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  1. #1
    Banned Tennis's Avatar
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    Decent budget smartphone under $200?

    Hey,

    Looking to get a cellphone for someone I know.

    They have a smartphone from 2010/2011 so I think even a budget smartphone from 2017 should be a decent upgrade. What are my options?

  2. #2
    Man am i the guy to answer this question. My mother just recently broke her phone and i picked her up a moto g4 play edition from amazon for 130 bucks. Dont let the specs fool you, it has a 5" 720p display but it is excellent in brightness/viewing angles and general usability. Its also very snappy and can handle plenty of apps at once due to the 2gb's of ram, highly suggested.

    https://www.amazon.com/Moto-Play-4th...g4%2Bplay&th=1

    For 130 bucks nothing comes close.

  3. #3
    Deleted
    My son has a G4 and my daughter has a G4 Play. The G4 is significantly better than the Play, but is also larger and more expensive. Both are decent buys for the money though, and offer a close to vanilla Android experience.

    Beyond this you are looking to the likes of Xioami, but I can't get on with their UI. I opted for a oneplus 3 as a budget high-end and really struggle to fault it, though the likes of s7, iphone 7 have significantly better cameras they are poorer in every other respect.

  4. #4
    Not sure how you can say the G4 is SIGNIFICANTLY better than the play version. You have to be careful with specs on phones as they really dont mean much. The screen on this G4 play is better than a lot of 1080p screens ive had, and when talking performance specs those dont matter like they do on PC's. For example a entry level quad core snapdragon is fine for 99.99999% of tasks you will be performing on your phone, only the random unoptimized game will you need a higher end SOC for.

  5. #5
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Fascinate View Post
    Not sure how you can say the G4 is SIGNIFICANTLY better than the play version. You have to be careful with specs on phones as they really dont mean much. The screen on this G4 play is better than a lot of 1080p screens ive had, and when talking performance specs those dont matter like they do on PC's. For example a entry level quad core snapdragon is fine for 99.99999% of tasks you will be performing on your phone, only the random unoptimized game will you need a higher end SOC for.
    Being better in every respect except radio performance, where they are equal, makes it significantly better for me. The camera is better, the screen is significantly better and the phone is more responsive (though probably not so they lay would notice unless gaming). Don't get me wrong Fascinate, I bought both of these for my kids, and both are great value for money, but the G4 is signifcantly better by any raw technical measurement (measurement not specs). However the Play was my daughter's second phone after the her first phone lasted 2 weeks before she dropped it in the loo, moreover she's small and a 5.5" screen + case would have simply been too big.

    edit just to say, all games on Android are "unoptimised", welcome to opengl es
    Last edited by mmoce90cf0ffae; 2017-03-17 at 09:19 PM.

  6. #6
    Ya, i just dont agree with your assessment tbh. There is far more to screens that resolution, and while im sure the regular G4 has a great screen the play version has everything you could ever want in a smartphone. Great angles, super bright, plenty of PPI to get the job done. And not sure what you mean by "measurement", how does that differ from specs? For example high end phones have AC wireless with 5ghz band, but that actually does not matter as most things you do on a phone, actually all things work perfectly fine on a 2.4ghz N connection. Its all these little things manufactuers add to phones to give the illusion they are "better", when in reality it does nothing to improve the experience.

  7. #7
    Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro (Snapdragon 650 version)

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Hextor View Post
    Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro (Snapdragon 650 version)
    Again, people really REALLY need to chill with specs on a phone. For example a quick glance at the device you suggested has two glaring flaws, it has capacitive buttons which are incredibly annoying as you WILL accidentally hit them, and it has a rear firing speaker which is the absolute worst place to put it.

  9. #9
    'Capacitative buttons' is the weakest criticism i've ever seen. Seriously, rofl.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Hextor View Post
    'Capacitative buttons' is the weakest criticism i've ever seen. Seriously, rofl.
    Just not a fan, ive had them and when using the phone in one hand or simply picking the device up they can be a real annoyance.

    The point i was more trying to make (because you specified a certain model of SOC) is how in the world do you prioritize hardware in a phone over things that actually matter, like speaker placement/volume.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Fascinate View Post
    Ya, i just dont agree with your assessment tbh. There is far more to screens that resolution, and while im sure the regular G4 has a great screen the play version has everything you could ever want in a smartphone. Great angles, super bright, plenty of PPI to get the job done. And not sure what you mean by "measurement", how does that differ from specs? For example high end phones have AC wireless with 5ghz band, but that actually does not matter as most things you do on a phone, actually all things work perfectly fine on a 2.4ghz N connection. Its all these little things manufactuers add to phones to give the illusion they are "better", when in reality it does nothing to improve the experience.
    Well, seeing as he owns both, I'm going to go with the fact that he's measured it against personal experience in using both, not the specs. No offense meant to you, but I'll trust the guy that actually owns and uses both of them.

