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Budget Phones vs. Flagship Phones (Android)

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Motos are great if you want to save a lot of money. I really miss my iPhone and plan on going back, but if I had to stay cheap I would say it's perfectly passable.

Then again, the way I see it, cheap phones are the only reason to go with android at all. If your spending as much as an iPhone on anything else you're getting ripped off.

This is factually incorrect
 
I have a Oneplus 3, it rules. Snappy, great battery, almost stock Android, nice screen. Camera is great as well. Gf has the moto g4 plus, she's been really happy with it so far. I have a hard time seeing the added value in an 800 or 900 dollar phone if you have devices out there that are half or quarter that price and still can do everything an expensive phone can.
 
Last year flagship's can be a good way to go. P9's are <$400 and S7's are $440 on Amazon (from Amazon fulfilled sellers).
 
I bought a Galaxy S4 for 1 cent a little over three years ago (with 2-year contract at the time). It's still going strong enough for me. Last summer I bought a refurbished battery for it (for $5 including shipping), which helped a fair amount. I just can't justify spending hundreds of dollars on another phone, I'd much rather put that money towards other purposes.

Hello S4 Brother....I got the same deal years ago.

I'm still on Android 4.4.2 I love the set apps by Alphabetical list format (which you could select a letter on the side) that was taken out in the newer Android OS I believe.

Samsung%20Galaxy%20S4%20Easy%20Mode%20-%209.jpg

am I missing out on the newer OS's? should I finally update?

for the others..back about this great phone.

It has a 1080p Amoled Screen, sd card, removable battery, infrared (to control any TV and other devices)

I can't ask for more... maybe it being faster now with all these apps...and longer lasting battery.

edit- that being said I'm still curious to get the latest phones...just have to give up some features, but unfortunately I might have to give up my legit unlimited plan. :/
 
Motos are great if you want to save a lot of money. I really miss my iPhone and plan on going back, but if I had to stay cheap I would say it's perfectly passable.

Then again, the way I see it, cheap phones are the only reason to go with android at all. If your spending as much as an iPhone on anything else you're getting ripped off.

The only way I'd agree with the latter is if you think iPhones are a rip off, too.

I can think of several phones I'd prefer for build and features over an iphone, this also while leaving out what awful, awful things I have to say about iOS. Personal preference and whatnot but I'd pay more money just to never have to use iOS again.
 
5.5" @ 1080p.

Depending on where you live, you're probably better off getting the Note 4/4X, but it too is 5.5"

Xiaomi has 5" models if that's what you're looking for that are in the sub $200 range as well.

No, 5.5" is perfect!
 
A year ago I got a ZenFone 2 Laser for $200. SD615, 3GB RAM, 32GB Memory, 1080p screen. It's still going strong. I'm probably gonna replace it in another year (mostly because of the processor). At this rate, it'll be 8-10 years before I spend the same money as a flagship. And I doubt a flagship is lasting 8-10 years.

I just got the Asus Zenfone 3 Max, looked at the reviews and seems like a solid phone. I'm pass the high end phones
 
Nothing wrong with a trap phone, but personally I use my phone so much it's worth the price to me.
I doubt you've tried the phones people are talking about in here. Really the only reason to go flagship anymore is camera (imo). Perf is basically the same across everything else. Maybe android updates if that's something you worry about. Even the cameras are slowly becoming indistinguishable.

I've been eyeing a huwei 2017 gr5 for my next upgrade, but good that s8 screen looks pretty.
 
After my iPhone 6 shits the bed in a few years I'll be getting a budget android. I use my phone for a few things like whatsapp, web, youtube, camera, and podcasts so a budget android is more than enough. The only one of the above I'm worried about is the camera because the iPhone cameras are much better.

I can't believe a xiaomi 5 is about US$250 and a xiaomi red mi 4s is US$120. Like what is even the point of buying an iPhone for $1000 besides the status symbol appeal of it.
 
I doubt you've tried the phones people are talking about in here. Really the only reason to go flagship anymore is camera (imo). Perf is basically the same across everything else. Maybe android updates if that's something you worry about. Even the cameras are slowly becoming indistinguishable.

I've been eyeing a huwei 2017 gr5 for my next upgrade, but good that s8 screen looks pretty.

The camera and screen for the xiaomi red mi 4s which is the budget line is nowhere near as good as the iPhone - colors are pale and the screen is only 75% NTSC color gamut.

For about US$100 more the xiaomi 5 screen and camera is much improved, the screen is 95% NTSC color gamut.
 
