New Smartphone Question

[Giiba]

Or buy something like a OnePlus One off ebay for $100 and only pay once. It's a good phone even by modern standards.

I think the 'update' thing is a misdirection. We know at this point most updates just slow a device down as 'features' are added; and the security thing neglects that almost all security breaches are due to user fault not software insecurity.

 

[PakkyT]

I guess, but if the math per year works out to be similar in the end, why use bottom of the barrel devices all the time?

Well we are not talking about bottom or the barrel devices (BTB). We are talking about lower cost ones that are a step or two below the flagships, but certain much better than actual BTB devices. Ones like the Motorola G7 Power tend to be middle of the road, for example, offering 3GB of RAM which isn't as good as the 4GB typically offered on flagship models but certainly better than the 2GB offered on most cheap ones. And it offers modern tech like fingerprint scanners, fast charging, big screen, etc.

So while something like the G7 Power isn't going to be as good as a current Pixel or Samsung premium model, if you upgraded again in two years to another similar phone (and still spent less than the premium phone that is now two years old) I bet your more budget friendly model would have some additional new features that your now 2 year old premium model never had and won't be getting.

Like others, my response was in line with what the original poster stated their needs are (or more specifically their lack of need of the latest and cutting edge tech), so for them, these lower prices (but not BTB) models may be a perfect choice.

 

[PakkyT]

Coincidentally, to @Carbonman , it appears Motorola is having some sort of buy one, get one free sale going on...

https://9to5toys.com/2019/10/15/moto-g6-free/

The G6 is the free phone, but if you were thinking of buying the G7 Power anyway, might as well get a free G6 thrown in as well.

 

[jdcope]

I have a Oneplus 6T and I love it. It doesn't have a headphone jack, or MicroSD, but they do include a small pigtail adapter for the USB-C port that lets you plug in regular headphones. I just bought a set of bluetooth earbuds and didnt worry about it. And they come with either 128 or 256GB of storage.

It has all the high end specs and features, but the cost was much less than the other high-end competitors (I paid $570 for mine with 8GB ram and 128GB of storage). And they just announced the 7, so they have the same 6T I have for $499 right now.

 

[jdcope]

I have a Nokia 6.1 and am very satisfied. Well under $200, plenty of features and the optional 2nd SIM slot (displaces the SD card tho) is very handy for marginal reception and travel.

My daughter had this one, and while it was a decent phone (the camera was pretty subpar IMO), when the last Android update came out, it couldnt install it because there wasnt enough storage space (she had a 32GB model, and the OS alone takes up 13GB of that). We had to remove everything else from the phone for it to download the new OS and install. Very frustrating.

 

[Carbonman]

they do include a small pigtail adapter for the USB-C port that lets you plug in regular headphones. I just bought a set of bluetooth earbuds and didnt worry about it.

I have a really nice pair of Shure 425 IEMs that fit nicely and have excellent isolation, so won't be using bluetooth earbuds for my workouts. It's often the only way I get a chance to listen to music these days so I really need the headphone jack.
I'm leaning strongly toward the Nokia 7.1 - A friend saw them on Amazon for $399 CDN and they pretty much tick all the major boxes.

 

[jdcope]

I have a really nice pair of Shure 425 IEMs that fit nicely and have excellent isolation, so won't be using bluetooth earbuds for my workouts. It's often the only way I get a chance to listen to music these days so I really need the headphone jack.
I'm leaning strongly toward the Nokia 7.1 - A friend saw them on Amazon for $399 CDN and they pretty much tick all the major boxes.

FWIW the adapter they provide works fine. Before I bought the bluetooth ones I just kept it on my headphones and it wasnt a problem.
The Nokia Android phones are pretty nice for the price. I looked at the 7.1 before I picked the Oneplus. But I wanted the 8gb ram and a better camera.

 

[agentlossing]

My daughter had this one, and while it was a decent phone (the camera was pretty subpar IMO), when the last Android update came out, it couldnt install it because there wasnt enough storage space (she had a 32GB model, and the OS alone takes up 13GB of that). We had to remove everything else from the phone for it to download the new OS and install. Very frustrating.

Why didn't you guys utilize the Micro-SD expansion? 32GB is indeed a pretty cramped space for today's media (I know because I'm currently running a Nexus 6 from 2014 with a custom ROM, this one doesn't let me expand the memory).

