Help me pick a new (used) rootable phone
My situation:
I have a Sprint Evo 4G LTE flashed to work on Page Plus, the Verizon MVNO. I've had it about a year.
Aside from the fact that the camera sucks in low light, I love it. I know it's going on 3 years old, but I don't care about the newest and flashiest, I just want something that does what I want it to, when I need it to, and this does.
To me, my smartphone is basically a tool. I don't game, I don't stream video or music. As long as the Internet, my weather and news apps, my reading apps and my music/video player apps for the stuff I've placed on the phone work, I'm good.
Page Plus no longer allows new flashed phones on their network, but ones that are on there already are grandfathered in. Meaning I don't have to do anything immediately. However, should I get knocked off the network for any reason, I can't get back on. So just for safety's sake, I'm looking around for another phone.
I'm also not sure that I'm going to stay with Page Plus since they've been bought by America Movil, I'm looking at Cricket, the AT&T MVNO. So I'm looking at both CDMA and GSM phones. I will be going with an MVNO; hell will freeze over before I sign another contract with a cellphone provider.
My prerequisites:
1. The Evo 4G LTE is rooted and running an alternate ROM, and I'm absolutely spoiled for that and anything I get moving forward is going to be rooted and debloated and all the crapware frozen.
2. For reasons I won't bore you with, expandable storage is an absolute prerequisite. Any phone I get has got to take a memory card.
3. I don't want anything appreciably larger than the Evo, so a Note is probably out although I'll never say never.
4. I don't care about a jillion megapixels, I just would like to have a decent camera that takes good low light pix, which the Evo doesn't.
5. I need something that has a rugged case, because I'm a klutz and I'm also anal about keeping my electronic gear pristine.
I'm looking at the usual suspects ... Galaxy S3 (I know it's old, but so's the Evo, and I'd keep it until it disintegrates if I had my choice), Galaxy S4 (I know I'd need to get the MDK firmware version to root), Droid Razr Maxx HD, LG Spectrum 2.
Am I missing any possibilities?
Can anyone give me any real-world reviews of these phones?
Also, I said I'm not necessarily interested in the newest or flashiest ... or even in updates, since I'd like to be using alternate ROMs and as such would freeze OTA updates, especially on a Samsung ... but I'm not ruling anything newer out either.
I don't want to spend any more than $250, although again that's a bit negotiable. I could buy two S3's for that and they probably would do exactly what I want them to do ... make phone calls and serve as a tool ... but again, I'm not opposed to something newer.
Thanks in advance for any help.
My situation:
I have a Sprint Evo 4G LTE flashed to work on Page Plus, the Verizon MVNO. I've had it about a year.
Aside from the fact that the camera sucks in low light, I love it. I know it's going on 3 years old, but I don't care about the newest and flashiest, I just want something that does what I want it to, when I need it to, and this does.
To me, my smartphone is basically a tool. I don't game, I don't stream video or music. As long as the Internet, my weather and news apps, my reading apps and my music/video player apps for the stuff I've placed on the phone work, I'm good.
Page Plus no longer allows new flashed phones on their network, but ones that are on there already are grandfathered in. Meaning I don't have to do anything immediately. However, should I get knocked off the network for any reason, I can't get back on. So just for safety's sake, I'm looking around for another phone.
I'm also not sure that I'm going to stay with Page Plus since they've been bought by America Movil, I'm looking at Cricket, the AT&T MVNO. So I'm looking at both CDMA and GSM phones. I will be going with an MVNO; hell will freeze over before I sign another contract with a cellphone provider.
My prerequisites:
1. The Evo 4G LTE is rooted and running an alternate ROM, and I'm absolutely spoiled for that and anything I get moving forward is going to be rooted and debloated and all the crapware frozen.
2. For reasons I won't bore you with, expandable storage is an absolute prerequisite. Any phone I get has got to take a memory card.
3. I don't want anything appreciably larger than the Evo, so a Note is probably out although I'll never say never.
4. I don't care about a jillion megapixels, I just would like to have a decent camera that takes good low light pix, which the Evo doesn't.
5. I need something that has a rugged case, because I'm a klutz and I'm also anal about keeping my electronic gear pristine.
I'm looking at the usual suspects ... Galaxy S3 (I know it's old, but so's the Evo, and I'd keep it until it disintegrates if I had my choice), Galaxy S4 (I know I'd need to get the MDK firmware version to root), Droid Razr Maxx HD, LG Spectrum 2.
Am I missing any possibilities?
Can anyone give me any real-world reviews of these phones?
Also, I said I'm not necessarily interested in the newest or flashiest ... or even in updates, since I'd like to be using alternate ROMs and as such would freeze OTA updates, especially on a Samsung ... but I'm not ruling anything newer out either.
I don't want to spend any more than $250, although again that's a bit negotiable. I could buy two S3's for that and they probably would do exactly what I want them to do ... make phone calls and serve as a tool ... but again, I'm not opposed to something newer.
Thanks in advance for any help.
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