What midrange/budget phone to buy to replace a Samsung S4 Mini?

Hi everyone.

So my venerable old Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini has given up the ghost and failed this morning, so I find myself needing to get a new phone in a bit of a hurry.

This is an unexpected purchase, so I want to keep the budget down to under £300. I also want to stick with my current Pay As You Go carrier (Vodafone) and carry over the Sim card and SD card if possible. At the same time I need something that is going to last (my S4 Mini lasted 5+ years, so I'd like similar.)

General

1. What kind of device are you looking for (phone/tablet/both)? Phone.
2. What country are you in? UK.
3. What carrier(s) are you interested in (or will you pick the carrier based on your choice of phone)? I have an existing Vodafone Pay as you go account and want to stick with that.
4. What mobile OS is acceptable (Android, iOS, other)? Android if possible, as I'm familiar with it.
   For Android phones, what release do you consider acceptable as a minimum? No idea.
   
5. How long do you intend to keep your device? 5+ years, and no less than 3.
6. Are there any brands you particularly like? Samsung.
   Dislike? Apple.
7. Will you consider a refurb/used device? No.
8. Do you intend to play games and if so, what? No.
9. Do you expect to watch video extensively? No.

Basic Device Characteristics

1. What size screen are you looking for? You can be specific or general. Not huge. I'm replacing an S4 Mini, which was 4.27 in (108 mm) and seemed reasonable for what I do. So maybe slightly larger, but we aren't talking tablet size.
2. What are you looking for in battery life/capacity? Decent, but doesn't need to be spectacular as I mainly use it at home so charger is never that far away. Needs to last a full day at least.
3. Do you want a replaceable battery? Would be a plus but not essential.
4. Do you want the ability to use a microSD card to expand storage? Yes. I'd like to carry over my 64GB Micro SD.
5. Do you have a preference between a USB-C and traditional USB micro-B connector? No idea. But I would want to be able to connect it to the USB ports on my laptop.
6. Do you want a 3.5" headphone jack? Not fussed.
7. Do you want wireless charging? Not fussed.
8. Do you want fast charging? Not fussed.

Aesthetics

1. Do you have color preference:
   Prefer? Something simple, such as black.
   Avoid?
2. Phones: prefer wraparound screen or bezel? Possibly bezel, but no real preference.
3. Buttons: prefer soft or mechanical? No preference.
4. Other aesthetic preferences? Again I don't need anything fancy, as I'm not fussed about looks compared to function and price.

Camera and Screen

1. Do you care about the device's camera? No.
2. Minimum megapixel requirement (front/rear), if applicable? N/A.
3. Do you require 4K video? No.
4. Other desired camera features? No.
5. Minimum screen resolution? 960x540
6. Do you require AMOLED or similar screen technology? No idea what that means. But I do suffer from light sensitivity, so the screen needs to be clear when the brightness is turned right down.

Other

1. Are there any other features you particularly want in a device? As mentioned I have light sensitivity so the screen needs to be clear and comfortable to use even with the brightness turned right down. I also need to be able to transfer over my existing sim card or be able to get a replacement from Vodafone that retains the existing balance and features.
2. Are there any particular features you do not want? Not that I can think of.
3. Do you anticipate rooting your device (if you don't know what that means, the answer is "no")?
   If so, any particular ROM you're interested in? No.

Any help greatly appreciated, thank you.

All the best,

Union Jack.

 

Maybe something like S10e should fit your needs.
I will personally suggest Pixel 4a/4a 5G or Pixel 5 depending on unlocked or carrier locked variants and rebates in the UK. I did see some flickers with 4a and 4a 5G when brightness was below 30%, so you are better off with a pixel 5.
I might also suggest LG G/V series but when I checked Amazon UK it is really expensive even on older models like g7/g8x.

 

Thanks Vasudev.

I've taken a look at the phones you suggested, but unfortunately the UK prices all seem to be a bit higher than I was hoping to spend.

I've also come across the Samsung A series (A20, A21, A41, A51 etc) which look like they might be a bit more in my price range. Was wondering if you or anyone else has any knowledge or experience with them please? Would they meet my criteria and would they last, or are they poor quality?

Thanks again.

All the best,

Union Jack.

 

Yeah prices are a lot higher than normal. I had to get pixel 4a for 550$ from amazon india since Flipkart (another e-tailer which sells Googe products) were out-of-stock after 1min. I got fed up of waiting for 4 months and paid scalper fee since my old phone which was not even a year old was having lot of SW issues and no amount of hard reset fixed it.
Maybe @Starlight5 can suggest some phones that fits your budget and available in the UK.

 

I really like the new "2" series from samsung. A52 etc. They are going to be fantastic for the price.

 

I like the Motorola G series, very little bloatware, large battery variants etc

 

@Union Jack I'd recommend some Redmi, Pocophone or Realme - but they are all distinctively larger than your S4 Mini. In particular, check out Poco X3 NFC if you decide to consider larger phone, it's a great choice all around yet very reasonably priced, well within your budget.

 

I suggested the A series as he is liking samsung phones. They work with windows computers better than the competition as well.

 

Thanks everyone, you've all given me a lot to think about. I'm still leaning towards a Samsung as that's what I'm familiar with, but I'll check out those other ones as well.

All the Best,

Union Jack

 

Have you picked out a new toy yet @Union Jack? If not, and you can wait, the new A series from samsung coming out soon look very nice. Or the FE is always a dandy choice.

 

Not yet (other commitments have been keeping my time and money busy,) so will definitely take your suggestions into consideration. Thank you.

All the best,

Union Jack.

 

Hi everyone.

So in case anyone was wondering, after a bit of a saga and getting messed around by some shops (resulting in sending two phones back because they weren't what I ordered,) I ended up going with a Samsung A52 5G. It's bigger and more expensive than I'd planned, but seems to be a decent phone for what I need it for and has a certain amount of future proofing.

Thank you all again for your help.

Also I'm now looking for a new laptop to use for my work (I'm a writer,) so I've made a new thread here. If anyone would be willing to please help me with that I would greatly appreciate it, thank you.

All the Best,

Union Jack.

 

See my response there.