Temporary Android Replacement

Pookie Bear · 26 Mar 2018 at 13:06

Hey fellas,

My mobile went off a countertop on the weekend and cracked the screen - now the LCD has failed

I have insurance, but it will be weeks before it will get it fixed and I'm only three months away from my early upgrade date. I'd like to get a replacement for the next few months. I'll get my S7 Edge repaired properly and then flog it.

In all honesty, my budget is around £100 (I could stretch a little) and I need a phone that will work with EE (as I have a great friends and family deal with them).

Any suggestions?

Armageus · 26 Mar 2018 at 13:10

Moto E4?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Motorola-Moto-Single-SIM-Free-Smartphone-Grey/dp/B0711SHYS8

Not going to set the world on fire, but should still be a fairly reasonable performer (fairly recent version of stock android, 2Gb RAM rather than 1Gb on most low end phones)

Pookie Bear · 26 Mar 2018 at 13:21

That's a good shout, thanks.
I see there's quite a few phones out there that kind of size and price. Any thoughts on the Samsung J3 or Huawei Y6?

On a usage front, can I buy a PAYG phone from EE and use my current sim in that one instead? I've never had PAYG so I'm not sure how these things work. Am I obliged to buy a certain amount of credit a month?

Armageus · 26 Mar 2018 at 13:45

Pookie Bear said:
I see there's quite a few phones out there that kind of size and price. Any thoughts on the Samsung J3 or Huawei Y6?

Samsung J3 is comparable to the Moto E above and probably a better choice for you as should have a similar version of the Samsung skin as the S7. Just be careful when buying as you want the J3 (2017 model) with the following spec:
https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_j3_(2017)-8438.php (as opposed to the older 2016 model which has a poorer spec).

Pookie Bear said:
On a usage front, can I buy a PAYG phone from EE and use my current sim in that one instead? I've never had PAYG so I'm not sure how these things work. Am I obliged to buy a certain amount of credit a month?

You want a "Sim free" phone rather than a PAYG one (as in most cases you will be forced to buy topup with a new PAYG sim), then you can just use your existing sim (and will likely be worth more/easier to resell due to already being unlocked for any network)

MrRockliffe · 26 Mar 2018 at 13:50

Definitely wouldn't get a J3. It simply doesn't have enough processing power for Samsung's abundance of pre installed apps etc

You may be able to get a G5 for around that price at the moment too. Would definitely be looking into stock android.

Pookie Bear · 26 Mar 2018 at 14:15

Thanks - I appreciate you guys taking the time to respond.

Being without a phone, I need to get a replacement as soon as possible, so I might have to go out in the next hour or so and sort something out. What a pain!

Pookie Bear · 26 Mar 2018 at 14:25

Any thoughts on the Huawei P8 Lite (2017)?
Seems to be a reasonable price for a fair bit of phone.

silverblack · 26 Mar 2018 at 15:03

Pookie Bear said:
Any thoughts on the Huawei P8 Lite (2017)?
Seems to be a reasonable price for a fair bit of phone.

It's a good budget phone a step up in quality from most cheaper phones.
Will still have good resale value as its sim free too.

http://www.argos.co.uk/product/7508945

Currys have them for the same price.

MrRockliffe · 26 Mar 2018 at 15:12

It'll be okay, and for a temporary phone absolutely fine

Pookie Bear · 26 Mar 2018 at 15:15

Found one locally - on the way home, actually, so I think I'll pick one up.

Thanks again everyone!