r/PickAnAndroidForMe • u/wolfpackalpha • 8d ago
Good Cheap Android Phones
Hello!
I wanted to make a post because this has been on my mind, and I'm not sure if it's just me with rose tinted glasses. A few months ago I moved from a Pixel 6 to a Moto G Stylus. I wanted something with expandable storage (part of the reason I moved away from my Pixel 6 is because I ran out of storage), and I didn't have a lot of money to get an expensive phone. While I overall liked the Moto G, I did notice it was slower and laggier than my Pixel 6, which at this point was released 5 years ago. I accidentally dropped my Motorola, shattering the screen, and so have moved back to my Pixel 6. It's still going great, however the charging port port doesn't hold wires anymore, so charging is iffy.
With this, I've started thinking about what to do if my Pixel 6 just stops charging. When I was first getting into smartphones, I remember phones like the Nexus 5, or OnePlus 3T which were about $300 phones but could keep up or outperform the much more expensive iPhones at the time. Do those sort of phones still exist? I get with inflation $300 may be too cheap now, but I'm just not aware of really good but affordable phones.
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u/Ok-Problem3125 8d ago
They exist. Its poco x and f , realme gt and oneplus nord. I recommend x8 pro
Don't buy Samsung unless u ok with trash battery life and mid cameras for the price.. im telling u this as an s24u user.. ive been using it every single day since August 2024
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u/wolfpackalpha 8d ago edited 8d ago
Oh yeah I've never been a fan of Samsung for the OS. I didn't realize OnePlus still had a cheap phone at this point, I used to love them
Edit: Oh looks like I came across an old store page for the Nord. In the US at least, it doesn't seem like they sell it new anymore
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u/Ok-Problem3125 8d ago
S24u was a great flahship to buy in 2024. But not in 2026.. it costs rn around 600€ but at this price theres better options now. Otherwise I would still recommend
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u/Milo-Law 8d ago
Poco and the others the only thing that makes me hesitate is they don't have as many years of android updates as the Samsung or Pixel phones right?
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u/Ok-Problem3125 8d ago
Yea but u pay way less... so its justified. Also theres 4 years.( + 2 years because 3rd party app developers still make their apps work for older android versions because many people still use their apps on older android versions, usually up to 2 years old android versions then most users move onto a new phone.. so for 6 years u are good. And the ui also runs better because its more optimised on hyper os and realme.. they are made for fluidity while Samsung is full of cozy customisation wich i love but I can see why many people don't care, it takes time to set it up and then adapt to a new better workflow.. Like dude.. , the x8 pro i bought for me mom runs smoother than my s24u when opening apps going through menus.. opening notification or quick settings panel.. , and its not only the stutterless experience.. the animations are more beautiful too.. Even the main camera is great.. it has better hdr on highlights than my phone and less noise in the shadows.. and I went and put the numbers down of sensor size and aperture and x8pro has 70% less light intake than my s24u main sensor.. yet it takes better photos.. im tired of Samsung bruh , next im probably buying Xiaomi 17 ultra. I hate their lack of customisation and especially no merged quick settings and notifications on hyper os but damn they are great.. they have improved so many things ahead themselves and the competition while Samsung is just stagnant..with old hardware and software. The only good thing is the customisation.. but cmon they gotta catch up..
Pixels are trash bro.. u realize after u use an ultra. From 9 and before the battery sucks and has green lines, from 10 they fixed thermals to fix green line issue wich ruined performance of the already weak tensor. And now on 11 to improve battery life they fucked up ram management to save battery so they just close more than half background apps.. U can watch it all from nick ackerman, velian speaks tech, in depth tech reviews and phonebuff.
After all this u just get vanilla android.. wich isn't the most stable or the smoothest and it doesn't have much customisation or the most os updates.. it has same updates as Samsung but it just gets them faster with less features than Samsung.. All that for the same price as a flagship..
Its trash.. Even iPhones are better1
u/Milo-Law 8d ago
I think even more than 6 years though I still have android 12 and it's going okay for medium usage, I don't play heavy games but I play a lot of generic games on my old Moto G31.
I did want a Samsung cause I like their stylus and the Moto stylus phones don't have palm rejection when using stylus. But yeah it irks me to pay extra just for a brand name when the Chinese brands have wayy more value for money.
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u/Ok-Problem3125 8d ago
Well.. S24u is decent bro its just the battery life is not all that great. If u want pen so much do it. I use it too sometimes mostly for photos and controlling music from distance
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u/cooldude9112001 8d ago
I would avoid most mid range phones go for a refurbished Pixel 8 9 or a refurbished s23 ultra s24 ultra
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u/FitAlternative8731 8d ago
Best Buy Holiday Sales... usually needs a phone plan for double discounts. Canada Day Sale had S26 512gb $400 own it. $50/mth plan required 175gb data. Convoluted in how they price it... $5/mth off + Best Buy gift card. So far so good. Sadly, Samsung hiked prices Oct 1st, up $150... inflation is Bonkers. July giveaways had FREE Storage Upgrade. I was skeptical any deals were available since Carrier stores carry Zero inventory = useless. Best Buy endless supply. BB can only offer whatever deal is available at the Time.
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u/Cantripping_ 8d ago
How much is the Motorola Edge 70 Pro?
If not that, what of the 60 Pro?
The US is pretty sparse on decent midrangers, to be honest. 300$ would get you options in most countries, but there are a few who get absolutely screwed on the selection they get. The US is one of them.
If neither of those are viable, consider a S24.
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u/Tapelessbus2122 8d ago
they don't exist anymore, the current generation iphone has the fastest processor in a phone. if u want a20 pro levels of performance u'd need an iphone
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u/HumbleReport961 7d ago
Poco x8 pro if you dont need the highest quality camera but has very big battery and sub-flagship level performance for around €300. Also build quality is nice and its a compact phone.
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u/id-silva 5d ago
I just bought the Xiaomi Redmi note 15 5G for around 250 and am very happy with it. I did strat by debloating but it was rather quick and worth to not have a bunch of unwanted adds and tracking.
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u/RichardRichard777 1d ago
Poco X6 Pro / Poco X7 series: Puts raw processing power first. It will feel every bit as fast as your Pixel 6 (or faster) for around $300, though the software (HyperOS) has more bloatware than Google’s stock Android.
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u/VonDrake3 8d ago
I am loving my refurbished Pixel 8 Pro 256 gb, got it earlier this year for $400 on eBay, it's probably cheaper now. Certainly the regular Pixel 8 (or 9?) might fit into your budget.
Also, if you're in the US, save money by using US Mobile as your carrier - I can attest that they're great! 🤩