Anyone know much about budget end/brand phones?
Discussion
Evening ladies and gents.
I think its finally time for me to change my current phone. Its a 4/5 yr old Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact. It was a decent phone in its day, and back then I was still throwing £35+ at EE every month and having new highish end phones ever 18/24 months. For the last 2 years or so I've been on Smarty, and between the wife and me are saving £800ish a year, but has meant phones have had to last. Mine still works, although does freeze for a few seconds every now and then, but the biggest thing is the USB C port is knackered and loose the charging lead drops out at the merest touch. I've tried new leads and they're all the same, so it is the phone. Usage wise all I really use it for (outside of actual phone functions, voice and various messaging apps) is camera for pics of the kids, browsing, youtube, and as the screen on the controller for my drone. I don't do any gaming or anything particularly processer hungry. Given I'm happy with the performance of what was a decent spec'd, but not top end, phone when it was new, anyone got any recommendations of bottom end, or non-big brand phones that would suit me? With even used branded phone going for £200+, I was thinking of spending £100-£200. The only feature I would probably pay a bit extra for is wireless charging, but that may be driven in part by the unreliability of the charging of my current phone. Non of my current cars have wireless charging (although may be changing cars so something newer that would in the next year or so), so about the only place I'd use it is by the bed.
Google has thrown up a few relatively unknown Chinese brands like Xiaomi, with a couple of them ~£200 coming with wireless charging and cameras that seemingly leaps and bounds above my Sony. Until now I'd only thought of off brand phones as the kind of thing you buy your gran as a step up from an old Nokia, but it seems they've done some catching up with the bigger brands but at much better prices.
The only other requirement is nothing too big. Much more than the size of my Sony and its uncomfortable to have in my pocket all day, especially as I've also usually got my work supplied iPhone in there as well.
Any recommendations would be great,
Thank you
I think its finally time for me to change my current phone. Its a 4/5 yr old Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact. It was a decent phone in its day, and back then I was still throwing £35+ at EE every month and having new highish end phones ever 18/24 months. For the last 2 years or so I've been on Smarty, and between the wife and me are saving £800ish a year, but has meant phones have had to last. Mine still works, although does freeze for a few seconds every now and then, but the biggest thing is the USB C port is knackered and loose the charging lead drops out at the merest touch. I've tried new leads and they're all the same, so it is the phone. Usage wise all I really use it for (outside of actual phone functions, voice and various messaging apps) is camera for pics of the kids, browsing, youtube, and as the screen on the controller for my drone. I don't do any gaming or anything particularly processer hungry. Given I'm happy with the performance of what was a decent spec'd, but not top end, phone when it was new, anyone got any recommendations of bottom end, or non-big brand phones that would suit me? With even used branded phone going for £200+, I was thinking of spending £100-£200. The only feature I would probably pay a bit extra for is wireless charging, but that may be driven in part by the unreliability of the charging of my current phone. Non of my current cars have wireless charging (although may be changing cars so something newer that would in the next year or so), so about the only place I'd use it is by the bed.
Google has thrown up a few relatively unknown Chinese brands like Xiaomi, with a couple of them ~£200 coming with wireless charging and cameras that seemingly leaps and bounds above my Sony. Until now I'd only thought of off brand phones as the kind of thing you buy your gran as a step up from an old Nokia, but it seems they've done some catching up with the bigger brands but at much better prices.
The only other requirement is nothing too big. Much more than the size of my Sony and its uncomfortable to have in my pocket all day, especially as I've also usually got my work supplied iPhone in there as well.
Any recommendations would be great,
Thank you
I can't really help a great deal with recommending a phone, I'm in the same boat with my 3 or 4 year old Huawei, but re the charging socket, have you tried picking out the pocket fluff from inside it with a sewing needle? I find I have to do that every 6-8 months 
.
FWIW though, I'm interested in the new Nokia range when the time comes. Seems great value for money to me.
.FWIW though, I'm interested in the new Nokia range when the time comes. Seems great value for money to me.
