Any thoughts on a good/cheap "backup" phone for a Note 8 owner?

[tale 85]

I'm using my old Moto X Pure Edition as a backup, I've considered getting something in the G5 series but.... The PE is still one beast of a phone.

 

[muscle682]

I am too a Proud Galaxy Note 8 owner. Love everything about my Note. My backup is another Great Phone, my Essential Ph1 comes with just as much processing power but in a smaller footprint. There are times when a smaller phone (like, wearing a suit or formal gathering)
is the perfect compliment. Sometimes I just love the smaller form factor.

 

[Dave Blake]

I wear my backup phone. It's the Samsung Gear S3 T-Mobile carrier audition.

 

[rdubmu]

My iphone 7 plus is my primary phone and note 8 is secondary

 

[Dooki]

I find it funny that with the large amount of great low cost budget phones no one has mentioned a mid or low end Samsung.
not that I ever would.

 

[chanchan05]

Can you do that to the N4 too?

Personally I'd stay away from the Note 4 due to hardware defect on the MMC. The MMC used on the Note 4 is by most accounts failing faster than even older models.

 

[glossta1]

I use a MotoG as backup for my MotoZ. Not because I don't trust my Z but because I live in a rural area in which my main network has strong signal, but am also often in an area in which a different network has strong signal. I like my 2 phones to be similar in use - when I switched from Samsung to Moto for my main phone I didn't wait long to swap my 2nd phone to Moto. I don't need such a large memory on my 2nd phone - 16gb is plenty, whereas my Z is 64gb.

 

[j_hansen]

Personally I'd stay away from the Note 4 due to hardware defect on the MMC. The MMC used on the Note 4 is by most accounts failing faster than even older models.

Was the MMC failure not mainly caused by people repeatedly flashing new ROMs?

 

[chanchan05]

Was the MMC failure not mainly caused by people repeatedly flashing new ROMs?

No. It also occurred in those who didn't flash ROMs. And also, think about how people right now are still using S3 and Note 2s, Note 3s, extending their life by ROMs, but the Note 4 is getting the errors earlier.

Being in the US does suck in terms of backups phones though. I mean I live in Asia so we have here a whole plethora of Samsung, LG, Oppo, Huawei, Nokia, Sony, and other decent Android phones ranging as low as $100. Heck your Galaxy J Sky Pro is the 2015 J7 repackaged for some reason and being sold the same price as the newer better J7+ (2017).

Anyway, since it's just a backup phone and I think the OP mentioned TMobile, he can look into gray imports of mid range Sony, Huawei and Samsung phones. Or perhaps old stock brand new Note 3s or OnePlus phones.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

[srgonu]

I suggest original Pixel. You can enjoy explore and enjoy latest software until it hits our note. I have pixel xl.

 

[Tsepz_GP]

I personally am a Note8 owner to, and have my S7 Edge as my backup phone with my other SIM in it, great to have a compact phone as a backup, as I often will use the S7 Edge while the Note8 charges or is being updated.

I find it funny that with the large amount of great low cost budget phones no one has mentioned a mid or low end Samsung.
not that I ever would.

Lol, nobody has really named any budget phone here except a Moto.

Personally I'd stay away from the Note 4 due to hardware defect on the MMC. The MMC used on the Note 4 is by most accounts failing faster than even older models.

Agreed. The Note 4 was meant to be my backup to my Note8, but my Note 4 has now officially died due to the eMMC Error, something is very wrong with the eMMC in that phone, must be a production fault that we know little about.

 

[pkcable]

I wear my backup phone. It's the Samsung Gear S3 T-Mobile carrier audition.

He’s back! Lol

 

[Suresh Williams]

I carry my iPhone 5S as a backup as iOS inbuilt mail client serves better in terms of configuring and receiving office emails...

 

[Brew Swayne]

My question is: is there a decent cheap (sub $200) phone with performance in the same ballpark as the Note 4? I should say that I'm happy to buy "like new" or manufacturer refurbished from ebay or swappa.

Did you actually check swappa? Because $200 looks to be the high end of the price scale for the Note 4.

If you're a Note user/lover, then it only makes sense that you'd want to stay in the Note family for a backup phone.

https://swappa.com/buy/samsung-galaxy-note-4?ref=mobilenations&data1=UUacUvbUpU6234102

 

[pkcable]

Did you actually check swappa? Because $200 looks to be the high end of the price scale for the Note 4.

If you're a Note user/lover, then it only makes sense that you'd want to stay in the Note family for a backup phone.

https://swappa.com/buy/samsung-galaxy-note-4?ref=mobilenations&data1=UUacUvbUpU6241253

Heck for 200 you should be able to get a Note 5 if you want, I saw several offers in the 150 range on Swappa.

 

[donm527]

I've always been on AT&T but that's why I made sure my backup 6s is a Verizon variant... Verizon phones are/were unlocked to GSM by default so I can pop in my AT&T sim or any other GSM sim if traveling abroad.

Love my Note 8 and yes I will be upgrading to the note 9.
But purchased the OP5T as a second phone unlocked because I travel alot.
I can't lose. Armed with a Sammy Note 8 through my carrier. And a unlocked OP5t. Upgrading to the Note 9 is a gaurantee. But I'm keeping my OP.

 

[bassplayrguy]

One plus 6. I'm thinking about getting one for a backup. Or using my note 8 as the backup and not getting the note 9.

 

[FeinP1118]

I have an iPhone 6+ with a new battery. Almost like it more than my Note 8