Need a $200-250 Phone - Suggestions

[adammg84]

Need to get a inexpensive phone, I'm still under contract for 6 more months. I'm debating Moto G LTE or SGS3. My requirements are 4.5" to 5" screen and SD card slot and compatible with AT&T LTE. S3 is two years old but looks to have slighty better specs than the Moto G LTE.

Opinions, Suggestions?

Thanks
Adammg84

 

[neonworm]

Is the SD card slot a requirement? I would definitely recommend the Nexus 5 if you decide that you don't want an SD card slot.

 

[B. Diddy]

It might be hard to find a Nexus 5 in the $200-250 range. Although the S3 may seem to have better specs in certain respects, it's fairly old by now, and I would bet that it won't be getting any more OS updates, while there's a good chance the Moto G will get Android L. Also keep in mind that the Moto G's Adreno 305 GPU is somewhat better than the S3's Mali-400 MP4 GPU, which translates to smoother animation. If you're going to get a Moto G, I would choose the 16 GB version, if you can, since 8 GB of internal storage can get eaten up quickly, especially if you like to play big games. Remember that external SD cards don't increase your application space, so that doesn't really matter that much.

 

[cgardnervt]

The Moto G LTE is a great buy! Can't go wrong with it.

 

[A895]

HTC 610 or Moto G LTE. Newer devices and more support than the aging S3.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[JeffDenver]

Need to get a inexpensive phone, I'm still under contract for 6 more months. I'm debating Moto G LTE or SGS3.

My BF has a GS3. If I had a choice, I'd take the Moto G LTE. Better battery life and better updates. Same display, although the GS3 has a better camera. The Moto G probably has a faster CPU as well.

I'd take the Moto G for vanilla Android alone. The GS3 really does have awful battery life by modern standards. The GS3 does not necessarily have better specs in all areas. Except for the camera, the Moto G LTE has as good or better specs in pretty much every way.

 

[JeffDenver]

It might be hard to find a Nexus 5 in the $200-250 range. Although the S3 may seem to have better specs in certain respects, it's fairly old by now, and I would bet that it won't be getting any more OS updates, while there's a good chance the Moto G will get Android L. Also keep in mind that the Moto G's Adreno 305 GPU is somewhat better than the S3's Mali-400 MP4 GPU, which translates to smoother animation. If you're going to get a Moto G, I would choose the 16 GB version, if you can, since 8 GB of internal storage can get eaten up quickly, especially if you like to play big games. Remember that external SD cards don't increase your application space, so that doesn't really matter that much.

Chances are, you are not going to be installing high end games on a $200 phone. And the vast majority of games on the Play store will not even make a dent in 8 gigs of storage.

SD will store pictures and video and documents, and in my experience, that is what most people use storage for. I have a 32 gig Nexus 5, but if I could have had an 8gig+SD Nexus 5, I'd have taken it in a heartbeat. Even if it was more expensive. I've had phones with SD and without, and I definitely missed it. The Nexus 5 is awesome in spite of lack of SD, not because of it.

 

[B. Diddy]

The Moto G has pretty good performance for a budget phone, so I wouldn't put it past anyone to want to install high end games on it. And I think there are quite a few games out there--not even high end ones--that take up more than 1 GB of storage. For example, my current vice, Family Guy Quest for Stuff, currently takes up 1.53 GB. Anyway, I just think it's better to have more internal storage if you can, since you're stuck with the amount it came with.

 

[UJ95x]

Another vote for the 16GB version. I only have a few games installed, but some of the apps I have use up a ton of storage for caching. I have to clear it every few days because it gets over 1GB fairly quickly. The apps themselves are less than 1/2 GB.

Sent from my Galaxy S4 running SOKP 4.4.2

 

[JeffDenver]

Thats why I love SD...because you're not trapped with whatever you buy forever. You have the option to upgrade it later. Google won't win this fight...people want SD.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Thats why I love SD...because you're not trapped with whatever you buy forever. You have the option to upgrade it later. Google won't win this fight...people want SD.

Google added official support back in. Not sure why the attitude of "Google is trying to kill SD cards" is so prevalent now. Heck, there's a version of the Moto G with LTE and SD card support available. That was made when Google still owned Moto.

The reason for more internal storage is simple, even if you can move the entire app over to the SD card AFTER it's installed, you still need the initial amount of space to download it first. (ran in to that problem last night actually)

I install a number of apps, and not all of them have support for moving to the SD card, and the ones that do don't always move the largest data partitions over.

Whether it's a small number of larger apps, or a large number of smaller apps, more internal storage is always nice to have IMO.

 

[Almeuit]

Thats why I love SD...because you're not trapped with whatever you buy forever. You have the option to upgrade it later. Google won't win this fight...people want SD.

I'd use an SD card for movies and music but that's it. Game data from apps.. Or just may apps... Photos... Anything of that nature I wouldn't trust... They can randomly corrupt .

Sent from my T-Mobile Note 3 using AC Forums.

 

[Golfdriver97]

They can randomly corrupt

And often fail with no warning.

 

[dpham00]

I'd use an SD card for movies and music but that's it. Game data from apps.. Or just may apps... Photos... Anything of that nature I wouldn't trust... They can randomly corrupt .

Sent from my T-Mobile Note 3 using AC Forums.

I save important pictures to both. I also backup important pictures to huge cloud. You never know when you might lose the phone. Personally, Phone is used strictly for convenience, not storage.

Sent from my LG G Pad 8.3

 

[dpham00]

And often fail with no warning.

On my iphone, i updated it to iOS 7 and it got stuck in recovery mode. Had to do a factory data reset to get it to work. Granted, I didn't have any critical pictures not backed up. But you never know when something might go wrong. Now, an update is in, my control, but sometimes, the phone can fail without warning. Granted less likely than sd card failure, but point is that you are still taking a risk

Sent from my LG G Pad 8.3

 

[Almeuit]

I save important pictures to both. I also backup important pictures to huge cloud. You never know when you might lose the phone. Personally, Phone is used strictly for convenience, not storage.

Sent from my LG G Pad 8.3

Agreed. Since I'm on unlimited I have my photos back up immediately after I take them .

Sent from my T-Mobile Note 3 using AC Forums.

 

[Golfdriver97]

I save important pictures to both. I also backup important pictures to huge cloud. You never know when you might lose the phone. Personally, Phone is used strictly for convenience, not storage.

Sent from my LG G Pad 8.3

Agreed. Since I'm on unlimited I have my photos back up immediately after I take them .

Sent from my T-Mobile Note 3 using AC Forums.

I am highly inclined to agree that some kind of other backup be done at set intervals. But we are digressing. I also agree with the Moto G and 16 GB internal.
More info from Play Store: https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...us/?playredirect=true&hl=en-US&token=3R6y13uS

 

[dpham00]

Yeah the Moto g is an excellent choice in that price range

Sent from my LG G Pad 8.3

 

[z33dev33l]

I say hit craigslist. There's M8s in my area for $175

 

[Golfdriver97]

I say hit craigslist. There's M8s in my area for $175

Not a bad idea either, but sometimes bad IMEI phones are listed on craigslist. Just a heads up for anyone reading this thread.