I've had a Xiaomi phone for about 9 months.
It's been very good. I only paid £114 for it and it punches far above that.
They are on the big and heavy side though, the payback being good battery life as the battery is huge.
The operating system is not as fluid as some other brands but fine after a bit of tweaking.
It's been very good. I only paid £114 for it and it punches far above that.
They are on the big and heavy side though, the payback being good battery life as the battery is huge.
The operating system is not as fluid as some other brands but fine after a bit of tweaking.
I just buy a Motorola phone for £150 ish every two or three years.
I then have an unlimited everything SIM from Three for a fiver a month.
The Motorola I have at the minute is this one.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Motorola-Smartphones-Qual...
Twin SIM, work and own phone without having to carry two phones, and 5g for that price is great.
I then have an unlimited everything SIM from Three for a fiver a month.
The Motorola I have at the minute is this one.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Motorola-Smartphones-Qual...
Twin SIM, work and own phone without having to carry two phones, and 5g for that price is great.
Thank you for your replies.
I'll go look at some Xiaomis. I'm sure one of the lower ones will be all I need. Does it just run a normal Andoid OS? For most of what I do, it wouldn't matter much, but the DJI drone App would need iOS or Andoid.
I have thought about twin sim phones before now, but I'd rather not pay for one myself, and with my boss and his wife being Apple fanboys, they change every year or so, so I get a hand me down whenever I need one. I've even thought about just having my work phone, and I'm sure my boss would be fine about it, but it would then mean changing a number I've had for 20+ years, and also I;d end up with my work phone on me all the time, and even the best of us struggle to not read an email from a customer when when we on days off.
It seems that budget phones are now in a position that higher end phones were not that long ago in terms of cameras and features.
I'll go look at some Xiaomis. I'm sure one of the lower ones will be all I need. Does it just run a normal Andoid OS? For most of what I do, it wouldn't matter much, but the DJI drone App would need iOS or Andoid.
I have thought about twin sim phones before now, but I'd rather not pay for one myself, and with my boss and his wife being Apple fanboys, they change every year or so, so I get a hand me down whenever I need one. I've even thought about just having my work phone, and I'm sure my boss would be fine about it, but it would then mean changing a number I've had for 20+ years, and also I;d end up with my work phone on me all the time, and even the best of us struggle to not read an email from a customer when when we on days off.
It seems that budget phones are now in a position that higher end phones were not that long ago in terms of cameras and features.
gazzarose said:
Thank you for your replies.
I'll go look at some Xiaomis. I'm sure one of the lower ones will be all I need. Does it just run a normal Andoid OS? For most of what I do, it wouldn't matter much, but the DJI drone App would need iOS or Andoid.
I have thought about twin sim phones before now, but I'd rather not pay for one myself, and with my boss and his wife being Apple fanboys, they change every year or so, so I get a hand me down whenever I need one. I've even thought about just having my work phone, and I'm sure my boss would be fine about it, but it would then mean changing a number I've had for 20+ years, and also I;d end up with my work phone on me all the time, and even the best of us struggle to not read an email from a customer when when we on days off.
It seems that budget phones are now in a position that higher end phones were not that long ago in terms of cameras and features.
It runs on MIUI which is Android based and comes with the Play store etc.I'll go look at some Xiaomis. I'm sure one of the lower ones will be all I need. Does it just run a normal Andoid OS? For most of what I do, it wouldn't matter much, but the DJI drone App would need iOS or Andoid.
I have thought about twin sim phones before now, but I'd rather not pay for one myself, and with my boss and his wife being Apple fanboys, they change every year or so, so I get a hand me down whenever I need one. I've even thought about just having my work phone, and I'm sure my boss would be fine about it, but it would then mean changing a number I've had for 20+ years, and also I;d end up with my work phone on me all the time, and even the best of us struggle to not read an email from a customer when when we on days off.
It seems that budget phones are now in a position that higher end phones were not that long ago in terms of cameras and features.
