Old flagship OR Android One mid-ranger?

[olliehunt]

Hello everyone. I've been a reader for Android Central for a while but it's my first post in the forums and I'm actually asking for some feedback for my new phone. I'm looking for a smartphone with a price tag no more than $20. I settled on the 3/32GB version of the Nokia 6.1 as it sells for $190 in my region and comes with Android One, but I came across an online seller that is listing the HTC 10 new for $200 and I got confused. I know it's pretty old now, but I'm thinking maybe the 10's hardware, especially the camera, is still worth it now. I'm aware it's stuck on oreo 8.0 with Dec 2017 security patch while on the other hand the 6.1 already got updated to 9.0 with monthly patches and I just love stock, pure Android.
So my question is, Old flagship hardware OR a mid-range phone with the latest and greatest OS with guaranteed updates? I appreciate your feedback.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! I think it depends on what's important to you in a phone. If performance and additional features are important, then an older flagship might be worthwhile; however, if you just need a phone for communication, social media, media consumption, etc., the Nokia should work well, and the longer support timeline will keep things more secure.

 

[L0n3N1nja]

Looking at specs the front facing camera is probably the only thing that's better on the Nokia, screen is slightly larger as well. As a primary device I would probably go with the Nokia myself, performance isn't that far behind the HTC and it's going to have much better software support going forward and importantly security updates.

 

[Morty2264]

Welcome to Android Central! As B. Diddy stated above, it all boils down to personal preference. If security and software updates are important to you, I'd go with the Android One device.

 

[olliehunt]

Looking at specs the front facing camera is probably the only thing that's better on the Nokia, screen is slightly larger as well. As a primary device I would probably go with the Nokia myself, performance isn't that far behind the HTC and it's going to have much better software support going forward and importantly security updates.

Thanks for your feedback. I actually think the cameras on the HTC are better regardless of the pixel count because of the larger pixels, brighter aperture and OIS.

 

[B. Diddy]

That's a good point. The phone did get very good ratings from both tech and photography sites.