How's life without the Play Store?

[IAmAndre]

Hey guys,

 

So I'm looking for sub-$400 alternative to the Galaxy S10e and Huawei/Honor has the best options apparently because it's hard to find compact phones nowadays. I'm particularly interested in the Nova 5 lineup and the Honor 20s (although the lack of headphone jack is kind of a deal breaker).

So what should I expect buying a phone with no official Play Store support? I do use Google apps quite a lot and mostly common apps like social networks and messaging apps.

Is there anything I should know about like app features being locked, security issues or anything in between?

[kelvinhall05]

Haha...Huawei phones, especially ones without a Play Store, are a joke.

 

 

Get a Xiaomi or Pixel 3A (or used 2/3).

[Augustin]

I have used one of those chinese phones without a play store. I'd rather have a feature phone/dumb phone.

[Commodus]

2 hours ago, IAmAndre said:

Hey guys,

 

So I'm looking for sub-$400 alternative to the Galaxy S10e and Huawei/Honor has the best options apparently because it's hard to find compact phones nowadays. I'm particularly interested in the Nova 5 lineup and the Honor 20s (although the lack of headphone jack is kind of a deal breaker).

So what should I expect buying a phone with no official Play Store support? I do use Google apps quite a lot and mostly common apps like social networks and messaging apps.

Is there anything I should know about like app features being locked, security issues or anything in between?

If you're highly dependent on Google apps, don't even think about it.  Even if you can unlock it and install Google's software, you shouldn't buy a device that you have to modify to perform essential tasks.  Huawei could make a policy change and your device would suddenly be a brick.

 

I'd rather pony up for the S10e or go for a mid-range device like a Pixel 3a.  The reduced stress could be worth the extra money.

[Mr. Budget]

Just don't get a Huawei phone.

[IAmAndre]

4 hours ago, Commodus said:

I'd rather pony up for the S10e or go for a mid-range device like a Pixel 3a.  The reduced stress could be worth the extra money.

Actually the Pixel 3A would have been a no-brainer if it had thinner bezels and a SD card reader. But you're right, I think I'll just start saving money and wait until a good budget phone comes up.

[IAmAndre]

4 hours ago, huilun02 said:

Pixel 3a is only good if you want a camera that also has phone functionality. Because apart from the camera, everything else about it is a disappointment.

The software is another selling point. I personally don't consider $400 cheap, especially for a smartphone so they should at least try to have what all "cheap" phones have.

[ahuckphin]

Mi A3 

[IAmAndre]

11 hours ago, bindydad123 said:

Mi A3 

To me that's the worst budget phone right now in competition with the Moto G7.

[IAmAndre]

13 hours ago, huilun02 said:

Tbh the only bad thing about the Mi A3 is the baffling 720p Oled screen. Who even makes such a panel? Only the Indian model gets 6GB of RAM though. Performance and endurance will be surprisingly good because everything is rendered at 720p.

 

Its got 4000mAh battery, sdcard slot, headphone jack, Android One, and in-display fingerprint. For someone looking for a phone that is first and foremost a phone, it actually makes much more sense than a Pixel 3a.

I personally don't care about in-display fingerprint sensors and having a Xiaomi phone myself I know that 4000maH doesn't mean much. Mine is barely able to last a full day of charge despite its 5" 720p display and power efficient SoC. Really these brands need to re-learn how to make budget phones as I don't know what they were thinking when adding that crappy screen or removing the SD card slot for the Pixel 3a. To its credit, at least the Pixel is good at one thing and keeps its promise while the G7 is just a boring phone that isn't particularly good at anything.

[IAmAndre]

6 hours ago, huilun02 said:

Maybe it's just your unit. Or something went wrong somewhere. Consider a custom ROM?

Actually I saw in reviews that it was an OS issue because it was ridiculous to have such a short battery life with such low specs. I'm losing like 20% of battery during the night. I've had it for almost 2 years now so things are getting a little worse. As of now, I'm still not sure which phone to get so I'll just wait a couple months hoping that a good one arises. I'm even considering buying a smartwatch instead, which seems like a better investment.

6 hours ago, huilun02 said:

Where I live (Singapore)

Nice, that's THE place I would like to live in. 

[IAmAndre]

5 minutes ago, huilun02 said:

Why tho?

Good place for business, relatively strict laws (so less bullshit from people), one of the best education system in the world, good infrastructures overall. These might sound a little clichés but I've never been to Asia so I'd love to discover places like this.

[IAmAndre]

17 minutes ago, huilun02 said:

Want to buy a house or car? The prices make American corporate shills look like amateurs. Best part, your car must be scrapped after 10 years regardless of how well it's maintained.

Yes I've heard that it's not the most budget-friendly place to live in.

 

17 minutes ago, huilun02 said:

If you get a high density apartment unit (like majority of the people) you dont actually own it. Its a 99 year lease.

That's ridiculous.

 

18 minutes ago, huilun02 said:

Majority of the work force work like zombies. Leave for work at 7am, and leave for home after sundown. Does it sound like the life you'd want?

I work remotely so I wouldn't be too affected. Actually my salary is based on the country I live in, so I would probably get a pay rise. I also work as a freelancer so I would adjust my prices accordingly for local customers.

[IAmAndre]

6 hours ago, huilun02 said:

Depending on what you work as, if you can exude a professional vibe or make a name for yourself, you could get customers to pay out the wazoo and they don't think twice.

 

People here are not tech savvy. They fixate on climbing corporate and social ladders. Ripe for exploitation where tech and technical expertise is involved because they think you're a genius if you can solve simple 1 minute computer issue.

 

People here buy whole new flagship phones every year or when they feel their current device is lagging, and don't bother to diagnose or factory reset. They easily relegate to thinking their phone is actually dying and there is no fix.

 

They are my people. Knowing just how vulnerable they are makes me sad.

Sounds like the place to be as a freelance developer.