My ghetto mobile setup consisting of cheap prepaid phone and iPod Touch is no longer adequate. Time to get something that can run Waze, an email client and Google Calendar.
Current alternatives are the Moto G 3rd Gen.
and Nexus 6
. The former is newer but more stripped-down, the latter a slightly older model with a bigger, nicer screen and may be faster. Nexus is on sale so the respective prices are close enough. Moto is smaller, water resistant, may have longer battery life – important qualities.
I’d be grateful for any thoughts on which phone to buy. Thanks.
I’ve got the Nexus 6 and found it very good, particularly the large screen. Should you be into that sort of thing it’s not too difficult to root or replace the OS on. Battery life is not great (though not particularly bad).
I got a used iPhone 5S on ebay for $300 and an impressed by the quality of the design – no plastic and the ergonomics of iOS 9.
But you didn’t ask about the iPhone :-)
Bought a cheap ass Sony Xperia M, from about 2013 or so. $100 and cut my bill to $45 from $80 with about the same service.
Good little phone, good GPS, great battery life, sounds really good as a phone. Will run all the stuff you need.
Sorry. I carry a scratched and battered 3G Samsung of indeterminate vintage. I’m routinely mocked for the device every time it comes out of the pocket. Nice to see a response in “The Portuguese”. Obrigado.
My Moto G (3) arrived a couple of days ago, and my T-mobile SIM just got here. I have not placed a phone call on the Moto yet. I rejected the Nexus 6 because I thought it was too big, and I don’t like buying previous generation devices (too many incompatibilities). The new gen Nexus is $450.
Only you know your true preferences. Buy whichever. If it isn’t adequate, buy another until you find one you like. When you stop liking it, buy another.
I’ve stopped caring about battery life so much. External battery packs are so cheap ($10-15 for large ones from Amazon on sale often times) that I just carry one with me all the time.
I’ve been using a Samsung S6 for about 6 months now and loving it.
Thanks to all for these helpful comments.
I just replaced a 5-year-old Nokia with a $100 Moto G second gen. The only difference I remember between the second and third gen is no 4G on the former, but I rarely use phone company’s data so I don’t care. It came with Android 5.0.2 and the Motorola webpage says it will be upgrading to Android 6 soon.
I would suggest Nexus 6. Compare to most other android phone on the market, Nexus doesn’t have any additional software added to the OS, its most pure android experience on the market. Battery life should not be problem, just switch on the battery saver mode and switch off data and GPS that will extend you battery life. Nexus phones are also popular with people who like to create there own custom OS, so it be easy sell the phone and get some money back from your purchase.
Thanks. I think the Moto G also doesn’t have much if any added software.
I see the Nexus is no longer on sale, so I’ll probably hold out for a while longer.
Don’t forget your Apple Watch :) Ha ha.
I get a lot of value out of my iPhone because it is connected to my Mac. I can use iMessage to get ahold of people and it is free and easy to communicate.
I can’t communicate with Dan because he is android.
I think that if you have a Mac – hell I am writing this on a 2011 Mac Book that I upgraded the memory and installed an SSD on – and get a recent vintage iPhone – you’ll be trucking along pretty well at a decent price.
But that’s just my 2 cents.