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My Phone Appears Close To Death....

Must admit to getting confused. I didn't realise there was a difference between MotoG and Google Pixel.
 
A few observations/questions.
Do I need 5G? I don't do gaming or streaming from my phone. Much of my calling is via Whatsapp/my home router. I have few problems with calls except when other people's phones don't always seem to respond to Whatsapp calls.

I like a decent camera.. but also have a decent SLR and a Lumix TZ200 compact.. so cameras aren't a deal breaker.

I don't need Dual Sim.

My Samsung is 16 Gig storage but has a slot for expansion. So.. I stuck a 128Gig card in but it's barely used as the Samsung will not allow many apps to be placed there. I see that the Google Pixels have 128 Gig..I assume built in.. as in not user replaceable. It's not clear from the specs.
 
You don't need 5G if you use your domestic Internet connection for most of your on-line use.
 
A few observations/questions.
Do I need 5G? I don't do gaming or streaming from my phone. Much of my calling is via Whatsapp/my home router. I have few problems with calls except when other people's phones don't always seem to respond to Whatsapp calls.

I like a decent camera.. but also have a decent SLR and a Lumix TZ200 compact.. so cameras aren't a deal breaker.

I don't need Dual Sim.

My Samsung is 16 Gig storage but has a slot for expansion. So.. I stuck a 128Gig card in but it's barely used as the Samsung will not allow many apps to be placed there. I see that the Google Pixels have 128 Gig..I assume built in? It's not clear from the specs.

No need for 5G unless your provider offers it; it'll all be 5G soon, so 5G would be good for going forward

Dual sim - a lot of phones have this now; you can still only use one sim, you don't have to use two! A lot of phones are single SIM and eSIM too; but again, it's down to the provider you use and if they offer eSIM. Either way, they'll work as they should with just one sim :)

The Pixel's storage is built in, yes, non expandable too; but sounds like you'll not need that anyways
 
My Pixel 3a started going wonky recently, and I ended up replacing it with a Pixel 5. Very nice phone, but perhaps not mid-priced. A good thing with the Pixel line is that they run unmolested Android and get the latest updates first.
 
I bought a Nokia 1, £60 a couple of years ago. It does everything I want from a basic smartphone, it's not too big, it has good battery life. Build quality is good and if it goes wrong Nokia can fix it. Try that with a Hinglong Bingbong Ole Biscuit Barrel that goes funny 6 months after purchase.
 
Beware of bargain phones that have been on the market for a while. The 2, 3 or 4 year support lifetime starts from first launch. I see cheapos for sale that are already out of support

The Pixel 4a came out August 2020, the 5 in October 2020
The Moto G7 is older, March 2019
 
Beware of bargain phones that have been on the market for a while. The 2, 3 or 4 year support lifetime starts from first launch. I see cheapos for sale that are already out of support

The Pixel 4a came out August 2020, the 5 in October 2020
The Moto G7 is older, March 2019

The Pixels (more so the 4 and 5s) get 3 years of guaranteed support
 
I bought a Nokia 1, £60 a couple of years ago. It does everything I want from a basic smartphone, it's not too big, it has good battery life. Build quality is good and if it goes wrong Nokia can fix it. Try that with a Hinglong Bingbong Ole Biscuit Barrel that goes funny 6 months after purchase.

I'd love a phone like that :D
 
Dual sim - a lot of phones have this now; you can still only use one sim, you don't have to use two! A lot of phones are single SIM and eSIM too; but again, it's down to the provider you use and if they offer eSIM. Either way, they'll work as they should with just one sim

Well yes.. I had sort of figured that...:rolleyes:

Anyway. Many thanks for all input. It seems my phone is working perfectly again for the time being.. so I shall carry on with it for a few more months, safe in the knowledge that I am now more aware of current favourites. Thanks again all.
 
My 4 Yr old Galaxy S7 developed the Samsung 'pink line on screen' problem along with a couple of other bits of odd behaviour. I replaced it with a refurbished S10+ for £310 from Qwikfone in immaculate condition. 2 years old, former RRP £900. Wonderful device.
 
If anyone knows of a decent Android phone that's the size of the iPhone Mini, I'd also be interested. I'm sick of the enormous slabs of glass on sale now - and I do have fairly big hands. I was quite tempted by the Palm "palm phone", but it's a step too far in terms of size. If they'd done one between that and a Pixel 4a in size I'd have been in.
 
