Are there any good all-round smartphones under £250?

Are there any good all-round smartphones under £250?

Author
Discussion

Captain Benzo

442 posts

139 months

Tuesday 1st May 2018
quotequote all
irocfan said:
WRT the sketchy Chinese sellers, I'm happy to advise I've purchased from Gearbest with no issues.

HTH
likewise, bought a Doogee S50 (wanted something rugged) from Banggood, service has been impeccable.

nmd87

838 posts

191 months

Tuesday 1st May 2018
quotequote all
TotalControl said:
Where did you find a pixel 2 for £250?! I'd buy one without hesitation at that price but problem is I just can never find one.

Purchased a P10 Plus Dual SIM a few days ago for £200 (used) that I thought was an amazing price.
Keep an eye on the Buyitdirect eBay store.

StescoG66

2,121 posts

144 months

Tuesday 1st May 2018
quotequote all
The Mad Monk said:
StescoG66 said:
The Mad Monk said:
StescoG66 said:
I pre ordered the G6 from Amazon. Hopefully it will be ok. Reviews seem good.
What is the difference between a pre-order and an order?
It’s not released yet. 1st dispatches are 9th May
Ah.

When it's released will your pre-order be converted to an order?

Or will you have to re-order?
It will despatch automatically once released

The Mad Monk

10,474 posts

118 months

Wednesday 2nd May 2018
quotequote all
StescoG66 said:
The Mad Monk said:
StescoG66 said:
The Mad Monk said:
StescoG66 said:
I pre ordered the G6 from Amazon. Hopefully it will be ok. Reviews seem good.
What is the difference between a pre-order and an order?
It’s not released yet. 1st dispatches are 9th May
Ah.

When it's released will your pre-order be converted to an order?

Or will you have to re-order?
It will despatch automatically once released
Then, shirley, that was an order?

durbster

10,284 posts

223 months

Wednesday 2nd May 2018
quotequote all
The Mad Monk said:
Then, shirley, that was an order?
You've picked a really weird hill to die on here.

The Mad Monk

10,474 posts

118 months

Wednesday 2nd May 2018
quotequote all
durbster said:
The Mad Monk said:
Then, shirley, that was an order?
You've picked a really weird hill to die on here.
You may, of course, be right.

However, I find it curious that people will misuse the English language and deny that they have ordered something. "No, it's not an order - it's a pre-order"

It's nonsense, if you have ordered it - then it's an order.

In the grand scheme of things - is it important? No, it isn't.

StescoG66

2,121 posts

144 months

Wednesday 2nd May 2018
quotequote all
The Mad Monk said:
StescoG66 said:
The Mad Monk said:
StescoG66 said:
The Mad Monk said:
StescoG66 said:
I pre ordered the G6 from Amazon. Hopefully it will be ok. Reviews seem good.
What is the difference between a pre-order and an order?
It’s not released yet. 1st dispatches are 9th May
Ah.

When it's released will your pre-order be converted to an order?

Or will you have to re-order?
It will despatch automatically once released
Then, shirley, that was an order?
Ok then. Whatever makes you happy.......... rolleyes

mikeiow

5,385 posts

131 months

Wednesday 2nd May 2018
quotequote all
Captain Benzo said:
likewise, bought a Doogee S50 (wanted something rugged) from Banggood, service has been impeccable.
I’m considering one of these ‘cheapie’ tough phones....although having been on work iPhones for 8+ years, I’m unfamiliar with Android....
What do you think of the Doogee? Camera, screen responsiveness, general speed?
Thx

vindaloo79

962 posts

81 months

Thursday 3rd May 2018
quotequote all
Jonny_ said:
I've had a Moto G5 for the last 11 months, bought as a cheap replacement for my old Xperia Z3 which started to fail after 2 years' use. But I'm fed up of the lousy camera on the G5, plus it's a bit of a bulky thing. Question is, what to replace it with?

It used to be pretty easy to find a good mid-range phone around the £200 mark, but the "mid-range" phone these days has become a £300-£500 item. Where my old Z3 cost just over £200, its 2018 equivalent (Xperia XA2) is another hundred quid.

For under £250 SIM-free, is it possible to get...

Good camera
1080p or better screen
Around 5" display size (no giant "phablets"!)
Minimum 32GB of storage, preferably 64GB
Android 8
Fast charging and/or wireless charging

... or am I asking for the moon on a stick for a tenner? smile
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-Xperia-Compact-Smart-Phone-Universe-Black/dp/B01L96ZBZ2 £250

I moved to this from the Z3 Compact after trying iPhone SE and Moto G and just was disspointed with Battery (iPhone), everything about Moto G. X compact is a compromise with your requirements but i think its worth that price.

Macski

2,564 posts

75 months

Thursday 3rd May 2018
quotequote all
mikeiow said:
I’m considering one of these ‘cheapie’ tough phones....although having been on work iPhones for 8+ years, I’m unfamiliar with Android....
What do you think of the Doogee? Camera, screen responsiveness, general speed?
Thx
I just bought a Doogee of Amazon for £52, I am thrilled with it. The camera is OK, some pics need to be put through a editor to sharpen the colours, but it was £52! it also has only 2gb internal memory. If I was buying again I would get the Doogee Mix

gregs656

10,903 posts

182 months

Thursday 3rd May 2018
quotequote all
The Mad Monk said:
You may, of course, be right.

However, I find it curious that people will misuse the English language and deny that they have ordered something. "No, it's not an order - it's a pre-order"

It's nonsense, if you have ordered it - then it's an order.

