[Discussion] What's your next smartphone / What should I buy

[Zilberlex]

Greetings,

I would like to get a budget smartphone of the current gen (less than 200 usd+-). My last phone was redmi 7 which was pretty good and I liked it for many reasons, but there were some noticible cons which I would like to try to avoid with the new purchase.

I am not actually limited to 200USD, but I just rather have a cheap phone so i won't get upset when i break it (my last phone, the redmi 7 was dropped into the toilet after 2 years of working well )

At any rate, the redmi 7 had good performance, I did not like the software that much but it did the job. it did not have the NFC chip which i understand is now standard, and the touch screen technology was a bit weird (it is hard to explain, but the responsiveness was a bit strange and could respond to my finger without even touching it if the screen was not touched for a while in that area.) The good things about the phone were the performance and the price, but the screen brightness seemed to go down with time (maybe it was due to the battery giving away). The finger print sensor worked flawlessly and I will not go for a phone without a good fingerprint sensor - I see the redmi 11 does not have the rear fingerprint sensor which makes me a bit worried, as from my limited experience with Samsung, the front sensor in the screen sucks.

I actually liked the limited camera which came with the redmi 7, I could take decent photos with it.

At any rate, budget phone which does the job. Good performance for the price, nfc and good fingerpring sensor. Hopefully a reliable and a functioning camera.

in essence, best all rounded budget phone.

I thank anyone who took the time to read this post, and I will be especially grateful to the people who respond to me.

 

[Aperson8]

Maybe you can get another Redmi like a Redmi note 11.

I live in the UK and it is £200 as its normal price.

You can always get a Samsung A series phone as well like an Galaxy A32 5G which is £250.

Now I don't know about the availability in the US or the prices there but I hope I helped.

 

[iron-boy]

I am looking for phones which have Android 9.0. These are not going to be used as phones; rather they are going to be used by an educational organization to allow students who have hearing impairment or needing materials in another language to listen to.

The requirements are very simple: a working WIFI (2.4GHz is sufficient) in order to download the mp3 files, and to be able to play the mp3 files through the 3.5mm audio jack. If the camera, or sim or other functions do not work, they don't matter. However, it has to be at least Android 9.0.

As cost is a concern, I am looking for old phone models to flash Lineage OS 16 on to it. So long as it has WIFI and audio working, it is fine. Do you know of any phone models that would meet the above requirements? Thank you very much for any advice.

 

[t1m0thy001]

I'm looking for a 200 USD phone to install custom ROMs decent battery life, have no issues with renewed phones, iv seen I can almost get a pixel 4 for that off amazon. What other options do I have ?

 

[notm3x]

Redmi note 11, because it uses the Snapdragon chipset which can certainly make it easier when you want to root / custom rom, etc.

 

[DIYTinkerer]

Hello,

I am looking to buy a used tablet that is rootable which comes with 4g cellular for T-mobile or GSM Unlocked. I have been looking through many older common models such as Galaxy Tab A series, as well as similar models 8"-10", and i am not finding much.


Do you guys have any suggestions?

Thank you

 

[Imprezzion]

I'm currently using a S21+ which I am mostly super happy with but it has a few grievances I don't like. For one, OneUI is perfectly adequate but I like to have the ability to run custom ROMs but with Knox and everything it's very difficult to near impossible to run custom ROMs outside of GSI's on the S21 series and there's no devs. Second thing is the slow charging. I have 24/7 on call shifts and I need my phone to be able to charge fast. Also, I like new toys now and then and this beast is a little over a year old now which means I'm bored with it and it still resells for decent money now.

I bought a OP10P to test out but send it back after a day or 2 as the Auto brightness is utterly useless on OP phones ever since the OP8P which I also had before the S21+. It changes way too abruptly and is way way too dark in most cases. At least on the OP8P I could install either a ROM like EvoX or a custom kernel with root to allow FKM to edit the brightness values locking it to 30% minimum but there is no development for the OP10P at all and no kernels or whatever that allow that.

The pixel 6 pro is a no go as the 7 pro is kinda around the corner and the P6 series is not supported in my country (Netherlands) so no VoLTE / VoWiFi which is a necessity for me.

Xiaomi 12 pro would be an option but it has terrible speakers and MIUI isn't my thing either.

So, I am kinda looking for a phone that does the following: if it even exists.

Fast charging at least 65w.
Larger then a S21+ so 6.7" or above.
Good loud speakers.
Prefer a flat screen, not curved.
Custom ROM support.
Has to support VoLTE VoWiFi in the Netherlands (Vodafone).
Don't care what it costs.
No Sony as I absolutely love Sony but the narrow aspect ratio makes watching 16:9 YouTube a disaster as it gets massive black bars and looks freaking tiny.
I don't need a top of the line chipset or whatever. I only use it for VoIP calls, normal calls, WhatsApp, Outlook, and some normal content consumption in YouTube or just browsing chrome but the above requirements are usually only found in top end phones.

The only other options I have maybe is a realme gt2 pro or oppo find x5 pro hoping the auto Brightness is better on those bbk phones but I have my doubts..

I might even consider a s21/s22 ultra but it has curved screen..

Maybe a moto edge 30 pro is an option?

 

[newgen07]

Galaxy S3 is my choice

 

[jayvee1]

I thank anyone who took the time to read this post, and I will be especially grateful to the people who respond to me.

There are a lot of great phones in your price range. If you enjoy rooting androids then for about $30 you can buy a refurbished Samsung SM-A015, Its perfect for watching the internet. Another inexpensive option is the SM-A025 can be bought for under $60. Both those phones are great values but definitely need to be debloated and have a custom ROM installed for maximum enjoyment. For around $100 you can get various Moto G phones which are great stock and have a great modding community. A refurbished Pixel 4a can be bought for between $120 -$160 which is an awesome phone. If you want high end feel an LG V60 thinq can be found in the $200 range and it is a speedy phone with 8g of ram while possessing a housing that feels great in your hands. Last but not least you can get a new one plus nord n200 5g for under $200 or refurbished one plus 7 pro for around $200. These are phones that I come across often and am familiar with. My wife uses a nord n200 instead of an S22 or LG V60. Hope that helps.

 

[kpek]

hi, I am looking for a small rugged phone with ability to use custom OS. Does anybody has any suggestions?

thank you in advance.l

 

[kurdiak]

Hi everyone, I would like to buy Tecno Pova 3, it looks nice with good battery, but I am asking if anyone had rooted this phone, because I found that some people had camera issues ( not working) after rooting other models of tecno. I found posts about rooting Infinix hot12, but that has much less properties compared to tecno Pova3. I am searching for a budget phone with acceptable camera, and appealing phone that could be rooted. I dont want to buy a phone that cant be rooted or develop issues after rooting. if any one have some experience, please answer.
Note, I know that Xioami phone are easier to root, but the price range are somewhat much higher.

 

[anselmakraus]

Been thinking of buying the phone 1 from Nothing. It just looks cool!

 

[Vibler]

Hello,

have started new thread, need recommendations

What phone/hardware with 48MP + optical zoom + good alternative ROM?​

 

[DerrickTight]

Anyone know an easy way to find out what phones are on the market that have a big and active custom rom community? I really am missing the good ol days when Nexus phones were always getting roms with tons of updates. Do Redmi phones get alot of custom rom support? Poco? I figured it would probably be the phones that are popular in India. Anyway let me know if you can.