Looking for a mid-range phone ($500)

[Septimus]

I'm in the market for a mid-range Android smartphone right now, and I would prefer to keep it under $400, but $500 is my total budget. I've been keeping up with the flagships recently, but nothing has particularly intrigued me for a price of $700. I've had my eyes on things like the LG G6, but with a last-gen CPU for the same price as a flagship, it just isn't too appealing. Does anyone know of any good phones that are either out now or will be coming out within the next few months?

Things that are important to me in a phone:

- A history of fairly quick updates from the manufacturer (assuming they ever release an update) 

- A large battery, 3,300 mAh or larger is preferable

- Screen between 4.7" and 5.5"

- Decent camera (almost everything in 2017)

- Biometric login

- Appealing design (subjective)

 

 

Opinions on Huawei P10? 

[mech]

One plus 5

[Himommies]

Just now, ScrappyZeDog said:

One plus 5

Essential is better 

get that or a Moto Z2 

[LienusLateTips]

Huawei Mate 9

[kevinisbeast707]

I think between the Huawei p10, lg g6, and Oneplus 5 that you have a pretty solid trio of devices to choose from. The Op5 is definitely what you want to go with if you want a good all roudner or if you have an intense desire for amoled. the g6 is still a really good phone and you'll find little to no slowdown with the snapdragon 821 (it's actually noticeably faster for floating point calculations than the 835) but don't expect too much from lg's software or headphone output. The p10 is a great camera phone and I'd personally have no qualms buying it over the op5 if i was interested in the smaller size. The headphone output is mid pack like the g6 and performance is great but you'll have to get used to the software as it's definitely different and either use software keys or get used to the finger print reader gestures. If you wanna save a few bucks there's always the honor 8 which is like a cooler looking p9 with a button embedded in the finger print scanner on the back and a low price tag.

http://a.co/dYS5227 (64gb version is 1 dollar more)

[dizmo]

The P10 is a great phone, but I'd really recommend going with the Plus model. It has nicer cameras.

Moto Z Play is another good choice. Older, but super cheap, and should hold you over if you're looking to buy a flagship next year. We're not too terribly far away from the next MWC, and there's still 4 or 5 flagships to be released this year.

Having a large battery doesn't always mean you'll have better battery life

 

38 minutes ago, Himommies said:

Essential is better 

get that or a Moto Z2 

Well yeah, one would think if you're spending $250 more you're getting a better device...

[kevinisbeast707]

44 minutes ago, Himommies said:

Essential is better 

get that or a Moto Z2 

Essential is also exclusively sprint...

[dizmo]

17 minutes ago, kevinisbeast707 said:

Essential is also exclusively sprint...

Unless he's buying unlocked. Which it sounds like he is.

[kevinisbeast707]

5 minutes ago, dizmo said:

Unless he's buying unlocked. Which it sounds like he is.

Ooooo I didn't know i was unlocked. Damn why they gotta do me like that. That was my reason for not wanting it.

[dizmo]

17 minutes ago, kevinisbeast707 said:

Ooooo I didn't know i was unlocked. Damn why they gotta do me like that. That was my reason for not wanting it.XD

I'm waiting for them to make a version with waterproofing and a bigger battery

[D13H4RD]

Z Play or the Mate 9 if you want a large phone.

 

The latter isn’t really a midranger. It’s more of a flagship that dropped to midranger price.

[kevinisbeast707]

12 minutes ago, D13H4RD2L1V3 said:

Z Play or the Mate 9 if you want a large phone.

 

The latter isn’t really a midranger. It’s more of a flagship that dropped to midranger price.

The mate 9 is a 5.9 incher that's the only problem. OP wanted to stay under 5.5.

[D13H4RD]

10 minutes ago, kevinisbeast707 said:

The mate 9 is a 5.9 incher that's the only problem. OP wanted to stay under 5.5.

I wanted to throw in the OP3T, but finding a phone with an 835 that isn’t an OP5 in the US under $500 is tricky.

 

Best bet is for him to find deals on flagships.

[Dalitten]

Moto Z Play is still a good phone. Had it for 10 months and performance is still top notch, never slows down. Battery life has taken a hit since Nougat, but still very good. Still cant't drain it in one day, usually end day with 40% Updates are not very often, but dont really care. 

[OmJo93]

15 hours ago, Septimus said:

I'm in the market for a mid-range Android smartphone right now, and I would prefer to keep it under $400, but $500 is my total budget. I've been keeping up with the flagships recently, but nothing has particularly intrigued me for a price of $700. I've had my eyes on things like the LG G6, but with a last-gen CPU for the same price as a flagship, it just isn't too appealing. Does anyone know of any good phones that are either out now or will be coming out within the next few months?

Things that are important to me in a phone:

- A history of fairly quick updates from the manufacturer (assuming they ever release an update) 

- A large battery, 3,300 mAh or larger is preferable

- Screen between 4.7" and 5.5"

- Decent camera (almost everything in 2017)

- Biometric login

- Appealing design (subjective)

 

 

Opinions on Huawei P10? 

 

Aside from benchmarks I don't think you'll notice any real world difference between the SD 835 and SD 821 performance wise. The SD 835 is more battery efficient but the G6 should still last a day.

 

Everybody will say OnePlus 5 but I'll go a different route... The Motorola Z² Play (starts at $499) has a 5.5" FHD AMOLED screen, SD 626, 3000mAh battery (but with a FHD and SD 626 it has very good battery life), fingerprint sensor, good camera, and Motorola is good for software updates plus their software is pretty much stock Android. You can get (expensive) mods to improve the functionality of the phone, too. I think the Moto Z² Play checks off everything. 

 

If you want raw power go with the OnePlus 5. The P10 has an excellent camera and is a good all around phone.

[Arshon Bozorgi]

One plus 5