What midrange phone £250-350 (ish)

div0 · 14 Apr 2020 at 20:57

Looking to upgrade from Moto G 5S+ which has done me well for a good few years.

Main features I can see being important:

- Continues to run smoothly with lots of apps installed, even after a couple of years. Not a fan of constantly upgrading.
- Good camera for general use. I'm no enthusiast, but do like taking photos. Main gripes are when the camera app takes several seconds to start up, or there's a noticeable delay hitting button to take the photo and it actually being taken. By which time the opportunity for a good photo is often missed. Anything from landscapes, wildlife, sports, kids playing, selfies, indoor/outdoor, low light, all things I like to capture.
- Good battery life. Don't mind charging, but do appreciate decent battery life.
- Fingerprint scanner, can't do without now.
- Storage, generally find SD card support is good for offline music/videos etc. Use Plex a lot.

Things I'm not too bothered about; gaming, particular brands, size.

The Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro has come onto my radar as being a possible candidate, but seems to be out of stock.

Any suggestions as to what I should be looking at? There seem to be dozens of options, so just trying to narrow down the list a bit.

silvagti · 14 Apr 2020 at 21:00

If you're happy to stretch you budget to £400 the Google pixel 4a is out soon.

div0 · 15 Apr 2020 at 07:33

Thanks. That was one of the many devices I've looked at too recently.

I think my biggest problem just now is not having a clear list of the best devices available in the above price range, to then make a decision as to whether something like the 4a would be worth the extra.

Dazstoke · 15 Apr 2020 at 07:37

Have a look at the reviews on gsmarena.
They have comparisons in different price brackets

poosemon · 15 Apr 2020 at 09:49

Ive just picked up a Nova 5T and pretty happy with it, right at the bottom of your price range but has a good camera and seems very quick.

Can't really fault so far.

horrorwood · 15 Apr 2020 at 12:59

Realme X2?

Squink · 15 Apr 2020 at 13:15

Shame you need the SD slot. Otherwise the Pixel 3a or 3a XL would fit perfectly.

Arcane · 17 Apr 2020 at 15:03

Been looking to update my Moto g6 plus, I'm leaning towards the moto g8 power, 10% off if you register with Lenovo, comes in at £197 inc free delivery.

SexyGreyFox · 17 Apr 2020 at 18:11

Moto G8 Plus, I only upgraded because I dropped my G6 Plus on a roundabout and it got battered by at least 10 cars.
The G8 Plus takes great photos, the sound is excellent, the battery lasts ages and it's fast.

div0 · 18 Apr 2020 at 07:25

I do like the Moto G range and have had several over the years, I just wish they had something with better processor/more ram.

So many of the other options I look at seem to be hard to find in stock anywhere.

tamzzy · 19 Apr 2020 at 00:34

Samsung s10 lite
But you may have missed the discount.
Got mine for £370

div0 · 23 Apr 2020 at 23:11

Think I've narrowed the options to:

Moto G8 power - £219.95 (no NFC)
Moto G8 plus - £239.95 (ok)
Pixel 3a - £329 (no SD card, only 64GB storage)
Pixel 3a XL - £359 (no SD card, only 64GB storage)
Pixel 4a £399 (Price TBC, not released yet - no SD card but maybe 128GB storage)

I think I'm leaning towards either the G8 plus or the Pixel 3a XL, but just not sure I can live with only 64GB storage. Would ideally like something like G8 plus but with 6GB ram, but only options then seem to be primarily Chinese/Indian models which aren't available from most UK-based retailers.

Anything I've missed?

SexyGreyFox · 23 Apr 2020 at 23:16

I'd never have a phone without being able to use an SD card unless it had got 256gb but I do put all my music on the phone and TV/Movies.
I have the G8 Plus and I have no problems with the 4GB ram.

biron_w · 23 Apr 2020 at 23:20

Samsung a71? Just under £360 on Amazon.

div0 · 24 Apr 2020 at 07:28

biron_w said:
Samsung a71? Just under £360 on Amazon.

I think we have a winner. Thank you.

Annoyingly it had been on my list but think I (incorrectly) ruled it out for using Exynos processor instead of Snapdragon, whilst also being a bit over budget.

Looking at the reviews the a71 sounds good and that price is close enough that I'm happy to stretch.

tamzzy · 24 Apr 2020 at 07:50

A71 is a good call

If you have someone you know with a samsung employee program, could get it for less
Also if you get though samsung direct can trade in your old phone

ShiWarrior · 24 Apr 2020 at 21:17

love my A70

batfink · 25 Apr 2020 at 14:11

This thread got my interest.... Never looked at Samsung before but the A71 looks like a really good midrange handset.

Coming from an ageing OnePlus 3, what would be the best choice - something like the A71 or the more powerful Realme X2 pro?

I'm by no means a power user but value decent battery life, a decent Android skin and reasonable camera. NFC is a must. Whatever I go with needs to last me another 3+ years like the OnePlus 3 has done.

Jasoncmor · 25 Apr 2020 at 16:53

If you can stretch to £420, I'd recommend the new iPhone SE, got mine today and it's a big improvement over my old SE, just gotta get used to the size now.

tamzzy · 25 Apr 2020 at 16:59

@batfink id have recommended the s10 lite - this was the sameish price as the a71...but you missed the sale :\