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Cheapish smartphone recommendations

leespoonsleespoons
edited November 2014 in Chit chat
I'm looking at getting a smartphone, fed up with Mrs Spoons hogging the internet in the evenings and lugging a great big camera about when I go on days out.

Any recommendations? I'm on PAYG at the moment with my crap ?6 phone, happy to go on contract but don't want to spend more than ?15 a month if I can help it because I'm a bit of a tightwad (and will probably be using the wireless connection at home most of the time anyway)

Will probably need to be on Vodafone too, I live in rural Kent and they're the only ones I can get a half-decent signal with.

Anyone suggesting an iPhone will get a great big THWAP!
Post edited by leespoons on
The comp.sys.sinclair crap games competition 2015
WhenIWasCruel wrote: »
"Let's not be childish. Let's play Spectrum games."

Comments

  • ccowleyccowley
    edited November 2014
    You can probably get a good deal on a SIM-free Nexus 5 now, as they've just released the N6. Very good bit of hardware, that. Nice spec, latest version of stock android from Google, all the modern twiddly bits, and a decent screen. It will be vaguely "current" tech for a good couple of years at least, I'd say.

    Or take your pick from Vodaphone's contract phone options, but I doubt you'll get anything too impressive unless you do spend ?15/month or more on a contract. And operator-branded phones tend to have crappy operator-specific versions of the OS on them with all their bloaty, sometimes broken, nonsense.

    EDIT: If you really want an inexpensive option, the bloke that fixed my boiler (that is NOT a euphemism) a while ago had a cheapo Lenovo Android phone from Amazon, something like this one and he reckoned it was incredible value for money. Seems a bit too good to be true in the price/features department, but he seemed happy with it and looked okay from the brief glance I got.
  • polomintpolomint
    edited November 2014
    How about an iPhone 6 with extra bendyness, :D








    /me runs
    So far, so meh :)
  • SwevicusSwevicus
    edited November 2014
    Nokia Lumia series, particularly the 520. :)
  • thehivethehive
    edited November 2014
    You will probably laugh and scoff, but I bought one of these for my 16 year old daughter (who's had expensive phones and broken them);

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DOOGEE-DG300-5-0-inch-QHD-Android-4-2-Smartphone-3G-Dual-Core-GPS-Mobile-Phone-/201054945886?pt=UK_Mobile_Phones&hash=item2ecfcf025e

    She is over the moon with it - she's even had other friends asking where they can get one. For the money it's incredible.
  • GedlionGedlion
    edited November 2014
    I use giffgaff ( Free fiver credit if you use an affiliate link https://giffgaff.com/orders/affiliate/britlion [Disclaimer: I get a fiver as well if you do]) and they are pretty good on PAYG. I don't use many minutes, and right now I pay ?7.50. Thinking of going up to the tenner package, as I sometimes go over the rather small internet allowance.

    ?15 gets you a lot.

    Phonewise, I tend to look at last year's phones in somewhere like cex (webuy.com) - second hand phones that have at least been tested and warrantied. Newer ones are still expensive, but unless you're a fashion head, then a phone from a year or two ago isn't too awful a choice.

    It's definitely even cheaper to get a nearly new phone second hand, and if you stick with gg for 2 years, the cost saving over contract will pay off the phone.

    Get a galaxy s3 or 4, or a galaxy note 1 or 2, and you're laughing to the bank overall. And still have a decent phone.
  • leespoonsleespoons
    edited November 2014
    Cheers for the advice*, will have a think. Might wait until the New Year anyway as I've only got one more payday before Christmas :o

    *apart from polo, who gets a great big... 
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    The comp.sys.sinclair crap games competition 2015
    WhenIWasCruel wrote: »
    "Let's not be childish. Let's play Spectrum games."
  • VampyreVampyre
    edited November 2014
    I was going to suggest the Firephone - until I saw the prices!! I thought it was supposed to be cheap when it was announced :-o
    ZXSR - Speccy Mags Reviews
  • leespoonsleespoons
    edited November 2014
    Vampyre wrote: »
    I was going to suggest the Firephone - until I saw the prices!! I thought it was supposed to be cheap when it was announced :-o

    I had a quick look at that but couldn't work out if it was a "normal" Android phone or if you had to get your apps through Amazon? Can only see it on O2 anyway and their service is a bit crap round here...
    The comp.sys.sinclair crap games competition 2015
    WhenIWasCruel wrote: »
    "Let's not be childish. Let's play Spectrum games."
  • VampyreVampyre
    edited November 2014
    leespoons wrote: »
    I had a quick look at that but couldn't work out if it was a "normal" Android phone or if you had to get your apps through Amazon? Can only see it on O2 anyway and their service is a bit crap round here...

    I assume it's very much like the Kindle Fire where it IS Android but is tied into the Amazon ecosystem.

    EDIT: Found this. It's possible to use the Android Marketplace with side-loading.
    ZXSR - Speccy Mags Reviews
  • daveysludgedaveysludge
    edited November 2014
    Gedlion wrote: »
    I use giffgaff ( Free fiver credit if you use an affiliate link https://giffgaff.com/orders/affiliate/britlion [Disclaimer: I get a fiver as well if you do]) and they are pretty good on PAYG. I don't use many minutes, and right now I pay ?7.50. Thinking of going up to the tenner package, as I sometimes go over the rather small internet allowance.

    ?15 gets you a lot.

    Phonewise, I tend to look at last year's phones in somewhere like cex (webuy.com) - second hand phones that have at least been tested and warrantied. Newer ones are still expensive, but unless you're a fashion head, then a phone from a year or two ago isn't too awful a choice.

    It's definitely even cheaper to get a nearly new phone second hand, and if you stick with gg for 2 years, the cost saving over contract will pay off the phone.

    Get a galaxy s3 or 4, or a galaxy note 1 or 2, and you're laughing to the bank overall. And still have a decent phone.

    Yeah I use that, if you work the system right you end up in the bizarre position of being paid back more than you paid in whilst having more texts and airtime...
  • polomintpolomint
    edited November 2014
    leespoons wrote: »
    Cheers for the advice*, will have a think. Might wait until the New Year anyway as I've only got one more payday before Christmas :o

    *apart from polo, who gets a great big... 
    #######  #    #  #    #   ####   #####     #
   #     #    #  #    #  #    #  #    #    #
   #     ######  #    #  #    #  #    #    #
   #     #    #  #    #  ######  #####     #
   #     #    #  # ## #  #    #  #
   #     #    #   #  #   #    #  #         #

    :D ty, :P
    So far, so meh :)
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