# Cell phone suggestions



## Retiredguy (Jul 24, 2013)

Suggestions welcome.

Looking to replace my LG G6 cell phone with another Android. Would want something equal to or better than what I have. Have had the phone for 5 years and would expect to keep the next one at least 4 years.
Used for , lite phone use and texting, email, reading news items, occasional youtube how to video, occasionally music. Camera use is not a priority but do take the occasion snap. Very rarely video. No gaming..
Also use various utility aps . Would want at least a 6 in screen probably 6.5 ish. Present ph has a 3300 amphr battery. Would like bigger likely 4500 or 5000. Price point mid range.

Lots of selection available and confusing specs. Wifi AX seems to be the latest and 5G.

I see some with snapdragon 750 processor and 6 G Ram . Is the 750 good/bad?


----------



## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

I had a G5, great phone, I like LG products in general.
My LG velvet is pretty nice but I would NOT get a device with a curved screen.

I think if you're looking at the higher end phones, you can check their performance on comparison sites, but they're all "pretty good". You should only worry about performance if you're looking at the low end.. which you're not.


----------



## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

This was a good budget phone which costco sold for ~$239 a few months ago, hard to find now though.

Motorola Moto G8 Power - Full phone specifications

Watch out for the "updated" version (normally called the 2021 version) as it is not as good.


----------



## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

5G would be expensive, I would think. And perhaps of limited availability for a while?

Friend of mine just bought this phone: Samsung Galaxy A11 - Full phone specifications
Price in Canada unlocked is under $200. It has 6.4" screen, 32GB. 4000mAh battery. 

Maybe not a huge upgrade for you?

I have the A10 equivalent. It serves me well, but I am a very lite user!


----------



## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

Spouse has the A10 for three years. She has been very happy with it. I bought a new unlocked Moto E4 on Amazon for $140 CAD in 2017. Light user. I am still using it..does what I need it to do. It does not owe me thing. I would happily buy another lower end Moto or Samsung.


----------



## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

I like Pixel series since no bloatware (or very little). Pixel 4a is $479, if you don't need the 5G version. 5G is $200 more. 

Lately I've been using the compare phones tool on gsmarena.com - I love it. You can select all the things that matter to you and see a list of phones that meet your requirements.


----------



## Jimmy (May 19, 2017)

Thanks for that great site. ^ Looking at smartphones too. Can you use these after the security upgrades expire for maybe a few more years? The iphones are more $ but they have 6 yrs of support usually vs 5 yrs w Google and 4 w Samsung.

Can you keep these in use for a few more years after the upgrades end and be relatively safe for emerg use and a little browsing? Apple have a very safe network apparently.

The Samsung A52 5G (if you can get 6 yrs out of it) or Google Pixel 6 look good.


----------



## KaeJS (Sep 28, 2010)

Not a frugal approach,
But I get the newest Samsung every year they come out. The top model.

But I also don't own a computer. So that's how I justify it.

Sell the old one on Kijiji and buy the new one every year. Can't wait for the S22 Ultra.


----------



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

ian said:


> Spouse has the A10 for three years. She has been very happy with it. I bought a new unlocked Moto E4 on Amazon for $140 CAD in 2017. Light user. I am still using it..does what I need it to do. It does not owe me thing. I would happily buy another lower end Moto or Samsung.


Yeah, I like the Moto ones as well. I'm using a Moto that I got at Costco a couple years ago, it's 2 years old and still works like a champ.

Since this $160 Moto phone can do everything I need, and lasts at least a couple years, I don't see why I'd spend more on a phone. I actually wish I bought two more of these back then to give to family members.


----------



## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

Jimmy said:


> Thanks for that great site. ^ Looking at smartphones too. Can you use these after the security upgrades expire for maybe a few more years? The iphones are more $ but they have 6 yrs of support usually vs 5 yrs w Google and 4 w Samsung.
> 
> Can you keep these in use for a few more years after the upgrades end and be relatively safe for emerg use and a little browsing? Apple have a very safe network apparently.
> 
> The Samsung A52 5G (if you can get 6 yrs out of it) or Google Pixel 6 look good.


I feel any smartphone is safe to use after the upgrades end. I don't even worry about it. Unless you're installing weird apps you'll be fine, in my opinion. 