Why do you need to update your phones so much. Can someone explain this? It's not like phones are heavy duty gaming machines, or something/

The only reason I have to upgrade is because I want a phone with a better camera, but software/hardware wise I can't think of a single reason to upgrade. It ran mario run and fire emblem with zero problems.
 
All I buy is motoG, one plus and nexus (now pixel)

Android wise other brands might as well not exist

Moto G is the best budget by far
 
Personally I buy previous-generation flagships. I don't need the very best (Pokémon Shuffle is the most taxing game I regularly play) and you can get pretty great hardware without the premium.

Budget phones usually come with trade-offs which end up leaving you with a compromised purchase.

Once the Galaxy S8 rolls out, pick up an S7. Now that the LG V20 is out, get a V10. Things like that.

Alternatively, go for a One or a Mi. Premium quality without the sticker shock, but expect subpar after-sales support.
 
I have a moto g 2nd gen. Phone is totally fine and I have absolutely no plans to ever change out until it completely kerspolodes.
 
Why do you need to update your phones so much. Can someone explain this? It's not like phones are heavy duty gaming machines, or something/

The only reason I have to upgrade is because I want a phone with a better camera, but software/hardware wise I can't think of a single reason to upgrade. It ran mario run and fire emblem with zero problems.

because I want too
 
After my iPhone 6 shits the bed in a few years I'll be getting a budget android. I use my phone for a few things like whatsapp, web, youtube, camera, and podcasts so a budget android is more than enough. The only one of the above I'm worried about is the camera because the iPhone cameras are much better.

I can't believe a xiaomi 5 is about US$250 and a xiaomi red mi 4s is US$120. Like what is even the point of buying an iPhone for $1000 besides the status symbol appeal of it.

If a good camera is important I'd look at year old flagships over mid range phones. The Galaxy S7 is now starting to hit around $400 with the S8 announcement and will continue to drop to a price point you might find more appealing. It's got one of the best cameras though I'm sure it'll be pushed out by some releases this year.

789fbd0e9a.jpg

camera scores from dxomark

edit: Misread "in a few years" as "this year". Regardless, look to year old phones once the new model has replaced it and you can find good deals and still get cameras near top of the line. I got my mom an LG G3 between the release of the of the G4 and G5 for less than $200 and she loves it much more than the mid-range Moto G and other phones she's had because of things like the great screen and camera.
 
I'm replacing my S5 with the S8. My S5 was draining the battery faster but I extended it's life by removing apps I didn't need. Really though most common apps do a lot better with more RAM. I feel like 2 GB of RAM means paging hard constantly.
 
If a good camera is important I'd look at year old flagships over mid range phones. The Galaxy S7 is now starting to hit around $400 with the S8 announcement and will continue to drop to a price point you might find more appealing. It's got one of the best cameras though I'm sure it'll be pushed out by some releases this year.

That's a really good point. The S7 would be way better than the latest xiaomi.
 
Why do you need to update your phones so much. Can someone explain this? It's not like phones are heavy duty gaming machines, or something/

The only reason I have to upgrade is because I want a phone with a better camera, but software/hardware wise I can't think of a single reason to upgrade. It ran mario run and fire emblem with zero problems.

I just went to HK and people there still upgrade to the latest handset whenever possible. Like everyone on the trains carry the iPhone 7. It's a status symbol thing.

When I upgraded from the iPhone 4s to the 6, it felt like a huge upgrade for me in terms of functional speed. But the iPhone 6 is still perfectly useable 2.5 years later when the 4s really wasn't. Phone tech is more or less slowing down. I'd honestly be fine with this speed for a few more years as long as the web browser is functioning.

There is the tiniest lag now when opening up the camera from the lock screen and I don't know if Apple is already gimping my phone thru software updates.
 
My S7 is starting to crap itself with weird issues like being "dead" after charge overnight that needs a forced reboot to start again, battery drainage being far quicker and open apps "minimizing" when I look at the what is open screen. I'm honestly just going to try again with Samsung's local support one more time then if that doesn't get me anywhere sell the phone off and get a PlusOne or something. Cheaper phones seem to have far less issues these days.
 
In terms of getting frequent/timely software updates, are the Google phones still way ahead of all the others? And if so, are the Pixel phones my only option?

I'm still on a Note 2 at the moment.
 
