Smartphone advice

[yorkie]

It's time for me to get a new smartphone.

I'm sure we have people here who are experts on advising about phones

My main criteria is probably durability!

My secondary criteria is that I am trying to cut down on the amount of things I buy that are primarily made in China, so without wishing to get into a debate about that, a phone that is built elsewhere is what I required (yes I know there's no avoiding the source of the component parts).

It also must have an audio jack output, and charge through USB-C and I am looking for an Android phone.

Other than that, I guess my requirements are fairly standard.

Any advice very gratefully recieved

 

[bearhugger]

I changed from an iPhone 5s to a Google Pixel 3a earlier this year. Good camera and comes in 64 or 128gb versions. Very little "bloatware" especially compared to Samsung devices.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

How much are you prepared to pay?

 

[JohnMcL7]

Fairphone immediately comes to mind:

Home | Fairphone

www.fairphone.com

 

[DB]

I generally buy Samsung phones for work, and not had any major issues with them. USB-C has now worked its way down through the range and even the cheaper models have it.

Samsung is South Korean and I believe do some of their manufacturing there, although they also use factories in other part sof Asia (including China).

I see that someone else has mentioned Fairphone - they are probably as good as it gets in terms of labour and environmental practices, but are not cheap and availability can be limited.

 

[EssexGonzo]

If I were ditching the iPhone right now, the Google Pixel would be top of my list.

I have a Samsung phone for work and I dislike the interface and the responsiveness of the phone. It's cheap but you get what you pay for.

 

[yorkie]

Fairphone immediately comes to mind:

Home | Fairphone

www.fairphone.com

Thanks ALL for the suggestions I'm very tempted to go for the Fairphone 3+; if it had 128GB storage version that would be good but 64GB will suffice.

I see it's not cheap but I don't mind paying the quoted price in the circumstances.

 

[DB]

If I were ditching the iPhone right now, the Google Pixel would be top of my list.

I have a Samsung phone for work and I dislike the interface and the responsiveness of the phone. It's cheap but you get what you pay for.

Samsung have offerings at all levels (unlike Apple and others who only operate at the more expensive end), but yes it does depend on how much you are prepared to pay - a Samsung comparable to the latest iphone will have a comparable price.

That said, the cheaper Samsungs are fine for what they are and probably the best phones available in that cheaper price range.

 

[westv]

My current phone is now a Samsung A51.

 

[DB]

Thanks ALL for the suggestions I'm very tempted to go for the Fairphone 3+; if it had 128GB storage version that would be good but 64GB will suffice.

I see it's not cheap but I don't mind paying the quoted price in the circumstances.

Worth noting that they can take standard micro-SD cards to expand the storage, as can most Android phones - it's mainly Apple who persist with non-expandable storage

 

[yorkie]

Worth noting that they can take standard micro-SD cards to expand the storage, as can most Android phones - it's mainly Apple who persist with non-expandable storage

Thanks.

I'll go for the Fairphone 3+ unless anyone can give me a really compelling reason not to! The order page isn't giving me an estimated delivery day so I've tweeted them to ask.

 

[py_megapixel]

That said, the cheaper Samsungs are fine for what they are and probably the best phones available in that cheaper price range.

Motorola also do a very good job of that end of the market. The main let-down there is the camera quality, but for me it's not a dealbreaker (current phone is a Moto G6)

 

[nlogax]

Samsung Galaxy A71 is probably close to what you need. 5g-capable, bombproof, fast, 128GB of built-in storage, headphone jack and built in South Korea. Under £350 in most places.

 

[py_megapixel]

Worth noting that they can take standard micro-SD cards to expand the storage, as can most Android phones - it's mainly Apple who persist with non-expandable storage

Thanks.

Just beware, if you look at anything other than the Fairphone, that a lot of Android manufacturers have in fact ditched user-expandable storage now. The more cynical side of me thinks it's simply a ploy to make paying extra for the larger quantities of storage more attractive - after all, it's a much easier sell when your £100 upgrade isn't competing with a £30 SD card!

