Picking a new phone

[Jtalk4456]

OK so I'm with Spectrum Mobile, my current phone is cracked up and having some issues, and I'm looking to move to a different phone.

Currently I have an S9, and it's been great up until cracked and other issues, but I want to actually downgrade and get a better value phone for my needs/
So my selection with Spectrum mobile is a bit limited and I need some help since I have not really paid much attention to phones.

1. Type C Charging, fast charge capable - I've fully moved to the type C life and have no intent to go back

2. Fast Enough - I don't use my phone for a lot of mobile gaming, certainly nothing requiring any sort of speed. I want it fast enough to do basic things like browse and load videos without buffering, but I don't need top of the line.

3. Enough Storage - I also don't need a ton of storage, at least not right on the phone. I want something 16 or 32 GB, then have expandable storage with a 64 gb microsd which I currently have already. If it has more and is still a good value, can't argue, but I'm not looking to focus any of the budget on extra onboard storage.

4. Loud Enough - I would prefer something with dual front firing speakers and decent enough volume. I have premium and like to download a lot of videos that are less visual and more listening (Legal Eagle, Beau, etc.). I then listen to those in the car while driving to and from work. I'm making it work right now, but I have a hard time hearing sometimes over the noise of driving on the interstate. If the phone could have decent speakers where I could hear over interstate driving, that would be a major win for me

5. Able to get a decent case for it - I know with phones it's sometimes hard to find a good case and screen protector for lesser known phones. I really like the screen protectors from Supershieldz as they are cheap and easy to install and work pretty well.

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Supershieldz/page/6879B3A0-989B-4F5A-8620-A88FE36AB21A?ref_=ast_bln

They claim to cover millions of devices, so this is probably less of an issue, but I also need a decent case for the back. Doesn't need to be an otterbox compatible, just something that gives some basic protection like the one I currently use.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VVQRCZX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm gonna go most expensive to least expensive. I'm having trouble finding some info or knowing what I'm looking at for the spec page, so I'll link a spec page for each, let me know if I have a phone that doesn't meet one of my requirements, I genuinely don't know the phone market and don't want to screw myself over. Thanks in advance for any advice and suggestions!

1. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G UW - $749.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s20_5g_uw-10254.php

2. Samsung Galaxy A42 5G - $395.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a42_5g-10412.php

3. Samsung Galaxy A32 5G - $275.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a32_5g-10648.php

4. LG Stylo 6 - $239.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/res.php3?sSearch=LG+Stylo+6

5. Samsung Galaxy A12 - $179.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a12-10604.php

6. LG K51 - $174.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/lg_k51s-10087.php

7. Motorola moto g play - $167.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_moto_g_play_(2021)-10673.php

8. Motorola moto e - $119.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_moto_e_(2020)-10287.php

9. Samsung Galaxy A02s - $119.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a02s-10603.php

 

Last note: They do allow BYOD with unlocked smartphones, so if you have a strong suggestion that I can buy unlocked somewhere and make it work, I'm open to suggestions.

[sub68]

Nokia 3.1 

Mine is the c variety which is cricket wireless.

But the normal one is iirc unlocked.

It has USB c, sd card and a 3.5 mm speaker.

 

Only problem is case and speaker.

Also a 100usd phone.

[NTDaws]

I would go for the A32 or A12 64GB, Moto G is a good phone but the 3GB of ram is pushing it when I used it.

[sub68]

Here is a link.

https://www.newegg.com/black-nokia-5-84-gsm-hspa-lte/p/23B-0001-001F9 

And my review

 

[TheBean]

first things first.

LG phones are dead. no point buying those phones now

[dizmo]

Any reason the Pixel 4a 5G isn't on there? It's probably one of the better more budget devices. There's also OnePlus's upcoming Nord device.

I wouldn't get an LG device, or a lower tier A series. The A42 isn't terrible, but keep in mind it has shit pixel density. On a large screen, it's noticeable.

The S20 FE is a great choice, though at that price it's awfully expensive. I got mine for the equivalence of $150 US (on contract, but still). You should be able to pick it up significantly cheaper than what you have it listed for, as it's currently on sale for $499 (US) from BestBuy in Canada. If you did go with it, I don't think you'd be disappointed. The high refresh screen is subtle but I'll never go back, it hasn't failed to last a day, and there's a few companies that make solid cases for it.

 

As for wanting a loud phone, why don't you just get a bluetooth dongle so you can play the phone through the cars stereo?

[Jtalk4456]

22 hours ago, sub68 said:

Nokia 3.1 

Mine is the c variety which is cricket wireless.

But the normal one is iirc unlocked.

It has USB c, sd card and a 3.5 mm speaker.

 

Only problem is case and speaker.

Also a 100usd phone.

not bad for the cost, but that has a pretty low ram and battery, not sure I want to go that small, but I'll keep it in mind.