Thanks for all the responses in here. I'm definitely going budget next round...which means I might have to leave verizon
 
I have a Moto Z Play. Absolutely fantastic phone and it performs just as well as a flagship for what I do. It might slow down a little bit on the most graphically intense games but I don't really play those. Battery life is incredible, usually lasts me 2.5 days on a full charge with 8+ hours of screen on time and a few hours of Spotify streaming. You can get it for $400 new retail, or sometimes Best Buy has them refurbished for like $229.

Z play on verizon is only $240 right now ($10/month for 24 months)
 
I usually buy flagship Android phones but am currently in between phones after my old one broke and I'm waiting for the Pixel 2 so I bought a Moto G4 Plus and have been super satisfied with it so far. Holds up just fine to the major premium line phones.
 
In terms of getting frequent/timely software updates, are the Google phones still way ahead of all the others? And if so, are the Pixel phones my only option?

I'm still on a Note 2 at the moment.

Yes on the timeliness but personally I don't think it matters. No big features are being added. Instead you get emoji and vertical app draw scrolling instead of horizontal. I still can't figure out what 7.1 brought to my 5X.
 
My only issue with budget phones is the camera, which I use often so it becomes an issue .

Had a Moto G. Then replaced it by a Samsung Galaxy S6 and aside from the camera (which was shit) the Moto G did everything just as good as the S6....At less than a third of the price.

So far I'm happy with my S6 and probably wouldn't replace it in the next 5 years if these things didn't have a built in battery that gets exponentially worse over time (have had it for 2 years and it doesn't last a whole day with medium use).
I wish there was a phone with flagship tier camera but instead of being built to be super slimmer it was a bit bulkier with a bigger and replayable battery.
 
Are y'all taking care of your batteries? Lol. You're not supposed to let that shit drain to zero constantly (for those who don't know).
 
The performance is still fine on my S6 (64GB version if it matters) and I bought it at launch. Doesn't really seem any slower - I had issues of performance degrading with past phones but in my experience that largely doesn't seem to be as much of an issue anymore.

I don't install many apps, though.

The battery life isn't as good but that's to be expected. It's still decent though and I guess will last me another few years.
 
Funny, I decided to go budget today. So instead of staying with my LG G3 (and having broken my iPhone 6), I bought a Huawei P9 Lite today, and is very impressed with it. I don't know if the camera is better but it got way more camera settings to adjust and I can run Nova Launcher on top of it so it's great. I'm excited to see how the 3000mah battery will fare. I definitely expect it to be an improvement on LG G3.
 
As my Galaxy S6 starts to shit the bed (processor slow down, battery life draining 2-3x faster than at purchase, etc.) 16 months after purchase (which is exactly what happened to my S5 and my iPhone 4S before that), I'm starting to ask myself the question: does it make sense to buy a $600-$800+ flagship phone every 2 years and deal with the possibility / likelihood of "2nd year issues" or just buy a $200-$400 "budget phone" every year?

With the Moto G4, Honor 6X, ASUS Zenfone 3, ZTE Axon 7, OnePlus phones, Xiaomi phones etc., all reviewing quite well and getting better every year, this seems to be a more viable option than it was 3-4 years ago. Yes those phones are generally know to have issues (e.g. unremovable bloatware, mediocre camera, etc.) but getting a brand new phone every year sounds pretty appealing.

Anyone go that route? What has your experience been? Favorite phone to replace the flagship phones?

If you're going to get a $600+ phone, you need to buy Apple Care/Samsung Protection Plan/Moto Protection Plan/Insurance/etc.
 
The camera and screen for the xiaomi red mi 4s which is the budget line is nowhere near as good as the iPhone - colors are pale and the screen is only 75% NTSC color gamut.

For about US$100 more the xiaomi 5 screen and camera is much improved, the screen is 95% NTSC color gamut.
I guess I consider midrange "budget". i.e. $400 and less IMO right now. Maybe even $500 given that flagship phones are about to pass the thousand dollar mark.
 
Iffy for games, lacking some features (NFC), but a good all arounder for anything else. Pretty nice screen, good battery life, etc.

Think a 5 is out now though? Have not looked at it.

It is, but i was already going over my Budget when considering the G4, so the G5 was just too much at that point.

In fact i do have my newly bought G4 sitting right next to me right now, installing a system update, and i do have a question.

When i was charging the Phone i noticed that it got really warm around the camera. That's not normal is it? especially for a brand new Phone? Do i have another Note 7 case in my Hands?
 
I love my S7, but I'll be looking at something cheaper next time I upgrade. I had a 1st gen Moto G before and loved that. Hopefully Motos are still good next year!
 
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