Budget 15-20K Phone for regular use

E

Emil

Skilled
1. Budget?
A: INR 15k-20k

2. Preferred display size, type and resolution?
A: No specific preference. Would like good screen resolution and my hands are rather small. I currently use the Poco F1 which is fine in size.

3. Preferred operating system? (Android (with version), iOS, etc).
A: Android 12

4. Preferred connectivity options? (4G, 3G, 2G etc).
A: 4G essential, 5G desireable

5. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them.
A: Motorola or Samsung but not that rigid. My first smartphone was the Samsung Galaxy S2 way back when. It lasted me about 2 years. After that it has been Xiaomi all the way. I want to avoid Xiaomi because I dislike their bloatware.

6. What is your intended use for this phone (internet, camera, multimedia, mails etc.)?
A: Nothing intense. Calls, Whatsapp, several 2FA token apps, Youtube, Guitar Tuna, nothing very compute intensive. I don't use the camera much because my hands are a bit unsteady. Navigation is important so compass is a must.

7. Single SIM/ Dual SIM?
A: Single SIM

8. New or Used? Online or Offline?
A: New. Don’t mind buying online

9. Any other requirements?
A: Need good battery backup, microSD card slot if I run out of internal storage. My current phone is the top variant of the Poco F1 known as the armoured edition.

10. If you have already considered a phone, then please mention the model
A: I am leaning towards G82 or G62. Since my present phone is a 8 GB/256 GB, I was looking for 8 GB. I do not know anything about that concept of extra RAM that I read about these days. I suspect it means we can use part of the storage as RAM much like using a page file in a computer.

I have been a snapdragon fan and did not like mediatek because they seemed to drain battery faster. I do not know if that equation has changed. I am open to being convinced. I also know nothing about Exynos.
I am a senior citizen but active and still working (mostly with young people)
 
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Go for G82. It meets all of your requirements. Camera quality might be somewhat lower, so if camera is a priority then got for Samsung, preferably A series.
Emil said:
I do not know anything about that concept of extra RAM that I read about these days.
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Useful only when you do lot of multitasking. That additional 2 GB ram is virtual and it will put some strain on your memory chip just like excessive strain on SSD wears them out quickly.
Emil said:
I have been a snapdragon fan and did not like mediatek because they seemed to drain battery faster.
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The new generation MTK SoC are very power efficient. I have Edge 20 Fusion powered by 800U and I can easily pull 2 days with normal use and 3 days with very light usage.

Close to stock Android means mess bloatware, less services running in the background hence better battery.

Also note that Moto is slow with updates. But .y recent observation in mid-range phones ha e been that updates actually downgrades the phone, inducing the customer to get a new phone.
 
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I would suggest going for a Motorola phone for its clean and near-stock Android experience but recently they have been pumping out A LOT of phones in the 10k-25k range. I got my dad Edge 20 Fusion last year and its been working great for him. It did receive Android 12 update in the month of September I think. But that's late considering that the phone launched an year ago.
 
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Kaleen Bhaiya said:
Given your use case, 6 gb version should easily suffice. Unless you are using memory intensive apps like games and such, 6Gb on stock Android would be as smooth as butter.
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That is very encouraging. Thanks
The price has jumped on Reliance digital. Members here have been saying to avoid Flipkart. Is there any chance for some discount offers coming up in the near future? I am not in a hurry. My Poco F1 is working fine so I can wait for a bargain opportunity.
It may seem strange why I want to upgrade if my present phone is working great. The fact is that I have changed my battery for the second time a couple of weeks ago. Both times, the battery bloated, the second time being really bad. Now the battery is new and it is working fine. But I do not want to wait for it to shows signs of deterioration. I give myself a max of 3 months to replace my phone. So anytime in the next month or 2 is good enough for me.
 
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if you are tech enthusiastic & love to use/explore different types of apps for your daily uses/knowledge etc. then only go with STOCK ANDROID
If general user and want to enjoy good apps/UI, go with Samsung.
If unable to decide, in 2 months, keep check stock android phones & Samsung phones from friends or any reliance/croma (if they have open piece as display) or go to any second hand mobile seller shop and pretend your self as buyer and check Motorola & Samsung phone
 
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Emperor said:
if you are tech enthusiastic & love to use/explore different types of apps for your daily uses/knowledge etc. then only go with STOCK ANDROID
If general user and want to enjoy good apps/UI, go with Samsung.
If unable to decide, in 2 months, keep check stock android phones & Samsung phones from friends or any reliance/croma (if they have open piece as display) or go to any second hand mobile seller shop and pretend your self as buyer and check Motorola & Samsung phone
Click to expand...
I am not that particular about stock Android per se. I am basically annoyed by the stuff on Xiaomi phones that is intrusive and cannot be removed. For instance, when I use the text messenger, I get a MI popup that needs 2 clicks to bypass. This is just one example. I am open to Samsung phones as long as I can uninstall stuff I don't want. I have inquired in this thread about M23 vs F23 and bloatware. I would be happy if I get a response. Those phones are cheaper than the Moto G82 and I might go for one of them if they are OK
 
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Emil said:
I am not that particular about stock Android per se. I am basically annoyed by the stuff on Xiaomi phones that is intrusive and cannot be removed. For instance, when I use the text messenger, I get a MI popup that needs 2 clicks to bypass. This is just one example. I am open to Samsung phones as long as I can uninstall stuff I don't want. I have inquired in this thread about M23 vs F23 and bloatware. I would be happy if I get a response. Those phones are cheaper than the Moto G82 and I might go for one of them if they are OK
Click to expand...
You can disable that annoying stuff quite easily. Need to spend some time with the phone connected to a PC. Lots of guides abound.
 
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Most of the apps can be removed except the Security app, which causes some issues, this was last year, and I don't know the exact status today. Detailed step-by-step guides are available as both - text & visuals - on many websites & YouTube.
 
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Emil said:
Is that an installable or executable that I can run? Can you point me to it with a link please?
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github.com

GitHub - 0x192/universal-android-debloater: Cross-platform GUI written in Rust using ADB to debloat non-rooted android devices. Improve your privacy, the security and battery life of your device.

Cross-platform GUI written in Rust using ADB to debloat non-rooted android devices. Improve your privacy, the security and battery life of your device. - 0x192/universal-android-debloater
github.com github.com

You can debloat most mobiles including pixel and moto.
 
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I went ahead and bought the Moto G82 5G from Flipkart. I got a Rs1500/- discount using Citibank Debit card before November 30th. After hearing horror stories here about issues with Flipkart, I asked for Open box delivery method. Worked out fine. I also sold my Poco F1 to a local shop at a slightly better price than offered by Cashify and a much better price than the exchange price of Flipkart.
Thanks to all members who helped me with advice in this thread.
 
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