# Recommend a good entry-level smartphone **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 14, 2020, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-entry-level-smartphone/853800 "2020-05-14T19:52:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-entry-level-smartphone/853800/21 "2020-05-15T19:45:51Z")
The two phones I have right now are tbe Samsung J7 Crown I already mentioned and a Moto G6. The Moto has 1 GB more RAM, but I haven’t ran into issues with the 2 GB in the Galaxy. The Galaxy has a much better camera, though, which is important to your document scanning. You might want to look at the [Galaxy A10e](https://www.boostmobile.com/phones/samsung-galaxy-a10e.html). The camera is only 8 MP, but that might be good enough for you. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-entry-level-smartphone/853800/22 "2020-05-15T19:55:26Z")
About how much storage is required for someone who doesn’t want to store movies or games? I’ll take pics and listen to songs. Do non-game apps tend to be large? ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-entry-level-smartphone/853800/23 "2020-05-15T21:14:31Z")
I’m thinking of these ones: Motorola [https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07CHW5KMY/?coliid=I2J9QCG406ZTW0&colid=2VAW6GHURYDY0&psc=1&ref\_=lv\_ov\_lig\_dp\_it](https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07CHW5KMY/?coliid=I2J9QCG406ZTW0&colid=2VAW6GHURYDY0&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it) [https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07ZG6W4S2/?coliid=I2Y5SIKGSW4AH8&colid=2VAW6GHURYDY0&psc=1&ref\_=lv\_ov\_lig\_dp\_it](https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07ZG6W4S2/?coliid=I2Y5SIKGSW4AH8&colid=2VAW6GHURYDY0&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it) Samsung > **[Samsung Galaxy A10 32GB A105G/DS LTE Unlocked GSM 6.2" HD+ Smartphone -...](https://www.amazon.ca/Samsung-Galaxy-DS-Unlocked-Smartphone/dp/B07SCJNSRT)** > > Samsung Galaxy A10 32GB A105G/DS LTE Unlocked GSM 6.2" HD+ Smartphone - International Version, No Warranty (Blue) : Amazon.ca: Electronics [https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07XQJ33PL/?coliid=IVXQ4EOA18D1C&colid=2VAW6GHURYDY0&psc=1&ref\_=lv\_ov\_lig\_dp\_it](https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07XQJ33PL/?coliid=IVXQ4EOA18D1C&colid=2VAW6GHURYDY0&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it) > **[Samsung Galaxy A10S A107F 32GB Unlocked GSM Dual SIM (Red) : Amazon.ca:...](https://www.amazon.ca/Samsung-Galaxy-A10S-A107F-Unlocked/dp/B07XV6QYLD)** > > Samsung Galaxy A10S A107F 32GB Unlocked GSM Dual SIM (Red) : Amazon.ca: Electronics > **[Samsung J7 Star, 5.5HD Display, 13MP Camera Front/Back, 32GB Memory, 2GB RAM -...](https://www.amazon.ca/Samsung-5-5HD-Display-Camera-Memory/dp/B07KXZX4RT)** > > Samsung J7 Star, 5.5HD Display, 13MP Camera Front/Back, 32GB Memory, 2GB RAM - Unlocked (Carrier Packaging) : Amazon.ca: Electronics LG > **[LG K40 X420 32GB Unlocked GSM Phone w/ 13MP Camera - Aurora Black : Amazon.ca:...](https://www.amazon.ca/LG-X420-Unlocked-Phone-Camera/dp/B081VVCVP9)** > > LG K40 X420 32GB Unlocked GSM Phone w/ 13MP Camera - Aurora Black : Amazon.ca: Electronics ZTE [https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07RH8DZRM/?coliid=IT01A40MOJR1M&colid=2VAW6GHURYDY0&psc=1&ref\_=lv\_ov\_lig\_dp\_it](https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07RH8DZRM/?coliid=IT01A40MOJR1M&colid=2VAW6GHURYDY0&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it) Mini Soyes > **[Mini Smartphone Unlocked, Sudroid SOYES The World's Smallest Super Mini 2.5 Inch...](https://www.amazon.ca/Sudroid-Android-Definition-Phones-Unlocked/dp/B07BN983B1)** > > Mini Smartphone Unlocked, Sudroid SOYES The World's Smallest Super Mini 2.5 Inch Android Small Phone Quad Core 1G+8G 5.0MP Dual SIM High Definition Mini Phones Unlocked (Black) : Amazon.ca: Electronics Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-entry-level-smartphone/853800/24 "2020-05-15T21:39:30Z")
