2nd hand phone purchase.

[CosminV95]

So for about 3 years now I've been using a Samsung Galaxy S (i9000), still works like charm but of course I've gotten really bored of it.
Now, getting a new device seems to be the logical choice but because of my tiny budget (250$) I can't really reach for anything close to the high-end powerhouses like the HTC One or the S4. I know that there are plenty of low-end phones that I could go for but I have just found a 2nd hand HTC One S (belongs to a friend of a trusted friend of mine), it costs 210$ and it comes in the box, all accessories, unlocked and it looks brand new (no scratches or anything like that).
What attracts me to this is that, well it's cheap and the phone is quite a beast for that price. When it was released last year, on GSMArena.com's review it beat the HTC One X and the Galaxy S3 in Synthetic Benchmarks which is damn impressive for a device that launched as midrange.
A few specs and things about the phone:
- 7.8mm thick aluminum body (it feels very thin in hand but there's no removable back cover)
- 4.3" 540x960 Super AMOLED display (same size as a Galaxy S2 but with higher res)
- 16GB internal storage (no SD Card slot)
- 1GB RAM
- 8 MP camera
- 1.5 GHz dual-core (Krait cores) Snapdragon S4 chip
So long story short, is 210$ worth it for a nearly new HTC One S?
And what other alternatives would you guys suggest?
Thank you.

[Coombzy]

Seems like a good price and a good phone I assume you flash roms etc because of your profile picture so getting Jellybean 4.2.2 is no problem I would go for it if you know its in very good condition.

although I have seen better phones go for just a little more S3 for example one went for $225.

Edited July 6, 2013 by Coombzy

[CosminV95]

Seems like a good price and a good phone I assume you flash roms etc because of your profile picture so getting Jellybean 4.2.2 is no problem I would go for it if you know its in very good condition.

Yes I do flash custom ROMs a lot, it is in top notch condition though what I'm unsure about is alternatives... I really want to make the best I can make out of 200-230$.

[samuelohagan]

Sounds like a good deal, as an alternative, the nexus 4 is unlocked for $299. ;)

[CosminV95]

Sounds like a good deal, as an alternative, the nexus 4 is unlocked for $299. ;)

Yeah that would be a steal, not available over here though (Romania)...

[bosnian_guy]

If you can root it I say go for it. In the pictures it looks awesome. Good luck .

[bosnian_guy]

If you can root it I say go for it. In the pictures it looks awesome. Good luck .

[Guest]

It's a pretty decent phone in terms of the physical feel of it. It's extremely thin. You should get it and throw a custom ROM on it.

[Zappy]

It's a good phone, have you tried seeing what is available in Romania for around the same price range?

[CosminV95]

It's a good phone, have you tried seeing what is available in Romania for around the same price range?

Yes, unfortunately from stores on that budget there are only low-end phones like the Galaxy Mini's, 2nd hand there would be the Galaxy S2 and the LG Optimus 2x...

[Zappy]

Yes, unfortunately from stores on that budget there are only low-end phones like the Galaxy Mini's, 2nd hand there would be the Galaxy S2 and the LG Optimus 2x...

None of those are even in the same class as the One S... so it seems pretty clear

[CosminV95]

OK so there is an issue here, apparently there are 2 models of One S out on the market over here, one with a Snapdragon S3 and one (obviously better) with the S4 chipset. Problem is I don't know what kind of Snapdragon processor the One S I'm buying has... bummer. I have the suspicion that it is the S3 since it's lower-priced than other 2nd hand One S's that are in the same condition and if it is an S3, I don't think I'm so attracted by it anymore.

Damn this is trickier than I thought.

[Snake]

I would just get a Nexus. Always get updates before everyone else and its very fast and performs amazingly. 

Also stock android is so much cleaner than sense and all the rest of this after market addon trash.

 

Edit:

Just see the post saying you cant get it in your region :/ maybe you can import one ? they are unlocked so i would not see a problem using it.

[Zappy]

OK so there is an issue here, apparently there are 2 models of One S out on the market over here, one with a Snapdragon S3 and one (obviously better) with the S4 chipset. Problem is I don't know what kind of Snapdragon processor the One S I'm buying has... bummer. I have the suspicion that it is the S3 since it's lower-priced than other 2nd hand One S's that are in the same condition and if it is an S3, I don't think I'm so attracted by it anymore.

Damn this is trickier than I thought.

Well it was only select Europe-Asia markets that even had the S3 One, so maybe Romania wasn't one of them? You could always check the about screen before you pay for it if you're buying in person.

[CosminV95]

I would just get a Nexus. Always get updates before everyone else and its very fast and performs amazingly. 

Also stock android is so much cleaner than sense and all the rest of this after market addon trash.

 

Edit:

Just see the post saying you cant get it in your region :/ maybe you can import one ? they are unlocked so i would not see a problem using it.

That's just a bit too much of a hassle. And I can't seem to find one that fits my budget. Also, I wouldn't worry too much about Sense because I see that the One S has decent support from the custom ROM communities such as CyanogenMod.

[CosminV95]

Well it was only select Europe-Asia markets that even had the S3 One, so maybe Romania wasn't one of them? You could always check the about screen before you pay for it if you're buying in person.

I think I'll just call the guy tomorrow and see what is what so that I won't have to travel there for nothing (it's about 70km/40miles).