Budget Android Phone

[Pele_Is_God]

Looking for a new phone, up to about £200. Not a fan of big screens, just need it for text,phone,email etc. Any recommendations?

[heartsfc_fan]

Moto G range phones are affordable.

We give out these to non-executive staff at work. A few to choose from:

 

https://www.motorola.co.uk/moto-g-family

 

 

Look at the G9 and G10 variations.

The power models have big batteries.

Plus models big screens.

Play models the budget version but still decent devices.

They run near stock android so no bloatware apps etc.

 

 

The Xiaomi phones are also decent. So are Oppo.

[heartsfc_fan]

Xiaomi website:

 

 

https://mobile.mi.com/uk/

[Seymour M Hersh]

Here's one.

 

 

[Glottis]

just get on amazon and have a nosey.

 

Xiaomi are absolutely cracking phones.

Be wary or Honor/ Huawei because they might not have google play

[IronJambo]

Pocophone X3 NFC. Currently a bargain https://mobile.mi.com/uk/poco-x3-nfc/_gl=1*pb5smz*_ga*Njc4MjUyMzMuMTYxODU3ODMwMw..*_ga_M7BZ346GN7*MTYyMTM3MzMzOS43LjEuMTYyMTM3MzU1Mi4w

 

A large screen unfortunately, but it's hard to buy a smallish decent specced phone.

[IronJambo]

Beware of Motorola. It can be very hard to get their screens replaced by a third party and they want over £50 in postage and "assesment costs" before they'll even give you a price for a screen replacement. It's not really worth it for a sub £200 phone, hence how I've had a crack in mine for over 6 months. Harsh as they're decent for the money.

[Footballfirst]

I bought a Xaiomi 10T Lite a few months ago. It does everything I need and has a decent camera. It is also 5G compatible, which I don't need at the moment, but may become standard in a year or two.

 

You can get a sim free version for £200 on Amazon.  

https://www.amazon.co.uk/XIAOMI-10T-Lite-DotDisplay-Snapdragon/dp/B08JMCXHZ9/ref=asc_df_B08JMCXHZ9/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=499438981598&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14123246808914743584&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007326&hvtargid=pla-1209446289968&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

[Ulysses]

3 hours ago, Pele_Is_God said:

Looking for a new phone, up to about £200. Not a fan of big screens, just need it for text,phone,email etc. Any recommendations?

 

My work gave me a Samsung Galaxy A41 to replace my previous shitbox, and it's pretty decent.  You can get one new and not locked to a network on Amazon UK for in or around £200.

 

You can also pick up the Samsung Galaxy A21s on Amazon for around £190, or a little less if you sacrifice a bit of RAM.  It's well rated for battery life.

 

 

EDIT: I should say that the screens on those aren't exactly small.  It's hard these days to find and recommend a phone with a smaller screen.

 

Edited May 19, 2021 by Ulysses

[professorfate]

I like Motorola phones the king of budget phones

[dobmisterdobster]

Buying a brand new budget/mid-tier phone will ALWAYS be better than buying an older flagship phone from Cex.

Technology moves so fast.

[Harry Potter]

7 hours ago, professorfate said:

I like Motorola phones the king of budget phones

was my 1st brick phone in the year 2000.

[Restonbabe]

13 hours ago, IronJambo said:

Pocophone X3 NFC. Currently a bargain https://mobile.mi.com/uk/poco-x3-nfc/_gl=1*pb5smz*_ga*Njc4MjUyMzMuMTYxODU3ODMwMw..*_ga_M7BZ346GN7*MTYyMTM3MzMzOS43LjEuMTYyMTM3MzU1Mi4w

 

A large screen unfortunately, but it's hard to buy a smallish decent specced phone.

This. 

Either go onto amazon look for umidigi. 

Released a new a11 think it's £125. Android 11 

Has everything you need. 

[Spellczech]

18 hours ago, professorfate said:

I like Motorola phones the king of budget phones

I remember doing some work at Motorola in late 90s at Bathgate and the chief engineer telling us that the famous clamshell design had a fundamental design flaw..."it breaks in two"🤣

[Ulysses]

12 hours ago, jonesy said:

https://www.nokia.com/phones/en_gb/nokia-800-tough/specs

 

Never had a problem with my 2.4 inches.

 

It's not the size that counts, missus, it's what you do with it. 

[Alan_R]

Doogee are great. (Spainish brand, made in china- like everything else)

 

Big batteries! I go hiking and running so I like their rugged range (waterproof, good sensors for tracking etc)

 

Currently I using Doogee S60 lite.

5.5 inch screen. 5600mah battery. £120ish

 

It's been superseded by the s59 pro with a 5.7 screen. £160ish

 

If you don't want the big chunky rugged phone their BL series is good. You can still pick up the BL5000 or BL7000 online for cheap. Although they'll be newer versions now.

 

Previous phone was the BL5000 and I even had the X90 as a spare phone (best phone for under £50, challenge anyone to beat that value but only 3G so outdated now)

 

One disclaimer I'd say their cameras aren't the best but still very usable as long as you aren't a would be photographer.

 

www.doogee.cc

 

Another brand I'd check out is cubot. Which myself and family have had successfully in past.

 

www.cubot.net

 

[Marvin]

On 18/05/2021 at 21:24, Pele_Is_God said:

Looking for a new phone, up to about £200. Not a fan of big screens, just need it for text,phone,email etc. Any recommendations?

