[Ferkner]

I'm looking to change phones from the Moto e5 Play that I got for free with my plan last year to something better. I have wanted a Zenfone since the Zenfone 4 came out but was never willing to spend that much. I have had my eye on the Zenfone 6 and the price in the US is attractive, as are its features. The supposed price in Canada is less attractive as we will apparently be paying Can$799 for the base model. For that much I can import the 8GB 256GB model from B&H.

Of course, no one wants to spend more than they have to. The main problem is that this phone is taking forever to get released over here, and my patience are wearing thin. I have looked at other options, including phones from Asia, and there are just too many choices. So I am hoping some members here can offer some suggestions on a good phone in case I get fed up with Asus and their slack arsery with releasing the Z6 in Canada and the US.

I am okay with the US$500, though spending less is always better. My wishlist is as follows:

Very good camera (selfie camera doesn't matter; I'm not a 15-year-old girl)
Headphone jack
Decent internal storage
microSD slot
Something that won't become slow in a year like my e5 Play

People have suggested the Zenfone 5z, which I wouldn't mind, the Samsung A50, the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro, and Pixel 3a. The Xiaomi seems to have limited 4G band coverage in Canada, so that might be an issue.

The 5z might be a good choice since I wanted one of those last year. But I'm hoping members here will have some other suggestions. I just moved over to Android last fall from Windows 10 Mobile, so I am not very familiar with all the different options out there. If I had to pick between microSD slot and headphone jack for something to give up, unless the phone has 256GB of internal storage, I would not give up the SD slot. Otherwise I could deal with no headphone jack as annoying as carrying a dongle around would be.

[Casualballer]

I'm looking to change phones from the Moto e5 Play that I got for free with my plan last year to something better. I have wanted a Zenfone since the Zenfone 4 came out but was never willing to spend that much. I have had my eye on the Zenfone 6 and the price in the US is attractive, as are its features. The supposed price in Canada is less attractive as we will apparently be paying Can$799 for the base model. For that much I can import the 8GB 256GB model from B&H.

Of course, no one wants to spend more than they have to. The main problem is that this phone is taking forever to get released over here, and my patience are wearing thin. I have looked at other options, including phones from Asia, and there are just too many choices. So I am hoping some members here can offer some suggestions on a good phone in case I get fed up with Asus and their slack arsery with releasing the Z6 in Canada and the US.

I am okay with the US$500, though spending less is always better. My wishlist is as follows:

Very good camera (selfie camera doesn't matter; I'm not a 15-year-old girl)
Headphone jack
Decent internal storage
microSD slot
Something that won't become slow in a year like my e5 Play

People have suggested the Zenfone 5z, which I wouldn't mind, the Samsung A50, the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro, and Pixel 3a. The Xiaomi seems to have limited 4G band coverage in Canada, so that might be an issue.

The 5z might be a good choice since I wanted one of those last year. But I'm hoping members here will have some other suggestions. I just moved over to Android last fall from Windows 10 Mobile, so I am not very familiar with all the different options out there. If I had to pick between microSD slot and headphone jack for something to give up, unless the phone has 256GB of internal storage, I would not give up the SD slot. Otherwise I could deal with no headphone jack as annoying as carrying a dongle around would be.

You can probably find the LG g8 on sale for around 500. The g7 is around 350 now and that was a solid phone with a a solid for a flagship camera. I'd tske a look at the S9 which is probably in that price range now as well and has a better, although less versatile camera experience. Generally if camera is what you care about then the closer to a flagship type phone you can get the better imo. There are good midrange options in the 350$ range (Moto, Nokia etc) but they usually sacrifice in the cameras to get to that price point. Obviously the pixel 3a is out there but it doesn't fit your other criterion unless you'd sacrifice on them.