If anyone knows of a decent Android phone that's the size of the iPhone Mini, I'd also be interested. I'm sick of the enormous slabs of glass on sale now - and I do have fairly big hands. I was quite tempted by the Palm "palm phone", but it's a step too far in terms of size. If they'd done one between that and a Pixel 4a in size I'd have been in.

Good luck; no one wants phones that size any more

Think Nokia still do a 5.7" phone; but smaller than that & you're into the el-cheapo Chinese handsets
 
I don't think it's true that nobody wants phones this size: Apple sells a good share of the "Mini" iPhone models, which are unique in being both small-sized and high-spec.
But it certainly is cheaper to build a bigger phone, and people think bigger phones are technically better; I think that's closer to the reason why even the cheapest of phones have 6-inch screens now..
 
Must admit to getting confused. I didn't realise there was a difference between MotoG and Google Pixel.
No worries, there's a lot out there to keep up with...!

As mentioned, Motorola's current and recent phones are pretty solid devices and decent value. However as others have said, there's little benefit or incentive for budget phone-makers to invest in providing updates and security patches so a lot of them tend to get 'stuck' on older versions after a short while. This is problematic as they're at risk of exploits or bugs.

Google's Pixel phones are, on the whole, rather good at pretty much everything but tend to be a little 'plain-Jane' design-wise. However, they do commit to at least 3 years of OS updates (although there's pressure on them to up this to 5) and they get security patches usually around the 5th of every month.

That Amazon link posted earlier for the Pixel 4a @ £299 would be where my money would be going if I were in your shoes right now, it's ridiculously good value at that price. My Pixel 4 XL has 128Gb (which is only half-full after 18 months of use) and you'll have 15Gb of space on Google Drive already. If you need more there are often 'x months free' on Google One which ups the online storage - 100Gb is about £15/yr from memory.

The 4a also has a superb camera that compares well with more expensive devices if that matters to you: https://www.dxomark.com/google-pixel-4a-camera-review-excellent-single-camera-smartphone/
 
I don't think it's true that nobody wants phones this size: Apple sells a good share of the "Mini" iPhone models, which are unique in being both small-sized and high-spec.

Indeed. I prefer a phone that is pocket sized.. as in..say front pockets of jeans.. or a shirt pocket without falling out if you lean forward. My Samsung A3 is less than 5 1/2 inches overall..with a screen size of around 4 1/3 inches. I've never felt restricted by that.

That Amazon link posted earlier for the Pixel 4a @ £299 would be where my money would be going if I were in your shoes right now, it's ridiculously good value at that price. My Pixel 4 XL has 128Gb (which is only half-full after 18 months of use) and you'll have 15Gb of space on Google Drive already. If you need more there are often 'x months free' on Google One which ups the online storage - 100Gb is about £15/yr from memory.

Storage isn't a major issue for me..especially 'cloud' storage. I don't keep my life on my phone. So long as a phone doesn't fall over because of a few apps or one too many pics..I'm happy.

Re: the Amazon deaI I agree and if my phone was actually dead I'd have bought one yesterday.. However.. I can't help thinking that with 5G coming increasingly on stream.. that its maybe worth waiting for a price drop on the Pixel (and other) 5g phones? Even if they don't drop in price... I originally stated 'mid priced'.. which is a bit of a moveable feast for me. I'd go to more like £500 for the right model/deal. I also still have a soft spot for the stylng and finish of Samsung.. but trying to find the way around their model range.. even on their own site..is mind boggling.
 
Google's Pixel phones are, on the whole, rather good at pretty much everything but tend to be a little 'plain-Jane' design-wise.
I consider that a feature.

Indeed. I prefer a phone that is pocket sized.. as in..say front pockets of jeans.. or a shirt pocket without falling out if you lean forward. My Samsung A3 is less than 5 1/2 inches overall..with a screen size of around 4 1/3 inches. I've never felt restricted by that.
Jeans pockets vary considerably in depth. From experience, I can say that those on Levi's 501 will fit a 6-inch phone comfortably.

I can't help thinking that with 5G coming increasingly on stream.. that its maybe worth waiting for a price drop on the Pixel (and other) 5g phones? Even if they don't drop in price... I originally stated 'mid priced'.. which is a bit of a moveable feast for me. I'd go to more like £500 for the right model/deal.
The Pixel 4a 5G is £499 from the Google store. Pixel 5 is another £100.
 


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