Smart phones

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PeterOnePeterOne Frets: 33
edited November 2018 in Off Topic
I know nothing about phones but I know I want to upgrade from what I have now and spend as little money as possible - and ideally with a removable battery.

I got a Vodafone Smart Prime 6 about two and a half years ago as my first smart phone and was reasonably happy with it for the price, but in the last year or so I've been getting more & more frustrated with how slow it can be - e.g. sometimes loading up the Kindle or Amazon Music apps can take a maybe 20 seconds, other times it might freeze up and be unusable for a couple of minutes. Plus the battery life has definitely deteriorated and the battery isn't replaceable.

I'm not bothered about anything fancy, if I want to take photos I have a proper camera for that, and ideally want something fairly small and cheap, but the problem is I know nothing about phones so I don't really know what to be looking for - do I want something with a lot of RAM or a good processor?

I'm hoping to pick something up a bit cheaper around Black Friday - I see the Moto G6 is £120 at the moment, which is probably the most I'd want to spend.

Can someone point me in the right direction?
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Comments

  • 57Deluxe57Deluxe Frets: 7329
    Go onto Aliex and look out for a deal on a Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus. Is a massively spec'd-up android phone.

    2Ghz Octa Core, 4/64Gb 5.99" 1080 HD screen (no notch or thick bezel) 4G Dual Sim 12/5Mp cameras, super slim metal case - I am running Oreo. I got one using my TopCashback on a deal weekend for just £111. Ask the vendor to under state value and describe it as Handset or MP3 player and will be no customs to pay. 14 days delivery and is no Chinese content or Ads to deal with. You can strip down and replace batteries too when needed easy enough and they are £7.

    I am doing all sorts on it. even Running Atari ST Cubase with Midi under Hataroid! Is also good for reading your digital copies of Guitarist or Guitar Mag as the screen is big enough and fast enough to scale the text.

    If you want super cheap but usable, then the Blackview A20 running Android Go is OK for £37. Again 14 days turnaround. Got one for my Mum and again on a Topcashback weekend paid just £33.

    But the Xiaomi is just superb - I can't put it down and use it as a mini pad around the house all day...

    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Global-ROM-Xiaomi-Redmi-5-Plus-4GB-64GB-ROM-Mobile-Phone-18-9-Full-Screen-Snapdragon/32845132016.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dnXKhDW

    <Vintage BOSS Upgrades>
    __________________________________
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27568
    57Deluxe said:
    Go onto Aliex and look out for a deal on a Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus. Is a massively spec'd-up android phone.

    Remember to say "hi" to the Chinese government if you buy a cheapo Android phone.

    57Deluxe said:
    Ask the vendor to under state value and describe it as Handset or MP3 player

    Don't do this. It's a criminal offence. And just a bit scummy.

    I have the G6 Plus; I reckon the G6 is probably excellent, especially at that sort of price  
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31366
    Sporky said:
    Remember to say "hi" to the Chinese government if you buy ANY phone.
    FTFY 
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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11411
    PeterOne said:
    I know nothing about phones but I know I want to upgrade from what I have now and spend as little money as possible - and ideally with a removable battery.

    I got a Vodafone Smart Prime 6 about two and a half years ago as my first smart phone and was reasonably happy with it for the price, but in the last year or so I've been getting more & more frustrated with how slow it can be - e.g. sometimes loading up the Kindle or Amazon Music apps can take a maybe 20 seconds, other times it might freeze up and be unusable for a couple of minutes. Plus the battery life has definitely deteriorated and the battery isn't replaceable.

    I'm not bothered about anything fancy, if I want to take photos I have a proper camera for that, and ideally want something fairly small and cheap, but the problem is I know nothing about phones so I don't really know what to be looking for - do I want something with a lot of RAM or a good processor?

    I'm hoping to pick something up a bit cheaper around Black Friday - I see the Moto G6 is £120 at the moment, which is probably the most I'd want to spend.

    Can someone point me in the right direction?
    As far as I know, the G6 doesn't have a removeable battery.

    I'm wondering about getting a no name Chinese one as it's really hard to get something from one of the big manufacturers with a removeable battery.

    I've had my existing phone for nearly 4 years, and I want to keep the next one at least that long - which I won't be able to do unless I can replace the battery.

    I'm getting really cheesed off with all these phones where you can't change the battery.
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  • I'd get a Xiaomi, they make great phones at great prices, they sell direct in the UK as well now.

    For your budget you can't get a very high end model but if you stretch a bit you can pick up an A2 Lite for £180. The benefit with that is that it's an Android One phone running stock Google software, and it's more likely to get regularly updated. 
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  • 57Deluxe57Deluxe Frets: 7329
    edited November 2018
    The Blackview A20 has a removable battery - in fact you have to remove the terminal isolation tab off it to start and to insert your sim, so is easy to get into the case.
    <Vintage BOSS Upgrades>
    __________________________________
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  • RockerRocker Frets: 4941
    Why not simply call into Carphone Warehouse or similar outlet and buy a bloody phone? Most are made in China, are dirt cheap and you get to handle the device before purchase.
    Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

    Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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  • wolsnahwolsnah Frets: 189
    I have a Sony XZ1 Compact as I wanted a smaller device than my last OnePlus and you can get it for a decent offer through Carphone Warehouse and apparently cancel the contract with no issue leaving you with a handset to use as you please with your preferred sim setup.

