Is it worth buying an old android phone?

[Tristin21]

I've been looking around on the internet lately at phones and I've just been wondering..........would it be worth it to purchase an older android phone off of say eBay or Amazon? Some examples would be like a Droid X, Droid Incredible 1 or 2, Galaxy S1, something like that for $50-$100??? I'm just not sure about paying $600 for a new phone..........

 

[someguy01234]

I recommend using Swappa.com, they have stricter rules and doesn't allow sales of phones with bad IMEI, cracked screen or water damage. You will get good deals there.

sent via tapatalk

 

[Kelly Burby]

I've been looking around on the internet lately at phones and I've just been wondering..........would it be worth it to purchase an older android phone off of say eBay or Amazon? Some examples would be like a Droid X, Droid Incredible 1 or 2, Galaxy S1, something like that for $50-$100??? I'm just not sure about paying $600 for a new phone..........

Well, I couldn't agree on with you but yes it worth buying if you are not a power user and can use the outdated technologies, look the what happens with devices like Droix X or Galaxy S1 etc. is once they are outdated they are abandoned by their manufacturers means there's just no software update. And tell you what running older version of Android seeing other users running the most recent version and enjoying the benefits is just too much ..... annoying for me ! I think if I was You I would go for a newer Android device there are many vendors of the Android are available so I am sure in the price point of around $160 -$180 you can get a new Android device !! Rest I'll leave it to you can go for the older Android device but do think twice about it before !!

 

[cgardnervt]

If you just want a new [hone and would like a cheaper new one take a look at the Moto G and E. Both great budget phones!

 

[Gbsa]

I just bought my son an incredible 2 locally. Paid $15 for the phone, the usb charging port quit working so on eBay for $10 I also got him an external charging dock and 2 extra batteries. For $25 total he got a fairly decent smartphone with extra batteries. If you don't have to have the latest and greatest it's ok to buy an older phone.

sent from my galaxy note 2

 

[nessinhaw]

like someone already said, you can check both the Moto E and G! they're on 100-200 dolar tag and you'd be getting a new phone!

sent from my Moto X <3

 

[dpham00]

If you are on Verizon, get the Moto g for $100. Better than those used phones you mentioned.

dpham00, Android Central Moderator
Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3

 

[bigmatt503]

Isn't the moto g a prepaid Verizon phone? I noticed on ebay you can buy a razr m for under 100 bucks... Decent phone and running the latest android software.. Good luck

Sent from Portland Oregon using my Samsung galaxy s5 on Verizon

 

[Tristin21]

I'm not on a contract, so I'm open to changing networks.

 

[LeoRex]

Well.... depends on how old and how popular that old device is. If it's a relatively recent device that was extremely popular, like the Galaxy S3, you'll have a phone that can still perform well by current standards, but it will also have a still vibrant and active development base. That last bit is critical because carriers and makers will toss older models aside far too quickly in an attempt to pretty much force people into newer models. The more popular an older device is, the better chance you will have in keeping it current.

To give a comparison.. the Moto G and SIII.... Similar performance specs and current prices (based on what I've found online), but the SIII has a few things that I would consider put it still a little higher.... twice the RAM, 4x the storage (32G vs 8G). Now, the G does have officially backed updates, but the SIII dev community is extremely strong, so having a very capable KitKat ROM is only minutes away.

Be wary of going a generation older than the SIII though.

(I had an SIII prior to my Nexus 5.... It was a great phone, STILL a great phone)

 

[JeffDenver]

I've been looking around on the internet lately at phones and I've just been wondering..........would it be worth it to purchase an older android phone off of say eBay or Amazon? Some examples would be like a Droid X, Droid Incredible 1 or 2, Galaxy S1, something like that for $50-$100??? I'm just not sure about paying $600 for a new phone..........

Not unless you really cannot afford a phone over $100. You can get a Moto G for $99 off contract (new, not used)...none of the old phones can compete with that.

You will not have to spend $600 in any case. The OnePlus has high end specs for $300, and is guaranteed to receive more support and updates than any of the old phones you mentioned.

