Best Android circa NZD$4-500

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Jax

89 posts

Master Geek

#222581 18-Aug-2017 22:19

I want to replace my wife's ageing Moto G Gen2 for her Birthday (early Oct!)
http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_moto_g_(2nd_gen)-6647.php
She is not a super heavy user, mostly some browsing, Whatsapp, calls, sms, photos and a couple of apps. She uses 2Degrees pre-pay.

I am not familiar with all the latest brands, though have found some contenders. Wondering if anyone has any input?

Along with price, I don't want anything larger than 5.5in screen, prefer a recent release and latest Android version (and fut. updates?!) storage capacity not a big deal.
Availability via Noel Leeming is also good (I have some vouchers)

So far, I have found:

Oppo A57 / A77
Moto G5S / G5SPlus

Thanks

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89 posts

Master Geek

#1848757 18-Aug-2017 22:33

Xiaomi Mi 5X

Dial111

834 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1848776 19-Aug-2017 05:54

Similar looking to the Xiaomi Mi Mix is the Doogee mix bezeless phone, previously I've steered clear of Chinese phones except Oneplus, but you can't deny the growing emergence of the Chinese phone market, so definitely worth a look.

farcus

1138 posts

Uber Geek

#1848839 19-Aug-2017 14:31

Dial111: Similar looking to the Xiaomi Mi Mix is the Doogee mix bezeless phone, previously I've steered clear of Chinese phones except Oneplus, but you can't deny the growing emergence of the Chinese phone market, so definitely worth a look.

this phone looks like it would have only limited wcdma & LTE support in NZ

tchart

1671 posts

Uber Geek

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#1848881 19-Aug-2017 16:18

+1 for Xiaomi

d3Xt3r

647 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#1849066 20-Aug-2017 09:32

-1 for Xiaomi due to limited coverage (lacks band 28).

numfarr

329 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1849601 21-Aug-2017 08:11

Moto G5 Plus is pretty good for around $450. Has good battery life, fingerprint sensor, and is respectably fast. A little heavier than some and a micro USB instead of USB C. Android is a fairly vanilla 7.0, not sure about update prospects yet.

Mattmannz

470 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1849609 21-Aug-2017 08:27

Huawei P10 Lite. Great phone with good specs and great value. Only real downside is a glass back imho

Shindig

868 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#1849698 21-Aug-2017 10:22

How about one of the phones from the Oppo range?

The little things make the biggest difference.

elbrownos

72 posts

Master Geek

#1849727 21-Aug-2017 11:13

numfarr:

Moto G5 Plus is pretty good for around $450. Has good battery life, fingerprint sensor, and is respectably fast. A little heavier than some and a micro USB instead of USB C. Android is a fairly vanilla 7.0, not sure about update prospects yet.

Moto G5 Plus can be got from Amazon US for NZ$350 delivered at the moment.

It's the higher spec 64GB storage / 4GB RAM version too.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MR2ZFBI

gsr

111 posts

Master Geek

#1849731 21-Aug-2017 11:22

+1 for P10 lite. It comes with 2 years warranty.

jonb

1569 posts

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#1849752 21-Aug-2017 11:59

d3Xt3r: -1 for Xiaomi due to limited coverage (lacks band 28).

I disagree. Band28 4G is meaningless for most users - who cares if you access Facebook over 3G when out in the countryside?

Recommend Xiaomi 4X Pro for sub NZ$200 - great camera, high storage, nipper processor and regular updates.

rb99

1731 posts

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#1849759 21-Aug-2017 12:11

jonb:

d3Xt3r: -1 for Xiaomi due to limited coverage (lacks band 28).

I disagree. Band28 4G is meaningless for most users - who cares if you access Facebook over 3G when out in the countryside?

Recommend Xiaomi 4X Pro for sub NZ$200 - great camera, high storage, nipper processor and regular updates.

Agree with your disagreement.

Prefer the Xiaomi Note 4X. Costs a bit more, get a bigger screen. That may or may not be a plus.

rb99

tchart

1671 posts

Uber Geek

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#1849772 21-Aug-2017 12:39

d3Xt3r: -1 for Xiaomi due to limited coverage (lacks band 28).

Lolz I'd rather one less band and have the 2 major OS updates I've had in the last year then any of the other major phone manufacturers who think we don't need updates or they are at the whim of telcos.

I've never had any problems getting 3 or 4g coverage unless I'm really out in the wops.

tchart

1671 posts

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#1849773 21-Aug-2017 12:39

d3Xt3r: -1 for Xiaomi due to limited coverage (lacks band 28).

d3Xt3r

647 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#1849997 21-Aug-2017 20:20

jonb:
d3Xt3r: -1 for Xiaomi due to limited coverage (lacks band 28).

I disagree. Band28 4G is meaningless for most users - who cares if you access Facebook over 3G when out in the countryside?

Recommend Xiaomi 4X Pro for sub NZ$200 - great camera, high storage, nipper processor and regular updates.

How is "most users" relevant here? If I may remind you, we are on Geekzone, a website I dare say that attracts a lot of geeks, who might access a lot more mobile content than just Facebook - especially if you're out in the rural areas, you may depend even more on your smartphone for network connectivity. A smartphone without decent connectivity is practically useless these days.

The reason this thread exists is to explore various options, and it's important to discuss both pros and cons of recommending a device. Just because something isn't relevant to you doesn't mean it's not relevant to OP as well.

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