[Mike Dee]

I'm looking to change phones from the Moto e5 Play that I got for free with my plan last year to something better. I have wanted a Zenfone since the Zenfone 4 came out but was never willing to spend that much. I have had my eye on the Zenfone 6 and the price in the US is attractive, as are its features. The supposed price in Canada is less attractive as we will apparently be paying Can$799 for the base model. For that much I can import the 8GB 256GB model from B&H.

Of course, no one wants to spend more than they have to. The main problem is that this phone is taking forever to get released over here, and my patience are wearing thin. I have looked at other options, including phones from Asia, and there are just too many choices. So I am hoping some members here can offer some suggestions on a good phone in case I get fed up with Asus and their slack arsery with releasing the Z6 in Canada and the US.

I am okay with the US$500, though spending less is always better. My wishlist is as follows:

Very good camera (selfie camera doesn't matter; I'm not a 15-year-old girl)
Headphone jack
Decent internal storage
microSD slot
Something that won't become slow in a year like my e5 Play

People have suggested the Zenfone 5z, which I wouldn't mind, the Samsung A50, the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro, and Pixel 3a. The Xiaomi seems to have limited 4G band coverage in Canada, so that might be an issue.

The 5z might be a good choice since I wanted one of those last year. But I'm hoping members here will have some other suggestions. I just moved over to Android last fall from Windows 10 Mobile, so I am not very familiar with all the different options out there. If I had to pick between microSD slot and headphone jack for something to give up, unless the phone has 256GB of internal storage, I would not give up the SD slot. Otherwise I could deal with no headphone jack as annoying as carrying a dongle around would be.

I would reccomend the Pixel 3a but max storage is 64.

[belodion]

(selfie camera doesn't matter; I'm not a 15-year-old girl)

The current trend for high-res front cameras is exceptionally annoying. Some of us - me, for example - would prefer low-resolution thank you very much manufacturers.

[Ferkner]

I would reccomend the Pixel 3a but max storage is 64.

I know that would end up being an issue for me. I still load up local music to listen to like it's 2014. And TV shows.

[Mooncatt]

I'd look at the LG V40. Their V-series is aimed at content creators, so they are some of the best in terms of A/V and sound quality.

For the camera, this would be more for someone that wants manual controls to really bring out their inner photographer. LG has always lagged when it comes to point and shoot auto modes, but their manual shooting is hard to beat in the hands of someone that knows what they're doing.

It also comes with a headphone jack, and is another area the V-series shines. They use a 32 bit quad DAC for some of the highest quality audio you'll find in a phone.

It has up to 128 GB internal storage, plus an SD card slot.

It's last year's flagship for them, so I wouldn't be concerned about it slowly down any time soon. I'm still using the V20 that's 3 years old and it still runs strong. I am seeing some performance issues lately, but I also put more demand on resources than the average user. In many respects, I'd rate it one of the best phones ever, but it's getting outdated. Lol.

The V40 can be had within your price range. You may even find a used V50 at a decent price. Whatever you do, don't go with those random, cheap Chinese phones. There's no telling how well supported they are, and some have come with malware baked into the OS. Stick with the name brands.

On a side note, I know how you feel about Asus. I'm chomping at the bit for the ROG Phone 2, but they haven't released any details on the U.S. or Canada release.

[Ferkner]

I'd look at the LG V40. Their V-series is aimed at content creators, so they are some of the best in terms of A/V and sound quality.

...

On a side note, I know how you feel about Asus. I'm chomping at the bit for the ROG Phone 2, but they haven't released any details on the U.S. or Canada release.

I like the look of the V40. I checked out the v50, but it's a lot more expensive and is missing some of the features I like in the v40 (like FM radio). And the more manual controls I can have with the camera the better.

The problem is that the v40 was never released in Canada. If I were to order it from B&H, it would cost more than the Zenfone 6. There is one person on Amazon Canada selling a used international version of the phone for Can$550. I've got a question into them about the condition of the phone.

Because we're a smaller market we sometimes don't get all the phones that get released in the US. Sometimes we'll get less powerful alternatives for the same price. So finding a v40 at a good price here will be a challenge, but I'm certainly interested.