Hey all,
I'm looking for a new/refurbished smartphone to replace my Nokia Lumia 900 and my (broken) LG G2, and I don't want to spend a whole lot of money to do it. I'm on the T-Mobile network, so it needs to work on their 3G/4G bands. And the only restriction I have is that I'd rather not buy another LG since I've had nothing but bad experiences with mine.
Thanks!
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Are the following bands what T-Mobile use?
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Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow
OnePlus is selling the original OPO for 250, 16 GB though with no expandable storage. If you want a smaller phone, there is the new OnePlus X for 250 too. The Moto G used to be a good deal, though there's no LTE..
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I've taken a look at the Lumia 635, though I'm unsure if it will work on T-Mobile's data network. And I've heard about the Samsung Galaxy J2, though I don't see anyone selling those online. -
Oh man, you JUST missed Amazon's Black Friday sale on the 32 gb Motorola Nexus 6 for $199 unlocked. It went quick but it was an amazing deal. Now it's back up to $349 (still good for what you get, but above your price range).
If you can go up to $219, you can get a Moto G 2015 with 2 gb RAM, 16 gb of micro-SD-expandable storage, a 5" 720p screen, and a Snapdragon 410 isn't a bad option. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015...-is-a-stylish-upgrade-worthy-of-the-original/
Plus you can do Moto Maker at no additional charge: https://www.motorola.com/us/motomaker?pid=FLEXR4&action=designNew#frontplate
Tsunade, the 2015 Moto G has LTE. The arstechnica review lists the specific bands the 2015 model has.Convel likes this. -
$20 isn't too much of a major difference, so I'll check it out. Though Motorola's site says $179 (can't complain)?
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Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow
Yeah I would pay 40 more for 16 GB of internal storage (8 is used up REALLY quick) and more RAM is really what the Moto G really needs. 220 is a pretty good deal, though you would only be 30 away from the OnePlus One (250 + shipping) or the "new" OnePlus X. -
But according to Marques Brownlee, the OnePlus X lacks support for bands 7 and 12, which affect T-Mobile customers.
Also, I'm a little wary of OnePlus after the whole subpar-charger scandal: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015...selling-dodgy-usb-type-c-cables-and-adapters/ -
Refurb iphone 5s.
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Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow
As for the cable scandal, I'm honestly not surprised. Again I only buy OEM batteries and power accessories. Is it kinda crappy what OnePlus did? Yeah, but it's not illegal. -
Usually, it's the flagship phones that are geared towards globetrotters, supporting a wide variety of bands. As such, it's exceedingly difficult to find an inexpensive alternative that's not already offered by T-Mobile themselves. That's a real shame since the value-to-price ratio has never been higher in the world of Android. For instance, the $130 UMi eMax Mini will get you a S615 SoC, a 5" 1080p IPS display by Sharp, a Sony IMX214 camera sensor, and a 3050 mAh battery, with the option of running a plethora of ROMs with ease, such as CM12.1, through RootJoy. The amount of supported bands, however, would probably be too limited for use on T-Mobile, even if it beats most MediaTek-based competitors in that regard. There are also other budget alternatives out there that are already running CM13 (Marshmallow), such as the Elephone Trunk, beating many high-profile brands to the punch.
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Thanks guys. I'll check out the suggested phones, though it seems to be true that a lot of my options at the lower end of the price range will be likely sold by T-Mobile due to the network bands :/.
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Get a refurbished LG G2 directly from T-Mobile. If you can get over the power button on the back (I couldn't get used to that for the life of me), its the best value... If you can get a refurbished G3 that's even better except for the fact it's using a 1440p display on a chip made for 1080p. If you don't game it's not an issue.
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Next best option is hit Craigslist or eBay for an S4. -
The design I do like; it's just been horribly unreliable in my experience.
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Honestly even getting a refurbished S3 LTE from T-Mobile... It really all depends. What specs do you want? Particularly resolution. From there I can tell you exactly where I would go. -
Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow
I think buying an LTE phone would be best as who knows when T-Mobile will stop HSPA+/"old 4G". I think buying a non-LTE phone is a complete dealbreaker, why buy a phone that is going to be obsolete? The Moto G and Moto E are okay, though the Moto E doesn't have 720p which is quite a bummer (no HD video).
