i have a a not the best budget. lets put it at around 200$ max but would prefer to spend less.
use case is basic internet on the go, call/text, camera(im no professional photographer and dont need 4k), and occasionally music or videos.
no apple
im on verizon
battery life and reliability is a big deal for me. my current phone has survived being hit by a grinder at 11k rpm with a metal cutting blade, as well as countless drops, rain, sand, sawdust, ect and has a week long battery life if i dont use it much.
that being said battery packs are a option.
NVM not verizion
"
Compatible with GSM Networks including AT&T, T-Mobile, Straight Talk, Walmart Family Mobile, MetroPCS, Simple Mobile, Brightspot, Net10, h20 Wireless, and Cricket Wireless. This device is not compatible with CDMA Networks such as: Verizon, Sprint, and US Cellular "
Motorola Moto E4 Plus might be an option, although it’s right at the $200 mark. Performance specs aren’t anything to write home about*, but it has a 5000 mAh battery. And if it’s anything like my Moto G3 it should be fairly rugged, my G3 has had many a trip to Earth and still looks almost new.
*although it sounds like those specs aren’t necessarily what you care about anyways?
EDIT: Whatever you do, don’t get any “Prime Exclusive” phone from Amazon with that “offer” BS baked in.
If you’re on verizon, I can’t really help you there. If you’re maybe ok with a GSM carrier though, I’ve been using a Blackview BV6000 for a while now with AT&T and it’s the best phone I’ve owned around that budget so far (though that’s not necessarily saying much). Amazon says it supports WCDMA but I have no way to test that.
I consider myself to have used it long enough now that I can write a full review about it, but obviously I won’t do it here. It’s a good option to keep in mind, though, so long as you understand its limitations.
I’ve noticed that these budget phones are really where companies are starting to compete like wild dogs. I’d say give the aforementioned Asus and Motorola a look before looking at what I put up just because with those companies the QC and validation for network compatibility will likely be much better. Mine just caught my eye and I happened to be really pleased with it.
The camera is a pretty generic 8MP sensor interpolated to 13MP, with a 5MP front sensor. It’s a camera setup I’ve seen used on countless budget smartphones recently including all 3 previous Amazon phones I’ve used. They’re not terrible, but make sure you have lots of light and that your QC codes are nice and big, lol.
stills and 4160x3120 is more then enough for me. i just want to be able to take a picture of a server with dozens or hundreds of cables and be able to figure out which ones go where later when i have to put it back together.
I have a moto G4 play running LineageOS. Battery life is more than a week in standby now because no google apps. Battery is replaceable if you need that, dual sim or sim+SD, nothing special but works. Oh and 720p screen on 5" is completely fine.
If you want it to be somewhat rugged, buy something otterbox-like for it.
Should still end up being less than 150,- bucks.
For your price point you can’t do any better than the Xiaomi Redmi note 4. It’s a Snapdragon 625, paired with a massive 4100 Mah battery. For me this nets anywhere between 6 and 10 hours of screen on time over about 3 days. It’s also only $180, so right within your price range.
If you expect your phone to get a little dinged up anyway, I’d suggest buying used. There are a handful of websites that just do used phones/technology (swappa for example) so you don’t have to deal with Craigslist necessarily. You might find a smaller selection, but there’s a rotating stock so keep an eye out for something that would work for you.
and mrflags the thing about used market is half the time you get some problem no one told you about and no returns. if your new phone shows up broken you know it was the mails fault and can get a rma. if the used phone shows up broken then you dont know if you got scammed or if it was the seller if honest doesnt know if you got it working and are lying and if its legit.
if i could meet someone in person i could check it out and make sure it works before giving them the cash but its not very easy to find soomeone selling a used phone near me for a price im willing to pay with specs im happy with. and i just have to trust them when they say it’s unlocked or locked to verizon.
tl;dr i have considered it and chose to get a new one.
This phone got a lot of sh*t last year but it’s still a LG flagship. You’ll be impressed with the camera and it has a swap-able battery (Should come with two in the box). The major downside IMO is the software. LG’s software kinda sucks
