Keep my M8?

[aisle9]

I have no particular aversion to keeping my M8 soldiering on, but after switching to Verizon and buying a Moto X Pure (worst. phone. ever.) then making my way back to AT&T to revive the M8, I'm wondering if there's something cheap-ish (~$150) that would be any kind of upgrade. The BLU R1 HD looks intriguing on price alone, but the specs are nowhere near what I've got. Some of BLU's stuff in general does look good, though. My preference is to avoid used phones.

 

My general criteria would be 2GB of RAM, microSD up to 128GB, quad core, at least 720p screen and no bigger than the M8 (ideally even a bit smaller). Oh, and AT&T LTE bands. Beyond that, I'm really just kind of open. Really all I do on my phone is surf the net, answer emails and texts, do all kinds of fun things with weather and radar apps and occasionally do some light gaming. Stuff like Goat Simulator is about as hardcore as my gaming gets. Anything worth looking at in that price range, or would anything at all be a downgrade from the M8? My wife is a bit more keen to replace her phone, and her use case is along the same lines as mine.

[MoonlightSylv]

5 minutes ago, aisle9 said:

-snip-

Put Cyanogenmod on that M8 and it'll run like new (probably)

[aisle9]

3 minutes ago, ShadowTechXTS said:

Put Cyanogenmod on that M8 and it'll run like new (probably)

They're both very rooted and cranking Skydragons. Mine has Marshmallow firmware...somehow. My wife's? She's on Lollipop firmware. And I can't be arsed to go in through ADB and flash MM firmware now that the guy who used to make flashable firmware zips on XDA has more or less retired, so she's stuck lol

[MoonlightSylv]

11 minutes ago, aisle9 said:

They're both very rooted and cranking Skydragons. Mine has Marshmallow firmware...somehow. My wife's? She's on Lollipop firmware. And I can't be arsed to go in through ADB and flash MM firmware now that the guy who used to make flashable firmware zips on XDA has more or less retired, so she's stuck lol

If you don't mind spending an extra $50, the OnePlus X is great: https://oneplus.net/oneplus-x

Otherwise, Xiaomi makes some decent cheap phones, you'll have to ship from China though.

Edit: The OPX has similar specs to the M8, you might just want to save a bit more for a better phone.

Edited July 8, 2016 by ShadowTechXTS

[dizmo]

I don't think you'll find something for that price that's worth upgrading. Your phone will blow most things out of the water.

If you want something smaller, I'd save up and pick up a Z3 Compact. They're usually about $200 on eBay from HK.

Pretty much has everything you're looking for. I almost picked one up to use when I travel or go mountain biking.

 

Unfortunately there aren't many phones that keep a smallish form factor. The norm seems to be approaching Note sizing.

 

[aisle9]

9 hours ago, ShadowTechXTS said:

If you don't mind spending an extra $50, the OnePlus X is great: https://oneplus.net/oneplus-x

Otherwise, Xiaomi makes some decent cheap phones, you'll have to ship from China though.

Edit: The OPX has similar specs to the M8, you might just want to save a bit more for a better phone.

Yeah, I'd sooner get a 1060 or 1070 than replace a phone that doesn't need it. Honestly, my wife needs a new phone more than I do, and her main requirement is "battery lasts all day". 

8 hours ago, dizmo said:

I don't think you'll find something for that price that's worth upgrading. Your phone will blow most things out of the water.

If you want something smaller, I'd save up and pick up a Z3 Compact. They're usually about $200 on eBay from HK.

Pretty much has everything you're looking for. I almost picked one up to use when I travel or go mountain biking.

 

Unfortunately there aren't many phones that keep a smallish form factor. The norm seems to be approaching Note sizing.

 

I've noticed lol. The Note 2 is still the best phone I've ever owned, but the trend toward bricks is a problem for me. I'll check into the Xperia, but if there's really no need to replace it, I'm cool with the M8. Thanks for your help, both of you!  

[dizmo]

10 hours ago, aisle9 said:

Yeah, I'd sooner get a 1060 or 1070 than replace a phone that doesn't need it. Honestly, my wife needs a new phone more than I do, and her main requirement is "battery lasts all day". 

I've noticed lol. The Note 2 is still the best phone I've ever owned, but the trend toward bricks is a problem for me. I'll check into the Xperia, but if there's really no need to replace it, I'm cool with the M8. Thanks for your help, both of you!  

If the wife wants all day battery the Z3 Compact is a beast. One of the best. I can't think of any other cheaper phone that really rivals it. Moto G does quite well, if you're willing to give Moto another go. The X phone hasn't been up to par IMO for a few years.

 

Haha, I love my Note5. Without a case it actually feels amazingly compact; those rounded backs really do wonders for in the hand feel. I'd just keep the M8 right now tbh, and upgrade in a year or two when there's a serious reason to; by then better processors and displays will give you a huge increase in battery life.