Android phone under $200

[area51]

What unlocked Android phone would you recommend for under $200? I was looking at moto g6 or g7..

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[the86d]

I REALLY like the LG V20, although since 2 updates it is not as zippy, so I would enable dev mode, and disable updates OOTB... Bluetooth worked better OOTB too.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=lg+v20&_sacat=0&rt=nc&LH_ItemCondition=1000

However, I would get your provider's model, even if unlocked...

[ex231]

I've got a Blu Vivo XL4 that I'm pretty happy with. $139 from Amazon. I've used it in the Philippines and Thailand on their networks with no issues. Currently on T Mobile here, works good.
Xiaomi sounds good on the surface but I haven't looked into them much.

[SmokieBear]

Wanna buy my lg g6 for $175 shipped? Charge holds up for about 12 hours maybe 8 hrs if you watch 1 2 hour movie.

[DNA]

Moto G6/7 are good choices. Take a look at the G7 power, slightly stepped down processor and screen resolution, paired with a giant battery for all day staying power. Great if you need a phone for browsing and consuming media thoughout the day.

IME I would avoid BLU, they're very functional but basic Android phones that won't be catching any software updates in the future (safety issues) and they are relatively poorly built compared to the other budget options of Motorola, Honor, Huawei etc.

Forgot to ask, which network will you be using the phone on? A GSM (at&t, T-Mobile) or CDMA network (Sprint, Verizon)?

Dan

[Rorge Retson]

G6.

[Zorba]

Flip Fone.

[the86d]

I've got a Blu Vivo XL4 that I'm pretty happy with. $139 from Amazon. I've used it in the Philippines and Thailand on their networks with no issues. Currently on T Mobile here, works good.
Xiaomi sounds good on the surface but I haven't looked into them much.

Can you post a Speedtest screenscrape with 4g on t-Mo?

[RookieShooter]

I got a Xiaomi Redmi 7 for $150 for 4 months now to replace my Samsung S8+ and very happy with it.

[ex231]

Can you post a Speedtest screenscrape with 4g on t-Mo?

I'm on a prepaid plan and I suspect the speed on the prepaid is throttled but I can't prove it. I haven't done a speed test in a while so I'm surprised this one is as good as it is. Last I checked it was about half that.
I was on Straight Talk running on ATT for a long time and decided to try ATT prepaid thinking it would be faster. It was actually slower.
There are Blu haters as evidenced by a poster above, but for the money I think they're a pretty good value. I'm not into expensive phones. As for the Motos they may be good now but my experience with them in the past was not good.

[sigstroker]

I bought a Tracfone pre-paid for 40 bucks on Black Friday. Don't think it's unlocked though.

[Zamsung]

I got a Xiaomi Redmi 7 for $150 for 4 months now to replace my Samsung S8+ and very happy with it.

A mobile phone made in China,like Huawei.

[the86d]

I'm on a prepaid plan and I suspect the speed on the prepaid is throttled but I can't prove it. I haven't done a speed test in a while so I'm surprised this one is as good as it is. Last I checked it was about half that.
I was on Straight Talk running on ATT for a long time and decided to try ATT prepaid thinking it would be faster. It was actually slower.
There are Blu haters as evidenced by a poster above, but for the money I think they're a pretty good value. I'm not into expensive phones. As for the Motos they may be good now but my experience with them in the past was not good.

Good enough, and THAT is better than I get with T-Mo at work (I keep telling them the tower's horked), generally I only get .1-.4Mbps/1.2-5Mbps around work, but generally get 5-45Mbps/15-30Mbps anywhere else.

I was looking at Blu phones before I saw what I can get last-gen T-Mo LGs on eBay NIB for (~$200).

I was thinking one would only get like 2g speeds, like 3g iPhones used to only get 2g speeds if unlocked and on another provider (friend's unlocked ATT 3g iPhone on T-Mo maxed at 2g during unlocking infancy).

[DNA]

I'm on a prepaid plan and I suspect the speed on the prepaid is throttled but I can't prove it. I haven't done a speed test in a while so I'm surprised this one is as good as it is. Last I checked it was about half that.
I was on Straight Talk running on ATT for a long time and decided to try ATT prepaid thinking it would be faster. It was actually slower.
There are Blu haters as evidenced by a poster above, but for the money I think they're a pretty good value. I'm not into expensive phones. As for the Motos they may be good now but my experience with them in the past was not good.

Not a BLU hater, actually picked one up a while back. Literally the only phone who's charging jack died a month after the 12 month warranty was up. It was a light use backup phone that would only be charged every 3-4 days as needed, so it wasn't due to excessive wear and tear, just poor build quality. And, essentially, BLU are rebranded Gionee phones. Never heard of them? Yeah, that's why they're relabeledd as BLU.

I contacted BLU when the phone essentially crapped out and they offered me a replacement phone at a "discount" (everyday Amazon prices) if I wanted one.

I passed.

But hey, if you know you need a smart phone with a big screen, outdated mediatek processors (no knock on the mediateks, as they make some great processors, but the ones BLU uses are outdated), no firmware updates and the build quality of a 81 Hyundai Accent, you know exactly where to look.

If you intend on spending your own money on a phone you'll use and abuse, I've got no problems recommending the other Chinese phone companies of Motorola and Honor/Huawei. Motorola being able to do CDMA and GSM netwoks while Honor/Huawei are GSM phones.

Dan

[fragthefreaks]

You can still get refurbished Galaxy S5 with removable batteries

I still use my orignal bought new when it was the Flagship, works great no problems ever

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Unlocked-Quad-Core-Smartphone-Renewed/dp/B071P9NHSN/ref=asc_df_B071P9NHSN/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312090289164&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5208390687759475726&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032568&hvtargid=pla-568746771800&psc=1