Galaxy J7 or Essential Phone?

[kelvinhall05]

Sorry I’m advance for formatting, I’m on mobile. 

So for my birthday (March 25th) I want to get a new phone. I’m not sure how much my parents will let me spend on a phone, but I’m assuming around $500. I’ve found two options, one being the Samsung Galaxy J7 (G610F/DS), and the other, more intriguing option being the Essential Phone. They cost $230 and $500 respectively. Which one should I go for? Both seem good, but maybe there are better options for both price points. I’m fine with getting an older phone, but I’d rather not get a used or refurbished one. Thanks!

[Guest]

Just curious, what carrier are you on?

[kelvinhall05]

14 minutes ago, Abyss Gaming said:

Just curious, what carrier are you on?

Bell.

[kelvinhall05]

38 minutes ago, huilun02 said:

The G610F is the J7 Prime (2016)

It doesn't fare well by today's standards, where you can easily get more powerful SD625 phone that sports newer design and features, for about $200 unlocked.

 

The Essential phone on the other hand, may seem inexpensive for a flagship class device but its really lackluster for all but simple phone users. Its got an attractive design but the screen is IPS, has no microsd slot, has no headphone jack, and battery is only 3000mAh.

I actually think I might go with the Nokia 6. What do you think about that?

[kelvinhall05]

13 minutes ago, huilun02 said:

How much does it cost there? Will it even be an upgrade over what you currently use, let alone have the performance you want? Because Nokia 6 uses the entry level SD430 chipset. Thus far you have suggested a flagship tier device, a mid range and an entry level. So I'm not sure what you going after.

 

I can make some suggestions but first I gota know what you looking for in a phone. Surely you already have a phone and can at least think of the things you like about it, what you dont like about it.

I currently am rocking an iPhone 6. I like having a real home button, a decent screen, a good enough camera, amd a headphone jack. The performance is a bit slow, with some apps taking a while to open, and sometimes it’ll stutter when juggling a few apps at the same time. The reason I’m replacing it is because the fingerprint reader is slow, the screen is cracked, and the power button is broken. The reason I’ve suggested multiple devices is because I’m not sure how much my parents will let me spend on a phone (but I’m pretty sure it’ll be less than 300 CAD). I want a good screen, performance a bit faster than my current phone, a lot of built in or expandable storage (at least 32GB), a meh camera, a fast fingerprint reader, and a headphone jack. I’m not a power user, so battery life isn’t really an issue. I really want to stress that I want a good screen. That’s my number one thing when I do get a new phone. And the Nokia costs $290, but this is for the standard, non-Amazon ad ridden one (although if I do find that one for less than $200 I’ll go for it assuming I can put regular Android on it).

[kelvinhall05]

14 minutes ago, huilun02 said:

You willing to install custom roms? Or do you just mean it has to be able run Android apps?

If it means I save a hundred bucks, sure. 

[kelvinhall05]

1 minute ago, huilun02 said:

I've never been to NA and don't know where to find the best prices for phones, but a glance at bestbuy.ca they don't have a great selection to choose from if you want a new unlocked phone under CAD $300. Probably the best value would be the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4. Keep in mind its mostly the global version of the phone in the market, you might want to confirm with others locally if the phone will work on your carrier's network bands. In the linked page, click on the Global version and expand the Network section to see supported bands.

 

If you can link me to other phone selling websites I may be able to find some other worth the money.

I was thinking something like Amazon.ca. 

[kelvinhall05]

1 hour ago, huilun02 said:

https://www.amazon.ca/Xiaomi-32GB-Factory-Unlocked-Compatible/dp/B078XMZVLS/ref=sr_1_59?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1518017890&sr=1-59

Are Xiaomi phones really that good though?

[dizmo]

I can't recommend waiting strongly enough before making a decision. MWC is right around the corner, and there will be quite a few phones released. I know Asus is updating their Zenfone line, which in the past has been really solid. Try and grab something with an SD660, or if released, SD670; you'll get custom cores like the SD800 processors. The higher end 600 series chips are becoming quite beastly.

 

Nokia is also supposed to release a Nokia 7 which might strike an amazingly good balance.

 

If you want a phone with a good screen, I like the one on my Zenfone 3 Zoom. It's got a nice range of adjustments so you can get the color, hue, saturation etc right where you want it. Have you considered the ZTE Axon 7? It fits into your budget, and it's still been getting pretty steady updates.

 

12 hours ago, huilun02 said:

I've never been to NA and don't know where to find the best prices for phones, but a glance at bestbuy.ca they don't have a great selection to choose from if you want a new unlocked phone under CAD $300. Probably the best value would be the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4. Keep in mind its mostly the global version of the phone in the market, you might want to confirm with others locally if the phone will work on your carrier's network bands. In the linked page, click on the Global version and expand the Network section to see supported bands.

 

If you can link me to other phone selling websites I may be able to find some other worth the money.

Very few Xiaomi phones will provide the full range of bands in Canada. They often have a few, but not enough to make them great. The Redmi Note 4 for example only has the 2600mhz band, which lacks a fair bit of penetration and can cause issues even in urban areas.

12 hours ago, kelvinhall05 said:

I was thinking something like Amazon.ca. 

I wouldn't use Amazon. They very rarely have good deals. For Canada, NewEgg sadly is probably your best bet. Also check out B&H Photo, sometimes they have pretty awesome sales.
 

