Replacement phone suggestion?

[Mr_Odwin]

I'd get a Xiaomi. I've had an Mi 4 for the last year or so, and it's great. The Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro would be a great choice if you're still looking at sub-£200. The only issue with a Xiaomi is importing it/buying it wherever you can get it.

 

Don't know if @MoogleViper would still recommend Xiaomi too?

[MoogleViper]

Don't know if @MoogleViper would still recommend Xiaomi too?

 

It was great, until I got it wet.

 

Now I'm rocking a OPO. I'd recommend either the OnePlus or the Xiaomi.

[MoogleViper]

Don't know if @MoogleViper would still recommend Xiaomi too?

 

It was great, until I got it wet.

 

Now I'm rocking a OPO. I'd recommend either the OnePlus or the Xiaomi.

[Rummy]

Thanks guys. I was thinking sub-£100 but then I guess I end up in a bit of a false economy getting a newer phone every here and there that it'd add up. I think I'm gonna go for a reset on this bad boy first for a bit, then if it's still giving me issues I'll buy a new one/start purposefully saving in the interim. I'm pretty sure something to do with facebook's fucking gay forced messenger app is linked to it(you can essentially DDoS me by messaging me on facebook...but not all the time!? No consistency, which is tres annoying!).

 

Will look into these Xioami's you mention and also consider the OnePlus, especially as I'm already fairly keen on Cyanogen.

[Rummy]

Thanks guys. I was thinking sub-£100 but then I guess I end up in a bit of a false economy getting a newer phone every here and there that it'd add up. I think I'm gonna go for a reset on this bad boy first for a bit, then if it's still giving me issues I'll buy a new one/start purposefully saving in the interim. I'm pretty sure something to do with facebook's fucking gay forced messenger app is linked to it(you can essentially DDoS me by messaging me on facebook...but not all the time!? No consistency, which is tres annoying!).

 

Will look into these Xioami's you mention and also consider the OnePlus, especially as I'm already fairly keen on Cyanogen.

[MoogleViper]

Thanks guys. I was thinking sub-£100 but then I guess I end up in a bit of a false economy getting a newer phone every here and there that it'd add up. I think I'm gonna go for a reset on this bad boy first for a bit, then if it's still giving me issues I'll buy a new one/start purposefully saving in the interim. I'm pretty sure something to do with facebook's fucking gay forced messenger app is linked to it(you can essentially DDoS me by messaging me on facebook...but not all the time!? No consistency, which is tres annoying!).

 

Will look into these Xioami's you mention and also consider the OnePlus, especially as I'm already fairly keen on Cyanogen.

 

If you tick "request desktop site" you can access facebook message through your browser.

[MoogleViper]

Thanks guys. I was thinking sub-£100 but then I guess I end up in a bit of a false economy getting a newer phone every here and there that it'd add up. I think I'm gonna go for a reset on this bad boy first for a bit, then if it's still giving me issues I'll buy a new one/start purposefully saving in the interim. I'm pretty sure something to do with facebook's fucking gay forced messenger app is linked to it(you can essentially DDoS me by messaging me on facebook...but not all the time!? No consistency, which is tres annoying!).

 

Will look into these Xioami's you mention and also consider the OnePlus, especially as I'm already fairly keen on Cyanogen.

 

If you tick "request desktop site" you can access facebook message through your browser.

[Rummy]

If you tick "request desktop site" you can access facebook message through your browser.

 

Yeah I did that for a while but I already generally facebook via chrome and got annoyed of it not being the mobile version. I've tried clearing the data on both the facebook and messenger app and signed in again and turned of notfications for both in the app menu and gonna see how that goes for a bit. The phone hasn't restarted as such, but has turned itself off twice. Does still seem linked to messages somehow, but I can't pinpoint the exact nature.

[Rummy]

If you tick "request desktop site" you can access facebook message through your browser.

 

Yeah I did that for a while but I already generally facebook via chrome and got annoyed of it not being the mobile version. I've tried clearing the data on both the facebook and messenger app and signed in again and turned of notfications for both in the app menu and gonna see how that goes for a bit. The phone hasn't restarted as such, but has turned itself off twice. Does still seem linked to messages somehow, but I can't pinpoint the exact nature.

[Shift]

Hope you dont mind if i hijack the thread, but I'm in a similar position (needing a new phone).

 

I'm currently rocking a Lumia 920 which is approaching 4 years old now, all still works fine but it seems to run noticeably hotter then it used to, so i figured it was time for a change.

