What $200 Smartphone Should I Buy?

[CurryMantou]

A few years ago I bought a new Moto G Power and I've been solely using it as a general web device for home. Reading Discord, general web browsing and video watching. No cell service at all.  Obviously for a new $200 device from 2020, it clearly is getting long in the tooth, as it can get slowdown while switching apps that are currently running.

 

For a few weeks now I've been looking at the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE on eBay, for like Excellent condition. But the Galaxy Note 9 has popped up as a contender. I have been thinking of getting an OLED device.

 

My budget can go a little higher and I'd like to be able to play more demanding games than like AetherSX2 or something. And this will remain as a home device, it will not be used as a phone. 

 

Any recommendations? Or should I just wait for yet another sale on the Pixel 6a?

[Gokul_P]

39 minutes ago, CurryMantou said:

A few years ago I bought a new Moto G Power and I've been solely using it as a general web device for home. Reading Discord, general web browsing and video watching. No cell service at all.  Obviously for a new $200 device from 2020, it clearly is getting long in the tooth, as it can get slowdown while switching apps that are currently running.

 

For a few weeks now I've been looking at the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE on eBay, for like Excellent condition. But the Galaxy Note 9 has popped up as a contender. I have been thinking of getting an OLED device.

 

My budget can go a little higher and I'd like to be able to play more demanding games than like AetherSX2 or something. And this will remain as a home device, it will not be used as a phone. 

 

Any recommendations? Or should I just wait for yet another sale on the Pixel 6a?

S20Fe can do possibly everything in mobile So if you find a good deal its a good phone. Pixel 6a is also a very good device with Best camara in 2022 according to MKBHD Blind camara test. Pixel will get future os updates S20 will not You can install 3rd party Roms but Samsung isn't going to give you Android updates.  For Note 9 The Last Os from samsung was A10 But the hardware is great. All of these phones you mentioned is OLED. Note 9 is Super AMOLED, HDR10 1440 x 2960 pixels, 18.5:9 ratio (~516 ppi density), S20 FE Super AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+ ,1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~429 ppi density) And pixel 6a OLED, HDR 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~429 ppi density). 

 

 

I would prob get a tablet like TAB s6 , S7,  If you are getting Samsung devices get the QUALCOMM SNAPDRAGON version. 

[dizmo]

If you're going to be using it for the same things as the last phone, I'd really just get a tablet. I wouldn't get something as old as the Note9.

The S20 FE is a great device, so it gets my top vote of the ones you're looking at. Since you're looking used, there's almost unlimited options.

Since you're not using it as a phone I'd also take a hard look at any number of the Chinese company's gaming phones. They're usually quite cheap, and their lack of proper bands wouldn't matter to you.

 

1 hour ago, Gokul_P said:

S20Fe can do possibly everything in mobile So if you find a good deal its a good phone. Pixel 6a is also a very good device with Best camara in 2022 according to MKBHD Blind camara test. Pixel will get future os updates S20 will not You can install 3rd party Roms but Samsung isn't going to give you Android updates.  For Note 9 The Last Os from samsung was A10 But the hardware is great. All of these phones you mentioned is OLED. Note 9 is Super AMOLED, HDR10 1440 x 2960 pixels, 18.5:9 ratio (~516 ppi density), S20 FE Super AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+ ,1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~429 ppi density) And pixel 6a OLED, HDR 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~429 ppi density). 

 

 

I would prob get a tablet like TAB s6 , S7,  If you are getting Samsung devices get the QUALCOMM SNAPDRAGON version. 

The S20 will most definitely get future updates, Samsung provides a longer update schedule than Google does.

[Gokul_P]

6 minutes ago, dizmo said:

The S20 will most definitely get future updates, Samsung provides a longer update schedule than Google does.

Nope according to Samsung rep  You will not get Future android updates you only get Security updates s20Fe is 3 years old and launched with Android 10 Now running Android 13. And Samsung rep also said it applies to the 5G variant also even though it only released in 2022 in many countries with Android 12. Samsung does provide longer update schedule since s21 launch i guess the 4 year Android update and 5Year security before that it was 3 major android update and +1 year of security update. Also Google overdelivers on their schedule.

[E-waste]

1 hour ago, CurryMantou said:

Obviously for a new $200 device from 2020, it clearly is getting long in the tooth, as it can get slowdown while switching apps that are currently running.

What?

 

I have a device from 2016 and 3GB of ram, on android 8.0, and haven't had an issue with app compatibility, performance or any of that.  You say it's not even used as a phone, but as a tablet.

 

This is a horrible software iasue, and has NITHING AT ALL to do with the hardware.  How can a device from 2016 perform better than a much newer, octa-core 2.0 x4 and 1.8Ghz quad core cpu, with an extra gig of ram, be slower than the phone I still use everyday?  Explain that!!