 

[kelvinhall05]

9 hours ago, dizmo said:

I can't recommend waiting strongly enough before making a decision. MWC is right around the corner, and there will be quite a few phones released. I know Asus is updating their Zenfone line, which in the past has been really solid. Try and grab something with an SD660, or if released, SD670; you'll get custom cores like the SD800 processors. The higher end 600 series chips are becoming quite beastly.

 

Nokia is also supposed to release a Nokia 7 which might strike an amazingly good balance.

 

If you want a phone with a good screen, I like the one on my Zenfone 3 Zoom. It's got a nice range of adjustments so you can get the color, hue, saturation etc right where you want it. Have you considered the ZTE Axon 7? It fits into your budget, and it's still been getting pretty steady updates.

 

Very few Xiaomi phones will provide the full range of bands in Canada. They often have a few, but not enough to make them great. The Redmi Note 4 for example only has the 2600mhz band, which lacks a fair bit of penetration and can cause issues even in urban areas.

I wouldn't use Amazon. They very rarely have good deals. For Canada, NewEgg sadly is probably your best bet. Also check out B&H Photo, sometimes they have pretty awesome sales.
 

 

At the moment, an unlocked Nokia 6 seems like the best choice. I think the big question is, is it worth 290 CAD? I may be able to find it cheaper on another website, but don’t count on it. 

[dizmo]

29 minutes ago, kelvinhall05 said:

At the moment, an unlocked Nokia 6 seems like the best choice. I think the big question is, is it worth 290 CAD? I may be able to find it cheaper on another website, but don’t count on it. 

If it's the 2018 model, it wouldn't be bad. If it's the 2017 model, definitely not. The SD430 simply isn't up to the task and the phones battery life is pretty abysmal. 

[Stagea]

21 hours ago, kelvinhall05 said:

Are Xiaomi phones really that good though?

The Mi Note 3 is plenty good for the price (good performance, build and camera). That is like their Goldilocks product at the moment, in my opinion. Way better than the Nokia 6, but it only supports 1 out of the 2 LTE bands used by Bell (locked out by software, afaik).

[xriqn]

Galaxy s6 might be an option.

[noobs guid to marsterrace]

The essential phone would be my choice just because of the screen plus you should get better update support then any Samsung phone.

[kelvinhall05]

4 hours ago, xriqn said:

Galaxy s6 might be an option.

 

33 minutes ago, noobs guid to marsterrace said:

The essential phone would be my choice just because of the screen plus you should get better update support then any Samsung phone.

Both are too expensive in my area.

[xriqn]

1 minute ago, kelvinhall05 said:

 

Both are too expensive in my area.

How could the galaxy s6 be too expensive for you? They cost under 200 bucks to buy brand new now, unless your budget has changed of course, to which I'd recommend giving an update on your budget.

[kelvinhall05]

6 hours ago, dizmo said:

If it's the 2018 model, it wouldn't be bad. If it's the 2017 model, definitely not. The SD430 simply isn't up to the task and the phones battery life is pretty abysmal. 

Here's the model I found. I'm not sure how to tell the 2017 and 2018 models apart, can you?

https://www.amazon.ca/Nokia-32-Unlocked-T-Mobile-Copper/dp/B071VYJLJV/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1518124234&sr=8-2&keywords=nokia+6

[kelvinhall05]

4 minutes ago, xriqn said:

How could the galaxy s6 be too expensive for you? They cost under 200 bucks to buy brand new now, unless your budget has changed of course, to which I'd recommend giving an update on your budget.

Brand new, they're, like, $350 if they're new and unlocked.

[xriqn]

Just now, kelvinhall05 said:

Brand new, they're, like, $350 if they're new and unlocked.

Ah right I thought you wasn't bothered about it being unlocked or not. If you can get a vodafone locked one, its as cheap as I mentioned. I managed to unlock my vodafone locked samsung (s4 mini) for free just by giving them my imei and email and waiting 7 days. 

[dizmo]

7 minutes ago, kelvinhall05 said:

Here's the model I found. I'm not sure how to tell the 2017 and 2018 models apart, can you?

https://www.amazon.ca/Nokia-32-Unlocked-T-Mobile-Copper/dp/B071VYJLJV/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1518124234&sr=8-2&keywords=nokia+6

Thats the 2017 model. I wouldn't get that one. Though the color IS sexy AF. 

[kelvinhall05]

2 minutes ago, dizmo said:

Thats the 2017 model. I wouldn't get that one. Though the color IS sexy AF. 

Maybe you could try and find a link to the 2018 model? Pleeeaaase :3?

[dizmo]

42 minutes ago, kelvinhall05 said:

Maybe you could try and find a link to the 2018 model? Pleeeaaase :3?

Looks like it's only been released in China so far...but HMD has said that they have a huge event planned for MWC, so there's likely news on a more Global launch then. It's worth the wait IMO. On top of the SD630, it also gets OZO sound.

[kelvinhall05]

31 minutes ago, dizmo said:

Looks like it's only been released in China so far...but HMD has said that they have a huge event planned for MWC, so there's likely news on a more Global launch then. It's worth the wait IMO. On top of the SD630, it also gets OZO sound.

HMD? MWC? wat?

[79wjd]

10 minutes ago, kelvinhall05 said:

HMD? MWC? wat?

Nokia, Mobile World Congress (big phone show)

[kelvinhall05]

14 minutes ago, djdwosk97 said:

Nokia, Mobile World Congress (big phone show)

And when will this happen?