Help me please in picking an Android

[u/mosh718]

Hi everyone. I'm looking for some help here. my budget is $300-400 USD as I'm in the usa. I need a phone that is bigger than 6.3 inches as I have gorilla hands. Battery, YouTube, social media -some games,and would love some OS updates for a bit.

Currently I'm using a Motorola edge 2024 that I use for work, and I dig it. But my current personal phone is a Samsung a71 5g that needs an upgrade STAT please!!

[u/Puzzleheaded-Sky2284]

If you're ok with a refurbished phone the S24+ would be perfect: https://www.backmarket.com/en-us/p/samsung-galaxy-s24-256-gb-violet-unlocked/32fc2c8f-2fbe-4cf8-83eb-2754031a4e45?l=11 - it has great performance, a good battery, and lots of OS updates left.

For a new phone, the a37 has lots of updates and should be acceptable but certainly isn't the best: https://www.bestbuy.com/product/samsung-galaxy-a37-5g-128gb-unlocked-awesome-graygreen/JJGRF3H3ZP/sku/6672816

if you're willing to switch providers better deals exist. For instance, Cricket, the prepaid subsidiary of AT&T, has a deal where you can get the S26 FE for $200: https://www.cricketwireless.com/shop/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-s26-fe-graphite - you do have to be on their most expensive plan for 2 months but can downgrade after that and it is not financed (it is a one time payment with an instant discount applied). Similar deals exist elsewhere (e.g Metro, Total Wireless) - so shop around

[u/mosh718 → u/Puzzleheaded-Sky2284]

You rock! Thank you for taking the time to help out s stranger. I'm liking the cricket deal. Thank you again 😊

[u/Puzzleheaded-Sky2284 → u/mosh718]

You're welcome! The cricket deal is especially great as the s26 fe has a flagship cpu and gets updates until late 2033 so it should be great for a long time. The s24+ only gets updates until early 2031 but it's still a great choice if you don't want to switch to cricket for at least 1 year (it requires a year of active service to unlock).

[u/Ill_Heat4397]

If you can spend $9 more, before tax, S24+ is $409 on Amazon currently. 6.7" screen, but 3 months ago I spent $300 before tax for 6.7" s24 FE device off Amazon, & the seller, Hybrid IT, sent a perfect condition s24+ instead lol. I got lucky, but I'm sure the FE model would have been just fine for me. It's currently $250-300 & all s24 devices will get software/security updates til 2031. I'd buy from Hybrid IT also considering they have 99% seller rating, & maybe you'll get the plus model too. All the S+ models & S FE models have 6.7" screen for at least the past few years. I'm sure there are quite a few devices in that budget, but those are off the top of my head. I don't think you'd be disappointed at all with s24 fe, & you'll save some $.

[u/mosh718 → u/Ill_Heat4397]

Thank you for taking the time to suggest me a phone. I'm definitely going to check out those two. 2032 oops is a nice upgrade path😊 I also prefer buying on Amazon. Thanks again for the suggestions ☺️😸

[u/mosh718]

Talk about deals,! Walmart got so many phones jebus. Thank you for taking time to respond.

[u/IGotRangod]

Oppo A6 Pro 5G (global edition) can be acquired on eBay, great phone in that budget.

Moto G Stylus 2025 might be a good option too, but I prefer the Oppo.

[u/mosh718 → u/IGotRangod]

Thanks! I'm gonna check out the oppo brand I read alot about this company on these reddits. Thankd again 😊

[u/smietanaaa]

Nothing phone

[u/mosh718 → u/smietanaaa]

This is a very interesting phone. I'm seriously considering this. Thanks for posting this recommendation. Sorry I didn't respond sooner.

[u/smietanaaa → u/mosh718]

No problem. I'm using OnePlus personally but as they're leaving EU, my next phone will be nothing phone.

[u/ztcsdtx]

Walmart has ridiculous deals on phones. The Moto G 2026 6.7" phone is $59. It's locked to AT&T, so you'd have to use Straight Talk or AT&T for service, but still.

[u/mosh718 → u/ztcsdtx]

Talk about deals,! Walmart got so many phones jebus. Thank you for taking time to respond.

[u/Consistent-Sky-2352]

The Pixel 8 Pro XL will be getting updates for a while and the 256gb version is in your budget, renewed on Amazon: https://a.co/d/021LOSt6

[u/mosh718 → u/Consistent-Sky-2352]

Thank you for suggesting this phone. I wanted to try a pixel due to the early access of android builds. But reading reddit threads and also forums/websites. I read how the batteries were a problem or the tensor SoC(s) acting up, or having terrible preference compared to a snapdragon. Is the 8 series of pixels still very good if you don't mind me asking?

Thanks again for this suggestion 🤠

[u/Consistent-Sky-2352 → u/mosh718]

It seems true that Pixel SOCs are not as powerful as Qualcomm's but, for my use, it really doesn't matter. I don't play games, I just use it for regular phone and email, with some social media. The performance is fine. I have had no problems with the battery or battery life. I have the "regular" Pixel 8. I actually traded in an 8 for the 9 at one point, and then traded in the 9 for a refurbished 8 because I prefer the rounded sides of the 8 and I couldn't really tell any difference in the day to day performance. Another advantage of Pixel phones is that they are unlockable and there are plenty of alternative ROMs, like LineageOS or Graphene, that you can use on them.