 

gsmarena (I like the information, but not the hardware competition it encourages) says this phone has android 10.  I've never used anything past oreo as my phone works perfectly well, five years, wait no, closer to six years later now.

 

And this large screen device can't function for 700 days before it "slows down"?  What is going on???

 

Try deleting any unnecessary apps and then download a firewall onto the device.  I also recommend (not just for web browsing) DuckzDuckGo to enable a special feature.

 

App tracking protection

 

Maybe you downloaded a shitty app that's trying to male bank by uploading data to some server.

 

I hope you don't have to change devices--there is NOTHING at fault with that hardware.  Fix your software issues if possible or try unlocking the bootloader and installing Limeage OS.

 

As you can probably tell, it genuinely angers me that new software is causing unnecessary performance issues to the point that a phone nearly double the performance of mine (octa-core vs a quad-core) and more ram, is made unpleasantly slow by shitty software. 

 

I thougjt motorola was one of the brands that released fresh versions of android without bloat.  AARRRGG!

 

 

[dizmo]

1 hour ago, Gokul_P said:

Nope according to Samsung rep  You will not get Future android updates you only get Security updates s20Fe is 3 years old and launched with Android 10 Now running Android 13. And Samsung rep also said it applies to the 5G variant also even though it only released in 2022 in many countries with Android 12. Samsung does provide longer update schedule since s21 launch i guess the 4 year Android update and 5Year security before that it was 3 major android update and +1 year of security update. Also Google overdelivers on their schedule.

There's been tons of leaks showing that they're getting OneUI 5.1. So yes, they will get another update.

For what he's doing it doesn't really matter a whole lot anyway.

[CurryMantou]

Well, the Pixel 6a is down to $300 this week. And I wait till my next payday to make a solid decision.

[simpsonfan409]

hijacking this thread. i want the best possible camera in a 200€ phone. i don't know much about phones, i couldn't care less about gaming performance, all i care about is fast switching between apps, no lag when browsing or watching youtube, and camera quality. i currently have an old A10, which is very slow when switching apps.

a local store is having a sale for an A13 at 150€. i was also looking at the Poco M5s, though the images in some reviews looked a bit smeary and overexposed. i also don't necessarily want a xiaomi phone, because my dad is getting a lot of freezes since the last update on his redmi.

can i do better than these below 200?

[E-waste]

13 hours ago, simpsonfan409 said:

i currently have an old A10, which is very slow when switching apps.

Old? I hope that's a joke!  It's only well almost four years young.  But, it has an eight-core CPU.

 

Octa-core

dual core 1.6 GHz

six core 1.35, according to gsmarena.

 

While that is marginally slower speeds, you have two extra cores in that mode than my quad core device, PLUS two higher speed cores.  If anything it should be able to split up that process.  It sounds like this is an area where the built-in graphics processing may be slower.

 

As an estimate, about how long does it really take to switch between apps?  I'd imagine it's a tolerable amount, you just prefer a faster experience.  Before you look for new hardware, try tweaking spme settings, or turning off extra features you aren't using.

 

What settings?  I don't know either but here are some ideas:

 

Go to settings, and find "about phone" and go to the software information section.  Tap the build version seven times.

 

Then go into developer options and try turning off all animation, and try either enabling, or disabling gpu rendering.  Not sure if that is any help.

 

Next up is apps!  DL the duckduckgo browser to enable their app tracking protection feature.  This blocks tracking and data upload in any of your apps, and once you see it, I recommend swapping it for an app that doesn't cause it to be blocked.  Try supporting apps that work well and aren't designed just to upload data.

 

If you really like an app and want to keep using it, another option is to download a firewall.  Most android direwalls let you block apps directly, including system apps, especially google / android related programs.

 

This will at least reduce some load is it won't be able to upload data when you use it, if nothing else, it increases privacy a bit, and reduces network use.

 

If all of that doesn't help, try using safe mode by holding power button, and on the display, long-press the power off icon, until it turns green.  This allows you to pick safe mode.

 

Disables all 3rd party apps but you can still get online and do basic things--just know if you downloaded a very, VERY necessary firewall, it will not be running in this mode, so I do not at all recommend it.  Way too much data is collected just by the android operating system.

[simpsonfan409]

8 hours ago, E-waste said:

Old? I hope that's a joke!  It's only well almost four years young.  But, it has an eight-core CPU.

 

Octa-core

dual core 1.6 GHz

six core 1.35, according to gsmarena.

 

While that is marginally slower speeds, you have two extra cores in that mode than my quad core device, PLUS two higher speed cores.  If anything it should be able to split up that process.  It sounds like this is an area where the built-in graphics processing may be slower.

