Under $300 IMO, that gets you a used flagship model from 1-2 years ago that isn't too much different from the current models.
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The issue is that currently the 1-2 years used flagships have a lot of issues
- Samsung S21 and S22 have bad batteries, not even talking about Exynos if OP is based in the EU
- Pixel 6 and 7 have bad connectivity and also some battery issues
- OnePlus aren't what they used to be
That reduces quite a lot what should be the main source of used flagships
Every generation has issues to be fair, I have an S21 and it's been great.
P7 only has connectivity issues in third world countries like the US. It's not a problem in Europe
I prefer older used flagships. It's hardly depends on the use case though. I don't care about camera, games or what so ever. Phone, messenger and maybe a handful of apps for social and homelab. So for me it's max 100€
This is getting to be a better and better option with Google and Samsung promising more than 3yrs of OS updates.
I use apple phones, but i usually run 3-6 years behind.
Currently have an 11 , I think they are up to 14. I don’t really see what the new models do.
Still the thick end of 250 quid.
I don’t know what people who spend 1000 tell themselves.
See the new models have a bigger number so that is better
That I had a savings goal that I put a dollar a day into for three years to get there lol.
It's funny, I bought an s9 plus at launch and was recently "kicking tires" thinking of upgrading.
Looked at the recent crop and from my judgement, they're about 15% better than this one for the things that matter to me. For only $2,000 CAD
Looks like I'll be having the screen and battery replaced and keeping this for another 7 years.
These questions are so exhausting.
How much does a car cost?
Look, you have to figure out what you need and what you can afford and then research it.
$2,000,000,000
This comment was sponsored by big tech
I tend to limit myself to max €100 per expected year of use. It's just a phone to me. My Nokia 6.1 was €300 and is still working. Main requirement is the availability of an alternatuve rom for it.
Yup, I also budget 100 euros per year. I tend to buy phones around 400 euros myself, they need to last 4 years before I buy a new one.
Currently on a Poco F2 Pro with LineageOS, still needs to live for a couple of years.
Divide the total cost by how many years of OS updates are given by the manufacturer.
This, plus make sure it's hardware security updates too, and not just OS updates. Some disenguious vendors like to confuse the two terms in their favor. I.e. fair phone.
Could you please elaborate what you mean by saying “hardware security updates”?
Security updates from the hardware vendor. Classically Qualcomm and their system on a chip driver security patches.
For me its 250-350. I can usually get a 1 or 2 generation older flagship device at that price, refurbished.
250-350 of what currency?
Pixel A series for $300 is a good deal, or just deal with the OnePlus models. I don't use my mobile much anyway
Value is subjective.
When the Pixel 7 came out it was incredibly good value for money. Buttery smooth, high quality cameras, best quality android experience $500. Unbeatable, and made the A series not worth it that year.
This year I'd probably say the pixel 7a.
Whatever the most recent cheapest Pixel costs
I thought maybe if I buy flagship Samsungs, I won't have those problems I had with Xiaomis, unpredictable bugs, slowing down, also maybe Samsungs have better build quality...
tho I don't have those and yeah, much better build quality, my Note 20 Ultra still had issues where warranty replaced almost the whole phone - after one year. My Fold 4 cracked its own inner screen by the peeling off screen protector, which costed me with a one time offer around 150USD. Again, in one year after buying.
the price don't matter. it's just pure luck at this point.
I used to buy phones for around 150USD. tho this trend of mine was only possible 5-10 years ago.
My BlackBerry Z10 and Z30 costed me this much, and those were the best smartphones I ever had and will have.
after this Fold 4, no idea what will I get, but I hope for several more years, this won't be an issue.
Yeah, just find a phone that was cutting edge 3-4 years ago. get it used off amazon or wherever for like $200-300. I bought my Samsung Galaxy S10 like 4 years ago, it still runs amazingly well.
This is going to be even better with 7 years of updates on flagship smartphones from Google, samsung and Fairphone going forward. Your phone would still be updated and fairly secure by the time you get it.
It depends. If you can find good deals then any phone within $300-$500 should suffice. They are for the most part quite similar.
My current one cost $350. It has 12GB of ram, 1TB of fast ufs 3.1 storage. A 120hz curved amoled display with HDR support(on youtube). Also supports 67w fast charging. Plus, stereo speakers and a capable dimensity 7050 Soc. The camera is also nice with OIS.
I was considering a midrange Samsung. But, the deal(1Tb of storage and 12gb of ram, within $350) was too good to let go and Samsung wasn't providing any price cuts to justify the price. So, I made the choice. YMMV. Good luck.
Which phone is it? My pixel 5a's camera just gave out and I'm in the market.
250€ because I spent that much 18 months ago and still super happy
My general rule of thumb when getting a cheap device:
- want the cheapest device even if it has dubious ads and tracking: xiaomi
- want a relatively cheap device and ok with first party ads/promotion and tracking: low end Samsung
The thing with cheap device is it's not guaranteed to have 3rd party roms available, and even if one exists, it's not guaranteed how long they'll be maintained, so it's not a factor when I'm trying to get a very cheap device.
I paid for the Pro version of the Pixel on my last go round, and I have to say it wasn't worth it at all. Unless you're doing gaming on your phone, the previous year's flagship is almost definitely good enough. Or go for the non-Pro if you don't care that much about the camera.
I wouldn't spend more than 300 bucks
The best value smartphone on the market is the Fairphone 5. 70 euros per year, amortized over 10 years. Compare with a cheap, slower, but more expensive to repair Samsung A14, which would only last 2 years before the battery starts dying, and cost 85 euros per year over that time.
I spent £250 on my Motorola G73 and am very happy with it
I typically buy a new flagship on sale and hold it for 4-5 years. Buying a new $300 phone means you start with mid-range performance and go down from there over time. This means you'll either have a really slow phone for the last year or two or you'll need to replace it sooner.
Depends on what phone you get and where it cuts the corners. The Snapdragon 845 in my Poco F1 is still plenty fast 4 years later. The camera is still respectable even today.
The plastic body and shitty LCD screen aren't great, but that was already there when I got it.
I paid NZ $469 for my current Samsung A31 almost four years ago, I wasnt fussed about the camera but wanted a 3.5 mm jack and lots of storage. Its now looking fairly shabby but still works well. I'll use it until its dead and get another phone around the $400 mark. Midrange, not top end, but not a budget phone either. It needs to do a number of jobs (play music, navigation, web surfing, record rides and hikes, camera, find cheap gas, tell me how much UV dosage I'll get at any particular time, weather, messaging on 3-4 apps plus calls of course) and be reasonably robust. Style and status dont come into it, I dont care about any of that
Best value is around 300-400 $
But it depend on what you need on your phone, and you need to choose well.
https://www.kimovil.com/ has some good comparison.
I think it depends on your use case and how strapped you are. Unless you're gaming, you don't need a super performant phone these days. Anything midrange will perform around the same as a flagship in normal phone tasks. What does matter is the form factor, battery life, and support window.
That being said, I basically only recommend the pixel series these days, because they support grapheneOS and they're just cheaper than other phones with that long of a support window.
Samsung and Motorola do make some nice hardware though.
Somewhere between 300-500 Prioritising getting a decent chipset over the rest of the features, because having all the gimmicks doesn't matter if the phone feels slow after a few years of updates.
300-500 of what currency?
Euro, although it should still apply to dollars since phones tend to be a bit more expensive here.