[Alunde]

Hi everyone!

I want to buy an android but I have no idea what to chose. I really don't have a lot of money to spend on it, I just want something that works well and that can run a few games.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

[Rukbat]

That's like asking what flavor ice cream you should buy.

First, asking friends, using whatever phone you currently have, etc., find out which carrier gives you the best coverage in all the places you need coverage. (Having terrific coverage every place but the desk in your office doesn't do you any good).

Then see what that carrier has. Hold the phones in your hand, see how much internal storage they have (never depend on external storage for apps and games - the one that's most important to you may not run from the SD card), check the prices, see if you can get a deal on Black Friday.

What I may consider the ideal phone for a given carrier in a given price range may be a phone you can't stand. It has to be a personal choice. There are no really bad name-brand phones, just different problems with different phones. (All phones have some problems - just different ones.)

[Alunde]

Thank you for your answer. The thing is I've always used iPhones but I want to switch to androids. That's why I have no idea where to even start...I have a SIM card that I can use with any phone (as long as it's unlocked) with my carrier, so that question doesn't matter....I'm looking up what exists but it's hard to tell what's good or not...

[Alunde]

And I leave in France, unfortunately we don't have Black Friday

[Javier P]

An excellent entry point to android is the Moto G. It's inexpensive and that's good if you want to buy an unlocked phone. There are different models (2013, 2014, LTE ..). Make sure it has 16gb. I find that 8gb is not enough, even having an SD card.

For a little more money you could try the Moto X 2013. There are good offers now and it's still an excellent phone.

Try them in a shop. You won't be disappointed.

[Alunde]

Thanks for your advice. It looks affordable, I'll see if I can go try them in a store and find a good deal!
Anyone else would recommend something different?

[Rukbat]

It really depends on what you want. If you want to root your phone and try different ROMs, an HTC would be the phone for you. Other manufacturers consider rooting or flashing a ROM reason to void the warranty. (Although I've heard that it's not allowed in the EU, but it's just something I've heard.) Motorola makes good phones - I'm still using a 10 year old one as my spare. Nexus gives you a lower price and pure Android - no carrier branding, locking or bloat.

It's not easy to decide what's the best choice for someone else - especially someone you don't know.

[Alunde]

Yes I understand it's not easy to give advice for someone you don't know. I'm not planning on doing many things with my phone, basically just text, call and play a few games, that's all. I want something resistant with a decent battery. It doesn't need HD camera or crazy resolution, or anything fancy that I don't need. The price is important. I'm maybe even thinking buying something second hand, it doesn't need to be new. But I'm a little afraid to do that, you never know...

[Rukbat]

Swappa is usually safe, but most (all? I don't know) of the sellers are in the US.

Buying used from a local repair shop may be an option.

If crazy new things aren't important, a phone like the S3 may be enough for you. New, in the US, they're about US$250. Or an S3 Mini is about US$150 (both for the unlocked international version).

[Alunde]

My budget is more around $150. I've read a few reviews about the S3 mini and they are not very good. But all phones have their own problems I guess...