Bellboy I know you say you are undecided but from your research, what is the best option just now?
I'm also battery life/camera orientated.
Currently have a redmi note pro 3. Terrible camera, strong battery. It's acquired a screen burn, glue yellowed? Which is unsightly.
Help
anyone
If I knew that then I wouldn't be undecided!
I'd also note that I want a smaller screen myself, would prefer 5.5" and below. Not that I have tiny hands or anything, just prefer a smaller form for a phone.
I really wouldn't say there is a standout at all to be honest. It really does feel like you pay what you get for, there isn't one that particularly jumps ahead in quality vs price, at least when the camera is the priority. I was originally tempted by the Xiaomi Mi A1 as it ticks most of the boxes (and is what drew me to this thread), but the more I read about the camera the less I'm sure on that (still tempted though given it's cheap). The Moto G5 plus, as far as I read various reviews, supposedly has a better camera if you want budget, but otherwise is generally worse quality than the Mi A1, at a similar price (the G5s plus is a more comparable phone but with a worse camera, annoyingly). The HTC Desire 10 Pro is an intriguing one I need to read a bit more about when I have a chance - supposedly has a flagship camera on it, and on the surface looks decent otherwise, and can be imported for <£170 (risk of import costs mind!). I've looked at quite a few others in this price bracket as well (samsung A5, Huawei P10 lite, etc) but as memyselfandi says, the camera is often a big compromise along, and there's usually something else a little offputting as well. The Mi A1 feels like the pick of the budget bunch to me so far, but not without its flaws.
Tempted as well by the Xiaomi Mi5s or the Mi6 at a higher cost, but then I don't think they're really intended for a UK audience and anyway, if you start getting into a £250-£350 price bracket I don't know whether it's better going for a flagship from 2016, eg. a SGS7 (usually £400ish but if you can catch a good deal you may get it for £350ish), which would tick all the boxes, and can avoid importing then. But then if I start getting to that sort of price I start regretting not getting the SGS8 for £400ish last month, when Samsung ran a good cashback opportunity if you traded in your old Samsung! Again looked at others around this price like the LG G6 or the V20, the OnePlus5, but none quite seem to tick all the boxes.
So still very much unsure, and need to do some more research. Ideally I'd wait until a good deal comes along but my SGS5 does feel like it's deteriorating so may not be able to wait too long. If there was any reassurance over the quality of the Mi A1 camera, or an update which improved it, I'd still be tempted by that, but that is the one issue there that's stopping me pulling the trigger on it.