I think all Xiaomis are dual SIM. The model I have is dual SIM and also allows a memory card fitted at the same time.
Mine has a work profile toggle (and I'm sure all models are the same or similar). Work apps are installed in a separate folder but only become active if the work profile is on, which means you don't get notifications unless you want to.
gazzarose said:
I'll go look at some Xiaomis.
I have a (now quite old) Xiaomi 6A for some time (since May 2019 bought through Gearbest) and my elderly father has had 2 Xiaomi's in the same time (dropped one and broke the screen so upgraded on the next one). I think he's got a Xiaomi 9 or 9A now No issues from me. Also take a look at Realme phoneshttps://www.realme.com/uk/ I'm led to believe that they are the same parent company.
Both companies have offers on quite regularly - the Realme 8 5G was £129 before Christmas, now £199, for instance.
Edited by S6PNJ on Thursday 13th January 10:53
How does it work with a dual sum. Does it just operate like 2 phones in the same case, ie could a client or friend ring me and it would just ring as nornal, or do you have to choose whivh one to be active. Started back in work today, and was greeted with a near immaculate hand me down iPhone X to replace my current work iPhone. I'm not very kind on phone, always got keys or screws in my pockets so they get scratched and it seems a crime to subjuct a nice phone to that. I had a chat with my boss about selling the iPhone and going half's on a dual sum for me, he's fine with the plan as long as I'm contactable by clients when I should be and great if I can 'turn off' the work phone when I'm off.
gazzarose said:
How does it work with a dual sum. Does it just operate like 2 phones in the same case, ie could a client or friend ring me and it would just ring as nornal, or do you have to choose whivh one to be active.
Both active at same time. You can make/get calls on both, receive text messages on both. Switch between which sim's internet you are using.
When you make a call, on mine you can either set to ask you or to default to sim 1 or 2. When sending messages you may need to switch it (but it's just in the initial drop-down setting so a drag and click)
Edited by hyphen on Tuesday 4th January 18:44
gazzarose said:
Mine still works, although does freeze for a few seconds every now and then, but the biggest thing is the USB C port is knackered and loose the charging lead drops out at the merest touch. I've tried new leads and they're all the same, so it is the phone.
I've always repaired my phones until they are fully dead. It's way easier than you might think. Steady hand and a pair of tweezers is all you need. There's loads of youtube videos showing you exactly how to do it. And parts are very, very cheap. Charge ports and other small parts on separate circuit boards are really easy and usually a few pounds for the part.£10 for a charge port for your old phone.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283931269143
If you are considering getting rid of it you'd be as well having a go for the sake of £10. If you're really not confident doing it then get a new phone and repair the charger port on the old one just for a bit of experience and to maybe have as a backup handset.
gazzarose said:
Dual sim does seem the way forward for me. The only other thing is whether whatsapp will both be active. If it is i think I'll go for it.
For Whatsapp on a dual SIM phone the easiest thing to do is install the regular WhatsApp and set it up for your personal number.Then install WhatsApp for Business from the Play Store and set that app to your work number. Et voila, 2 versions of WhatsApp with different phone numbers and different icons so as you can differentiate them.
Of course it goes without saying the best thing to do is to have 2 separate profiles on the phone, with specific apps on each profile. Some people don't like it, but in my opinion it's the best solution.
Xiaomi, Realme etc are a good option to look at, as mentioned.
Another definitely worth considering is OPPO. I picked up an OPPO A16S yesterday in-store for 150yoyos for my mother. She just needs a phone, News apps, WhatsApp, email, banking, and a browser.
That particular model might be a little large but she's loving the larger screen with larger text. It looks better than using larger fonts or accessibility options where larger text often means more scrolling.
I'm very impressed by it to be frank, especially at that price point.
Even my dad was impressed when comparing it to his Pixel 4A from last year.
