Best Value Smartphone 2019

[AndrewB121]

I have a budget of £400-450. 

 

Looking for something to replace my ageing iPhone SE, but feeling a bit overwhelmed by the choices. Here are the phones I'm currently looking at:

• Samsung A80 (£379) and A90 5G (£469 + free galaxy buds) - The A90 looks like a pretty sick deal
• Huawei P30 (£449)
• Pixel 3a/3a XL (£329/399)
• XiaoMi 9T Pro (£399) or Mi 9 (£320)
• Oneplus 7T (£500) - A bit over budget

Does anyone have any recommendations between these choices? Are there any clear winners/best deals?

 

[kelvinhall05]

I *personally* would recommend the 3A/3A XL if you want something big, though the 7t is a great phone.

 

 

I also *personally* would not get the Samsung as I find their OS fucking awful, Huawei is just...ew, and the Xiaomi seems way overpriced.

[Princess Luna]

https://www.nokia.com/phones/en_gb/nokia-8

[AndrewB121]

1 minute ago, Princess Luna said:

https://www.nokia.com/phones/en_gb/nokia-8

Not sure I like the massive notch/bottom bezel on that phone, but thatnks for the suggestion. 

[dizmo]

What about the RealMe X2 Pro?

[AndrewB121]

6 minutes ago, kelvinhall05 said:

I *personally* would recommend the 3A/3A XL if you want something big, though the 7t is a great phone.

 

 

I also *personally* would not get the Samsung as I find their OS fucking awful, Huawei is just...ew, and the Xiaomi seems way overpriced.

Isn't it possible to flash android phones with a different OS? Wouldn't this make the samsung OS a non-issue?

[AndrewB121]

2 minutes ago, dizmo said:

What about the RealMe X2 Pro?

Never heard of it, but I'll check it out thanks. 

[kelvinhall05]

3 minutes ago, AndrewB121 said:

Isn't it possible to flash android phones with a different OS? Wouldn't this make the samsung OS a non-issue?

iirc modern Samsung phones are annoying to unlock the bootloader.

[AndrewB121]

2 minutes ago, kelvinhall05 said:

iirc modern Samsung phones are annoying to unlock the bootloader.

Ok, thanks for the info. 

[AndrewB121]

7 minutes ago, dizmo said:

What about the RealMe X2 Pro?

Damn looks like a pretty good deal. That's one more on the list of options to narrow down haha. 

[dizmo]

1 minute ago, AndrewB121 said:

Damn looks like a pretty good deal. That's one more on the list of options to narrow down haha. 

It's what I'd get if I were in the budget range you're in with your options.

Currently I'm trying to decide between that and a OnePlus 7 Pro. I kind of like the notchless front.

[AndrewB121]

2 minutes ago, dizmo said:

It's what I'd get if I were in the budget range you're in with your options.

Currently I'm trying to decide between that and a OnePlus 7 Pro. I kind of like the notchless front.

Yeah I like the notchless front as well, although I think I prefer samsungs implementation over the pop-up XiaoMi and Oneplus phones.

[Streetguru]

30 minutes ago, AndrewB121 said:

I have a budget of £400-450.

Just get s used S9/S9+/Note 9 or a one plus 6T, Snapdragon 845 phones are still fine, even an 835 is fine if you don't need to do gamecube emulation.

Unless you really need a snapdragon 855.

 

although I think the samsung international stuff only comes with their own inferior CPUs?

[dizmo]

9 minutes ago, AndrewB121 said:

Yeah I like the notchless front as well, although I think I prefer samsungs implementation over the pop-up XiaoMi and Oneplus phones.

Yeah. OnePlus is moving to that style with their next phone. I hardly ever use the selfie camera though so it's not a huge issue for me.

[EL02]

Xiaomi mi 9T pro or Samsung galaxy a80. Both are pretty good choices. 

[AndrewB121]

10 minutes ago, EL02 said:

Xiaomi mi 9T pro or Samsung galaxy a80. Both are pretty good choices. 

Why the A80 over the A90?

[EL02]

22 hours ago, AndrewB121 said:

Why the A80 over the A90?

Because the A90 over your budget and you didnt specify what you are going to use the new phone for. If you really need more extra performance then go for the A90.

[kokakolia]

It’s a loaded question. Do you go for an older, unpopular flagship like an LG G7? Or buy something new with lower specs like some kind of Realme or Xiaomi phone? 

[AndrewB121]

3 hours ago, huilun02 said:

What do you want in a phone?

Not sure exactly, I suppose a good screen and camera are important, along with good battery life and a good OS.

3 hours ago, huilun02 said:

What are you currently using?

iPhone SE. Not stuck with IOS though. 

 

3 hours ago, huilun02 said:

What are you currently using?

What do you wish was better?

What did it lack that you want?

Definitely don't like the large bezels on the SE, want something bigger and with a nicer screen. The camera on the SE is also showing it's age. 

 

 

Currently leaning towards the Oneplus 7T, the phone looks good and I hear oxygen OS is fantastic. I also found a good deal on gearbest. It's probably between that and the A90 right now.