 

Love windows OS, but I'm wanting to jump ship to android. I use my phone mainly for calls, texts and reading the odd email/website. That being said, the lack of decent apps is starting to annoy me and not being able to connect my phone to my car is also an issue (my old ipod touch connects fine, not sure if its a car or phone issue tbh).

 

I'm on a sim only contract so I'm looking for an unlocked phone at a reasonable price.

 

After doing a bit of research I've made a shortlist of 4 phones, these are in order of which one I'm more likely to buy:

 

OnePlus X

Wileyfox Swift

Honor 5x

Motorola Moto G4

 

I'd like the phone to be actually pocket-able, so the odd one out in the above list is the Honor 5x with its 5.5inch screen.

 

The reason why the Motorola Moto G4 is at the bottom of the list is due to me having a bad experience with an old motorola phone (i think it was called the x720). I bought the phone and they instantly stopped supporting it, so no more updates.

 

Any advice will be welcomed.

[Aneres11]

Hope you dont mind if i hijack the thread, but I'm in a similar position (needing a new phone).

 

I'm currently rocking a Lumia 920 which is approaching 4 years old now, all still works fine but it seems to run noticeably hotter then it used to, so i figured it was time for a change.

 

Love windows OS, but I'm wanting to jump ship to android. I use my phone mainly for calls, texts and reading the odd email/website. That being said, the lack of decent apps is starting to annoy me and not being able to connect my phone to my car is also an issue (my old ipod touch connects fine, not sure if its a car or phone issue tbh).

 

I'm on a sim only contract so I'm looking for an unlocked phone at a reasonable price.

 

After doing a bit of research I've made a shortlist of 4 phones, these are in order of which one I'm more likely to buy:

 

OnePlus X

Wileyfox Swift

Honor 5x

Motorola Moto G4

 

I'd like the phone to be actually pocket-able, so the odd one out in the above list is the Honor 5x with its 5.5inch screen.

 

The reason why the Motorola Moto G4 is at the bottom of the list is due to me having a bad experience with an old motorola phone (i think it was called the x720). I bought the phone and they instantly stopped supporting it, so no more updates.

 

Any advice will be welcomed.

 

I can talk about the OnePlus X to you. I bought one and used it briefly last year.

It's a very well built phone, and is very premium considering the price of it. But that's the charm of OnePlus.

 

It's definitely pocketable, which is something you say you want - so that's good.

 

It has a good screen, has a nice OS (very stock like Android with just a couple of tweaks), which is easy to use and navigate.

 

I didn't last long with it though, but that's mainly through my tech fetish and getting bored. It does everything it needs to do well, but there are some shortcomings, particularly the camera.

 

I like having a strong camera as I take (probably too many), pictures of my dog out and about and when he's doing silly stuff haha.

The OnePlus X camera just doesn't cut it in low light. It's slow to capture photos and the results are not the best. But if that's not something that concerns you (it's still a very capable snapper), then don't let it put you off.

Can't expect Lumia 950 quality from a budget handset.

 

The other phones, well I haven't owned them... but the Wiliyfox Swift is an interesting one and seems like it's extremely good value for money. If Android hasn't been your bag so far, then this is seemingly a good place to start as it's fairly stock Android and will allow you to customise to your hearts content.

 

Let us know what you decide anyway! : peace:

[Rummy]

Big bump - almost a year later!

 

Phone seems to have finally given up the ghost and won't charge/turn on. Got a few old ones to run things in the meantime, but one rinses itself to death if I use anything more than 2G or Wifi and the other's just a gammy cracked screen and kinda old.

 

What's folks' recommendations on a budget-esque handset atm? Thinking maybe £200ish at my upper limit - or I'd consider a contract if it's a good deal(currently PAYG giffgaff £10 a month for unlimited texts, 500mins that I never use, and 1GB data). A 2 year deal on something like that with a phone'd at my budget'd come out about £440 which'd be ok if it's a much better phone than that price(unlikely I imagine? I've never had a contract phone). I guess that's a contract at around £18 a month for 2 years.

Edited January 16, 2017 by Rummy

[James]

How about a Moto G4, great specs, great price £160 on amazon and if you go onto Virgin mobile before end of January you can get unlimited texts, 2GB data and 1500 minutes for £9 a month on a monthly rolling contract. Virgin use EE's network which if far better than o2's.

 

On and the G4 comes with almost stock Android so you don't get all that bloatware shite and awful skins most phones come with.

Edited January 16, 2017 by James

[bob]

I have the Moto G plus (£260) and it's fantastic. I'm sure the £160 version is good value too, albeit with fewer bells and whistles.