 

I've got a Motorola G8+ Paying 40odd per month. I'm not fussed about the latest phones either, but this suits my needs. 

 

Edited May 20, 2021 by Marvin

[Tommy Brown]

On 18/05/2021 at 23:09, Footballfirst said:

I bought a Xaiomi 10T Lite a few months ago. It does everything I need and has a decent camera. It is also 5G compatible, which I don't need at the moment, but may become standard in a year or two.

 

You can get a sim free version for £200 on Amazon.  

https://www.amazon.co.uk/XIAOMI-10T-Lite-DotDisplay-Snapdragon/dp/B08JMCXHZ9/ref=asc_df_B08JMCXHZ9/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=499438981598&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14123246808914743584&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007326&hvtargid=pla-1209446289968&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

 

On 18/05/2021 at 22:37, IronJambo said:

Pocophone X3 NFC. Currently a bargain https://mobile.mi.com/uk/poco-x3-nfc/_gl=1*pb5smz*_ga*Njc4MjUyMzMuMTYxODU3ODMwMw..*_ga_M7BZ346GN7*MTYyMTM3MzMzOS43LjEuMTYyMTM3MzU1Mi4w

 

A large screen unfortunately, but it's hard to buy a smallish decent specced phone.

Either of these 2, same make.

On your advice, I bought a Pocophone two years ago. Great phone, althogh never found the photos hat great.

I got a Samsung Galaxy A71 from work, otherwise I would have bought the Pocophone abovemost likely.

[IronJambo]

1 hour ago, Tommy Brown said:

 

Either of these 2, same make.

On your advice, I bought a Pocophone two years ago. Great phone, althogh never found the photos hat great.

I got a Samsung Galaxy A71 from work, otherwise I would have bought the Pocophone abovemost likely.

Pocophone allegedly broke away and are meant to be independent from Xiaomi now. They still use MIUI though 🤔

[Alan_R]

Specs on the poco look decent but it's MASSIVE, almost 7inches!?

 

Deal breaker there as it renders it impractical for nearly everything for me.

 

Granted it's marketed as a gaming phone

Edited May 20, 2021 by Alan_R

[IronJambo]

51 minutes ago, Alan_R said:

Specs on the poco look decent but it's MASSIVE, almost 7inches!?

 

Deal breaker there as it renders it impractical for nearly everything for me.

 

Granted it's marketed as a gaming phone

You're going to struggle to find a decent smallish phone that's got a reasonable spec at that price point. Your biggest challenge is going to be finding a sub 6 inch phone. The manufacturers think we all want laptops in our hands. You'll often find in the budget ranges that the poorest of specs are put into the smaller packages.

 

I've a Samsung galaxy xcover 4s for work. There's absolutely nothing remarkable about it but it's very functional and doesn't freeze/crash. Has 4gb ram I think which is as low as you can go without it being an issue. 5 inch screen I think. Small battery but lasts well. Looks to be bang on budget.

 

Might just be the type of thing you're after https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Enterprise-Dual-SIM-Android-Smartphone-Black/dp/B07VK9MMPB/ref=asc_df_B07VK9MMPB/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=375379592107&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18280368707636785918&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006906&hvtargid=pla-806822750141&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=85278568788&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=375379592107&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18280368707636785918&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006906&hvtargid=pla-806822750141

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 20, 2021 by IronJambo

[Alan_R]

1 hour ago, IronJambo said:

You're going to struggle to find a decent smallish phone that's got a reasonable spec at that price point. Your biggest challenge is going to be finding a sub 6 inch phone. The manufacturers think we all want laptops in our hands. You'll often find in the budget ranges that the poorest of specs are put into the smaller packages.

 

True, also the pathetic batteries of alot of phones.

 

Screen size was one of my top criteria as well as battery life as I'd be carrying in a running belt.

 

I got the doogee S60 (5.5inch screen) about a year ago.

 

And the doogee s59 is 5.7inch screen.

 

 A heavy phone user and I can live with the slightly reduced specs.

 

Annoying so many phones are that massive as it put me off loads of otherwise good ones.

 

 

[Ulysses]

2 hours ago, IronJambo said:

You're going to struggle to find a decent smallish phone that's got a reasonable spec at that price point. Your biggest challenge is going to be finding a sub 6 inch phone. The manufacturers think we all want laptops in our hands. You'll often find in the budget ranges that the poorest of specs are put into the smaller packages.

 

I've a Samsung galaxy xcover 4s for work. There's absolutely nothing remarkable about it but it's very functional and doesn't freeze/crash. Has 4gb ram I think which is as low as you can go without it being an issue. 5 inch screen I think. Small battery but lasts well. Looks to be bang on budget.

 

Might just be the type of thing you're after https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Enterprise-Dual-SIM-Android-Smartphone-Black/dp/B07VK9MMPB/ref=asc_df_B07VK9MMPB/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=375379592107&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18280368707636785918&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006906&hvtargid=pla-806822750141&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=85278568788&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=375379592107&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18280368707636785918&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006906&hvtargid=pla-806822750141

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had the XCover 4 (not 4s).  It was the absolute pits, but it was running on feck all RAM.

[IronJambo]

8 hours ago, Ulysses said:

 

I had the XCover 4 (not 4s).  It was the absolute pits, but it was running on feck all RAM.

😂 Mine is only used for work and it seems to deal with basics OK which is all I can judge it on. It's probably better than my rubbish Motorola g 5g plus.