22 hours ago, President Dawson Wehage said:

I would go for the A32 or A12 64GB, Moto G is a good phone but the 3GB of ram is pushing it when I used it.

Noted, though I'm a bit confused looking at the GSM page for these two. The 32 says 4-8 gb ram and the 12 says 2-6 gb. Are these ranges of options based on the carrier?

 

22 hours ago, TheBean said:

first things first.

LG phones are dead. no point buying those phones now

Noted

22 hours ago, dizmo said:

Any reason the Pixel 4a 5G isn't on there? It's probably one of the better more budget devices. There's also OnePlus's upcoming Nord device.

I wouldn't get an LG device, or a lower tier A series. The A42 isn't terrible, but keep in mind it has shit pixel density. On a large screen, it's noticeable.

The S20 FE is a great choice, though at that price it's awfully expensive. I got mine for the equivalence of $150 US (on contract, but still). You should be able to pick it up significantly cheaper than what you have it listed for, as it's currently on sale for $499 (US) from BestBuy in Canada. If you did go with it, I don't think you'd be disappointed. The high refresh screen is subtle but I'll never go back, it hasn't failed to last a day, and there's a few companies that make solid cases for it.

 

As for wanting a loud phone, why don't you just get a bluetooth dongle so you can play the phone through the cars stereo?

This only reflects options from Spectrum Mobile. They do offer BYOD for unlocked phones, but I don't know enough about the market to make guesses outside their offerings. Cell phones are as foreign to me as macs. As for "lower tier A series" I don't know the range. What counts as low tier?

As for the price of the S20 FE, the price was given based off the cost from Spectrum's page. I'm more than open to saving money buying elsewhere and doing BYOD.
As for the audio, honestly haven't explored that in the car, something to look into for sure, but I still prefer louder speakers if I can for doing chores around the house listening to things with the phone in my pocket. But again that's a wish list feature, not a deal breaker. Do you have any suggestions on the bluetooth dongles?
 

So cutting the list down based on responses:
 

1. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G UW - $749.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s20_5g_uw-10254.php

Top tier, but with a hefty price, nothing bad to say besides will I want to spend more for it. Same for the Pixel too

 

2. Samsung Galaxy A42 5G - $395.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a42_5g-10412.php

Weird but interesting color on back. I know that's not important, but needs to be said still. Good ram and battery size. 128 onboard with expandable memory. Won't need it at that point, but can't argue with the option. no one has said anything against it, and I think it might be my top choice at the moment.

 

3. Samsung Galaxy A32 5G - $275.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a32_5g-10648.php

Maybe low tier, not sure, but otherwise looks ok to me, pending ram amount

 

4. Samsung Galaxy A12 - $179.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a12-10604.php

Maybe low tier, not sure, but otherwise looks ok to me, pending ram amount

 

5. Google Pixel 4A 5G - $499

https://www.gsmarena.com/google_pixel_4a_5g-10385.php

no expandable storage, but 128 onboard, so not necessary as long as the rest of the phone is still a good value, just need to know what I'm getting for the extra money over the cheaper options

[NTDaws]

26 minutes ago, Jtalk4456 said:

not bad for the cost, but that has a pretty low ram and battery, not sure I want to go that small, but I'll keep it in mind.

Noted, though I'm a bit confused looking at the GSM page for these two. The 32 says 4-8 gb ram and the 12 says 2-6 gb. Are these ranges of options based on the carrier?

 

Noted

This only reflects options from Spectrum Mobile. They do offer BYOD for unlocked phones, but I don't know enough about the market to make guesses outside their offerings. Cell phones are as foreign to me as macs. As for "lower tier A series" I don't know the range. What counts as low tier?

As for the price of the S20 FE, the price was given based off the cost from Spectrum's page. I'm more than open to saving money buying elsewhere and doing BYOD.
As for the audio, honestly haven't explored that in the car, something to look into for sure, but I still prefer louder speakers if I can for doing chores around the house listening to things with the phone in my pocket. But again that's a wish list feature, not a deal breaker. Do you have any suggestions on the bluetooth dongles?
 

So cutting the list down based on responses:
 

1. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G UW - $749.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s20_5g_uw-10254.php

Top tier, but with a hefty price, nothing bad to say besides will I want to spend more for it. Same for the Pixel too

 

2. Samsung Galaxy A42 5G - $395.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a42_5g-10412.php

Weird but interesting color on back. I know that's not important, but needs to be said still. Good ram and battery size. 128 onboard with expandable memory. Won't need it at that point, but can't argue with the option. no one has said anything against it, and I think it might be my top choice at the moment.