Thank you all for your replies. I think I'm going to order a Xiaomi Realmi 10 (or something? It's all a bit strange what they're all called, I've got it booked marked on my oc in work). I'm not 100% convinced on the largeness of it, I've even tried walking round with a colleagues big Samsung in my pocket to try it, it I couldn't find any alternative if I want dual sim plus micro sd so I'll just have to get used to it. And for less than £160 it seems like a great package.
I'll also be taking the other posters advice on repairing my current phone. I'd, obviously wrongly, assumed that the inside of my phone would be 1 board! It'll be a good spare but also good to keep in my drone bag as an extra camera or controller screen.
I'll also be taking the other posters advice on repairing my current phone. I'd, obviously wrongly, assumed that the inside of my phone would be 1 board! It'll be a good spare but also good to keep in my drone bag as an extra camera or controller screen.
Corso Marche said:
gazzarose said:
Dual sim does seem the way forward for me. The only other thing is whether whatsapp will both be active. If it is i think I'll go for it.
For Whatsapp on a dual SIM phone the easiest thing to do is install the regular WhatsApp and set it up for your personal number.Then install WhatsApp for Business from the Play Store and set that app to your work number. Et voila, 2 versions of WhatsApp with different phone numbers and different icons so as you can differentiate them.
Of course it goes without saying the best thing to do is to have 2 separate profiles on the phone, with specific apps on each profile. Some people don't like it, but in my opinion it's the best solution.
Xiaomi, Realme etc are a good option to look at, as mentioned.
Another definitely worth considering is OPPO. I picked up an OPPO A16S yesterday in-store for 150yoyos for my mother. She just needs a phone, News apps, WhatsApp, email, banking, and a browser.
That particular model might be a little large but she's loving the larger screen with larger text. It looks better than using larger fonts or accessibility options where larger text often means more scrolling.
I'm very impressed by it to be frank, especially at that price point.
Even my dad was impressed when comparing it to his Pixel 4A from last year.
gazzarose said:
Thank you all for your replies. I think I'm going to order a Xiaomi Realmi 10 (or something? It's all a bit strange what they're all called, I've got it booked marked on my oc in work). I'm not 100% convinced on the largeness of it, I've even tried walking round with a colleagues big Samsung in my pocket to try it, it I couldn't find any alternative if I want dual sim plus micro sd so I'll just have to get used to it. And for less than £160 it seems like a great package.
I'll also be taking the other posters advice on repairing my current phone. I'd, obviously wrongly, assumed that the inside of my phone would be 1 board! It'll be a good spare but also good to keep in my drone bag as an extra camera or controller screen.
The Redmi Note 10S is on the Mi site for £179. It's better than the Redmi 10 so worth the extra £20.I'll also be taking the other posters advice on repairing my current phone. I'd, obviously wrongly, assumed that the inside of my phone would be 1 board! It'll be a good spare but also good to keep in my drone bag as an extra camera or controller screen.
Blackview might be worth considering. Having used Samsung Notes for quite a few years, I got fed up of keeping them in waterproof enclosures and batteries going flat when using them for maps and GPS when out walking in the hills. I got one of Blackview's ruggedized phones, a 9500 Pro, and it has been great. It's a big chunky thing, but the battery comfortably last a couple of days with heavy usage, it's waterproof, dust proof and has survived being dropped onto flagstones and concrete quite a few times. Cost a couple of hundred, I think. Absolute bargain compared to what I used to spend. They make plenty of normal non-ruggedized models as well.
Update on my Realme recommendation - no longer recommended!!
I ordered via their website on 20 Dec, my payment was taken and I was awaiting a dispatch notification. Having chased several times, they have now cancelled my order stating lack of stock, yet are still taking new orders via their website (showing as in stock). Lousy customer service from my experience!! This was meant to be for a present so I'm now basically stuffed for getting something in time!
I ordered via their website on 20 Dec, my payment was taken and I was awaiting a dispatch notification. Having chased several times, they have now cancelled my order stating lack of stock, yet are still taking new orders via their website (showing as in stock). Lousy customer service from my experience!! This was meant to be for a present so I'm now basically stuffed for getting something in time!
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