Recommend me an android

[agp423]

Hi everyone, I am looking for a small (important) and cheap (not as important but still important) android to take with me when I travel internationally. The phone will be used for a very few purposes...

1. Gmail
2. Instagram/Flickr
3. Remote for my Fujifilm camera (this is a must)
4. Taking down reminders for myself
5. Runs KitKat
6. Unlocked so I can use international SIM cards
7. Good battery life (also very important)

I would leave my personal HTC One at home, and just send texts via MightyText from a computer.

Any recommendations on what should get? I really do not want anything bulky. And I am hoping to get one for less than $100. No need for large hard drive, 1GB will do.

 

[Vsweety]

Hi everyone, I am looking for a small (important) and cheap (not as important but still important) android to take with me when I travel internationally. The phone will be used for a very few purposes...

1. Gmail
2. Instagram/Flickr

Any Android smartphone will do those with the appropriate apps (Gmail will be pre-installed).

3. Remote for my Fujifilm camera (this is a must)

What do you mean? You want to remotely operate your otherwise unattended Fujifilm camera from the phone? Over what (physical) distance? Will there be (physical) obstacles between the phone and the camera? Like walls, trees, levies, etc.
And if so, what Fujifilm camera? Model(number)?

4. Taking down reminders for myself

If you mean taking down notes, every Android can use note taking apps. You only have to test and determine which you like best and install it.

5. Runs KitKat

Under KitKat you can't write user-selectable files to the external (Micro) SD card.

6. Unlocked so I can use international SIM cards

Depends on the situation in the market where you plan to buy it (US?). Hard for us to recommend anything not knowing that.

7. Good battery life (also very important)

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has the best battery life of 'm all. But the SGN3 is also a 'phablet' (big screen phone) and the most expensive of them all...

I would leave my personal HTC One at home, and just send texts via MightyText from a computer.

Why not via that same phone? There are free MightyText apps.
You should be aware, though, that SMS/MMS, a.k.a. Texting, which is always via mobile networks, is the slowest and by faaar the most expensive communication method. Especially when 'roaming' abroad/overseas. I use it only when there are no alternatives.
There are alternatives.
I recommend waiting to send stuff until you are in a WiFi hotspot, connected to the internet (they are everywhere!), and then use an 'Instant Messaging' app like fast and secure (and free) Telegram, or free Viber (free audio and video calls too).
Instant Messaging (IM), which is via the internet, is completely free. No matter how many high-res photos or videos you send.

Any recommendations on what should get? I really do not want anything bulky. And I am hoping to get one for less than $100. No need for large hard drive, 1GB will do.

Imo you should consider getting a smartphone with a good still and video camera, and leaving your Fujifilm camera (gear) at home. You'll save a lot of weight – paramount for a traveler – and nerves. And you become much less visibly a magnet for wannabe tourist robbers, pickpockets, and thieves.

 

[agp423]

I'm not as dumb as you think I am... There is a Fujifilm Remote app for Androids. I can hook up my Fuji X-T1 camera to my android remotely via WiFi. I will be a few steps away. Then from my phone, I can control ISO, shutter speed, aperture, etc. This makes night photography easier as I won't have to physically press the shutter button, so there's no chance of the camera shaking during long exposure shots. I can also transfer the image from the camera to the phone without requiring any service since the image would be sent the camera's WiFi signal.

I want to keep the HTC One (my primary personal phone) at home because 1. I don't want to lose it or break it while abroad (which is why I want the second android to be cheap, if I break it I break it) and 2. I want to still be able to send and receive texts to people in the US (hence why it needs to be at home aka on US soils). And to do this I can do it via the MightyText extension for Gmail. This way I can text people in the US with a phone physically in the US, while I am abroad, via Gmail.

The second android, which I would like to be small (compared to the HTC One) because I will be traveling with it and cheap so I won't cry over it if I break or lose it. It would also be less of a hassle if I do lose it since all my personal info is stored on the HTC One. I would be purchasing SIM cards from abroad.

And I listed some functions I would use the second android for not because I need an android that has the Gmail app. I understand that all androids have gmail. I was simply making a list to show that I do not need a ton of processing power. I will be using it only for simple tasks.

 

[sting7k]

Moto E, $129.