The main reason you need to upgrade a smartphone is because either the battery or the performance will suffer after a while. Occasionally you'll get a phone-bricking event that happens like you drop your phone and break it, or something happens inside to the motherboard or whatever that makes it stop working. My Nexus 5X died like that, it got into what they call a bootloop, where it would reboot, and as soon as it was rebooted, it would reboot again on its own.


----------



## Jimmy (May 19, 2017)

Spudd said:


> I feel any smartphone is safe to use after the upgrades end. I don't even worry about it. Unless you're installing weird apps you'll be fine, in my opinion.
> 
> The main reason you need to upgrade a smartphone is because either the battery or the performance will suffer after a while. Occasionally you'll get a phone-bricking event that happens like you drop your phone and break it, or something happens inside to the motherboard or whatever that makes it stop working. My Nexus 5X died like that, it got into what they call a bootloop, where it would reboot, and as soon as it was rebooted, it would reboot again on its own.


Good to know. That is what I am reading too that those areas are other reasons for replacing. Some people are still on Apple 6s's from 2015 and expect a few more years from them. I like the Samsung A32 5G for $300 but it has an avg 720 p screen. The A52 5G has an OLED, much better res and is ~ $489 on sale now. May go that route if I can get 7-8 yrs out of it.


----------



## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

Jimmy said:


> I like the Samsung A32 5G for $300 but it has an avg 720 p screen. The A52 5G has an OLED, much better res and is ~ $489 on sale now. May go that route if I can get 7-8 yrs out of it.


You can also have a look at the Motorola One Ace 5G. Has a 6.7" high res display, fairly fast processor, long battery life and goes on sale at Costco for $349. Typical Moto phone with no bloatware and runs Android 11.


----------



## Jimmy (May 19, 2017)

cainvest said:


> You can also have a look at the Motorola One Ace 5G. Has a 6.7" high res display, fairly fast processor, long battery life and goes on sale at Costco for $349. Typical Moto phone with no bloatware and runs Android 11.


I was liking that phone too. The concern is they only have 2 yrs of security upgrades now. Hopefully they add more. Going to be watching these for a little while hoping for price drops, better support etc.

The Problem With Motorola Phones: Software Updates, No NFC, and More | WIRED


----------



## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

Jimmy said:


> I was liking that phone too. The concern is they only have 2 yrs of security upgrades now. Hopefully they add more. Going to be watching these for a little while hoping for price drops, better support etc.
> 
> The Problem With Motorola Phones: Software Updates, No NFC, and More | WIRED


Might be an issue for some I guess but not an issue for me personally ... I still use my Moto G4 Plus with Android 7  Also with the money saved you can upgrade faster, if it's really needed.

BTW, I think the security issues are overplayed by the industry in order to get people to upgrade. I don't do banking, NFC or anything security sensitive. Not even sure any of the security updates play into that stuff but I've never looked that deep into it.


----------



## Jimmy (May 19, 2017)

cainvest said:


> Might be an issue for some I guess but not an issue for me personally ... I still use my Moto G4 Plus with Android 7  Also with the money saved you can upgrade faster, if it's really needed.
> 
> BTW, I think the security issues are overplayed by the industry in order to get people to upgrade. I don't do banking, NFC or anything security sensitive. Not even sure any of the security updates play into that stuff but I've never looked that deep into it.


Interesting. Most of the tech writers like more security but they probably use their phones more. I won't do anything security sensitive either. I don't care about the camera or storage too much either. I would prefer to be more economical and spend $350- 400. One Ace is an option. It only has Android 10 apparently.


----------



## Jimmy (May 19, 2017)

Please advise if anyone has had experience w refurbished and open box items too.


----------



## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

Jimmy said:


> One Ace is an option. It only has Android 10 apparently.


Comes with 10, version 11 available when you do the updates.


----------



## Saintor (May 18, 2019)

I am a fan of high-end Samsung S Galaxy series (I have a S10 2020). You can get a more value-oriented A32 very well rated.








Samsung Galaxy A32 5G Review


The Samsung Galaxy A32 5G's excellent battery life and impressive design are a winning combination for budget-phone shoppers, but AT&T customers will want to buy it directly from the carrier




www.pcmag.com





There are very decent phones for even cheaper. This has been a great experience for one of my friends. US$140 is hard to beat and it doesn't feel cheap at all.








