Cheap large smartphone recommendations, please?

Not_Oles · January 13

Hi guys!

I need a new phone because my 2016 ZTE Z981 ZMax Pro's battery is gone. That phone only cost me $100, so it doesn't owe me anything.

When travelling internationally I used the Z981 as a portable ssh terminal with the ConnectBot App and a bluetooth keyboard. This worked great!

I'd just get a new battery, but my phone is old enough (Android 6.0.1) that Chrome won't update any more (although Firefox Nightly still works).

People have kindly pointed me toward the Redmi 12 Turbo and the Poco F5. But these are more than I want to spend.

May I please ask what cheap large smartphone you would suggest?

Thanks!

Tom

AuroraZero · January 13

@Not_Oles said:
Hi guys!

I need a new phone because my 2016 ZTE Z981 ZMax Pro's battery is gone. That phone only cost me $100, so it doesn't owe me anything.

When travelling internationally I used the Z981 as a portable ssh terminal with the ConnectBot App and a bluetooth keyboard. This worked great!

I'd just get a new battery, but my phone is old enough (Android 6.0.1) that Chrome won't update any more (although Firefox Nightly still works).

People have kindly pointed me toward the Redmi 12 Turbo and the Poco F5. But these are more than I want to spend.

May I please ask what cheap large smartphone you would suggest?

Thanks!

Tom

Unlocked?

Samsung a14 5g has treated me well for a 100 bucks

Not_Oles · January 13

@AuroraZero said: Unlocked?

Yep. I should have mentioned that!

Samsung a14 5g has treated me well for a 100 bucks

I will take a look! Thanks very much!

Jab · January 13

Why the fuck anyone would suggest POCO F5 for that. That is a fucking (budget) beast with almost top of the line Snapdragon. Total overkill for Chrome + ssh.

Real question is: are you doing anything else there?
Like: watching anything on the plane, using GPS, any kind of photos?

Counter-question: If this is travel only ssh device with 'dedicated' BT keyboard I assume it's in some kind of bag(pack)? Maybe fuck the phones and buy a tablet?

cybertech · January 13

@Jab said:
Why the fuck anyone would suggest POCO F5 for that. That is a fucking (budget) beast with almost top of the line Snapdragon. Total overkill for Chrome + ssh.

Real question is: are you doing anything else there?
Like: watching anything on the plane, using GPS, any kind of photos?

Counter-question: If this is travel only ssh device with 'dedicated' BT keyboard I assume it's in some kind of bag(pack)? Maybe fuck the phones and buy a tablet?

I'm using Redmi note 12 turbo and would totally recommend it. of course I'm using it for (encrypted) work as well.

for budget choices I think POCO M5 is a worthy consideration coming in cheap at 6.58"

although I have never tried it, it uses the same 6nm Helio G99 as my Redmi Pad (not SE), which is no slouch given the large tablet display it has to work with.

still, for anything long term I always prefer Qualcomm variants for custom ROM upgrades, but if Android 6.0 is acceptable then anything goes.

cybertech · January 13

oh yeah POCO F5 SoC looks like a "mistake" from Qualcomm, with the snapdragon 7+G2 encroaching into flagship space.

terrorgen · January 13

Are you going to consider used phones?
If so, Motorola G series, Nokia C300, Google Pixel 3, OnePlus Nord are good candidates as well.

Not_Oles · January 13

@terrorgen said:
Are you going to consider used phones?

Sure!

If so, Motorola G series, Nokia C300, Google Pixel 3, OnePlus Nord are good candidates as well.

Thanks for the list!

Was looking at Google phones just now. It seems Google gives even some of their older phones new versions of Android. Google offers a Pixel 7a which has an OLED screen for $399. That's much more than I want to spend, but it's also on my list to consider.

What's less than $399 but better than a Pixel 7a?

terrorgen · January 13

OnePlus Nord has AMOLED: https://m.gsmarena.com/oneplus_nord-10289.php

sh97 · January 13

@Not_Oles said:

@terrorgen said:
Are you going to consider used phones?

Sure!

If so, Motorola G series, Nokia C300, Google Pixel 3, OnePlus Nord are good candidates as well.

Thanks for the list!

Was looking at Google phones just now. It seems Google gives even some of their older phones new versions of Android. Google offers a Pixel 7a which has an OLED screen for $399. That's much more than I want to spend, but it's also on my list to consider.

What's less than $399 but better than a Pixel 7a?

Why not the redmi 12 turbo/pro?
Looks like it goes for 260-280$, which is really cheap and value for money imo

Not_Oles · January 13

@sh97 said: Why not the redmi 12 turbo/pro?

Thanks for your question!

Don't know why not. One item to consider, though, is that some people say Redmi 12 Turbo or Pro are "international" and not for USA. Apparently Poco F5 is the USA version. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Also it seems that there is a newly announced Redmi 13.

Looks like it goes for 260-280$, which is really cheap and value for money imo

At least $120 less than the Google Pixel 7a!

