Looking for new phone

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MurrayM

1995 posts

Uber Geek

#277352 9-Oct-2020 14:59

My partner is beginning to make noises about wanting a new phone for Christmas. She's got a bee in her bonnet about wanting one with triple cameras (I think she read something positive about them somewhere, and while she's not a photography geek she does enjoy trying to take nice photos). She also said she'd prefer a smaller phone over a larger one. Can anyone recommend something that is half decent and meets the following requirements:

Android 9+
Triple cameras
3GB RAM minimum
<= $400
Available in NZ
For the Vodafone network
Must be able to play Pokemon Go reasonably well

I've looked at the following:

Samsung Galaxy M11, $299 from Parallel Imported
Samsung Galaxy A21s, $329 from Parallel Imported (review on GSM Arena was mostly positive but felt it was underpowered and the camera wasn't as good as other phones in the price bracket)
Vivo Y12, $269 from PB Tech (I've never heard of this brand before)
Motorola Moto G8 (2020), $348 from PB Tech

I haven't really looked at Huawei as my understanding is that their newer phones don't have access to the Google Play Store and I really don't want to have to side-load apps or use their own limited app store.

Any other recommendations I should have a look at? At the moment I'm leaning towards the Motorola Moto G8 but all of the above phones are largish and I haven't found any luck finding a smaller phone (eg < 6") that meets the other requirements.

rknz

11 posts

Geek

#2581960 9-Oct-2020 15:26

I was going to recommend the Oppo A91 which recently had a price drop - down to $437 at PB Tech and $448 at Noel Leeming, but it seems just as I look now the price has jumped back up to $600.

Was a great buy for my wife who is very happy with it. Oppo are running a promotion where you also get a bonus HP Sprocket printer by redemption.

Probably not as good a deal at $600, and of course is well over your budget at that price.

wratterus

1047 posts

Uber Geek

#2581962 9-Oct-2020 15:28

Oppo A52?

michaelmurfy

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9634 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2581967 9-Oct-2020 15:41

A little bit more expensive but take a look at the Huawei nova 5T - has everything you're asking for (including the Google Play store) and is getting frequent Android updates too. I bought my mother one of these and she loves it and so far this phone has really impressed me too.

The other one to look into is the iPhone SE - again, a bit more expensive but has the processor of the iPhone 11 and a very good camera also. By going with an iPhone you'll get a phone that'll last and get reliable software updates for years to come. Apple are extremely good at supporting their devices.