 

[JeffDenver]

Well.... depends on how old and how popular that old device is. If it's a relatively recent device that was extremely popular, like the Galaxy S3, you'll have a phone that can still perform well by current standards, but it will also have a still vibrant and active development base. That last bit is critical because carriers and makers will toss older models aside far too quickly in an attempt to pretty much force people into newer models. The more popular an older device is, the better chance you will have in keeping it current.

To give a comparison.. the Moto G and SIII.... Similar performance specs and current prices (based on what I've found online), but the SIII has a few things that I would consider put it still a little higher.... twice the RAM, 4x the storage (32G vs 8G). Now, the G does have officially backed updates, but the SIII dev community is extremely strong, so having a very capable KitKat ROM is only minutes away.

Be wary of going a generation older than the SIII though.

My BF has an S3 and I use it all the time. It's a nice phone, but I would much rather have a Moto X or OnePlus. Or even a Moto G.

The Moto G has 1 gig of RAM...the same as the S3. And already has a newer version of Android and is guaranteed to get at least one major update. The Moto X and Oneplus will be significantly superior to the S3 in pretty much every way except storage.

It's not that the old phones are horrible its just that competition has made Android phones better each generation for the same or lower cost. Kitkat is the first Android OS that has lower hardware requirements than it's predecessors.

 

[LeoRex]

The Moto G has 1 gig of RAM...the same as the S3. And already has a newer version of Android and is guaranteed to get at least one major update. The Moto X and Oneplus will be significantly superior to the S3 in pretty much every way except storage.

SIII does have 2G. In today's climate, that is not an insignificant difference... apps have grown and people are getting used to multitasking with them more and more. Between that and the fact that the G hadn't come with LTE capability puts it just a slight tick lower than the SIII. And the X and OnePlus (and M7/8, and Nexus 5, and G2, etc) all those flagships released SINCE the SIII do all have superior stuff under the hood, but the OP wasn't asking about the top of the line models. They were just seeing if they wanted to save some money, would it be a mistake to go with an older model.

Now, i am not blasting the Moto G. Not in even the slightest. I think what Motorola is doing with the lower-end market might possibly be MORE important than the spec wars up top. It wasn't that long ago that even the crappiest smartphones ran into the $300/$400 range. I had a Samsung Galazy Stellar, which had a full retail price of something like $429 (if memory serves me right) and released around the same time as the SIII. No one, of course, paid that price and VZW gave them away with a contract... It was a decent phone, LTE, etc... but that phone was, in every way, shape and form, inferior to it's SIII big brother. Flash forward and my Nexus 5 absolutely destroys that Stellar (and the SIII for that matter) and cost $50 some-odd less.

I think it shows just how far we've come that a $200 device, considered a 'value' model, compares well to phone that was THE phone to have two years ago and came with a $650 price tag. That's nuts. And the Moto E... at $129... it is a phone that seems kind of like a current day version of my Stellar, but $300 less.

OK, bit of a tangent there.... but long story short, I don't think anyone looking to save money would regret getting an SIII.... But if you were looking at anything older than that, go with one of those Motos.

 

[dpham00]

Isn't the moto g a prepaid Verizon phone? I noticed on ebay you can buy a razr m for under 100 bucks... Decent phone and running the latest android software.. Good luck

Sent from Portland Oregon using my Samsung galaxy s5 on Verizon

It is a prepaid phone but people have reported success with activating it on post paid.


dpham00, Android Central Moderator

Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3

 

[dpham00]

SIII does have 2G. In today's climate, that is not an insignificant difference... apps have grown and people are getting used to multitasking with them more and more. Between that and the fact that the G hadn't come with LTE capability puts it just a slight tick lower than the SIII. And the X and OnePlus (and M7/8, and Nexus 5, and G2, etc) all those flagships released SINCE the SIII do all have superior stuff under the hood, but the OP wasn't asking about the top of the line models. They were just seeing if they wanted to save some money, would it be a mistake to go with an older model.