    Details of the offer here: https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/sony-xperia-xz1-compact-32gb-139-upfront-13-vodafone-1-month-carphone-warehouse-3100713

    Good if you're happy to drop back to 720p screen but want a smaller form factor.
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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11411
    wolsnah said:
    I have a Sony XZ1 Compact as I wanted a smaller device than my last OnePlus and you can get it for a decent offer through Carphone Warehouse and apparently cancel the contract with no issue leaving you with a handset to use as you please with your preferred sim setup.

    Details of the offer here: https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/sony-xperia-xz1-compact-32gb-139-upfront-13-vodafone-1-month-carphone-warehouse-3100713

    Good if you're happy to drop back to 720p screen but want a smaller form factor.
    You can get better spec for less money on some of the Chinese brands.
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  • FX_MunkeeFX_Munkee Frets: 2477
    Honestly? I'd just buy the Moto G6 play. It's a good phone with decent specs and a steal at that price. It doesn't have a removable battery but by the time you'd need to change it, you'll be wanting an upgrade anyway.
    Shot through the heart, and you’re to blame, you give love a bad name. Not to mention archery tuition.
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  • Jimbro66Jimbro66 Frets: 2418
    Aren't most smart phones moving to non-removable batteries? I'm another vote for the Moto G6 range. I needed a true dual-sim so got that version of the G6 Plus from Amazon Germany. It's been good so far.
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  • I bought a Huawei P20 Pro and am very happy with it after being an Apple devotee.  Some of their cheaper devices, such as the P20 Lite and P Smart are on offer on Amazon for a mere £229.99 and £149.99 respectively.  
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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11411
    FX_Munkee said:
    Honestly? I'd just buy the Moto G6 play. It's a good phone with decent specs and a steal at that price. It doesn't have a removable battery but by the time you'd need to change it, you'll be wanting an upgrade anyway.


    Why would you be wanting an upgrade?

    My phone is nearly 4 years old.  I had to replace the battery a year or so ago.  If still works.  I'd like a better camera but it's not the end of the world.  I'd rather spend the money on something else than upgrading a phone.

    With the technology maturing all the time, the need to upgrade will be even less in the future.  The next phone I get will have a better camera.

    I'm typing this on a 6 year old PC that is still faster than the average £300 laptop that you get in PC World.  20 years ago, a 6 year old PC would have been all but useless, but the market has matured.  Phones will go the same way.  There is no reason that we need to get rid of our phones every 2 years - apart from dodgy phone makers trying to force us to by making phones that have to be binned because the battery has died.

    Like I said above, my next phone is likely to be a no name Chinese phone at this rate so I can get a replaceable battery.  I refuse to buy something that is designed to die after 2 years.

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  • wolsnahwolsnah Frets: 189
    edited November 2018
    I've had a few Chinese phones (THL, Huawei before they became more known, Bluboo and others I can't recall the names of) some of which didn't have replaceable batteries. Well they said that, but that just mean they weren't instantly removeable. By opening the phone on some of these it was a case that the battery was connected via a short ribbon cable that you just needed access to and then ping it off. I'd say unless a phone has a battery actually soldered directly to one of the boards then they're all changeable relatively easily once you get inside the phone.

    My problem last time I changed was that I'd gone off having large phones and wanted something that slipped in the pocket much easier, hence going back to a 4.6" screen. Also I wanted 4G on O2 which a number of the Chinese phones don't support so make sure you check the specs before possibly restricting yourself. My main limiting factor was wanting both of those things, a smaller screen and 4G on O2 (band 20).
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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11411
    wolsnah said:
    I've had a few Chinese phones (THL, Huawei before they became more known, Bluboo and others I can't recall the names of) some of which didn't have replaceable batteries. Well they said that, but that just mean they weren't instantly removeable. By opening the phone on some of these it was a case that the battery was connected via a short ribbon cable that you just needed access to and then ping it off. I'd say unless a phone has a battery actually soldered directly to one of the boards then they're all changeable relatively easily once you get inside the phone.

    Is there anywhere you can find this out before buying the phone?
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  • munckeemunckee Frets: 12253
    I get hand me down iphones from my wife and daughter and they are like treacle, luckily I don't need them for anything clever.  The samsung work phone I had before was much better.
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  • Jimbro66Jimbro66 Frets: 2418
    wolsnah said:
    ..........I'd say unless a phone has a battery actually soldered directly to one of the boards then they're all changeable relatively easily once you get inside the phone.
    An interesting comment. Certainly in the past I've sourced and changed batteries in a Palm Organiser and TomTom satnav, both of which were said by the makers to be non-replaceable. It depends on whether aftermarket batteries are available and if they can be changed over non-destructively  - even if a little fiddly.
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  • Nokia 6? Expandable memory and the non replaceable battery can be replaced (with some effort)
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  • wolsnahwolsnah Frets: 189
    edited November 2018
    crunchman said:

    Is there anywhere you can find this out before buying the phone?
    Not easily Sometimes you strike lucky and find a teardown video on youtube, otherwise it's a case of hitting the owners forums or the likes of xda-developers and searching around for info on batteries and also general internals of the phones.

    I think for the general marketing side of things, replaceable battery has just meant a touch contact connection on the battery so that you can lift it without having to physically disconnect anything. Does annoy me somewhat that they're otherwise considered permanent. I always took the approach that they must have got the battery in there somehow so you must be able to get it out.
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