 

[PacNWMike]

My daughter had this one, and while it was a decent phone (the camera was pretty subpar IMO), when the last Android update came out, it couldnt install it because there wasnt enough storage space (she had a 32GB model, and the OS alone takes up 13GB of that). We had to remove everything else from the phone for it to download the new OS and install. Very frustrating.

Never had a problem with 32gb. Get an SD card for more storage. Neither I nor the IP care about the camera. I just use it to document stuff anyway. Can't see spending more hundreds for a better mediocre camera.I see it as tool so obviously you may need a different one.

 

[jdcope]

Why didn't you guys utilize the Micro-SD expansion? 32GB is indeed a pretty cramped space for today's media (I know because I'm currently running a Nexus 6 from 2014 with a custom ROM, this one doesn't let me expand the memory).

Later versions of Android are a giant pain when it comes to dealing with SD cards. Apps have to be installed to "internal" memory. And you have to set the SD card up as "internal" or "external" to use. If you only have one card and want to be able to use it on other devices, it needs to be "external" which doesnt allow you to install apps on it.

 

[jdcope]

Never had a problem with 32gb. Get an SD card for more storage. Neither I nor the IP care about the camera. I just use it to document stuff anyway. Can't see spending more hundreds for a better mediocre camera.I see it as tool so obviously you may need a different one.

I see it as a portable computer. So I spent more on it for the faster processor, storage, ram, better screen, etc. And it was stil much, much cheaper than the Pixel or Apple devices. I rarely use it as a "phone" to be honest. And I never had a problem with 32gb until that issue either.

 

[agentlossing]

Later versions of Android are a giant pain when it comes to dealing with SD cards. Apps have to be installed to "internal" memory. And you have to set the SD card up as "internal" or "external" to use. If you only have one card and want to be able to use it on other devices, it needs to be "external" which doesnt allow you to install apps on it.

Um, somehow it still seems easier to me than the process you mentioned I had no issues setting the SD card up in my Nokia 6.

I see it as a portable computer. So I spent more on it for the faster processor, storage, ram, better screen, etc. And it was stil much, much cheaper than the Pixel or Apple devices. I rarely use it as a "phone" to be honest. And I never had a problem with 32gb until that issue either.

I did that for a while, until I realized that a smartphone just doesn't replace a good, lightweight laptop. Granted I don't travel a ton, though my devices travel around the house all the time, but the frustrations of a small screen with touch input just don't hold up to the ease of a larger screen, multiple inputs and the ability to naturally sit on a surface or lap without juggling.

 

[jdcope]

Um, somehow it still seems easier to me than the process you mentioned I had no issues setting the SD card up in my Nokia 6.

Fair enough. But setting it up isn't the problem. Its the limitations you have depending on how you set it up.

 

[Carbonman]

get an iPhone 11

The problem with iPhones for my uses is that everything gets backed up to the Apple Cloud in the US. I'm a Canadian contractor with some healthcare and government contracts that don't allow their data to leave the country.

 

[gwydionjhr]

The problem with iPhones for my uses is that everything gets backed up to the Apple Cloud in the US. I'm a Canadian contractor with some healthcare and government contracts that don't allow their data to leave the country.

If you use OneDrive for Business you can have your data kept in Canada.

 

[speedy]

I think the 'update' thing is a misdirection. We know at this point most updates just slow a device down as 'features' are added; and the security thing neglects that almost all security breaches are due to user fault not software insecurity.

I think you’re right. I was a long time Samsung user, but their “updates” got out of control. Random battery discharges, random performance drops, things got really bad. On the advice of tkbslc I bought a Motorola z2 force. Brilliant phone. I think it’s had one update in the 10 months I’ve owned it so far. Sure, it doesn’t have any shiny new brightly coloured icons to fiddle with every few months, but it works. Fast. Consistently. And reliably. I could care less of it never got another update in its life.

 

[Carbonman]

Thursday afternoon I was having a conversation with a potential supplier. My Priv was set to 'speaker' and went dead with no warning. I called the person back on my land line and ordered a new phone as soon as I finished the call.
I'll have a Nokia 7.1 and a TPU protective case by next Tuesday.