Good cheap Smart phone?

axisus

Time to get a new phone, but I just want something cheap, probably 2yr contract for £10 a month. Any suggestions for a reasonable mobile? My current one (Moto e) has no space for apps and a terrible camera, so I'd like to improve on those two things.

crunchman

These days you are normally better off getting a SIM only contract and buying the phone separately.

roundthebend

I can sell you a Moto G handset pretty cheap, unlocked so you can do whatever SIM only package you like. For example, Giff Gaff's bundles start at £5 per month.

Sporky

Lady BMcH has a Moto G which works very nicely; I have a G4 Plus which is ace, but a bit on the large side. Not ridiculous, but borderline.

DiscoStu

My burd just got a Samsung Galaxy A3 and loves it. £15 per month in iD and the handset was free. 
As suggested, look to buy a handset and go SIM only if possible. I bought my Oneplus 2 then went SIM only on 3 for £12 per month, unlimited calls and texts, 4Gb data.

thomasw88

if I was you I'd get the
Moto G 3rd generation - get the 16gb storage and 2gb ram tho.

or the Moto G 4th generation -  they all come with 16gb as minimum.

think theres a moto E 3rd gen as well which is smaller but should have similar specs.



no point getting anything under 16gb storage these days as updates, transferring stuff to sd card/cloud is a pita.  tbh 32gb is what you should be aimng for but 16gb will get you by.

ToneControl

https://www.giffgaff.com/mobile-phones/microsoft/microsoft-lumia-650/phone-plans?payment=1&color=Black&memory=16&term=12&deposit=25&gb=BD002&KWID=92700011229176785&ggCampaign=PS_G_PLAs_Generic_Handsets_All&gclid=CLHu8Ib0gtECFSMW0wodAOQF0Q&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CPaM_Ib0gtECFUKjUQodJhQHlw

we have 3 of these, 2 as  backups for fancy iphones
they are fine, worth £150 really

axisus

It's all a bit confusing to an old boy like me Sim only? unlocked? Goodie bags? pay today price? (both on that last link)

I've never really got into the whole mobile thing.

sgosden

I had a Samsung A-something which was alright, then I broke it and got given a HTC mini thing which was rubbish... that also got broken... now got a Samsung J5 which is awful. the internal memory has been filled up by system and apps you can't delete, meaning I can't download anything and have permanent warning messages that the system needs updating but theres no space. only had it 6 months!

FX_Munkee

Buy an unlocked Moto G
Get a free sim from giffgaff.
get PAC code from existing network.
give PAC code to giffgaff.
pick £10 "goody bag", recurring.
after 2 months if not using data and minutes lower to £7.50 or £5 one.

crunchman

As @thomasw88 said, you need something with a decent amount of storage - although 8GB and an SD card is fine and normally a lot cheaper than getting a phone with a similar amount of storage.  It's not  much hassle.  You put the SD card in when you get the phone, and you just leave it there.  When you move on to your next phone you just transfer the SD card and all your photos and music etc. is instantly available.

Whether you store on SD card or phone memory you still need to back up pictures etc.

@sgosden you could always root the phone and then just put a basic Android install on it without all the useless apps.  Depends whether you are a techy type or not.   If it doesn't work anyway there isn't much to lose if you try and end up breaking it.

sgosden

crunchman said:

As @thomasw88 said, you need something with a decent amount of storage - although 8GB and an SD card is fine and normally a lot cheaper than getting a phone with a similar amount of storage.  It's not  much hassle.  You put the SD card in when you get the phone, and you just leave it there.  When you move on to your next phone you just transfer the SD card and all your photos and music etc. is instantly available.

Whether you store on SD card or phone memory you still need to back up pictures etc.

@sgosden you could always root the phone and then just put a basic Android install on it without all the useless apps.  Depends whether you are a techy type or not.   If it doesn't work anyway there isn't much to lose if you try and end up breaking it.

note; the J5 corrupts the SD card if the battery dies... which can happen at any point from 0-17% battery

How do you go about putting basic android on ? I only use a few apps (whatsapp, ebay, youtube etc)

crunchman

I've not done it myself.  Google how to root an Android phone.  Basically it's the Android version of reformatting a PC and reinstalling a clean version of Windows without all the bloatware.

thomasw88

dude just buy this:

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/moto-g4-play-5-hd-android-6-0-1-black-white-was-129-99-now-89-with-codes-stack-motorola-2568739

veritable bargain.
 Then speak to your mobile phone provider and ask for a sim only contract, usually if you say you're leaving you'll be able to get a better deal,

  if you cant get a good deal or don't have a contract and aren't bothered about keeping your phone number just search on 'sim only deals' and get a new phone number/sim card and contract.

DrJazzTap

I have a galaxy core prime. Its about £100 does all I need it to do. But yeah has about 8gig of memory which is a pia.

DesVegas

Loving my new Huawei P9 lite which I got on black Friday for not much more than £10 a month. 5.2 inch screen and a wonderful camera

axisus

How much memory do you need on a mobile these days? the problem with my Moto e is that it is FULL of shite apps that I can't get rid of and has no room for what I want. I bought an SD card thinking that it would solve the problem, but only about 3 apps will go on to there so it's useless.

It's ridiculous quite frankly. Why should I have to keep a zillion useless apps.

Jaycee

I have a Samsung J5 which I got for my missus but she never really used apart from trying it out in the house. It is unlocked. looking for about £95 ono

axisus

I have some questions .....

So if you buy an 'unlocked' mobile, either new or secondhand, you can put any SIM card into it?

And the SIM number has the phone number I presume so different card = different number (think I mentioned I'm pretty clueless)

So you could get a SIM card only (any one) as a 24 month contract and use it?

My current contract has ended, but is rolling on - could I put that SIM into a new phone or would the supplier not like that?

What the feck is cashback? or goodie bags?

Jaycee

An unlocked mobile means that any sim card can be put into it, (as long as it physically fits) and you keep your old number.

roundthebend

@axisus yes, an unlocked phone will work with any SIM card. But.....there are 3 or 4 different sizes of SIM card these days, so you may need to get a new one to fit your new phone.

Every network provider will send you a free SIM card of the correct dimensions, they're worth very little on their own. It's the call charges etc where they make money, so they're happy to give you a free bit of plastic to get you onto their services.

You can get SIM only contracts which charge a monthly fee for a contracted period of time and you get a load of call time (minutes), text messages and data allowance (internet while out and about) included. If you use more than your contracted allowance then you will start to incur additional charges.

With GiffGaff and a few other Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) deals, you can either top-up however much you like, whenever you like. Or, you can buy a bundle which is a better value option, but generally only lasts 1 month before expiring. For example, you could put £10 per month of credit on but run through it in 3 weeks because of the higher charges for PAYG calls, so end up needing to top up again. Alternatively, a £10 bundle might include more allowances because you're bulk buying. The reason they are better value is that you're essentially guaranteeing the network that your £10 is finished in a month's time, whereas the true PAYG approach will only run out when you've used it.

GiffGaff call the bundles "goodie bags". Cashback is usually an incentive to get you to sign up to a pricey contract - it's £25 per month but if you remember to cash in your cashback after 6 months and 3 days, then you'll get £100 back which means 4 months free, in effect.

Hope that helps!