Help in choosing my first smartphone EVER

[Freezanator]

I'm getting my first smartphone ever and I want to start it off with a good phone that will last me more than 3 years. My budget is 1700 MYR (~383 USD) while products above my budget have a lower chance of me getting it (because my mom has the final say ). Here are some of my choices:
1. Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) Black [Brand New] - 1699 MYR (383 USD)

2. Apple iPhone 6 64GB (Space Grey) [Refurbished Grade A] - 1359 MYR (305 USD)
3. Apple iPhone 6 128GB (Space Grey) [Refurbished Grade A] -  1470 MYR (330 USD)

4. Apple iPhone 6 64GB (Space Grey) [Brand New] - 1848 MYR (415 USD)
5. Apple iPhone SE 64GB (Space Grey) [Brand New] - 1999 MYR (450 USD)

 

I'd actually get the A5 2017 due to being the cheapest in the "Brand New" category as well as having IP68 dust and water resistance. However, its specs aren't really worth the price (c'mon, only 1080p@30FPS and no OIS?). On the other hand, I'm also a little skeptical about buying refurbished products (i.e. iPhone 6 64GB and 128GB in this case) as I wouldn't know what they've been through albeit being rated as "Grade A". Now, onto the phones above my budget. I'll try to convince my mom to allow me to get one of the 2 brand new handsets if they are worth the money. So, which of the 5 do you think I should get? Opinions and suggestions are highly WANTED. Thanks!  

[Aniallation]

While the Galaxy A series are gorgeous and very well built, there's really no reason to go for them aside from aesthetics. For $400 you can do a lot better if you can sacrifice looks a little bit. What other Android options are available?

 

Edit: Just noticed that they're links. I'll look through the site and see what I can find.

[A Silver]

I would say google pixel but it is above your budget.

[Freezanator]

1 minute ago, Aniallation said:

While the Galaxy A series are gorgeous and very well built, there's really no reason to go for them aside from aesthetics.

 

What other Android options are available?

Beyond my budget: Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) (but all it has is a bigger battery compared to the A5)

[SeraphicWings]

If this is your very first smartphone I suggest getting that A5 (or the A7 if budget allows), the most important part is that it has Samsung's official warranty

 

Until you get used to the smartphone market, I don't see any point risking your money on imported stuffs

 

 

[Freezanator]

2 minutes ago, A Silver said:

I would say google pixel but it is above your budget.

Which would you pick of the 5?

[Freezanator]

2 minutes ago, SeraphicWings said:

If this is your very first smartphone I suggest getting that A5, the most important part is that it has Samsung's official warranty

 

Until you get used to the smartphone market, I don't see any point risking your money on imported stuffs

 

 

I see. What do you mean by getting "used to" the smartphone market?  

[Aniallation]

2 minutes ago, Freezanator said:

Which would you pick of the 5?

None. Get this http://www.lazada.com.my/huawei-p9-32gb-grey-official-huawei-warranty-10961609.html

 

 

[SeraphicWings]

1 minute ago, Freezanator said:

I see. What do you mean by getting "used to" the smartphone market?  

You have the knowledge on choosing a reliable retailer on buying imported phones

Just please, don't buy imported phone online (both new and refurb'd), you have to see for yourself the condition of said phone before deciding whether you should buy it or not. 

 

[Freezanator]

1 minute ago, Aniallation said:

None. Get this http://www.lazada.com.my/huawei-p9-32gb-grey-official-huawei-warranty-10961609.html

 

 

To be honest with you, I'd pick Huawei/Honor already. The only problem is that their buttons are in the screen, instead of capacitive/physical buttons which will be a pain when the screen potentially freezes in the future. Furthermore, they used the space which was once occupied by the buttons to put their logo instead of utilizing it for greater screen estate.  

[Aniallation]

11 minutes ago, Freezanator said:

To be honest with you, I'd pick Huawei/Honor already. The only problem is that their buttons are in the screen, instead of capacitive/physical buttons which will be a pain when the screen potentially freezes in the future. Furthermore, they used the space which was once occupied by the buttons to put their logo instead of utilizing it for greater screen estate.  

If this is your first smartphone ever, you will get used to it in a fairly short period of time. I thought it was weird too at first but now I'd rather have it than physical buttons. You might as well get used to it now because it's becoming the norm with Android, so the longer you stay away from it, the harder it will be to keep finding it in later phones you purchase. I have never with any of my many many phones (view my profile lol) had an issue with the screen freezing and affected them.

 

Just that decision to not put buttons there is definitely not a reason to not jump on this deal. P9 is one of the best Android phones out there as a whole right now, never mind for this price. It is cheaper than any of the brand new options you listed and a better phone than any of the ones listed.

 

If you really must not have on-screen buttons: http://www.lazada.com.my/lenovo-zuk-z2-64gb-rom-smartphone-white-12939842.html

[A Silver]

13 minutes ago, Freezanator said:

Which would you pick of the 5?