158.35US $ 31% OFF|[in Stock] Umidigi A11 Pro Max Global Version Android 11 6.8" Fhd+ Display Smartphone 128gb Helio G80 48mp Triple Camera 5150mah - Mobile Phones - AliExpress


Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com




www.aliexpress.com





I like my Snapdragon in my S10 but it is power hungry...needs to recharge almost every day. The A11 Max Pro can last 4-5 days.


----------



## Jimmy (May 19, 2017)

Saintor said:


> I am a fan of high-end Samsung S Galaxy series (I have a S10 2020). You can get a more value-oriented A32 very well rated.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes. I liked the A32 5G or the A32 (4G) which has a better screen but hard to find. I just need an emerg phone w some browsing from time to time so the screen and battery are the main priorities.

I think some of these other brands you may have to worry about compatibility w SIM cards on the carrier networks in Canada. Ex Oneplus is a good company but I don't think any carriers support them up here.

The problem now is stores are completely sold out of all stock. From supply issues or the boxing day surge, they don't even have stock online. Hopefully they still have some 2021 models in production and will be discounting w the new 2022 models soon available


----------



## Jimmy (May 19, 2017)

Will update this thread w my recent findings. Was waiting for the A33 5g to become available in Canada which is the cheapest Samsung model ($388 for intl model) w a high res AMOLED screen 1080 x 2400 screen.

FYI for anyone in the market for a mid priced cell, Samsung just dropped the price on the Samsung A53 5G from $589 to $430 so I grabbed the higher model at that great price. It basically has most top of the line features. 6MB RAM 120 Gb storage 120 hz refresh rate, 5000 mah battery etc. Very nice phone . Samsung have 4 yrs of upgrades and 5 yrs of support now. I think they are 2nd now to Apple.

Again it is just really an emergency phone so it is like having a Lexus to go to the store and back lol. One beef is you then have to go out and buy a $25 charger as they just come w a USB-C cable.

Very happy though. FYI PetroCanada's emergency pay as you go plan which will be ~ $80/yr - is the cheapest out there per Best Prepaid and Pay As You Go Phone Plans 2022 | WhistleOut

FYI from all my shopping Snakehive make a very nice leather wallet cover too from many top 10 ratings.


----------



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

cainvest said:


> This was a good budget phone which costco sold for ~$239 a few months ago, hard to find now though.
> 
> Motorola Moto G8 Power - Full phone specifications
> 
> Watch out for the "updated" version (normally called the 2021 version) as it is not as good.


I've owned three Moto phones over the years (various models) and have been happy with all of them. I think they've been good budget phones which still do everything I need.

Disappointed that I missed the Costco sale. Oops.


----------



## Retiredguy (Jul 24, 2013)

I got the A53 5g on contract about 3 months ago but after having it a week I sent it back as the screen/apps was horribly unresponsive. I did like the fingerprint reader and the stereo speakers but the screen issue was just so terrible and frustrating it had to go. I replaced it with a Moto Edge for the same contract price and have been happy with it.


----------



## TomB16 (Jun 8, 2014)

cainvest said:


> This was a good budget phone which costco sold for ~$239 a few months ago, hard to find now though.
> 
> Motorola Moto G8 Power - Full phone specifications
> 
> Watch out for the "updated" version (normally called the 2021 version) as it is not as good.


I currently run a Moto G7 Power and am looking to move to a Moto G Stylus 2022. Moto makes decent, if not great, hardware. Where they lack is software. Motorola has been a gong show of buggy software and super slow updates (closing security loopholes long after the attack vector was made public). They are so bad, it's comedy. The very last update they sent down the wire to the G7 Power fleet made the phone useless. I doubt it was deliberate but it was a brutal swan song.

On the positive side, Moto gives a bit more CPU than typical at the price point, many of their phones have microSD memory expansion (a requirement for me), and the "Power" series has a big battery that I have enjoyed since 2017.

It's not that big of a deal for me to compile Android and sideload it. That's how I can still run the G7 Power. I suspect that puts me in pretty limited company.

