I need a new cell phone. My most important criteria are budget and size. I don’t want anything longer than about 5.25 inches and I don’t want to spend more than $225. I would like the most recent available version of whatever operating system I get (probably Android) meeting these criteria. A decent camera would be nice.
It should be unlocked and work with all U.S. carriers.
What should I buy and why? What should I make sure I avoid?
I like the motorola moto G series - G4 is most current.
I have also heard good things about the oneplus series which is currently at oneplus 3.
Between those two brand lines you can get a pretty good phone for around $200.
Get 2G working memory. 1G isn’t really enough for most modern usage with a few apps running. Storage, the most you can get for your money. I have 2G working memory and 32G storage on my last year’s Moto G3. at the time it cost $225.
Note these are available as unlocked phones, so you can choose your level of data/phone service to suit yourself.
Thanks misling. Unfortunately, both phones are just too big. They are both over 6" long and commensurately too wide. I would really like a smaller phone. It’s a pervasive problem with many cell phones today. Any other suggestions?
Have look AT The Blu Life 1 X2. My coworker has one and it’s a great bang for the buck.
Amazon.
The issue may be “the most recent available version of whatever operating system”. Android is on 7.0 (or 7.1.1, if you want to get specific) Nougat - but the only phones that currently have it are the higher priced kind.
Thanks swampspruce. It’s closer in size to what I want but still too big.
Ideally I’d get the most recent operating system. If that’s not possible at my price point and size, I’ll compromise. I think my current phone is Android v.4.4. Even Marshmallow would be an upgrade I could live with.
I would suggest the Moto G4 Play - the smallest G4. It’s got a 5" screen, 5.7" in height, 2.8" wide and .4" thick so it’s not too big, Lenovo has announced it will be upgraded to Android 7.1.1 soon. It’s available at Best Buy unlocked for $149. It only has 16 gigs of but it has a space for a Micro SD card of up to 128 gigs, and apps and media can be moved over to it.
The minuses are having only an 8 megapixel camera - but for the amount you save, you could buy a real damn camera with a zoom lens as well. And it doesn’t have a state of the art processor, but unless you’re a gamer, you won’t notice.
And…and this is REALLY nice…it has an easily replaceable battery! So you’re not going to be getting rid of it when the battery inevitably wears out. You just buy another battery for $20 and you’re back to full battery life!
My wife got one of these and it’s a great phone. Yeah, it’s not as thin as a freaking iPhone, but who cares? If the Samsung Note 7 had a removable battery, they could have just sent out new batteries and everything would be hunky-dory.
(posted something redundant)
Moto G4 Play has a 5" screen with a total height of 5.5", which isn’t too far off your desired max.
I added the specs from Best Buy’s site, but I’d have to measure it - no way is it nearly half an inch thick. It’s a very comfortable size, about the same as my Nexus 5X. It comes with 6.1 stock, I believe.
I wouldn’t recommend any Blu phones, just because of crapware, and there was a malware issue a month ago. The Moto units are nearly pure Android, and have virtually no crapware.
Thanks gaffe and voltaire. The Moto G4 play sounds like the leading candidate so far. I wish I could get those specs in a slightly smaller package. My current phone is under 4.4 inches long and it’s the perfect size. Even going to 5 inches is a big change. When they start pushing 6 inches they are uncomfortable for me.
gaffe, if Lenovo upgrades the OS later, could I upgrade a phone I bought today that has 6.1 preinstalled?
Yes, the Moto G4 Play has been listed as one of the units that will get the Android 7.1.1 update. Just go to “Settings” “About Phone” and “System Updates” while on WiFi and with at least 50% battery remaining.
It seems to be at the low end of the size spectrum for current phones. It sits comfortably in my hand, but then I wear large size gloves. Most of the 4.5" phones have a very old version of Android - 4.4 (aka Kit-Kat) and little to no chance they will be upgraded.
I did a little searching, and Sony does make a very small phone that runs 6.1 and is slated to be upgraded to 7 - the Xperia X Compact. It’s a better choice if a camera is really important to you, with a 23 megapixel sensor (!). Here’s a review. But it is more than twice as expensive as the Moto G4 Play.
One thing - you should visit a phone store and try phones in the 5" range, as well as smaller (if they have any). I think 5" is the bottom as far as error free text entry, but your fingers might be smaller than mine.
Thanks again, gaffa. I use a phone smaller than the Xperia X compact now with no typing problems. Some web pages don’t render right because of the lack of screen real estate but I hope a higher resolution screen will fix that. The reviewers problems with the Xperia x compact seem to be that it’s small (duh!), it has a fingerprint sensor (I won’t use it), and the graphics aren’t the best.
60% of the time I’m using my phone I’m either shopping or walking my dog. I like carrying my phone in my pocket and typing with one hand. I can’t do either with most phones on the market.
You might also check out the older Xperia Z5. But don’t underestimate the value of a fingerprint sensor - I have one on the Nexus 5X and I use it to unlock every single time I pick it up.
I researched phones last year. Moto G and Moto X were my ultimate choices.
I went with the Moto X pure. I got the 16GB because it was on sale and in stock. I know now the 32GB models are a better choice. I did buy a 32GB SD card to store videos and music.
Here’s a article that compares them. They are both great phones and are very similar.
I didn’t say anything about thickness. I was referring to screen height and total height. The bezel around the screen adds half an inch.
I was saying the thickness measurement on Best Buy’s site seemed far larger than it should be.
The web page rendering problem is handled by the web browser. I’ve found one called Pyrope that can make the Dope readable on a 5" screen.
Thanks everyone. I’ve decided on the Moto G4 Play. I like that it will be upgradeable to Android 7.1. It’s bigger than I wanted but it’s cheap enough ($150) that if I hate it, I can buy something else in six or so months. I like cheap phones because I don’t worry about breaking them. For what it’s worth, I made a similar decision with my car and I’ve had it for ten years now. I’m too cheap and lazy to shop for a new daily driver. This aversion to shopping is also why I have an outdated four-year-old phone now.
The Sony Xperia Z5 Compact looks nice but at $350, it is a little more than I want to spend. Owners also seem to complain that they break easily and Sony isn’t great about fixing them. That’s enough money that I would regret it if I broke it in three months and I’d feel stuck with it if I hated it.
I won’t use the fingerprint sensor. If the police want to search my phone they can get a warrant for me to produce my fingerprints. As of yet, in most districts, they can’t compel me to tell them my password. I will not use any fingerprint sensor. Ever.
I’d spend a bit extra to get a Moto G Play with 32 GB but it doesn’t seem to be an option. The other Moto G and the Moto X are too big. I’ll bet the Moto G Play is already too big so I’m not even going to try something bigger. I will get a new SD card. My current one holds 1GB.
I occasionally read SD on my 3.5" screen. If the new phone is at least as good as that, I doubt I’ll need another browser but it’s nice to know it’s an option.
And thanks again. Without your guidance, it would have been very difficult for me to sort out the many options out there. I really appreciated the help. I’ll update everyone with my impressions of the new phone in case that will help someone in the future.