[Rummy]

How about a Moto G4, great specs, great price £160 on amazon and if you go onto Virgin mobile before end of January you can get unlimited texts, 2GB data and 1500 minutes for £9 a month on a monthly rolling contract. Virgin use EE's network which if far better than o2's.

 

On and the G4 comes with almost stock Android so you don't get all that bloatware shite and awful skins most phones come with.

 

Moto G seems to be the recommendation, and £160's a pretty decent one especially with a rolling £9 for that! You may have sold me, man!

 

My only two questions would be - will a Moto G be network locked(in case I decide to stop the rolling contract at some point) and is it easy enough to root/change firmware on if I wanted? It's unlikely I would, but just for future maybe.

 

Also! On the firmware note - what versions it come with and what's the latest planned? I've heard nice things about Marshmallow but not had it myself. Don't worry if you haven't answers off the top of your head - I'll be googling and researching more into this shortly!

[Rummy]

Also on an unrelated note - has anyone ever looked into or know much about essentially cloning a phone? Like if I replaced my current(albeit dead, so maybe a limiting factor) phone with an exact same phone/model - is there any way to essentially clone the thing over to the new one? I know someone who has the exact same phone but doesn't use it; it tempts me for the cheapness.

[James]

Moto G seems to be the recommendation, and £160's a pretty decent one especially with a rolling £9 for that! You may have sold me, man!

 

My only two questions would be - will a Moto G be network locked(in case I decide to stop the rolling contract at some point) and is it easy enough to root/change firmware on if I wanted? It's unlikely I would, but just for future maybe.

 

Also! On the firmware note - what versions it come with and what's the latest planned? I've heard nice things about Marshmallow but not had it myself. Don't worry if you haven't answers off the top of your head - I'll be googling and researching more into this shortly!

 

I think the moto's a relatively easy to root, but I can't find anything on XDA, things may have changed.

 

I think it comes with Marshmallow but Nougat is rolling out, I flashed nougat on my LG G4. I liked it alot, just a shame the rom was a bit crappy and kept crashing.

 

If you buy it from amazon it shouldn't be locked to any network, and it shouldn't lock to a network after you put in a sim.

 

Also check out moto maker, you can make your phone personal to you with differenct accents and cases and even a welcome message every time you turn it on at usually no extra cost. https://www.motorola.co.uk/products/motomaker/FLEXR10UK

 

You can use code UKWELCOME10 to get a tenner off.

Edited January 16, 2017 by James

[Rummy]

Thanks again Chocolate! I'm working my way through reviews of various but yeah - I think price vs features will put me either in the Moto G4 Play camp(~£115) or maybe I'll find a way to make a bit of extra cash to specifically bump up to the regular G4 for the £160. Both apparently are going to get Nougat, so no difference there. I don't NEED extra power - but it'd be nice to just future proof the thing a bit.

 

I've also been perusing MoneySavingExpert and a company are doing a mental deal through BroadbandChoices - £6 a month for 2GB data and unlimited texts/minutes all subject to fair usage but allowing tethering! http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/cheap-sim-only-contracts - very new company, mixed but admittedly limited feedback so far. Not looking fantastic though.

 

Thinking with that plus the G4 regular it'd work out a pretty decent ~13ish quid a month over 2 years. Waiting on a few folks to get back to me to buy some time or find other deals - but really that's looking quite likely for me right now!

 

EDIT: Just looked and that MotoMaker is actually pretty interesting - especially with a tenner to bring it down to the Amazon price! Be nice having a few custom touches on a phone, what service! Just gutted Wood backing is out of stock atm, love that sort of look on tech

Edited January 16, 2017 by Rummy

[James]

Take a look at the moto x style in Moto Maker, shame you can't get a choice of all those wood types on the G4, Charcoal Ash Wood

 

Thanks again Chocolate! I'm working my way through reviews of various but yeah - I think price vs features will put me either in the Moto G4 Play camp(~£115) or maybe I'll find a way to make a bit of extra cash to specifically bump up to the regular G4 for the £160. Both apparently are going to get Nougat, so no difference there. I don't NEED extra power - but it'd be nice to just future proof the thing a bit.

 

I've also been perusing MoneySavingExpert and a company are doing a mental deal through BroadbandChoices - £6 a month for 2GB data and unlimited texts/minutes all subject to fair usage but allowing tethering! http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/cheap-sim-only-contracts - very new company, mixed but admittedly limited feedback so far. Not looking fantastic though.