I would seriously avoid that tiny one at that price. If you could get it as a novelty for $20-$30, sure. But over a hundred dollars for something that will probably last approx. 0.005 seconds before failing? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-entry-level-smartphone/853800/25 "2020-05-15T21:51:01Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > About how much storage is required for someone who doesn’t want to store movies or games? I’ll take pics and listen to songs. Non-insanely high-rez photos are around a couple of megabytes each. Non-insanely high-bitrate music is around 1 megabyte per minute. So say (for instance) your phone has 16 GB of usable memory. If you split that 50/50, that will store _very_ roughly 4,000 photos and 5 days of music. But Micro SD cards are very cheap–[for $33](https://www.amazon.com/Silicon-Power-Superior-microSDXC-MicroSD/dp/B07ZR44J3D/) you can add another 30 thousand photos and another month and a half of music. > [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Do non-game apps tend to be large? Counting both the built-in undeletable damn stupid bloatware apps that Google/manufacturers/carriers insist on installing and apps I have installed myself I have around 120 apps on my phone taking up around 12 GB of space. Your bittage may vary. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-entry-level-smartphone/853800/26 "2020-05-15T22:05:06Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Probably the new iPhone SE? Hard to beat at its $399 price point. > > I don’t even own any Apple products, but if I weren’t so tied to Android, I can’t think of a better value. The Pixel 3a came out for $399 last year and it’s rumored that the Pixel 4a will be $349. From all reviews the P3a was a fantastic phone. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-entry-level-smartphone/853800/27 "2020-05-15T22:13:59Z")
Unless I get some data indicating otherwise, it’s looking like a MOtorola G6 variant vs a G8 variant. Are smartphones like GPUs in that it’s nearly always better to take the most recent one of a series? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-entry-level-smartphone/853800/28 "2020-05-15T22:16:52Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > About how much storage is required for someone who doesn’t want to store movies or games? I’ll take pics and listen to songs. Just thought about this issue–if you decide to record video of anything, that takes an obscene amount of memory. At 1080p 30fps, I can only get it down to around 2 MB per second in recording to avoid artifacts. The standard settings are much higher than that, maybe 5 or 10 MB per second. Higher resolutions than that (such as 4k at 60fps) takes much more room than that. You can compress that a lot further afterwards (at a much slower speed) but you need the space for the initial recording. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-entry-level-smartphone/853800/29 "2020-05-15T23:09:03Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Unless I get some data indicating otherwise, it’s looking like a MOtorola G6 variant vs a G8 variant. Are smartphones like GPUs in that it’s nearly always better to take the most recent one of a series? You want the one with the most recent operating system version, ideally one that the manufacturer will push another upgrade or two to. So, yeah, the most recent one is generally better. Also, the chips have gotten better, so you may get something that’s a little faster for a little less power with a new chip set. That being said, if the older one is a lot cheaper, or has some option you care about, it’s not that big a deal. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-entry-level-smartphone/853800/30 "2020-05-15T23:39:29Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Unless I get some data indicating otherwise, it’s looking like a MOtorola G6 variant vs a G8 variant. [Comparison between](https://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_moto_g6-9000.php) [the two](https://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_moto_g8-10051.php). ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-entry-level-smartphone/853800/31 "2020-05-15T23:43:58Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > I’m thinking of these ones: > > Motorola > [https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07CHW5KMY/?coliid=I2J9QCG406ZTW0&colid=2VAW6GHURYDY0&psc=1&ref\_=lv\_ov\_lig\_dp\_it](https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07CHW5KMY/?coliid=I2J9QCG406ZTW0&colid=2VAW6GHURYDY0&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it) > [https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07ZG6W4S2/?coliid=I2Y5SIKGSW4AH8&colid=2VAW6GHURYDY0&psc=1&ref\_=lv\_ov\_lig\_dp\_it](https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07ZG6W4S2/?coliid=I2Y5SIKGSW4AH8&colid=2VAW6GHURYDY0&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it) Both of these are international versions–be careful to make sure that the phone you buy supports the standard for the carrier that you are going to use. Different carriers use different standards and different frequency bands. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-entry-level-smartphone/853800.md?page=1)