Moto G2 or Budget Chinese Phones? Or is there something better?

[insalted42]

Hey guys,
So I'm starting my hunt for a new smartphone and, after a few years of living with an iPhone (3G and then 4S), I've decided to take the leap into the Android universe. This will be my first android phone, so I was hoping to get some expert opinions.

I want to keep the price under 250EUR (~$280-300 USD) off contract, so I'm weighing my options among available new phones. (I don't trust myself to know enough to pick out a good used HTC or Nexus).

I like the Moto G2, Xiaomi Mi2S, and THL T200 in my price range.

I really like the sound of the huge screens and fast speeds on the Chinese phones, but I'm not sure about the quality. I've also read that some Chinese smartphones come with weird versions of Android and I'd prefer to have a normal android layout.

My list of requirements is pretty simple:
--Nice Screen for movies
--MicroSD availability a plus
--4G/LTE capability would be nice, but my current plan only supports 3G so its not required
--I want the phone to be able to go a few years without feeling too old/out-of-date (nothing from more than 1 gen ago)

I'm an American living in Europe, so it needs to work on 3G/4G/LTE networks in Europe. Working also in the US would be nice for when I go home, but isn't required.

I've found the Xiaomi and THL for about $245 and $260, respectively, on PandaCheck and Aliexpress. Significantly more expensive than the Moto G2, but they both seem like they could be nicer phones (?) What do you guys think? Have any other suggestions?

 

[Golfdriver97]

I would go with the Moto G. Many people seemed to like the first one. And the refreshed version should be just as good.

 

[Rukbat]

One thing that removes a phone from my list of phones to consider is a battery that's not removable by removing the back cover. Something about not being able to get the battery out FAST if it starts thermal runaway bothers me - like watching my phone turn into a bonfire. (Ask Sony about exploding lithium batteries.) Also if the phone gets wet, or it locks up, you have to do a physical battery pull.

Another consideration is that most of the cheap Chinese "copies of more expensive" phones aren't really copies of the expensive phones, they just look like them (and it's difficult to get milk from a picture of a cow). The build quality is usually pretty poor, and the service is worse than getting an Andromedan starship repaired. (Usually the transliterated Chinese you get is "we got your money, now we're not interested in you".)