Making the 2023 !android@lemmy.world Buying Guide: Low End

Yeah...

Sorry this is a week late. Too busy funposting elsewhere on Lemmy this week.

Previously on Lemmy:

Buying Guide: Midrange

Past Discussions:

Not much to write about, rules are the same as the one for midrange guide. Price range would be 0-300 USD for the States, and use your local currency as appropriate.

I would like to see people list some interesting budget models that we don't usually talk about here this week for sure.

18 comments

If I were to buy my own cheap phone, from my preferred local store, I would be limited to pretty much Samsung, and Chinese phones such as Xiaomi.
From experience using an extended Wifi (open area, multiple routers and extenders), Samsung models seem to have the most problem on the edges. People with Chinese phones (and in general, iPhones) don't seem to have this problem. So, Samsung is out for me. I would consider Samsung if my regularly-used Wifi signal is strong.
These damn phones last more than 3 years. Having a 2-3 year update policy (normal for cheap Chinese phones) are pretty wasteful. Therefore, the phone should be likely to support custom ROMs. For this purpose, Xiaomi is it.
Xiaomi models come with either MediaTek or SnapDragon CPUs. Since phones are often used a security device (2nd factor and such), having a hardware-backed storage is something to be desired. For this purpose, SnapDragon is it.
Two models I end up with:
XIAOMI Redmi Note 12 4G (8+256) ~USD$ 172
CPU : Snapdragon 685 (Octa-Core 2.8GHz)
RAM : 8GB LPDDR4X
ROM : 256GB UFS2.2
Display : 6.67" AMOLED 120Hz
Back Camera : 50.0MP + 8.0MP + 2.0MP
Front Camera : 13.0MP
OS : MIUI 14 (Android 13)
Battery : 5000 mAh
XIAOMI Redmi Note 12 5G (8+256) ~USD$ 245
CPU : Snapdragon4 Gen 1 (Octa-Core 2.0GHz)
Back Camera : 48.0MP + 8.0MP + 2.0MP
OS : MIUI 14 (Android 12)
Rest same as above.
Sorry about no price ranges. This store usually sells phones on the lower half of the spectrum, though. So, let's say they are mid prices.
I would personally would grab the 4G version. Faster CPU. Possibly newer Android. I am on Wifi most of the time. Don't need 5G.
- Yea, if your area sells Xiaomi phones, they're very hard to beat. The Note series at this stage offers fast refresh OLED screens, a decent SoC, cameras, and enthusiast favourites like SD card slot and headphone jack. Shame the higher end versions drop the card slot, but you do get OIS in the main camera. All-in-all a very complete package that is hard to beat.
- What do you think of the Redmi 12 (aka POCO M6 Pro)? Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 but 6 RAM + 128 memory. Rest same as Note 12 4G.
  
  Snapdragon 4 Gen 2
  I dislike my apps being dropped by the OS at 8GB, so I personally think a 2GB upgrade is worth it. 128GB would be enough for me too, though. Overall, I think 6GB is usable, but I personally would upgrade.
- These are within the price range, so you're good.
  How are the receptions on these Xiaomi phones in the States? I don't think they support a lot of the US LTE bands.
  
  Regarding the US reception, I don't know. 🤷‍♂️ But,
  The 4G has this Xioami spec:
  2G: GSM: 850 900 1800 1900MHz
  3G: WCDMA:1/5/8
  4G: LTE FDD:1/3/5/7/8/20/28
  4G: LTE TDD:38/40/41
  The 5G has this Xioami spec:
  2G: GSM: 850 900 1800 1900MHz
  3G: WCDMA:1/2/4/5/8
  4G: LTE FDD:1/2/3/4/5/7/8/20/28/32
  4G: LTE TDD:38/40/41
  5G: n1/3/5/7/8/20/28/38/40/41/77/78
  So, for connectivity, 5G is the way to go.
- Ive been using XIAOMI REDMI NOTE 10 and it was rly nice budget phone. But I had huge problem with proximity sensor not working properly. I have many phone calls every day and 50% of them would end up being on hold or muted by mistake. The sensor doesnt turn off the screen when I put it on my ear, then I probably press the button with ear... It sucks hard, it was first time I replaced quite new phone. Ive read that some models dont use sensor, but they use camera instead. Is redmi note 12 having the same problem do you know?
  
  Thanks for sharing, but I don't know since I don't own it.

Samsung Galaxy A14
Cons:
Samsung apps
Can't unlock bootloader without making phone more insecure
One speaker
Pros:
Heaphone jack, sd card, NFC, good fingerprint reader
Good performance (I don't play games though)
Good battery life
- Got a recommended price for it?
  
  200 dollars with 64gb internal storage

OnePlus 10 Pro/T. You can get a pre-owned model for < $300, which is excellent value for money, considering the specs: SD 8/+ Gen 1 | Adreno 730 | 8GB RAM |128GB storage | 5000mAh
And since this is only last year's model, you'll still get updates for a good while, so I'd easily recommend something like this over an official low-range/budget phone.
- Renewed/pre-owned ones are risky buys though, battery degradation is something to be concerned about these, I think.
  
  One year isn't a big deal at all in terms of battery degradation. Besides, you could always ask the seller first to check and declare the battery health before you make a decision (this info is available in the settings on OnePlus devices). Also, sites like eBay and Swappa offer buyer protection so it's fairly safe to buy from there, if there's any issues or discrepancies, the site will issue a refund.

The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G looks like a crazy deal. My mom broke her phone and doesn't need anything fancy, and as today's Google Store discounts were disappointing, I finally went for a Nord CE 3 Lite and ordered one for €279 on Amazon.
At that price you get 8GB of RAM, a Snapdragon 695 SoC, 120Hz display, 128 GB of storage, and apparently a low-bloat UI based on Android 13. Haven't received the phone yet but reviews on YouTube seem to be positive and it does look nice too.
They offer 2 major Android updates and 3 years of security updates.
- Update: Tried it with my mom, it definitely feels like a good mid-range and it's very responsive (and she liked it a lot). It looks and feels as good as in the YouTube reviews, they include a transparent case and they preinstalled a screen protector. So I guess you should definitely check it out if €279 is within your budget.

Another recommendation is Xiaomi's other sub-brand Poco. I noticed the current models sacrifice the camera capabilities with lower spec hardware, but what you get back is usually a better SoC for the price.

18 comments