New phone recommendation

[jnelsoninjax]

My roommate is looking to replace his current 5-year-old phone. His requirements are $200 or so, and it has to be Android., he does not care about all the bells and whistles of a phone like camera size, etc.  He does not want some cheap-o China knockoff, I am leaning toward the Pixel 6 or 6a like I am using, they are selling for around the $200 mark. Please suggest any other phones that I can share for his consideration.

[satukoro]

On 25/01/2024 at 10:06, jnelsoninjax said:

My roommate is looking to replace his current 5-year-old phone. His requirements are $200 or so, and it has to be Android., he does not care about all the bells and whistles of a phone like camera size, etc.  He does not want some cheap-o China knockoff, I am leaning toward the Pixel 6 or 6a like I am using, they are selling for around the $200 mark. Please suggest any other phones that I can share for his consideration.

My coworker uses a Pixel a series phone and he likes it. I think that's probably the closest you'll get to the old nexus line in terms of quality vs price.

[+Good Bot, Bad Bot Subscriber¹]

Always look to see what deals your local MNVO carriers are offering. I had a Pixel 6 Pro and the display cracked earlier this year. It wasn't that bad but my OCD kicked in but the Pixel 8 Pro was months away. I found a deal on the Pixel 7a and after trade-in it cost me like $85. I do have to keep the free unlimited mobile service for a year (not kidding) which is tied to a promo with my home Internet which had already but now is cheaper. 😎 A couple of months later I sold that phone for $200 and put that toward my Pixel 8 Pro which bought straight out. You are probably not going to find a deal like that but I like retelling it. LOL

[+Biscuits Brown MVC]

How about a Samsung A15 5G? They are about 200 bucks.

[+Eternal Tempest MVC]

Depending on your comfort with changing roms and their comfort using community roms,
The OnePlus Nord 200 5G with lineageOS can be a very affordable option.

(Edit) https://www.gsmarena.com/oneplus_nord_n200_5g-10961.php

The camera would not be as good as the Pixel 6a, however.

[+Good Bot, Bad Bot Subscriber¹]

On 26/01/2024 at 10:01, Eternal Tempest said:

Depending on your comfort with changing roms and their comfort using community roms, The OnePlus Nord 200 with lineageOS can be a very affordable option.

The OP already said his friend didn't want a Chinese phone and could get a Pixel 6/6a for that price. How does this suggestion make any sense?

[satukoro]

On 26/01/2024 at 10:09, Good Bot, Bad Bot said:

The OP already said his friend didn't want a Chinese phone and could get a Pixel 6/6a for that price. How does this suggestion make any sense?

I wouldn't consider a 1+ device to be a "cheap chinese knockoff". Additionally, even if he doesn't want anything chinese, it's still a good option if someone is comfortable with flashing roms.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

I know you say 'no bells and whistles' but what feature sets does he care about? microSD? wireless charging?

Depending on what items he cares about more, the devices I'd recommend choosing from are the following:

• Samsung Galaxy S21/S22
  • can be gotten refurbished for desired price range
  • flagship chip in a phone that doesn't try to stand out like the Plus/Ultra
     
• OnePlus Nord N200/N30
  • Good mid-range devices with microSD

[Nick H. Supervisor]

On 26/01/2024 at 15:09, Good Bot, Bad Bot said:

The OP already said his friend didn't want a Chinese phone and could get a Pixel 6/6a for that price. How does this suggestion make any sense?

He said that he didn't want a Chinese knock-off. I guess it depends on your definition, but just because the OnePlus is Chinese doesn't make it a knockoff, the same way that I wouldn't consider Huawei a knockoff.

If someone had suggested a Chinese device called the Phony Xperio, I'd consider that to be a knockoff.

[+Good Bot, Bad Bot Subscriber¹]

candidate

On 26/01/2024 at 10:13, satukoro said:

I wouldn't consider a 1+ device to be a "cheap chinese knockoff". Additionally, even if he doesn't want anything chinese, it's still a good option if someone is comfortable with flashing roms.

OK fine but guessing his friend doesn't want a Chinese phone at all. Regardless, why would his friend be interested in a lower spec'd phone for the same price? The fact his friend needs phone recommendations makes me think they are probably not very tech savvy so thinking not a good candidate for a custom ROM.

[goretsky Supervisor]

Hello,

I have had good luck with Moto phones for mid-range ($200-300) devices. 

Key features for me when selecting a new phone are the ability to install a Micro SDXC card, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

 

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky
 

[jnelsoninjax]

Update, he went with a Pixel 7 refurbished that he got for under $300