 

3. Samsung Galaxy A32 5G - $275.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a32_5g-10648.php

Maybe low tier, not sure, but otherwise looks ok to me, pending ram amount

 

4. Samsung Galaxy A12 - $179.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a12-10604.php

Maybe low tier, not sure, but otherwise looks ok to me, pending ram amount

 

5. Google Pixel 4A 5G - $499

https://www.gsmarena.com/google_pixel_4a_5g-10385.php

no expandable storage, but 128 onboard, so not necessary as long as the rest of the phone is still a good value, just need to know what I'm getting for the extra money over the cheaper options

The a32 and a12 ram sizes increase when you get bigger storage.

[Jtalk4456]

4 minutes ago, President Dawson Wehage said:

The a32 and a12 ram sizes increase when you get bigger storage.

ah that makes sense, ty for the info

[Jtalk4456]

9 hours ago, huilun02 said:

The problem with downgrading is that you risk running into issues that often plague users of cheaper phones.

 

The typical issues are:

• Poor app switching experience due to low RAM
• High battery usage when juggling multiple apps due to low RAM - hard storage will be used as pagefile
• Poor app cold loading times due to slower storage speed
• Atrocious loading times and system unresponsiveness due to low storage capacity - flash storage slows down dramatically as a higher % of full capacity gets filled up. Removable storage does nothing to alleviate this unless you are constantly shifting files off internal storage.
• More prone to damage from ingress due to lack of ingress protection
• General dissatisfaction with camera performance (especially if you come from a flagship that has OIS)
• Often lacks stereo speakers or a good DAC to do justice for good headphones

not a big camera person, but the rest I can see. that's why I was hoping to find something "fast enough" something a bit cheaper than I usually spend but not making big compromises on the basic running speed. The A42 and the Pixel 4A 5G seem to be my top competitors at the moment. do either of these concern you as far as the issues you mentioned?

[Cylix]

If you buy the US version of the A12 you will not be getting the specs you linked.  Best I can tell Samsung released that version internationally which is what most review outlets covered but then released the phone under the same name in US markets with a 16MP camera instead of a 48MP and 3GB ram instead of 4GB.  You can see the discrepancies if you visit Samsung's US site vs. foreign versions of their site.

 

The site you linked had a lot more variations of Ram/Storage so it might even be more confusing than that but end result is I bought a phone on Mint Mobile which said 48MP camera and 4 GB ram and it came with a 16MP camera and 3 GB of ram and they still made me pay to send it back after I explicitly tried to confirm these details beforehand and was given the wrong information.

[dizmo]

On 7/21/2021 at 6:58 PM, Jtalk4456 said:

not bad for the cost, but that has a pretty low ram and battery, not sure I want to go that small, but I'll keep it in mind.

Noted, though I'm a bit confused looking at the GSM page for these two. The 32 says 4-8 gb ram and the 12 says 2-6 gb. Are these ranges of options based on the carrier?

 

Noted

This only reflects options from Spectrum Mobile. They do offer BYOD for unlocked phones, but I don't know enough about the market to make guesses outside their offerings. Cell phones are as foreign to me as macs. As for "lower tier A series" I don't know the range. What counts as low tier?

As for the price of the S20 FE, the price was given based off the cost from Spectrum's page. I'm more than open to saving money buying elsewhere and doing BYOD.
As for the audio, honestly haven't explored that in the car, something to look into for sure, but I still prefer louder speakers if I can for doing chores around the house listening to things with the phone in my pocket. But again that's a wish list feature, not a deal breaker. Do you have any suggestions on the bluetooth dongles?
 

So cutting the list down based on responses:
 

1. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G UW - $749.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s20_5g_uw-10254.php

Top tier, but with a hefty price, nothing bad to say besides will I want to spend more for it. Same for the Pixel too

 

2. Samsung Galaxy A42 5G - $395.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a42_5g-10412.php

Weird but interesting color on back. I know that's not important, but needs to be said still. Good ram and battery size. 128 onboard with expandable memory. Won't need it at that point, but can't argue with the option. no one has said anything against it, and I think it might be my top choice at the moment.

 

3. Samsung Galaxy A32 5G - $275.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a32_5g-10648.php

Maybe low tier, not sure, but otherwise looks ok to me, pending ram amount

 

4. Samsung Galaxy A12 - $179.99

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a12-10604.php

Maybe low tier, not sure, but otherwise looks ok to me, pending ram amount

 

5. Google Pixel 4A 5G - $499

https://www.gsmarena.com/google_pixel_4a_5g-10385.php

no expandable storage, but 128 onboard, so not necessary as long as the rest of the phone is still a good value, just need to know what I'm getting for the extra money over the cheaper options

The A series is a lower range when compared to the S series.

I wouldn't even consider 3 or 4 on your list, and only 2 if in a pinch. The FE is available at such cheap pricing that it really should be the leading option.

Bluetooth dongles aren't something I've ever looked into, so not really. I wouldn't cheap out though, as cheap ones will likely use older versions of BT.