In the grand scheme of things - is it important? No, it isn't.
I have always assumed it is a contraction of a pre-release order. It has obvious utility so I am not sure you can say it is a misuse.

anonymous-user

55 months

Thursday 3rd May 2018
quotequote all
gregs656 said:
The Mad Monk said:
You may, of course, be right.

However, I find it curious that people will misuse the English language and deny that they have ordered something. "No, it's not an order - it's a pre-order"

It's nonsense, if you have ordered it - then it's an order.

In the grand scheme of things - is it important? No, it isn't.
I have always assumed it is a contraction of a pre-release order. It has obvious utility so I am not sure you can say it is a misuse.
Mad Monk just being mad!

In Arduis Fouette

97 posts

72 months

Monday 7th May 2018
quotequote all
QuartzDad said:
We've had various Moto G handsets in the extended family, from first generation to multiple G4 etc. Based on their feedback and web reviews I bought a G5s Plus 7 months ago when I finally ditched Windows Mobile.

I won't be buying another Moto.

Since Lenovo took them over the Android updates have all but vanished. I've had one patch in 7 months, currently running the Oct17 patch. Other regions have received Dec, Jan and Mar updates but nothing in the UK. Their support forum is useless.
sure it;s not the network not pushing the OS update out or only pushing it to their firmwared devices

Jonny_

Original Poster:

4,128 posts

208 months

Friday 28th September 2018
quotequote all
Just to conclude the thread, in a "better late than never" fashion...

I've put up with my old Moto G5 for 5 months longer, and reached the point where I'm ready to launch the POS out of the car window at speed! It's getting horribly slow, 16GB of internal storage really isn't enough these days, and the camera really is dismal.

I had another dig around online today and eventually stumbled across the Nokia 8, on offer at John Lewis for £260. Previously it was well out of my price range, having launched late last year at about £500; presumably there must be a new model coming along for it to be so heavily discounted. Last year's flagship rather than this year's budget model, so the spec still looks miles better than anything at similar money.

I did briefly consider a Huawei P20 Lite, but prefer the stock Android, faster processor and higher resolution screen on the Nokia. Other than the camera, the 8 also trounces the Sony XA2 (on paper, at least) which was otherwise looking a strong possibility. And it's going to get an Android 9 update apparently, so being last year's model shouldn't be an issue.

So I've ordered a blue one. Covered half the cost using some JL vouchers that I had, so there's another bonus. It should arrive some time next week - why oh why do I always order these things just before a weekend? - so will find out then if it's the bargain I'm hoping it is.


Brainpox

4,056 posts

152 months

Saturday 29th September 2018
quotequote all
The Nokia 8 looks like a very good buy right now. It has the same CPU and RAM as the Pixel 2 and runs stock Android, so should be buttery smooth and updates should be released for a long while yet. I look forward to hearing how you get on with it.

The Mad Monk

10,474 posts

118 months

Saturday 29th September 2018
quotequote all
Jonny_ said:
I've put up with my old Moto G5 for 5 months longer,
Moto G5S?
G6
G6Plus etc.
No?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/motorola-5-7-Inch-Android...

They all seem good, don't they?

Jonny_

Original Poster:

4,128 posts

208 months

Saturday 29th September 2018
quotequote all
The Mad Monk said:
Moto G5S?
G6
G6Plus etc.
No?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/motorola-5-7-Inch-Android...

They all seem good, don't they?
I had considered the G6, but it's become a £200+ phone whereas my G5 was at least cheap - £130 as I recall. And despite the price hike still has a low end Snapdragon 400 Series CPU. Seemed poor value to me. Dismissed the G5S as being far too similar to this G5, and all the Plus models are huge 6 inch phablets which I don't want.

Plus I must admit the G5 has put me off the Moto G series. Had some decent Moto phones in the past, fiance is still using her G4 Plus with no problems, but as I initially tried to type this reply on the G5 it froze solid and needed a hard reset to revive... Perhaps the phone has a sense of irony...? hehe

eccles

13,740 posts

223 months

Saturday 29th September 2018
quotequote all
Jonny_ said:
Just to conclude the thread, in a "better late than never" fashion...

I've put up with my old Moto G5 for 5 months longer, and reached the point where I'm ready to launch the POS out of the car window at speed! It's getting horribly slow, 16GB of internal storage really isn't enough these days, and the camera really is dismal.

I had another dig around online today and eventually stumbled across the Nokia 8, on offer at John Lewis for £260. Previously it was well out of my price range, having launched late last year at about £500; presumably there must be a new model coming along for it to be so heavily discounted. Last year's flagship rather than this year's budget model, so the spec still looks miles better than anything at similar money.

I did briefly consider a Huawei P20 Lite, but prefer the stock Android, faster processor and higher resolution screen on the Nokia. Other than the camera, the 8 also trounces the Sony XA2 (on paper, at least) which was otherwise looking a strong possibility. And it's going to get an Android 9 update apparently, so being last year's model shouldn't be an issue.

So I've ordered a blue one. Covered half the cost using some JL vouchers that I had, so there's another bonus. It should arrive some time next week - why oh why do I always order these things just before a weekend? - so will find out then if it's the bargain I'm hoping it is.
I know it's a bit late now, but I've had a G5 since they came out (it's the Amazon special with a bit more RAM and dual sim), and I had a bit of an issue with it slowing down and being generally unresponsive. I did a factory reset and and it was back to it's old self, and is stll behaving like new a year later.

Porridge GTI

300 posts

103 months

Saturday 29th September 2018
quotequote all
Honor 8X looks good.

anonymous-user

55 months

Saturday 29th September 2018
quotequote all
Porridge GTI said:
Honor 8X looks good.
Just read a review and it does sound good. Mrs G needs a new phone so I’ll wait for that to launch in the UK next month and take a proper look.