Plain and simple. Phone got stolen (Galaxy S7) and I want a recommendation for a new one. Having had a flagship phone when it came out as my first smartphone, I’ve found I don’t need all that and have decided upon the most important features to me.
Fingerprint scanner
Waterproof (Ip68 or better)
Damn good camera
Really bright screen
Fast charging
Expandable storage if less than 64gb
Ability to put on a screen protector without the edges peeling up/never actually sticking down (stupid samsung)
Wireless charging would be a plus, I guess, but I don’t NEED it and haven’t actually used it, myself, on the GS7. Front facing speakers would be really cool. But it’s mainly the first 4 desires that are top priority.
Not looking to spend flagship money, especially since I want to buy unlocked and outright instead of through Verizon and on payments again. $500 tops. All I do is call, text, internet, email, and a little youtube and messaging/snapchat and stuff. Looking to order in the next few days.
I’ve got a Xiaomi Redmi Note 4. Comparing to the S7 specs, it checks all of your boxes except waterproofing and wireless charging.
Considering that it costs $149, I think that’s fair. Even if I drop it in a pool and have to buy a new one, I’m still paying less than flagship prices.
Bonus points that it’s unlocked, uses global bands, and has dual-sim support. Xiaomi also supports bootloader unlocking, which is handy for running a Google-less LineageOS system.
Slightly better camera sensors, too. It should be noted that Samsung’s pictures are better, even though their sensors aren’t as good. Photo processing gets handled in software as much as in hardware these days, and Samsung’s pretty good in terms of their included software.
The screen is IPS vs AMOLED, which is scary if you only look at specs. In real world use, this is the best IPS screen I’ve ever seen on a phone, and is easily as crisp and bright as the AMOLED screens that were on the Google Nexus phones.
The speakers are easily the weakest part of the phone. But it’s got a headphone jack and Bluetooth, so I don’t experience a lot of issues.
Yeah, I was kinda wanting a bigger display for texting, youtube, and GPS.
Really want that waterproofing, though. So convenient to not have to worry about the possibility of any tiny drop of liquid killing it. Even at that price, it’s still an inconvenience to replace a phone. As I’m well aware now. Plus, cleaning it if I spill something sticky like coffee or soda is super simple, too.
There’s a reason waterproofing is high on the list.
I recently bought a Moto X4 and checks all the boxes except the screen protector thing. Unfortunately the front glass is 2.5D on the edges so it needs a plastic one or a really really good glass one if you don’t want edges not glued on.
Other than that I think it has plenty power to do everything day to day and what you plan to do. It’s reliable in my experience and the near stock Android Motorola skin it’s a bonus in my opinion. You can also find skins for it, if you’re into those kind of things.
I have to add one thing: I bought the unlocked one so I don’t have Amazon ads on it, it’s not the Android One either. On the Android One edition has arrived Oreo 8.1 but not on the unlocked model. Security patches are at June 1st. There’s a slight bug with the 1080p 60fps recording on the wide angle camera: it crops the image way too much so the FOV is lower than the main camera. At 30fps everything’s fine.
That’s the Amazon one. If you scroll a bit it says “effortless access to Amazon services” or somthing along those lines. Also I’m using the 4/64 one, not the 3/32, but I guess is just as good.
I’m in the EU so on Amazon we just have the unlocked 4/64 one, no other options.
LG G7 Thin Q. It just went on sale for like $ 650USD(I understand a little over what you want) I know google was offering a $100 rebate so you might be able to get it for 550ish, has micoSD card support, 3.5mm jack w/ a DAC, and has USB C that supports quick charge. Only issue I can tell is the screen can scratch easily and the battery capacity isn’t the best. I’ve owned this device for a couple months so I can’t speak for longevity.
Edit: Found it on ebay for like 495(new) using google search. I’m not sure about the seller though.
I think I’m gonna go with the G6. That’s a really good price for the phone I’m getting, and I shouldn’t have to worry about amazon ads. But there was an issue in the comments about some customers recieving carrier phones, not unlocked ones. ((T-moble, specifically)) So IDK. Still between the G6 and X4.