 

Thinking with that plus the G4 regular it'd work out a pretty decent ~13ish quid a month over 2 years. Waiting on a few folks to get back to me to buy some time or find other deals - but really that's looking quite likely for me right now!

 

EDIT: Just looked and that MotoMaker is actually pretty interesting - especially with a tenner to bring it down to the Amazon price! Be nice having a few custom touches on a phone, what service! Just gutted Wood backing is out of stock atm, love that sort of look on tech

 

Just noticed you talked about the play, be careful with it as the 16GB only comes with 1GB of ram, which I wouldn't recommend. The price of the 32GB with 2GB of RAM would probably creep into the standard G4 price range. Your best to future proof yourself, this phone could easily last your more than 2 years and you would be frustrated by the slowness due to the smaller ram.

[MoogleViper]

I'd go for the Lenovo ZUK Z2 personally. You may have to flash the ROM though so be sure you're comfortable doing that (plenty of good guides on the Lenovo forums).

[Rummy]

I'd go for the Lenovo ZUK Z2 personally. You may have to flash the ROM though so be sure you're comfortable doing that (plenty of good guides on the Lenovo forums).

 

Couldn't find as much on it nor at a price I was happy with now I've got the Moto G in my head! Don't mind rooting etc at all - what do you like about it as a phone?

 

As time goes on I'm increasingly settling on the standard Moto G4. Very tempted by the customisable options if they had the bloody wood in(you weren't wrong @Sexual Chocolate, the Style's options are very nice!) and might engrave it for chuckles too - which is actually about to become a thread topic!

Edited January 16, 2017 by Rummy

[Rummy]

Also check out moto maker, you can make your phone personal to you with differenct accents and cases and even a welcome message every time you turn it on at usually no extra cost. https://www.motorola.co.uk/products/motomaker/FLEXR10UK

 

You can use code UKWELCOME10 to get a tenner off.

 

Thanks again for this Chocolate! Decided to go for the Moto G4 and with that code plus another that came up on Google I ended up getting it for £150, with bamboo back and gold trim with black for the main front bit. I haven't got a confirmation e-mail(ordered about 10 minutes ago) yet and annoying the 'order complete' sort of page doesn't list the e-mail I put in either! Hoping I didn't accidentally typo it, but I'll chase it up later/tmw otherwise.

 

 

Looking forward to my new phone!! Thanks for all the help and advice guys

[James]

Thanks again for this Chocolate! Decided to go for the Moto G4 and with that code plus another that came up on Google I ended up getting it for £150, with bamboo back and gold trim with black for the main front bit. I haven't got a confirmation e-mail(ordered about 10 minutes ago) yet and annoying the 'order complete' sort of page doesn't list the e-mail I put in either! Hoping I didn't accidentally typo it, but I'll chase it up later/tmw otherwise.

 

 

Looking forward to my new phone!! Thanks for all the help and advice guys

 

Ooooo nice, looking forward to seeing it, post some pics when it arrives.

[Rummy]

I has it! Bigger than I realised/expected! Not turned it on yet(just charging etc) and thinking about a few things.

 

Firstly - does anyone know if there's a way to backup Whatsapp without an SD card? The phone I'm temping on atm doesn't see SD cards, so whatsapp says to insert one when I try to backup. Even tho it should also back up to google drive it seems to be refusing to do this without an sd card backup first. I might see if the old phone has the backup from when it broke and use that, though I did wanna have my recent convos too. My old phone it turned out wasn't backing up the google drive for a long time neither though.

 

Secondly! Accessories! Anyone got any recommendations for a decent but cheap case/cover for the phone? Don't mind if it's only going to last a year being cheap(gives me an excuse to refresh the look). That's actually about it, come to think of it. Case/screen protectors are my next priority - dunno why I was so stupid to not have dealt with that in the interim -.-

 

EDIT: Tell a lie - do have a thirdly. Anyone rooted a G4(regular, not play or plus) and did it all go ok? I imagine I'll eventually want to root it, so was just thinking that there's no time like the present! @Sheikah you ever done it?

 

Yup. You, me, Rummy (eventually), and Sheikah's girlfriend. Just not Moogle. Never Moogle.

 

You weren't wrong brah...HELLO MOTOBRO(s).

Edited January 30, 2017 by Rummy

[Rummy]

AAAAAAAAARGH! Imagine my surprise at the fact it has TWO sim card slots! I didn't know it had two, and I was pleasantly surprised! Is it actually dual-SIM or does it just let you toggle one or the other?

 

However imagine my greater surprised(and aforementioned argh) upon realising I need a fucking micro SIM for this prick. Super unimpressed right now.