BTW, that 5Ah batt will easily last 4 days with Google removed from the phone. People have little idea how much data and battery Google uses to keep second to second track of all of us.

I'm not warning against Motorola, specifically. I would say buy a 2022 model as they only provide software updates for 3 years. That's not 3 years from when you buy. It's 3 years from when they release it. Moto still provides value if you buy on the lower end and throw it away in 2.5~3 years. If you can unlock the phone and sideload a decent OS, Motorola products become the best bargain in the industry, IMO.

Also, there are a couple more models being released in September. We are on the edge of a product refresh cycle.


----------



## TomB16 (Jun 8, 2014)

james4beach said:


> Disappointed that I missed the Costco sale. Oops.


The G8 Power was released in February 2020 and Moto ends support after 3 years so the deal may not be as good as it seems for most people.


----------



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

TomB16 said:


> The G8 Power was released in February 2020 and Moto ends support after 3 years so the deal may not be as good as it seems for most people.


I wonder if the cameras are consistently good.

My G7 Play had a really amazing camera. Impressive capabilities with that $210 phone (back in 2020). An example shot, pulled over on a nice drive to enjoy the scenery,


----------



## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

james4beach said:


> I wonder if the cameras are consistently good.


Most of them are good during the day, not so much at night.


----------



## Zipper (Nov 18, 2015)

KaeJS said:


> Not a frugal approach,
> But I get the newest Samsung every year they come out. The top model.
> 
> But I also don't own a computer. So that's how I justify it.
> ...


Mrs. Zipper and I both have S22 Ultras. Our best phones yet.


----------



## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

I am waiting until more 5G phones are on the market in Canada. The Samsung A32 5G is now on Amazon.ca but mostly refurb or international grey market with no warranty. Price has been dropping over the past few months on those. From high 300's to high $200's.

I can wait until there is more competition is this space to upgrade my current phone. No rush.


----------



## Retired Peasant (Apr 22, 2013)

Jimmy said:


> Will update this thread w my recent findings. Was waiting for the A33 5g to become available in Canada which is the cheapest Samsung model ($388 for intl model) w a high res AMOLED screen 1080 x 2400 screen.
> 
> Again it is just really an emergency phone so it is like having a Lexus to go to the store and back lol. One beef is you then have to go out and buy a $25 charger as they just come w a USB-C cable.
> 
> Very happy though. FYI PetroCanada's emergency pay as you go plan which will be ~ $80/yr - is the cheapest out there per Best Prepaid and Pay As You Go Phone Plans 2022 | WhistleOut


I bought the A32 5g; perfectly happy with it. I paid $295 last November. I too just use it for emergency. Mine came with the charger, thank goodness. I think 7-11 has a cheaper pay as you go plan - $25/yr is the cheapest.


----------



## TomB16 (Jun 8, 2014)

james4beach said:


> I wonder if the cameras are consistently good.
> 
> My G7 Play had a really amazing camera. Impressive capabilities with that $210 phone (back in 2020). An example shot, pulled over on a nice drive to enjoy the scenery,
> View attachment 23494


I suspect your G7 Play has a better camera than my G7 Power, although my Power can take some decent shots in bright light. It's extremely hard to critique the technical aspects of a landscape pic taken in full sunlight that has been compressed for Internet sharing.

My wife has a high model Samsung from a year ago. Her camera takes better images in the day and way better images at night.

The G7 Power takes OK pics at night but they are grainy with poor color and not very dynamic. Her Samsung is surprisingly good at night.

A knock against the Samsung, for me, is the pics are way over saturated and over processed. This is just how the vast majority of people like their pics... like a cartoon. Consider me an exception.

The Motorola processes images far more accurately with regard to color and saturation but it is clearly a far inferior camera.

I'm not sure if the G8 Power has the same camera as a G7 Power. It might. The G Power 2022 has a different camera and it looks a bit better. Unfortunately, the G Power 2022 is limited to 4GB of RAM so someone looking for a higher spec phone needs to look at the Moto G Stylus for 4/6/8 configurations.




cainvest said:


> Most of them are good during the day, not so much at night.


For sure.

The G7 Power takes better night pics than my first DSLR did, two decades ago. An old guy like me finds it easy to tolerate the G7 Power night pics. Top phone cameras of today just happen to take far better pics. I never thought digital photography could come this far. It is so far better than film photography ever was.