Probably the iphone 6 space grey band new one

[Freezanator]

8 minutes ago, Aniallation said:

- Snip -

._. How did you manage to own so many smartphones and whatever for? I'll give Huawei/Honor a second thought. By the way, what do you think of the Xiaomi Mi 5 and the OnePlus 3? I know you've never used them, but they seem to be really good offerings from the Chinese market. By the way, how was your experience with the 4 OnePlus Ones?  

[Aniallation]

14 minutes ago, Freezanator said:

._. How did you manage to own so many smartphones and whatever for? I'll give Huawei/Honor a second thought. By the way, what do you think of the Xiaomi Mi 5 and the OnePlus 3? I know you've never used them, but they seem to be really good offerings from the Chinese market. By the way, how was your experience with the 4 OnePlus Ones?  

I get bored of one really quickly and just feel like getting something else. (By the way, I do the same thing with cars too.)

 

Never used the Mi 5, but my dad has the OnePlus 3 and he likes it. Can't really give you a real-world review on it though, cause the most demanding thing I ever see him do on his phone is go on YouTube to watch Vietnamese comedy shows. Not sure why he paid so much to get such a nice phone, but that's none of my business.

 

The OnePlus Ones were really nice, just a bit too big for me. I kept coming back to them thinking I'd get used to it but just was never able to - it just really irritates me how they're just a tad too big for my hands, pockets, and cupholders. Aside from that though; great performance, great camera, great speakers (yes, there are two down firing ones, and they're stereo), amazing battery life, and the sandstone back texture is actually very nice to hold on to, even if it does look a bit ugly. They're getting pretty dated though so I wouldn't suggest one to anybody today.

[Rohime]

The other thing nobody seems to mention here is the Ecosystem issue.

Like, are you already embedded in either the Apple or the Google ecosystems?

AppleTV vs ChromeCast vs etc.

Mac Laptop vs. PC vs. etc.

iTunes vs. Spotify vs etc.

 

These things (if pre-existing) actually do become strong reasons to lean toward iPhone vs. Android to match a pre-existing ecosystem investment.

 

Personally I'd decided between iPhone 6 and Galaxy 5 based on your investment in the above.

because they are BOTH great phones.

[Freezanator]

2 minutes ago, Rohime said:

The other thing nobody seems to mention here is the Ecosystem issue.

Like, are you already embedded in either the Apple or the Google ecosystems?

AppleTV vs ChromeCast vs etc.

Mac Laptop vs. PC vs. etc.

iTunes vs. Spotify vs etc.

 

These things (if pre-existing) actually do become strong reasons to lean toward iPhone vs. Android to match a pre-existing ecosystem investment.

I don't have any appliances running iOS or Android in my home (besides my family member's phones). I am on Windows, though. Is it better to go with Android in that case?  

[MrMcMuffinJr]

I recommend Option 3

[Freezanator]

1 minute ago, MrMcMuffinJr said:

I recommend Option 3

Have you used refurbished phones before?  

[Guest]

How about Galaxy S7? http://www.lazada.com.my/content-error-samsung-galaxy-s7-sm-g930fd-32gb-gold-10349907.html

[ProjectBox153]

Try the OnePlus 3t. It's not too much over your budget, and is a really nice phone overall. As long as that is an option for you wherever you are.

[MrMcMuffinJr]

1 minute ago, Freezanator said:

Have you used refurbished phones before?  

no I have not

[Freezanator]

2 minutes ago, deXxterlab97 said:

How about Galaxy S7? http://www.lazada.com.my/content-error-samsung-galaxy-s7-sm-g930fd-32gb-gold-10349907.html

Chances of me getting a phone over my budget is quite low, actually.  

[Freezanator]

4 minutes ago, Jamiec1130 said:

Try the OnePlus 3t. It's not too much over your budget, and is a really nice phone overall. As long as that is an option for you wherever you are.

It was one of my choices at first. However, there aren't any OnePlus service centers where I live, which makes me prone to fake parts when servicing the phone in the future.

[ProjectBox153]

1 minute ago, Freezanator said:

It was one of my choices at first. However, there aren't any OnePlus service centers where I live, which makes me prone to fakes parts when servicing the phone in the future.

Oh. That's a good point. 

[TheiMacNoob]

If you don't plan to get a new phone within 2 years of buying this one I would go with any iPhone. There support is pretty good. They just stopped supporting the iPad 2 and iPhone 4 last year (2016). Android phones usually don't get that long of support. 

 

if you want speed I would also recommend the iPhone SE or iPhone 6s as they still have a really fast processor (A9).

 

If you want features ( Curved display and ECT.) and a bigger battery I would recommend any Android phone in that case. iPhones are great but the battery's on them are pretty bad.