Now, i am not blasting the Moto G. Not in even the slightest. I think what Motorola is doing with the lower-end market might possibly be MORE important than the spec wars up top. It wasn't that long ago that even the crappiest smartphones ran into the $300/$400 range. I had a Samsung Galazy Stellar, which had a full retail price of something like $429 (if memory serves me right) and released around the same time as the SIII. No one, of course, paid that price and VZW gave them away with a contract... It was a decent phone, LTE, etc... but that phone was, in every way, shape and form, inferior to it's SIII big brother. Flash forward and my Nexus 5 absolutely destroys that Stellar (and the SIII for that matter) and cost $50 some-odd less.

I think it shows just how far we've come that a $200 device, considered a 'value' model, compares well to phone that was THE phone to have two years ago and came with a $650 price tag. That's nuts. And the Moto E... at $129... it is a phone that seems kind of like a current day version of my Stellar, but $300 less.

OK, bit of a tangent there.... but long story short, I don't think anyone looking to save money would regret getting an SIII.... But if you were looking at anything older than that, go with one of those Motos.

The quad core Exynos had 1gb ram, the dual core snapdragon s4 had 2gb ram.

My BF has an S3 and I use it all the time. It's a nice phone, but I would much rather have a Moto X or OnePlus. Or even a Moto G.

The Moto G has 1 gig of RAM...the same as the S3. And already has a newer version of Android and is guaranteed to get at least one major update. The Moto X and Oneplus will be significantly superior to the S3 in pretty much every way except storage.

It's not that the old phones are horrible its just that competition has made Android phones better each generation for the same or lower cost. Kitkat is the first Android OS that has lower hardware requirements than it's predecessors.

dpham00, Android Central Moderator

Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3

 

[JeffDenver]

OK, bit of a tangent there.... but long story short, I don't think anyone looking to save money would regret getting an SIII.... But if you were looking at anything older than that, go with one of those Motos.

The S3 does not suck, but you really have to tweak it to get comparable performance. And it's battery life is awful by modern standards.

eBay prices I have seen are $250 and up mostly...you can do a LOT better now. The Oneplus is only $300 and absolutely annihilates the S3 in every way.

I have not yet seen and older phone that is better than what you can get new now for the same price. Thats even true of the Nexus.

 

[dpham00]

The Verizon moto g is $70 at Amazon, Walmart or best buy.


dpham00, Android Central Moderator

Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3

 

[JeffDenver]

The Verizon moto g is $70 at Amazon, Walmart or best buy. 3

Where are you seeing it for $70? Amazon has it for $170.

Amazon.com: Motorola Moto G - Global GSM - Unlocked - 16GB (Black): Cell Phones & Accessories

Edit - I guess Walmart does have it for $70...have no idea why Amazon's is so expensive - https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...zw-Moto-G-Ppd-Black%2F34480170&token=fVswpE6l

 

[dpham00]

I

Where are you seeing it for $70? Amazon has it for $170.


Amazon.com: Motorola Moto G - Global GSM - Unlocked - 16GB (Black): Cell Phones & Accessories

Edit - I guess Walmart does have it for $70...have no idea why Amazon's is so expensive - https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...zw-Moto-G-Ppd-Black%2F34480170&token=ZOXL45V_

The amazon one is the gsm per your link. The Verizon one is $70 linked below.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00HP...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU3678070


dpham00, Android Central Moderator

Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3

 

[LeoRex]

I saw some in the 150-200 range on swappa.... not sure of the condition. You are right, though, any more and it starts to go downhill.... Though, the One+.... does anyone actually HAVE one yet? Seems to me that they kind of jumped the gun a little, threw out a stupid marketing trick, had it blow up in their face and now they realize they are having stocking issues. I've seen some reviews of it, but haven't seen many "I GOT MY ONE+!!!" posts here. But once you start getting into the mid 200's, you do start to touch on Nexus 5/Moto X territory... senseless to get an older phone at that price point.

And that Walmart $70 G? It's a prepaid from Verizon.... something tells me that it's caveat emptor on that one.... Verizon can EABOD, and I wouldn't be shocked if that sucker wasn't carrier locked or something equally annoying. A $100 discount over market price? That price from THAT company? No way that doesn't come with strings attached.