----------



## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

TomB16 said:


> The G7 Power takes better night pics than my first DSLR did, two decades ago. An old guy like me finds it easy to tolerate the G7 Power night pics. Top phone cameras of today just happen to take far better pics. I never thought digital photography could come this far. It is so far better than film photography ever was.


The newer high price phones do pretty good, even at night. My friends Pixel 6 Pro does very well in most situations, day or night. I just use my phone for basic photo needs not to do actual photography. Hard to compare against DSLR, so many options there but they have improved since first their release ~20 years ago.


----------



## TomB16 (Jun 8, 2014)

I have a closet full of dSLR gear that hasn't been used in a decade. For some reason, I absolutely had to have a full frame camera. Now I use my low end Motorola cell phone and am completely happy. I don't love the camera but I also don't burn for something better.

Clearly, dSLR was compulsive materialism for me. It's embarrassing but that is my reality.


----------



## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

TomB16 said:


> Clearly, dSLR was compulsive materialism for me. It's embarrassing but that is my reality.


Fairly common from what I've seen, many have lots of camera stuff they don't use for long.

I still use my (old) DSLR gear and actually wish I had it a few nights ago on my late night motorcycle ride. About 20 km's from me was a t-storm with very active lightning and I tried to take pics using my phone but they didn't turn out. With a my DSLR gear I could have easily captured some great shots.


----------



## Jimmy (May 19, 2017)

Retired Peasant said:


> I bought the A32 5g; perfectly happy with it. I paid $295 last November. I too just use it for emergency. Mine came with the charger, thank goodness. I think 7-11 has a cheaper pay as you go plan - $25/yr is the cheapest.


Interesting. WhistleOut recommended PetroCanada. I think I was confused about the top ups discussing this w a customer service person that you pay $25 for each 120 day period (no balance carry over) .

On their site it says you pay $25 for 120 days then the balance carries forward if you top up to $25 for another 120 days. So could be $25/yr too


----------



## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

cainvest said:


> Fairly common from what I've seen, many have lots of camera stuff they don't use for long.
> 
> I still use my (old) DSLR gear and actually wish I had it a few nights ago on my late night motorcycle ride. About 20 km's from me was a t-storm with very active lightning and I tried to take pics using my phone but they didn't turn out. With a my DSLR gear I could have easily captured some great shots.


I use my phone all the time, and as long as you don't look too closely they are pretty good.

That being said my old Nikon is looking at a refresh. When I bought it, I called it my "magic camera". Put it on auto or auto-noflash and the pics were consistently amazing.

Now it's time to go mirrorless, and I'm wondering if I should stay Nikon or go Canon.


----------



## Jimmy (May 19, 2017)

Question. On Android the Messages APP sends SMS over the mobile network. Is there any way to send these by default over WIFI or will it work if you switch your mobile network off? Please advise. Thanks


----------



## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

Jimmy said:


> Question. On Android the Messages APP sends SMS over the mobile network. Is there any way to send these by default over WIFI or will it work if you switch your mobile network off? Please advise. Thanks


Not on the Messages App, you need mobile data for sending MMS (text + pics) directly. You can upload the photo to say Google Drive (or other place) via Wifi then send the http share link via Messages.


----------



## TomB16 (Jun 8, 2014)

I just picked up another Motorola phone on their boxing week special. If someone is looking for a cheap phone, this might be an ideal time.

The amazing deals are on the low end. Refurbished Moto G7 Play for $114. There isn't much software support left on the G7 Play but it might be an ideal phone for someone who wants to side load a current operating system.

I picked up a Moto One 5G Ace from Motorola.ca. I could care less about 5G comms but it is well specified in other ways and goes for $280. Mostly, I picked it up because LineageOS supports it specifically and it can take a 1TB SD card.

Motorola is really a brand for nerds. If you want to try a different OS. If you need an TF card slot for big storage. If you choke on the idea of paying $1000 for a cell phone that is going to last 2~3 years. I tick all three of these boxes.

Motorola phones are not the best. They don't have the best cameras. Their software stream isn't the most stable. But, they are decent, cameras are OK, and you can always do a non-consentual installation of one of the open source android distributions.


----------

