Budget Mobile Phone, Recommendations ?

Hi,

We are looking for new mobile to replace our old Moto G3 with a small 5" screen and old Android 6 OS, which is becoming more difficult for us to readily view and touch.

Something towards a 6.5" would seem better and that we can still easily carry in our pockets.

Seems the budget Moto ones are popular like the 6.1" E6 etc or the Samsung 6.5" A21.

Would have looked at the well reviewed Huawei and Honor phones but a bit wary of the current problems with US refusing them access to things like google etc.

Any recommendations ...?

 

I use an unlocked Moto g8 plus with a 6.81" screen, dual sim and I'm very pleased with it.

Happy to answer any questions.

Reverted to a smaller screen on my last phone, and glad to have a decent sized screen again. Fits nicely in a Tesco neoprene sleeve bought when reduced from around £6 to 80p that fits in a pocket better than some folding 'hard' case.

 

I had a hi-spec Samsung Galaxy S9, superb phone. But earlier this year I managed to stand on it getting out of the shower - not recommended ! Not wanting to pay the hefty Galaxy prices, I bought the Samsung A51 6.5 screen on Ebay. Really impressed with the A range of Samsung's, Mrs H has the A20. The Samsung A21 is priced at £149 Argos, and the same on Ebay.
It would be high on my list for a new phone

 

Now come on, who takes their phone in the shower.

 

A few years ago one young lady came into work wanting help to dry her phone out. She'd been talking to her mother on her mobile, got in the shower and been surprised when it stopped working after a few minutes.

 

Yes, it seems a close call between the Samsung A21 at £149 and the Moto phones.

As well as the original Moto G8 there is the G8 Lite at £149 or the newer G9 Play at £159.
( we are on a monthly Sim only deal , no need for a contract these days)

All seem to get good online reviews within their price bracket.

Think our keynotes are for screen clarity, eg easy to read text etc rather than fancy videos, and ease of touch controls , though a decent camera is a plus, have been quiet happy with the one on the old Moto G3, though doubtless the newer ones would be even better ..

 

I got my first smart phone a few weeks ago and went for the Samsung A21. So far I'm pretty pleased with it and have had no major issues with it.
A number of people I know have got this or other Samsung models and are generally happy with them.

 

I've got a samsung Galaxy J6, not sure you can still get them, but dont t hink you can go wrong with samsung.

 

I think the Moto g3 was the last Moto which included a compass/magnometer as standard.

After that, if you use astro, photography, OS mapping, etc. apps (as I do), the specs needs checking to ensure those apps will work, which is why I opted for a slightly better model from the latest Motos.

 

Think its going to be a close call between the A21 and the G9 Play.

The G9 play has Proximity Sensor, Accelerometer, Ambient Light Sensor, Gyroscope, Compass though not features we have had need for in the past.

What the G9 Play does have over the A21 and might be good for future use is NFC that allows contactless payment. Seems paying by contactless card has proven to be invaluable this year.

Wonder if its worth waiting for the pre Christmas sales like Black Friday to see if they are vastly reduced, have bought tech things at bargain prices from Argos in their Christmas sales before.

 

Hi @NigelJ ,

Well we are still stuck between these two phones, would appreciate any comment you or anyone else could add on these points.

Seems there are two A21 models, the slightly more basic A21 and the A21S for about £179, though seems most places are only selling the A21S now.

Looks like you can buy direct from Samsung with free delivery ( or Motorola) which would seem better to deal direct with the maker if any fault developed; did you buy direct ?

The only thing that puts us off the A21S, though not sure if its really a problem, is that they say Motorola has a very "clean" Andriod 10, but Samsungs, inc the A21S carry a lot of Android 10 Boatware.
Have you found that so ? and if its really a problem ? assume its easy enough to uninstall the rubbish ?

Thanks

 

@ricky101 I have the basic A21. I chose it for good battery life and reasonable storage 32Gb. Mine was a returned unit that was a bit cheaper and available quickly. I have deleted some of the included apps. Currently I have 53 apps of which I installed 5 so 48 came with it; some of these can be disabled from the touch screen but not removed. Of the 3Gb of RAM I have 1.2Gb available and of the 32Gb of storage I have 17Gb available.
As this is my first "smart phone" I'm taking it slowly and getting used to it.

 

@NigelJ Interesting, thanks

Never used the mobile for much online work, just found the screen too small etc, so hopefully a 6.5" one will be better.

Could perhaps then use the banking app which could be handy if we ever get chance to get away anywhere or if the broadband /pc goes down.

Also looking for tips on Online Mobile security, seems the hackers are moving more to phones and some of these Sim scams that the tv consumer programs feature sound really problematic.