Longevity of cheap phones

[notenoughtv]

Hi, I'm currently looking for a new phone and was wondering if something cheap like a Pocophone X3 Pro that I could get for US$360 equivalent is a good choice for a phone that I could use for around 3 years. I currently have a Samsung Galaxy S8+ that is on death's door. 

I'm willing to spend more on something like a Galaxy S20 FE that I can get for US$550 or a used Note 10+ or S20+ for around the same price.

The only thing I really care about in a phone is a quality feel in the hand, dual sim card and a nice camera. High refresh rate would be nice but not necessary since I haven't experienced it on a phone yet so I wouldn't feel like I'm loosing something

I'm open to suggestions under within this price range

 

Thanks

[Dedayog]

OnePlus Nord N200 5G is new and pretty good for the price...

 

Buy OnePlus Nord N200 - OnePlus (United States)

 

 

[Brooksie359]

Got a lower end Samsung phone for like 250 and honestly it would have lasted me longer than 3 years hand j not dropped the thing on the pavement and cracked the screen. Worked for awhile with the broken screen but after about 6 months it's display started having serious issues so I had to get a new phone. 

[notenoughtv]

On 7/21/2021 at 12:13 PM, Dedayog said:

OnePlus Nord N200 5G is new and pretty good for the price...

 

Buy OnePlus Nord N200 - OnePlus (United States)

 

 

Sadly, the cheapest available OnePlus in my country is the 8T and it's over 650 USD

On 7/21/2021 at 12:15 PM, Brooksie359 said:

Got a lower end Samsung phone for like 250 and honestly it would have lasted me longer than 3 years hand j not dropped the thing on the pavement and cracked the screen. Worked for awhile with the broken screen but after about 6 months it's display started having serious issues so I had to get a new phone. 

I'll check those out

On 7/22/2021 at 7:15 AM, huilun02 said:

Depends on what is the limiting factor in the phone for your case

 

Then you want OIS (optical image stabilisation) in the camera of your phone.

 

The S20 FE has it. It is almost never found in cheaper phones.

The thing that worries me about cheaper phones is how long those will get updates

 

I'm leaning towards the FE because of this and the cameras

 

Thanks for the replies

[Commodus]

31 minutes ago, notenoughtv said:

Sadly, the cheapest available OnePlus in my country is the 8T and it's over 650 USD

I'll check those out

The thing that worries me about cheaper phones is how long those will get updates

 

I'm leaning towards the FE because of this and the cameras

 

Thanks for the replies

I'd lean there as well, unless you can afford to wait for a possible S21 FE (although it probably won't be discounted like the S20 FE often is now).

 

Ever heard the expression "penny wise, pound foolish?" That's my thinking. A cheaper phone isn't worthwhile if you feel compelled to upgrade it sooner.

[0591ryan]

On 7/27/2021 at 9:21 AM, notenoughtv said:

Sadly, the cheapest available OnePlus in my country is the 8T and it's over 650 USD

I'll check those out

The thing that worries me about cheaper phones is how long those will get updates

 

I'm leaning towards the FE because of this and the cameras

 

Thanks for the replies

You could flash LineageOS onto any android phone with an unlocked boot loader to extend the service life is the manufacturer no longer provides updates

 

id also encourage you to look at the fair phone 3 if repairing/upgrading your devices is something you are interested in

 

it doesn’t have OIS and I’m no camera expert so I can’t say much to the camera quality of any phone but it does have dual SIM

 

Pretty sure it’s in your price range as well