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Kent T likes this.
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Currently thinking about the Samsung Galaxy Prime Core, since T-Mobile's selling it for $100. Specs are decent enough and the display is comparable to the Lumia 900 I'm using. Any thoughts?
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Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow
Eh it's not bad, Moto G not in your price range? Also remember 8 GB of space is quickly used up.
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It has a microSD slot and I have a 64GB card laying around.
As far as a phone goes, I'm fine with a cheaper phone since this will serve basically as a holdover until I decide on a flagship in a year or two. After all, I paid ~$400 for a phone I can't use anymore.
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Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow
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Just took a look at the Moto G's signal support and apparently Band 12 isn't supported at all (either voluntarily or forced by T-Mobile) ( http://www.androidheadlines.com/2015/08/unlocked0-moto-g-2015-will-not-support-band-12-lte.html)
Looks like the Core will be my hold-over phone until I go shopping again in the future. -
The core is a decent choice. It's not much of an upgrade from the S3 really but it's a decent middle of the road.
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Heads' up: Motorola Nexus 6 with 32 gb storage (and 6" 1440p screen, Snapdragon 806, and 3 gb RAM) selling new and unlocked for $249 on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Unlocked-Cellphone-Midnight-Warranty/dp/B00R1984DI -
I've already bought a phone, but thanks. Will definitely keep Motorola in mind next time I buy a nicer phone in a couple of years.
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This was such a ridiculously good deal, though, that I just wanted to spread the word in case other people still looking for a cheap deal clicked on this thread.Jarhead likes this. -
Fair enough
. I'm sure there are plenty of other people looking for a good inexpensive smartphone and Google searches might lead here.
Mitlov likes this. -
My brother has one and is totally happy with it. So I bought one to replace my Nokia Lumia 930 which IS absolutely horribly unreliable. App availability is crappy and the few I am using simply don't work (mostly) including Tapatalk.
So any info's on that would be much appreciated! -
Funny thing is, my brother also has a G2 (when I RMA'ed mine, they sent me two in return...?), and so far he hasn't had any issues with it.
I RMA'ed my first one because GPS was unreliable and could never hold a signal for more than a few seconds (bad if you're traveling). Second phone also had this issue, though at this point I've reverted to printing out Google Maps directions (and later to Nokia's map implementations when my second G2 shattered its screen and I reused my old Lumia, which has working GPS). Also, I've noticed on my second G2 that whatever LG did as far as designing the thermals go, they did a horrible job at it. Sitting in my room (~68F, usually) and playing YouTube videos at full screen, the top half of the phone tends to heat up enough to be an effective hand-warmer. And if I dared to try this outside on a typically southeastern afternoon, the phone will sometimes shut down due to tripping some thermal limit.
My mom also has some minor issues with her G3, though it's mostly software rather than hardware.CaerCadarn likes this. -
Looking at Lenovo Vibe X3. Any experience with this one?
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The most negative aspect - the throttling/temperature issue - occurs only when using benchmarking tools repeatingly. In real world I rarely have some microstutters but only in a flick of a moment. Mostly handling/performance is fluidly. The AMOLED Screen is great - saturated colors, good contrast and brightness. The same goes for the speakers. Battery life is better than the Lumia 930. I have to charge it every two days.
I had no issues with connectivity so far but I have to admit two crashes while benchmarking.
And the best thing in comparison to the Lumia 930: no more non existent apps and no more crappy app support!!!
Of course a Huawei Mate 8 and the Google Nexus 6p will smash it against the wall in most aspects, but for 240 Bucks there is nothing wrong with it, mostly.
I can live with the minor issues this one is sporting. So in the end I am very pleased!
AND take my posting with a grain of salt!
Gesendet von meinem LG-H955 mit TapatalkMitlov likes this.
Inexpensive unlocked smartphone?
Discussion in 'Smartphones and Tablets' started by Jarhead, Nov 30, 2015.