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Best 300$ Smartphone

Tarun10

I am in grade 10 and I think I have enough saved up money to buy a decent smartphone. This will be my first own official phone. I will primarily use it for YouTube tech videos(around 15 videos a day), Prime Video, WhatsApp, and a few games like Clash Royale and Need for Speed. Currently I do all of this on a laptop and a 7 inch Tablet with a 480p screen. The laptop is constantly occupied in my house so the smartphone.

I think I know the specs I need and could get it for around 200$ but I want excellent build quality since I want it to last at least 2 to 3 years with regular updates.

I don't think I will even put a SIM card inside it so it doesn't matter and I will use WiFi mostly so I need good speeds since there are a lot of solid walls here. I want a very good screen at least 720p 5.5 inch. FHD would be good. I also want a screen that has a very low brightness setting for use in pitch darkness and a moderate brightness for use under a bright LED light. Most processors can handle the stuff I throw it and I am not the person who leaves a million tabs open in chrome or 10 to 20 background apps running, so as long as there are no unexpected lags in heavy games then no problem, I don't care about the camera and audio since I rarely take photos and seldom selfies. I almost always use a headphone. Still decent audio and camera especially software would be a great bonus.

I prefer stock Android nut a few tweaks like on OxygenOS or the one that OnePlus runs is still fine. 

 

Required Specs:

Processor-Snapdragon 435 or above(I'd rather go for Qualcomm than anything else unless it offers equal performance)

GPU- Something as long as it's not old

RAM- 2/3 GB

Storage-16GB should suffice but 32 is more than sufficient

Screen- 5.5inch minimum, 6.5 inch maximum(I have large hands unlike Linus); IPS FHD/HD Quad HD would be really cool

Camera- Something decent on the back with a good Pro mode and good video quality and compression

A fingerprint sensor would be nice but I don't need it.

Battery- I want something that will last atleast 6 hours of moderate to heavy use on a charge. Above all speedy charging with Dash/Quick charge is absolutely essential.

 

On brands I have no preference but I don't want any Vivo, Oppo or Lava phones because of shit software. Any other brand with regular software updates is good. I also want at least Android Nougat 7.0. 

I don't mind buying refurbished or used phones provided they are worth it. I also would like a 18:9 aspect ratio if available at the price range. Battery life, WiFi and screen quality are most important.

 

Oh and it would be good if you can give me links to the phones. I intend to buy the phone in April so by then if new flagships launch will I be able to get older refurbished ones at good rates. i also have my eye on the OnePlus 5T even though it is more expensive.

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6 hours ago, huilun02 said:

But your title says $300? Dollars mean you are buying in the US yes?

Then you should ask as April approaches. 

You expect no lag with an entry level chipset? The GPU comes with the SoC.... you can't mix and match the GPU

?? If what you get in April is still running Nougat, you won't get updates at all...

Thanks a lot but no I am not buying in the US I will be buying in India but prices for low end phones are near the same and I mentioned in dollars for convenience.

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OhI did not know they were on an SoC. Thanks for the info. I think a 435 would be enough for me but if I can get a 635 then all the better. But I am aiming to get a good phone which does exactly what I need and no more since I can use the remaining money on other upgrades such as headphones etc.

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6 hours ago, Pangea2017 said:

If 435 performance is your goal go with a $50-$100 used. Otherwise a new LG G5 + secound battery or even a thierd (replacable battery on the go) or Samsung S6 is even in your budget.

Thanks but used phones aren't priced well in India and I don't want an almost 3 gen old flagship. I would prefer to have the latest software and hardware with lower build quality that lose out on updates on older phones. Besides all major flagships are priced 30-50% higher here and used phones cost as !uch as new ones in US

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Yeahrobably but still want to research in advance. Also here in India except for the higher end phones most phones come with Android lollipop or marshmallow. Even Samsung phones obviously. Only flagships are updated so even Nougat is good enough for me after crappy lollipop

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yeah those or maybe the moto g5 plus 3gb version, because that is sturdy or you might take a look at the amazon top 10  or something that come up in the indian amazon.

 

if you need some more help quote me.

bye

greetings from the Netherlands

 

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12 hours ago, huilun02 said:

$200-$300 is not low end... its midrange, and those phones usually cost more in India...