 

As an estimate, about how long does it really take to switch between apps?  I'd imagine it's a tolerable amount, you just prefer a faster experience.  Before you look for new hardware, try tweaking spme settings, or turning off extra features you aren't using.

 

What settings?  I don't know either but here are some ideas:

 

Go to settings, and find "about phone" and go to the software information section.  Tap the build version seven times.

 

Then go into developer options and try turning off all animation, and try either enabling, or disabling gpu rendering.  Not sure if that is any help.

 

Next up is apps!  DL the duckduckgo browser to enable their app tracking protection feature.  This blocks tracking and data upload in any of your apps, and once you see it, I recommend swapping it for an app that doesn't cause it to be blocked.  Try supporting apps that work well and aren't designed just to upload data.

 

If you really like an app and want to keep using it, another option is to download a firewall.  Most android direwalls let you block apps directly, including system apps, especially google / android related programs.

 

This will at least reduce some load is it won't be able to upload data when you use it, if nothing else, it increases privacy a bit, and reduces network use.

 

If all of that doesn't help, try using safe mode by holding power button, and on the display, long-press the power off icon, until it turns green.  This allows you to pick safe mode.

 

Disables all 3rd party apps but you can still get online and do basic things--just know if you downloaded a very, VERY necessary firewall, it will not be running in this mode, so I do not at all recommend it.  Way too much data is collected just by the android operating system.

Huh, i guess it's not that old, certainly feels older, and slower than an octa core. The 2GB RAM might be holding it back. Opening one app at a time is okay, but switching between two apps seriously slows it down. Sometimes it takes 20 seconds to open the browser or youtube, or even something as simple as notes when i research stuff in the browser and want to take notes at the same time. It's not uncommon that it clears the ram, clears all apps and the launcher. I'll try out the app tracking protection. 

[E-waste]

1 hour ago, simpsonfan409 said:

The 2GB RAM might be holding it back.

I think you're absolutely right.  I jave a tablet with less than 2GB ram, and while (with a firewall) HIGHLY optimized software, the system takes up 1.2 GB of mem at all times.  This leaves only 340 MB of ram (that's how much my browser, fennec, which is firefox with the about:config settings page) and so I assume that'll all the ram it has left to use.

 

So with 2GB you should have a small amount of room left, but my browser multiple times a day will freeze and force closing is how I have to clesr the memory.

 

If I open four or five tabs, it's more likely, even with two, it will eventually do this.  So I have no idea how to clean up the system.  Planned obsolesence at it's finest.

 

These developers KNOW the limitation, but it's their job to make things just slow enough to need replacing.

 

Try using safe mode, hold power button and hold down power off icon.  You should see safe mode.  Actually I don't recommend that, as you're giving up a firewall, so don't do that.  Go download a firewall and allow net for only apps you use.

 

I didn't see the part where you mentioned the app tracking protection, it's an excellent start, but be to get a firewall, to block the google / android telemetry.  I recommend RethinkDNS as it has the firewall, and a DNS log of all DNS requests, (and the firewall lists IP address activity, a bit split up, but it's all available to see).

 

Another idea is a custom launcher.  I would look for a launcher that is very simple and just has text on ths screen.  On E-readers, Relaunch was designed to be simple and low on resources as these devices usually have 256 MB of ram.

[CurryMantou]

I demoed a $200 Samsung A series phone recently and am shocked at how much slower it is compared to my Moto. Pixel it is, definitely not that 7 pro lol.

[Cramig88]

oneplus 7t - end of story.  easy to unlock the bootloader and install custom roms, even throwing kali nethunter into it

[E-waste]

On 2/11/2023 at 7:34 PM, CurryMantou said:

I demoed a $200 Samsung A series phone recently and am shocked at how much slower it is compared to my Moto. Pixel it is, definitely not that 7 pro lol.

I am wanting to learn more about android performance on Android past v8.0

 

In what tasks was it annoyingly slow compared to the Moto android software?  When you say you demo, I assume that's in a store, guess even with that short test, it was noticably slower.

 

The most important functionality is the phone app.  Did you happen to plag with opening that and noting how long it took for you to dial a phone number?

 

I think the best way to fix all of this, is to get a flip phone with cellular tethering, buying a quality tablet, and putting LineageOS on it.

 

Phone for calls and texts, and picture messages (on an absolutely tiny screen, you could bluetooth send them to a tablet) and the larger screen for web browsing, games etc.

 

I know 98% of people would hate this idea, as a tablet isn't pocketable, and you would have to store it somewhere, or even go without it OH NO!  But it would mean you could have a less capable phone device, that doesn't need to be "upgraded" / changed frequently.

[CurryMantou]

Well I got a used Pixel 6 Pro, very impressed even if the menu bar things are annoying.

Turning on dev options and forcing 120hz yow