What is a good Android phone for under $150?

[AC Question]

Prodigal son looking to return to Android, need input/suggestions in the $150 Range

Ok, so in short, the last android phones I had were a Droid X2 and HTC EVO. As it happens, I've been using an Iphone-4 for the last 2 years. I am looking to switch back to Android but I've been out of the loop for so long, I'm afraid to buy something stupid. I always use prepaid. No preference on CDMA or GSM usually. If GSM, I'd use walmart straight talk, if CDMA I'd use Virgin mobile. I've got 3 kids so my main concern is how quickly I can activate the camera and snap a photo or video. My budget is $150 range and under, I would rather get a one year old used phone that's tried and true and that does what I need and is root friendly, not a lot a bloat-ware. I've been looking at some of the knock-offs but I don't know enough about them. I just need a few suggestions so I know where to start.

 

[GreenghostUvln]

Re: Prodigal son looking to return to Android, need input/suggestions in the $150 Range

I bought my nexus for exactly 150$ off of Amazon. But its plenty others also.

 

[GreenghostUvln]

Re: Prodigal son looking to return to Android, need input/suggestions in the $150 Range

I bought my nexus for exactly 150$ off of Amazon. But its plenty others also.

Sent from my T-Mobile Nexus 4 LTE using Tapatalk

 

[Rukbat]

Re: Prodigal son looking to return to Android, need input/suggestions in the $150 Range

To suggest a phone, we need a carrier. You have to determine which carrier has the best coverage for the places you need coverage. Deciding by phone or by price first is the wrong way to do it, and many times leads to disappointment.

Virgin uses the Sprint network. Straight Talk gives you a choice of AT&T, Sprint, TMobile or Verizon, so if you're looking for cheap prepaid, that's your widest choice.

But check the coverage first - with others using the carriers. Find out (Wikipedia lists just about all the MVNOs and which network they use) from others in your area which carrier gives good or better coverage in all the places you need it. (Don't limit yourself to neighborhoods - my daughter's house is about the only Sprint dead spot in this entire city - and it's totally dead. A carrier with solid coverage on your block, your office building, but not your cubicle, is useless to you, even if it may be the best carrier for everyone else in that city.)

Once you know which carrier or MVNO you want, check the plans. Some carriers and/or MVNOs give you more data at full speed than others. ("Unlimited data" means "X GB at full speed, then throttled back to painfully slow".) Also check websites with information about their customer service. For xample, there are a couple of sites that add up to thousands of complaints about Consumer Cellular. Straight Talk has good tech support on their Facebook page, but "script readers" on their customer support phone lines. Some MVNOs seem to have the attitude that since helping a customer costs money, they won't waste the time to do it. Read before you choose. (And don't limit yourself to MVNOs. I started off paying a little more for AT&T [they're all about evened out by now] because of their unbelievably good tech support. I was in the business for years and when I couldn't figure out how to get a phone working, they either got it working or replaced it. No stories, no "call someone else", nothing. "Sorry, we can't fix this one, we'll have to give you another one." If not for the fact that there are usually people ahead of me, I could be in and out in 2 minutes with any conceivable problem. That's worth a few bucks a month to me.)

 

[thegardenstater]

Well, I've been using Straight Talk's AT&T 3G and its been fine. My wife has Virgin and thats been working fine. A friend with T-mobile has problems. So, if that will cover that part. Whats a good suggestion for phones on ATT network or Sprint Network?

 

[GreenghostUvln]

Re: Prodigal son looking to return to Android, need input/suggestions in the $150 Range

What problem is your tmo friend having?

Sent from my T-Mobile Nexus 4 LTE using Tapatalk

 

[thegardenstater]

Re: Prodigal son looking to return to Android, need input/suggestions in the $150 Range

Well, it just doesn't have good service in our house for some reason. I also have a personal annoyance with T-Mobile because a couple years ago when I first got this here iPhone 4, it looked like getting a t-mobile sim was a good idea. The problem was, that they didn't tell me I would only get EDGE network because (at least in NJ where I was at the time) T-Mobile only had 4G or EDGE. Since the iPhone was/is 3G, I wasted $35. I guess in my past experiences, I've found ATT and Sprint to be the most reliable for the price of service. Unless things have changed drastically in 2 years, I presume Verizon still has the best coverage overall, mountains included. So....ATT or Sprint phones....I guess. 4G might be nice but not totally important. I usually just use WIFI if near and don't use 4G much when out on the road because of how quickly it kills battery.

 

[GreenghostUvln]

Re: Prodigal son looking to return to Android, need input/suggestions in the $150 Range

Most phones now days are equipped to handle the LTE antenna.

Sent from my T-Mobile Nexus 4 LTE using Tapatalk