  12. #12
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Fascinate View Post
    Ya, i just dont agree with your assessment tbh. There is far more to screens that resolution, and while im sure the regular G4 has a great screen the play version has everything you could ever want in a smartphone. Great angles, super bright, plenty of PPI to get the job done. And not sure what you mean by "measurement", how does that differ from specs? For example high end phones have AC wireless with 5ghz band, but that actually does not matter as most things you do on a phone, actually all things work perfectly fine on a 2.4ghz N connection. Its all these little things manufactuers add to phones to give the illusion they are "better", when in reality it does nothing to improve the experience.
    I tested phones as a job for UK carrier Orange (as it was then) before release acceptance, in comms with the manufacturers, for 13years between 1999-2012. As you point out, specs mean little if the implementation sucks, measurement (even subjective when you play with a lot of phones) assertains actual performance. In the case of wifi this would be throughput and latency measurements across the channel spectrums of all supported protocols with varying levels of attenuation, compared with comparative handsets and modelled/theoretical performance.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Lathais View Post
    Well, seeing as he owns both, I'm going to go with the fact that he's measured it against personal experience in using both, not the specs. No offense meant to you, but I'll trust the guy that actually owns and uses both of them.
    I know what flagship phones offer, i am simply trying to make the point that specs are legit not something you should prioritize when shopping for a phone. Yes you need a certain level of performance out of your SOC and a certain amount of ram, but beyond that you are paying for fluff that greatly increases the cost of phones for no real positive user experience upgrade.

    Camera is the one thing i would say spend a little more for, but even then there are plenty of mid range phones with cameras that can generally compare to flagships.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Hextor View Post
    Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro (Snapdragon 650 version)
    QFT. I bought this phone for my mum, its great for the price. It is a budget phone so some things (like the camera) aint top notch, but again, great for the price. Only thing to consider is MIUI (you love it or hate it, if you are into custom roms thats not a problem) and it is difficult to find a case meant for that phone (the non-international version is a little shorter in length so have that in mind). Other than that you'll love it.

    But you can probably find a newer/better phone for your money.

    Right now there are good deals at gearbest. You can get the Mi5 64GB for 225 USD with the coupon MI5GB32.

    You can also find the Redmi Note 4X (3/32) for around 160 USD (ie: 158 USD here)

    Other option could be the Zuk Z2 (4/64) for 165 USD here with the coupon ZUKBG.

    My advice is to get the Mi5 asap. For that price is a steal

    If you want to buy from Amazon, the Moto X Style, refurbished by them, is a little over 200 USD and it is an amazing phone The last Motorola flagship before they disappeared.
    Last edited by Alantor; 2017-03-18 at 12:17 AM.

  15. #15
    Banned Tennis's Avatar
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    What about something like this?

    ASUS Zenfone3 Max 5.2" 16 GB Unlocked Smartphone, Gray (ZC520TL-MT67-2G16GN-SL)

    http://www.staples.ca/en/ASUS-Zenfon...3_1-CA_1_20001

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Tennisace View Post
    Hey,

    Looking to get a cellphone for someone I know.

    They have a smartphone from 2010/2011 so I think even a budget smartphone from 2017 should be a decent upgrade. What are my options?
    If decent credit is available - You can pick up a contract iPhone 7 from US Cellular for about $35. If no contract, I'd say get the iPhone 5S ($125-150)

  17. #17
    Banned Tennis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Laqweeta View Post
    If decent credit is available - You can pick up a contract iPhone 7 from US Cellular for about $35. If no contract, I'd say get the iPhone 5S ($125-150)
    Iphone 5S seems more than that.


    Apple iPhone 5S - 16GB (Space Grey) Unlocked
    by Apple
    From Amazon : 2 new from CDN$ 453.40

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Tennisace View Post
    Iphone 5S seems more than that.


    Apple iPhone 5S - 16GB (Space Grey) Unlocked
    by Apple
    From Amazon : 2 new from CDN$ 453.40
    You can get one on Straight Talk at Walmart for either $149.99 or $199.99

    https://www.walmart.com/ip/Straight-...phone/50285046

    Could probably get it even CHEAPER on groups via Facebook (Buy sell trade groups) perhaps even Craigslist

  19. #19
    Moderator chazus's Avatar
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    I picked up a Nexus 5 recently and I've been quite happy with it. I considered the Xiaomi but ended up choosing the Nexus instead for price and options.
    Gaming: Dual Intel Pentium III Coppermine @ 1400mhz + Blue Orb | Asus CUV266-D | GeForce 2 Ti + ZF700-Cu | 1024mb Crucial PC-133 | Whistler Build 2267
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  20. #20
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Tennisace View Post
    What about something like this?

    ASUS Zenfone3 Max 5.2" 16 GB Unlocked Smartphone, Gray (ZC520TL-MT67-2G16GN-SL)

    http://www.staples.ca/en/ASUS-Zenfon...3_1-CA_1_20001
    From specs there isn't a huge amount of difference between this and the G4 Play. I haven't had my mitts on one though, so could not outright recommend. This is the best review I found of that iteration Asus-ZenFone-3-Max-ZC520TL-Smartphone-Review.

    edit - iphone hw is typically o.k for what it's running but seems to be prone to implicitly detaching from network (in reception but the device doesn't respond to page). The platform is far too locked down for me and I don't like the environment. itunes is syphilis incarnate on windows/wine and there is too much gouging on apps (the second part is opinion).
    Last edited by mmoce90cf0ffae; 2017-03-19 at 11:48 PM.

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