15-20K Used phone buying advice

robin3989

robin3989

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1. Budget? INR 10k - 25k

2. Preferred display size, type and resolution? Any size, AMOLED

3. Preferred operating system? (Android (with version), iOS, etc). Android or iOS

4. Preferred connectivity options? (4G, 3G, 2G etc). 3G, 4G, 5G

5. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them. Samsung or Apple

6. What is your intended use for this phone (internet, camera, multimedia, mails etc.)? Texts and emails, Reading, UPI and other payments

7. Single SIM/ Dual SIM? No preference

8. New or Used? Online or Offline? Used

9. Any other requirements?
I used iPhones 4 and 5s in the past and then switched to Mi Model A1. When A1 failed, i got a Samsung S9, which lasted till Feb 2025 without any issues though it took several damages including cracked front display glass and back glass. Even though Mi A1 offered more for less money with Android 1, it just failed in 1 year and the built was just justifying the price i paid for it. Ever since i started using smartphones, iPhone 4 and Samsung S9 are the ones that i found to be special, they were compact, well built, and can easily last 5 years.
iPhone 4, i purchased from my friend for 10k in 2012. All the other phones were purchased new but never exceeded 20k. My objective is to get a phone that can last atleast 3 years, preference is either new or used Apple or Samsung Galaxy S series and the budget is ~20k.

10. If you have already considered a phone, then please mention the model
Apple phones from X, XS, 12, 13 and the minis, Galaxy S series from Samsung (S10, S20, S21, S22, Galaxy Notes)
 
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Better to buy 13 mini in second hand for compact phones. 13 mini has better battery than 12 mini.

In that budget, I recently got cmf phone 1 @13k 6gb/128gb and it's working fine for daily use without any issues. Battery backup is also good. That said I remember it doesn't come with good ip rating. Although in my experience it was working fine in negative temparature, lite snow fall, steam and lite drizzle. I didn't like the plastic back that much. It gets dented or broken easily on impact I believe. So u need to use it with a case
 
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Compact is nice, but what's even more important is the lasting feature like the iPhones and Galaxy S series. I don't change phone unless it dies.

And between iOS and Android, i'm more inclined towards Apple, because of iOS. iPhone 13 mini, as macha mentioned is a solid candidate, but i'm not sure about the pricing in the used market for ~80% BH.

Also i'm open to Android, specifically One UI or something similar, with software updates for a year or so down the line.
 
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robin3989 said:
Compact is nice, but what's even more important is the lasting feature like the iPhones and Galaxy S series. I don't change phone unless it dies.

And between iOS and Android, i'm more inclined towards Apple, because of iOS. iPhone 13 mini, as macha mentioned is a solid candidate, but i'm not sure about the pricing in the used market for ~80% BH.

Also i'm open to Android, specifically One UI or something similar, with software updates for a year or so down the line.
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Honestly speaking, if you are inclined towards Apple, just see what you can get. Apple is always expensive & Apple buyers are fine with the premium, so maybe used iPhone 13 will fit your budget or be a bit more than that, forget any new phone. The iPhone 13 should have better camera than say Moto edge 50 neo, but in factors like display & charging speed, Moto is noticeably better. I expect battery life to be similar. OS - You have a preference here anyways. If I have to give a general recommendation, a new Edge 50 neo or NP 2a will get my recommendation over used iPhone 13 anyday (13 mini has a smaller battery, so even worse battery life than 13 or Edge 50 neo).

Regd. lasting features - Apple has always excluded some features in older iPhones even if they get latest OS updates. Pixel has done some things like this (feature disparity between Pixel 9 & 9 pro or something) & there are rumours of Samsung thinking of doing the same with Android 15. IMO phones have saturated a few years back. The hardware or software changes are no longer revolutionary year on year.

I had S20FE with Android 13 & upgraded to S23 with Android 14 a few months back. Honestly none of the AI features are a dealmaker for me, but are definitely good to have. One UI of Samsung is polished with a good set of core features, I prefer it over say MIUI or stock android of Pixel because of those rather than new AI features. Most of Samsung phones have bad hardware though, so again I don't recommend Samsung phones easily. Used S21 & S22 series are an easy n because of SoC issues. I don't know if you can find a used S23 for 25k or so.
 
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OMEGA44-XT said:
If I have to give a general recommendation, a new Edge 50 neo or NP 2a will get my recommendation over used iPhone 13 anyday (13 mini has a smaller battery, so even worse battery life than 13 or Edge 50 neo).
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Moto Edge 50 neo is seriously a great phone, but what i meant as "lasting feature" is actually the experience that a flagship build offers. For some reason the nothing phone is not appealing though it stands out from the crowd, with its unique design and reasonable pricing.
OMEGA44-XT said:
I had S20FE with Android 13 & upgraded to S23 with Android 14 a few months back. Honestly none of the AI features are a dealmaker for me, but are definitely good to have. One UI of Samsung is polished with a good set of core features, I prefer it over say MIUI or stock android of Pixel because of those rather than new AI features. Most of Samsung phones have bad hardware though, so again I don't recommend Samsung phones easily. Used S21 & S22 series are an easy n because of SoC issues. I don't know if you can find a used S23 for 25k or so.
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I'm not after the most recent AI features too, though they might become useful at some point.
Looking at the prices, like you said i too don't think a used S23 can be bought for 25k. But a used S21 or S22 or Note 20 Ultra might fall around that, i assume.

Do you suggest a used Galaxy Note20 Ultra? I'm seeing one available in olx near to my place, asking is 30k. The user has recently changed the battery at Samsung Service center. I checked cashify to get an idea, their estimate is ~19k.
 
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robin3989 said:
Moto Edge 50 neo is seriously a great phone, but what i meant as "lasting feature" is actually the experience that a flagship build offers. For some reason the nothing phone is not appealing though it stands out from the crowd, with its unique design and reasonable pricing.

I'm not after the most recent AI features too, though they might become useful at some point.
Looking at the prices, like you said i too don't think a used S23 can be bought for 25k. But a used S21 or S22 or Note 20 Ultra might fall around that, i assume.

Do you suggest a used Galaxy Note20 Ultra? I'm seeing one available in olx near to my place, asking is 30k. The user has recently changed the battery at Samsung Service center. I checked cashify to get an idea, their estimate is ~19k.
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No, easy no for all phones with Exynos, Tensor, S888/888+ or 8 Gen 1 because of inefficiency (heating & poor battery life). 8 Gen 1 & 8+ Gen 1 are the same SoC but former is made at Samsung fab & latter at TSMC, so latter was a much better SoC.

Exynos 2400 of S24 has definitely improved over previous Samsung fabbed SoCs, but TSMC fabbed Snapdragon or Mediatek SoCs are still better in general, unless OS optimisation is poor, say Xiaomi phones generally don't do well in battery test of GSMArena but Pixel 9 with Tensor is able to do well with a more inefficient SoC. S23+ vs S23FE shows how much of a difference an inefficient SoC can make.

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