 

[Golfdriver97]

Moto E like sting suggested. Or the Moto G.

 

[UJ95x]

Moto E like sting suggested. Or the Moto G.

Specifically the Verizon Moto G.

Sent from my Galaxy S4 running SlimKat 4.4.2

 

[Aquila]

I agree. That's pretty much a primary definition of the Moto E use cases

Otherwise going used may work, but the E or Moto G both provide a very smooth experience.

XTNiT-1060 through spacetime.

 

[Vsweety]

I would want a smartphone that is also useful to me after I get back.
A 'cheap' phone won't be useful as you have your HTC One. A 'cheap' phone would literally be useless after you get back. That's kinda expensive waste.

 

[Aquila]

I would want a smartphone that is also useful to me after I get back.
A 'cheap' phone won't be useful as you have your HTC One. A 'cheap' phone would literally be useless after you get back. That's kinda expensive waste.

Depending on the duration it can be resold so we could look at expected devaluations for various devices in $ and as a percentage of investment.

XTNiT-1060 through spacetime.

 

[Vsweety]

Still just as expensive.

And better phones have waaay better resale prospects.

 

[Golfdriver97]

I would want a smartphone that is also useful to me after I get back.
A 'cheap' phone won't be useful as you have your HTC One. A 'cheap' phone would literally be useless after you get back. That's kinda expensive waste.

I don't think it's a bad idea to have an inexpensive device for international travel. 'Useless' is relative. If the OP travels a fair amount, this won't be a useless investment. He could still use the device. It isn't like it becomes unusable once he gets back from his trip.

The 'expensive waste' would be buying a Note 3 (probably off contract) and losing that overseas.

It comes down to this is how the OP is choosing to go about carrying a smartphone for international travel.

 

[Golfdriver97]

Hi everyone, I am looking for a small (important) and cheap (not as important but still important) android to take with me when I travel internationally. The phone will be used for a very few purposes...

1. Gmail
2. Instagram/Flickr
3. Remote for my Fujifilm camera (this is a must)
4. Taking down reminders for myself
5. Runs KitKat
6. Unlocked so I can use international SIM cards
7. Good battery life (also very important)

I would leave my personal HTC One at home, and just send texts via MightyText from a computer.

Any recommendations on what should get? I really do not want anything bulky. And I am hoping to get one for less than $100. No need for large hard drive, 1GB will do.

OP, given that you would like to do this, and I think it is a very good idea, I would also suggest creating a second Gmail account to use for the traveling Android. A friend of mine at work is planning on doing this for her trip overseas. She actually approached me and asked if this same idea was a bad one. I said no, in case the device gets stolen.

 

[zkSharks]

I would want a smartphone that is also useful to me after I get back.
A 'cheap' phone won't be useful as you have your HTC One. A 'cheap' phone would literally be useless after you get back. That's kinda expensive waste.

Perhaps, at least up until something happens to your primary phone and you realize that a cheap, reliable, well-performing backup phone with standard Android features might come in useful.

Now sure, that's not the case for everyone, but it makes sense to me especially if one is already considering a second device for reasons such as travel.

 

[agp423]

Thanks for all the response guys, Moto E it is!

I would want a smartphone that is also useful to me after I get back.
A 'cheap' phone won't be useful as you have your HTC One. A 'cheap' phone would literally be useless after you get back. That's kinda expensive waste.

It may be an expensive taste, but it all depends on your financial appetite. For me, given how much I travel, and how many different places I travel to, I can justify spending $129 on a travel-dedicated phone. I don't need it to be as useful as my HTC One. Think of it as a functional decoy that you can use for limited features, think of it as something that if you lose or break you won't have to make 50 different emergency calls alerting your company and clients. I just need to answer some emails and snap some photos, I can manage million dollar portfolios on my HTC One.

OP, given that you would like to do this, and I think it is a very good idea, I would also suggest creating a second Gmail account to use for the traveling Android. A friend of mine at work is planning on doing this for her trip overseas. She actually approached me and asked if this same idea was a bad one. I said no, in case the device gets stolen.

Good plan, I will definitely need to do this as well.

Still just as expensive.

And better phones have waaay better resale prospects.

Definitely not in it for the resale price...