Recommend me a new phone

The screen of my Moto G has finally cracked beyond usability. This was my first smartphone, and I deliberately bought a cheap one. Now I need a new one and am prepared to spend a bit more. Not £600 on a pixel more, mind you.

The Oneplus 3 looks very nice (that 6GB of RAM!), but the screen is a full 1" bigger and I’m not sure I want a huge phone. Difficult finding anything with a <5" screen though.

Any hot tips?
(not iphone. they’re nice, but I’m fully invested in the google ecosystem now)

slightly controversial answer, try going without one for a while?

I went without a smartphone my entire life up till 2 years ago. The novelty hasn’t worn off yet :smiley:

I have a OnePlus X and I would recommend it. (However glass back, so a cover to protect is required)

I really like OnePlus as a company. I’m thinking of selling mine to get a OnePlus 3! However, same as you I’m not sure about a really big phone.

i meant, any phone scary emoticon face here

Loving my new Motorola G4. Also on my shortlist were the OnePlus 3 (X is out of stock), and a couple of direct-from-China specials - the Xiaomi Mi5 and a ruggedised Blackview BV6000.

My last phone was a Nexus 4 and it lasted me a good while, so I was a bit disappointed that Google have gone a bit expensive with the Pixel. I reckon the G4 is the closest to the old Nexus approach.

Ringke make great bumpers. Quite pleased with my Sparin tempered glass screen protector too. Bear in mind that I drop my phones in the forge occasionally and that’s a pretty good recommendation!

you can still pick up S4/S5 Minis i think

I have an s4 mini, it is certainly not a powerhouse, but it works, it is a bit short on inbuilt memory but can stick an SD card in it.

Can pick them up for around £100, i got this after my MotoG died on me.

Or the s5 Mini which i can only assume is faster “newer” but no idea on costs, plus side of them is they are small.

EDIT: - S4 minis are limited to old android tho, if thats important to you.

Sony Xperia Z5 compact - good normal size - not ‘phablety’ - but they also didn’t skimp on the internals…

Also new Google Pixel phone is out…

One + 3 if Android is your preference, I would avoid Samsung personally.

My GF is in the same boat as you, I think we are going to get the new Xioami redmi 4 prime
You can order it from Banggood for around £160

http://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_redmi_4_prime-8263.php

I had the z3 compact and it was great, small form factor, great specs and an amazing battery.
You can get the refurbs from amazon for a reasonable price. or as @pip said the z5 compact is the new version.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-SIM-Free-Smartphone-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B00WHXBRHS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1479205648&sr=8-4&keywords=xperia+z3

I quite like being able to drive my phone with one hand so I made a cardboard cutout of the 1+3 and it’s HOOOGE. A shame because the specs can’t be beat at that price.

The xioami is incredible for the price but it doesn’t support 800MHz LTE which is the only band supported by Giffgaff :frowning:

There’s an even newer Sony Compact, the X, which has 3GB ram and usb C, but no waterproofing :-/

I can just about drive my G4 with one hand. Android has a keyboard designed for one handed use now.

Really like the fingerprint sensor too - not something that figured in my buying choice but you can switch on and unlock the phone with one touch. Also works well with LastPass.

Aha, 1+ have a “midrange” phone which has a 5" screen and 3GB ram. I think we have a winer :slight_smile:

http://www.gsmarena.com/oneplus_x-7630.php

If you can find it!

Also Wileyfox refreshed their range

https://www.wileyfox.com/swift-169.html

I have the original Swift. The odd quirk, and there’s an issue with my screen, but overall pretty excellent, and great value.

Some fun security features, and ‘mod ready’, though not had time to mess around with any ROMs yet. And, realistically…

Not worth just replacing the screen and keeping the phone a bit longer?

I think I replaced my Nexus screen 3 times…

second hand z5? waterproof and still good for a couple years, mine is still fast.

I would but the microphone’s knackered (I have to shout) and the earphone socket is flaky (goes quiet sometimes).

I found a source for oneplus X but it’s £290 (RRP £180)

Heck of a price, but Cyanogen are getting out of the OS business, so how long will it get updates for?

This is a proper minefield isn’t it? :grimacing: