Android Phone - which?

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quickymart

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#208531 15-Feb-2017 23:49

Currently I use a Nokia Lumia 930. Love it to death but I think it's dying a slow death (plus I can't increase the storage with an SD card). I would like to try an Android phone to see what they're like, to make sure all the apps I use right now are available on Android.

However both Spark and 2degrees's online stores are down. So, can anyone suggest a beginner's Android phone to try (budget up to $50-$60)? I was thinking 2degrees as I've never had a phone with them. I was also looking at a Samsung phone as they seem quite popular (except for when they catch fire) however they seem quite costly. Is there a cheaper Android alternative? Not looking to spend hundreds and hundreds (at this stage) - I just want to try out an Android to see if I like it or not.

Thanks

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meow
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#1720950 16-Feb-2017 00:20

Just remember - if you're trying Android on a cheaper device remember you're dealing with a slower processor, low resolution screen as well as limited ram. It won't give you the best experience. You're best to look at a phone like the Huawei P8 Lite which will give you a very nice Android experience at a very good pricepoint.

There is the Vodafone Smart Turbo 7 (Here) currently at $69.00 that has 4G too, Android 6.0.
2degrees has the Alcatel Pixi 4 (Here) for $64.00 - is a 3G only device, Android 6.0.
Skinny (personally my favorite provider for Prepaid) has the "Skinny Swift" (Here) however only has Android 5.1 (may have been upgraded).

You go up from there. I've tried picking phones with a near stock Android experience. There are Huawai phones for example which have their own skins over Android. I've used The Warehouse as the store however there may be other deals around.

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geekiegeek

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#1720978 16-Feb-2017 05:29

You could try an Andriod emulator on a PC if you just want to see how the apps work. Or just take a look at the play store in a browser - all the Andriod apps are there.

IMO I doubt there will be many if any apps that you won't find on Andriod as it has a much bigger app ecosystem compared to Windows Phone (part of the reason Windows phone is dying the slow death that it is).

Wade

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#1721028 16-Feb-2017 09:33

You will not get a good experience on a cheap phone regardless of ecosystem imho

If you look for something around the $200~300 pricepoint that runs a fairly vanilla version of Android, has at least 2gb ram and a 1080p screen then chances are you will get a phone that you will soon grow to love and wonder why you persevered with WP for so long

xpd

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#1721064 16-Feb-2017 10:47

Wade:

You will not get a good experience on a cheap phone regardless of ecosystem imho

If you look for something around the $200~300 pricepoint that runs a fairly vanilla version of Android, has at least 2gb ram and a 1080p screen then chances are you will get a phone that you will soon grow to love and wonder why you persevered with WP for so long

This.

Im selling my 640XL and hoping to get a Meizu 3S (will play with one first to confirm its fast as the videos make it look). In meantime Im using my wifes "new/old" phone - its horrible, only has 512mb of RAM and takes FOREVER to respond to anything, even answering an incoming call.

Highly recommend you test a phone if possible before buying it, to ensure youre happy with what youre getting for your cash. Dont expect S7 like performance form a $100 phone.

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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NzBeagle

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#1721066 16-Feb-2017 10:50

xpd:Highly recommend you test a phone if possible before buying it, to ensure youre happy with what youre getting for your cash. Dont expect S7 like performance form a $100 phone.

To counter, don't expect a 10x better phone because you pay 10x as much. Plenty of good experiences from Huawei lite owners. I went from the Note 5 to the X Compact and found it just as capable, but for half the price.

richms

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#1721133 16-Feb-2017 11:55

I got a cheap vodafone smart mini android because I needed to see how an app worked on 6.0 and it is the most dire piece of crap ever. Cant run heaps of things. Not enough storage to even put facebook on it which I need to use the app I was testing. It came with a "facebook light" which may have worked, but I have never used it before and updating it used more space that it didnt have.

Put a 64 gig sd in, turned on the option to use it as phone storage and it solved nothing.

Put spotify on, to use it as a music player when mowing/other work, then went to put tidal on too. Not enough space again.

Absolutly useless crap.

If you are wanting a cheap android that has decent specs you will need to go way more than that price range.

Richard rich.ms

quickymart

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#1721476 16-Feb-2017 18:08

That's the kind of thing I'm thinking of. Hmmm. Might have to borrow a friend's phone and see how it goes.

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quickymart

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#1721612 16-Feb-2017 22:39

If it's any help, these are the apps I use a lot (and would want something similar or the same on an Android):

- Step Counter

- TuneIn

- FM Radio

- Outlook/Excel (are there even versions of Office or something similar for Android?)

- Adobe Reader

- Currency converter

- Facebook and Facebook Messenger

- Torch

- Online Maps/GPS/Directions

- Kik Messenger

- Some news app

- Skype

- Speedtest.net (app)

- Talking Ginger (for my kids)

- Teamviewer

- UC Browser (or Firefox, if available - currently I use UC and IE)

- Unit Converter

- Viber

- VLC

- Voice Recorder

- Weather

- WhatsApp

- Wikipedia (app)

- World Clock

Sorry it's such an extensive list but I wanted to cover everything...

Can someone with a (good) Android phone help me out please?

Hunter

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#1721616 16-Feb-2017 23:18

Why not try to get a second hand phone.

I have a old Samsung S3, that is quite reasonable and am using it for other things.
Don't even have a SIM card in it.
The S3 was a quite successful phone for Samsung, and am sure you can get it for reasonable price.
I upgraded to a S7, and to tell you the truth, there is almost nothing between them.
I would have been still be happy with my S3.

Just be careful with the S3, as there is problem with Android 4.4 upgrade that causes it not to be able to connect to a Wifi properly.

richms

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#1721653 17-Feb-2017 07:35

s3 is abandoned on really old androids now, so not a good option for anything. It would be like buying an iphone 5 to see what ios was like but worse.

Richard rich.ms

quickymart

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#1721995 17-Feb-2017 20:13

I might look at a Galaxy S7 - a colleague has one and they seem quite good.

Technofreak

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#1721998 17-Feb-2017 20:26

quickymart: I might look at a Galaxy S7 - a colleague has one and they seem quite good.

Yep the S7 is pretty good, though I doubt you'll find one in the price range you mentioned.

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quickymart

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#1722434 18-Feb-2017 20:38

I saw a girl on a bus today using one of these (I think):

Vodafone link

It looked quite close in size to my 930. Are they any good?

mdav056

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#1722468 18-Feb-2017 21:37

After I smashed my S4 recently, I decided to replace it with something cheaper, and got a Samsung J5 Prime. Turned out that it is better than my S4 (OK, old now) and with a 32 GB card in it, does everything I'd ever need -- and Android 6. Searched for the best price, and got Harvey N to match it (Spark wouldn't). Does me nicely, maybe it would do you nicely.

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quickymart

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#1722472 18-Feb-2017 21:41

Thanks mdav. Looking at my list above, do you think it would have all (or almost all) of the apps in that list - or something close to them?

Forgot to say, it needs a front camera too.

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