You don't want to get an entry level chipset for the amount you are spending... and there are no phones available yet that has the SD635...

Umm no most higher end phones have already received update to Oreo. The more recent ones have Oreo installed out of the box. Recent mid range phones from Xiaomi and Huawei are also on Oreo.

 

Have look at the Xiaomi Mi A1, Xiaomi Redmi Note 5, Huawei Honor 7X, Huawei Mate 10 Lite. They are all mid range phones that should be within your budget. If they are not, then they are SEVERELY overpriced where you live. No links unfortunately, as I'm not from India and I don't know the best places to buy phones. Suggest looking up the models on Flipkart or Amazon India.

Thanks a lot but it is considerably well priced due to brands like Xiaomi and LeEco and Huawei. Okay then what chipset should I be looking for??I guess the best place is Amazon India OR Flipkart depending on the brand.

Anyway thanks will take a look at those phones for sure.

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10 hours ago, jojoko said:

yeah those or maybe the moto g5 plus 3gb version, because that is sturdy or you might take a look at the amazon top 10  or something that come up in the indian amazon.

 

if you need some more help quote me.

bye

greetings from the Netherlands

 

Thanks but I don't like the specs on the G5 plus for its price, I 'd rather go with another phone like the Redmi Note 4...

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10 hours ago, Pangea2017 said:

old flapships have some adventages:

- my 2012 LG P880 (2.x released) got with costom rom android 7.1 (2017), they will be long supported by the community, expect the LG G5 to get upto Android 12.

- they have good cameras

- cheap replacement parts are easy to source

 

For india xiaomi should be easy available not like it is in europe. They also feature a very long and good support by the enthusiast.

The Mi Note and Mi are realy nice but over your budget.

The A1, Note 5 or the Redmi Note 4x are good options. With $150 and excelent battery the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4x can be a option.

 

The Le Eco Le Max 2 is with qHD and with (older) high end spec at $200 worth a try. But i don't know how good the support is.

So are these updates available for most LG phones or just the one.

Okay I will look into LG,I know they have great displays and I don't mind their UI.

Xiaomi is a very good brand but the Redmi Note 4x is a little below my spec in performance and it constantly slows down during games(my friend has this phone) 

I have no problem with support because hopefully, I won't break or brick it. Anyway they(LeTV) have one or two service centers in the city so no problem.

Thanks for the replies and I will look into these phones.

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If you want to buy a phone in April, I suggest gathering around 2000 INR more if you currently have 200 USD to be able to afford the Redmi Note 5 Pro. It looks like the best phone for the price range.

 

  • Has Snapdragon 636
  • 4 GB RAM
  • 5.99 inch FHD+ 18:9 display
  • fingerprint sensor
  • dual cameras on the back
  • a 20 MP front shooter with led flash

I don't think you will find any better deal. MIUI 9 is pretty good, but if you don't like it, you can easily flash a custom ROM such AEX and be good to go like I have done with my Note 4.

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On ‎2‎/‎20‎/‎2018 at 10:30 PM, abhinavsaprey said:

If you want to buy a phone in April, I suggest gathering around 2000 INR more if you currently have 200 USD to be able to afford the Redmi Note 5 Pro. It looks like the best phone for the price range.

 

  • Has Snapdragon 636
  • 4 GB RAM
  • 5.99 inch FHD+ 18:9 display
  • fingerprint sensor
  • dual cameras on the back
  • a 20 MP front shooter with led flash

I don't think you will find any better deal. MIUI 9 is pretty good, but if you don't like it, you can easily flash a custom ROM such AEX and be good to go like I have done with my Note 4.

Wow those are great specs I think I will wait for that.. Also does anyone think a used OnePlus 5/5T is worth it?? for around 200-250 USD

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On ‎2‎/‎20‎/‎2018 at 1:33 PM, Pangea2017 said:

Official support sucks. After 1-2 years they stop delivering updates and most phones does not have project trebble support.

Rooting can be easy or diifficult. Depends on the model of your phone. With my p880 i have had luck but this not mean LG are this easy to root. On some devices it is not possible.

Anything that involves meddling with tech I am ready for...

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