your first one.

To be fair, for your first one almost anything will be better than you’re used to so buy something with a name you recognise and is the price you want to pay

You can play with that until you et a feel for what features you use use most and plan the next purchase around that.

My first smartphone was an HTC desire, it seemed great at the time but I reckon it’d be a pile of crap now.

I have a Samsung S6 Edge and love it. I was looking at buying a new compact camera but the camera on this phone is that good I didn’t need to bother. Quite expensive but, in my opinion, well worth the money.

I have moved from a Nokia/Microsoft Lumia to a Samsung S6. Much preferred the Lumia and would recommend one all day long.

The Samsung has some nice touches but the adverts on every ap drive me up the wall, as does the need for antivirus software that’s full of bloody adverts!

Apple seem nice but they cost a fortune. They’re no great leap forward for the price you pay.

Not much more to add apart from +1 for the iphone.

My last iphone (4) lasted for almost 5 years with out fault. Now using a 6S and love it.

Background: I’ve had three iPhones ( iPhone SE currently) and have an android s3 mini for work (due a replace to and will probably take and iPhone SE). ecosystem wise over time I’ve gradually ended up elbow deep with a lot of Apple kit(airplay speakers,macs,iTunes) and friends/family in the same situation

iPhones are nice but they only really excell if you are deep into the ecosystem. With out that cross connectivity they are just good Rather than amazing. It’s the ecosystem that makes them.

If your not in that zone then an android phone will give you 80% of the features for a far smaller price

To add to gastromonkey my iphones have all lasted a long time.

3GS > just short of 3 years, pickpocketed so forced to replace
5 > 3.5 years, battery went.

But so have my android phones

S3 mini > just short of 3 years still working but hasn’t had any updates in years. That said it was a fare cheaper phone to start with

The Motorolas are good phones if you’re not bothered about having the latest tech, or a good camera…

I had a Moto E, which cost you about £75, which was great, except for one thing…there wasn’t enough storage space, and it was a real pain (I think the newer models have a bit more). Moto G would be a good shout though.

Now have a Samsung, which cost 4 times as much, but the performance is actually worse. It stutters a lot, lots of lag….I don’t know if it is down to the software Samsung bundle with it, but I’m not impressed. Screen is much better than my old Moto E though – much nicer to look at.

OP reading this and as much as I am an Apple fan I couldn’t recommend you pay £600+ for a first smart phone when that Motorolla G4 is £120. Buy something like that outright and get a decent unlimited 4G contract £15-20 pm and see how you go. Maybe add a Chromecast and experiment with viewing web content on the tv ?

Moto g4 130 quid. Awesome.

I have both Apple and Android phones.
The iphone has a better build quality but a tiny screen.
The Android is a Galaxy S6 with a screen good enough for watcing video.
I much prefer the Android userbility as I find the iphone less intuitive to navegate.
Android all the way for me.

Moto g4 130 quid. Awesome.

Actually it was £120. I bought an SD card as well.

Windows phones have limited support for apps compared to the other platforms. Great for my work phone as it integrates well with the works IT which is also Windows.

My personal phone is Windows too, because the Lumia handsets are quite nice in my opinion. My next phone won’t be Windows though. The apps just don’t exist or are lazy shortcuts to websites. Having previously had Android phones and currently an Android tablet just highlights the phones limitations.

Get used to charging. Battery life will take some getting used to coming from a regular mobile. You WILL need to charge it every night, maybe with a top up in the evening if you have used it heavily. Personally, battery life is right at the top of my list when looking at smartphones.

Nokia Lumia 640. Cheap, nice, easy, reliable. Important to me was dual SIM, and a replaceable battery because of travel, microSD for lots of storage.Amazon linky

Not so expensive that I’ll cry when I break it. Inevitable.

So on integration… Android does it very well my browsers sync (chrome) mail, contacts etc all sync. Pics and videos all sync and heaps of app data does too. When I broke a phone or upgraded in the last couple of years they come online so quick with all the stuff loaded. Personally Motorola and Google nexus are coming as pure android with no added layers. Very slick.

Thanks for the advice everyone. Didn’t manage to buy one today as went biking instead! Thinking it’ll probably be android and liking the sound of the Motorola or google phone.

Happy shopping. I would suggest you buy a second usb cable or 2 (cheaper online) so you can plug the phone into your work computer for an extra charge if needed before you leave the office. A car cigarette socket charger is useful too especially if you want to use the phon as a Sat Nav. My iPhone 6 will happily last 2 days if lightly used but a lot of web browsing, calls especially video or using it to log a ride with Endomondo / Strava type app will ensure it needs charging every night if not a top up during the day.

Decide what you want to use it for (try to be open minded as they are way more useful now than you may think ie gps etc). The moto 4g is cracking value though the lack of a compass is a minor irritation if you might use maps for walking directions.

deepreddave +1. I use mine for Strava and Backcountry Navigator (OS mapping) while riding.I have a Vodafone Smart 6 Ultra which does everything I want,and has a nice big screen and a decent camera,but still have my S3 mini,which I use the same sim in if I want a handier phone.Work out what you want it to do,fix a budget,then try some hands on.

Motorola G’s are excellent.
Doesn’t come with loads of preinstalled rubbish.
Very, very easy to use and set up.
Takes seconds to connect to your Google account and get going.
Great camera for a phone.

Get a big memory card and a cheap protective case and you’re sorted.

Very highly recommend and great value.

Get a big memory card too.

I have a Moto E which I use as my ‘bike’ phone cos it’s cheap, pretty waterproof etc. Only limitation is amount of memory, so you have to restrict the number of apps etc. I only really use it with Facebook, Google Maps and a couple of games. Will probably look to replace with Moto G for better memory, camera etc but not the latest model as it’s not as water-resistant

IOS or Android?
i’d choose android every time. not a fan of apple and never will be. find them too restrictive
android gives you more freedom and flexibility. you can easily sideload 3rd party apps such as showbox, tubemate and kodi. doing this on an apple device is much harder

from personal experience the samsung user interface is very easy to use

how much you#re prepared to spend will also be as important as what type of memory storage you’ll be happy with. apple use cloud storage ….i prefer having the flexibility of an external memory storage (SD card) the new galaxy s7 and not 7 revert back to external expandable memory…if i’d have known that when i got my s6 i would have waited another 3 months!!

it all depends on whether you want a phone that simply does the job or if you want a phone that also gives you a status symbol

How did you get that price? They are £160 on there now.

I would suggest you buy a second usb cable or 2 (cheaper online) so you can plug the phone into your work computer for an extra charge if needed before you leave the office.

depending on what’s on your phone or your company policy don’t plug your phone into a work computer. Some will forbid it others will just scan it like any other USB drive (could be embarrassing for some).
The fast USB C charger with the new Nexus 6 does phone flat to full in about an hour.

Some will forbid it others will just scan it like any other USB drive (could be embarrassing for some

i delete all the porn off mine every night 😆

Right – getting there

Has anyone had any dealings with smartphonecompany.co.uk as they’re offering the Moto G4 on talkmobile with 4GB data, 2000 minutes and 5ooo texts for £11 month on a 2 year contract

This almost seems too good to be true. Is it?

And are talkmobile affected by the poor reputation that vodafone gets at the moment?

Best general deals are get the phone outright and then get a pay as you go/monthly no contract plan then your not ties to anybody. It all depends what the underlying network is.

Aha – just realised that Talkmobile do not provide 4G so won’t be going with them!!