Otus9051 · January 13

My Redmi Note 11 Pro is serving me well. I spent 7h reading a book with some instagram and discord and ended up with 45% when I got home. I left with a full charge.

The camera is also good enough, and ssh works good (duh)

Or, you could maybe get a Pixel 4a/5a which is probably impossible to get new but they are quite good and will probably serve you a lot better due to custom roms, not like my phone doesn't have many, it does, but the battery is kinda sucky.

Or, you could get a new Nokia C300 or something from the Motorola G series. No idea about custom ROM support, but it will work great for your purpose.

Or, (too many ors), you could get a OnePlus 7T and put postmarketOS on it, just sayin

But yeah whatever you do, don't get a Samsung, they suck ass.

havoc · January 13

You sure you don't want to get like a cheap notebook or chromebook or something? SSH on phones is painful af

Otus9051 · January 13

@havoc said: SSH on phones is painful af

You never saw those Indian Android ROM Developers ever, did you?
They edit code, compile, and do almost everything, on a server with 300ms ping, from their phone, using nothing but Termux.

wankel · January 13

@Not_Oles said: @AuroraZero said: Unlocked?
Yep. I should have mentioned that!

I have an older Xiaumi/Redmi phone; at the time it was annoying (and time consuming) to unlock the bootloader, but doable (someone reverse-engineered their 'request to unlock'-app to run on Linux).

Not having kept with the times, it seems the Linux program does not work anymore, even though it seems the waiting period can be skipped if you have access to / don't mind using Windows.

If you end up going with a Xiaumi/Redmi device (or any device, for that matter), please let us know whether the bootloader was locked and how easy it was to unlock it!

Otus9051 · January 13

@wankel said: even though it seems the waiting period can be skipped if you have access to / don't mind using Windows.

nope, fake news as much as i am concerned.
the wait period applies to every device with a MI Account

havoc · January 13

@Otus9051 said:

@havoc said: SSH on phones is painful af

You never saw those Indian Android ROM Developers ever, did you?
They edit code, compile, and do almost everything, on a server with 300ms ping, from their phone, using nothing but Termux.

Just because you can doesn't mean you should

Otus9051 · January 13

@havoc said:

@Otus9051 said:

@havoc said: SSH on phones is painful af

You never saw those Indian Android ROM Developers ever, did you?
They edit code, compile, and do almost everything, on a server with 300ms ping, from their phone, using nothing but Termux.

Just because you can doesn't mean you should

Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.

Not_Oles · January 13

@havoc said:
You sure you don't want to get like a cheap notebook or chromebook or something? SSH on phones is painful af

Hi @havoc!

Yeah, already have a cheap Chromebook. And it's great! But, too heavy to carry around. Too big to put into a pocket.

To use with my phone, I got a Jorno folding bluetooth keyboard. The Jorno is heavy, but it does fit into a pocket. The Jorno's cover turns into a stand that holds the phone. Great keyboard feel IMHO!

I can walk around with the phone in one pocket and the Jorno in another pocket. Both hands are free. No backpack needed unless I want way more stuff.

Best!

Tom

Not_Oles · January 13

@wankel said: If you end up going with a Xiaumi/Redmi device (or any device, for that matter), please let us know whether the bootloader was locked and how easy it was to unlock it!

Ho @wankel!

One of the reasons I like bare metal servers so much is that they generally come more or less, somewhat, perhaps unlocked. Well . . . at least you get root on the operating system.

Phones don't come that way, usually, I guess. What phones are super easy to unlock? What phones are the favored hacker phones these days? I have to go look around on Google.

Thanks for your helpful comment!

Best!

Tom

Not_Oles · January 14

Awhile back I could find out quite a bit about phones from the FCC Equipment Authorization Search.

At the moment the database shows me an "Undergoing Maintenance" Notice.

Ideas?

AaronSS · January 14

Get a Google Pixel 6a. You can install GrapheneOS on it too if you'd like

babah · January 15

why not buy another battery?

Not_Oles · January 15

@babah said:
why not buy another battery?

Hi @babah!

Thanks for your comment!

Buying another battery definitely is on the list of options to consider! Nevertheless, replacing the battery won't solve the problem of the outdated Android version which apparently no longer will update Chrome browser.

I have an external battery which I am guessing might work for the time being.

Best!

Tom

foxone · January 15

Make sure to buy something with an unlockable bootloader and official LineageOS support, then install LineageOS and live the best life for 6+ years with weekly updates

willie · January 15

Moto G Play is $100 new unlocked and comes with Android 12. I don't know of anything better in terms of hardware at that price. But, there is not official LineageOS support (yet), and Moto is not so good about software upgrades.

MichaelCee · January 15

I used the Moto G series for at least half a decade before switching to the dark side. Amazing budget phones with big capabilities.

terrorgen · January 15

Nowadays I buy phones for its camera. Those are usually proprietary so unless it has been ported to the ROMs I don't see a point of using them.

Plus I am spoiled with NFC payments. Even though I know there are ways to go around it, it just feels like more work to me.

Cheap large smartphone recommendations, please?

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