A few years ago, @DavidB would have been right, but unfortunately it is no more. Always check the specs before you buy!

 

[yorkie]

Samsung Galaxy A71 is probably close to what you need. 5g-capable, bombproof, fast, 128GB of built-in storage, headphone jack and built in South Korea. Under £350 in most places.

I can obtain one from eBuyer inc. delivery tomorrow for £ 379.98; can that be beaten?

If Fairphone get back to me soon to say it can be with me by the end of Wednesday I'll go for the Fairphone 3+ but if not, I'll go for the Samsung as I could do with a phone before I go away for a couple of days on Thursday really

 

[DB]

I can obtain one from eBuyer inc. delivery tomorrow for £ 379.98; can that be beaten?

If Fairphone get back to me soon to say it can be with me by the end of Wednesday I'll go for the Fairphone 3+ but if not, I'll go for the Samsung as I could do with a phone before I go away for a couple of days on Thursday really

BT also sell Fairphones - have a look on their online shop as delivery might be quicker.

 

[nlogax]

I can obtain one from eBuyer inc. delivery tomorrow for £ 379.98; can that be beaten?

If Fairphone get back to me soon to say it can be with me by the end of Wednesday I'll go for the Fairphone 3+ but if not, I'll go for the Samsung as I could do with a phone before I go away for a couple of days on Thursday really

Error on my part, Galaxy A51 5G. Still has a headphone socket, 5G etc etc. Here's a good price from Tecobuy, please note I can't vouch for the retailer. Be sure to go for the 5G version over the previous 4G edition.

https://www.tecobuy.co.uk/en_UK/sam...6-6gb-128gb-dual-sim-prism-crush-black-5.html

 

[yorkie]

Thanks all

In the end I went for the Fairphone 3+ ordered from BT, for various reasons, but thanks for all the alternative suggestions too!

Also if anyone else is looking for advice on getting a Smartphone, I am more than happy if anyone else wishes to use this thread for that purpose too

 

[JohnMcL7]

Error on my part, Galaxy A51 5G. Still has a headphone socket, 5G etc etc. Here's a good price from Tecobuy, please note I can't vouch for the retailer. Be sure to go for the 5G version over the previous 4G edition.

https://www.tecobuy.co.uk/en_UK/sam...6-6gb-128gb-dual-sim-prism-crush-black-5.html

I wouldn't recommend them, they're a grey importer which can be ok if you know what you're getting but they don't have a good reputation for service.

 

[yorkie]

I wouldn't recommend them, they're a grey importer which can be ok if you know what you're getting but they don't have a good reputation for service.

Yeah I looked into that retailer and found the same thing.

 

[D365]

I’ve seen those FairPhones on adverts a lot, so it will be interesting to finally see one in the flesh!

 

[najaB]

My secondary criteria is that I am trying to cut down on the amount of things I buy that are primarily made in China, so without wishing to get into a debate about that, a phone that is built elsewhere is what I required (yes I know there's no avoiding the source of the component parts).

That eliminates quite a few options...

Blackview makes rugged phones - I know the company is based in Hong Kong but I'm not sure where their actual manufacturing is. I had the BV-9000 Pro for a while and other than the camera I'd say it meets your requirements for ruggedness and minimal installed software.

 

[yorkie]

I should have the phone by Monday

Edit: yes it did turn up and, as I type this update over two and a half years later, it's still in use. The case ensures that it has survived being dropped many times. The battery isn't quite as good as it was when new, but is still reasonable

 

[Adam Williams]

Did it turn up @yorkie?

Am curious as to what you thought about it!

I've generally gone the Pixel (and previously Nexus) route because they work well as developer devices (I can root them, install different ROMs etc) but I've heard good things about the Fairphone and it meets your requirements more than my Pixel would.