this post was submitted on 11 Sep 2023
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Yeah...

Sorry this is a week late. Too busy funposting elsewhere on Lemmy this week.

Previously on Lemmy:

Past Discussions:

Not much to write about, rules are the same as the one for midrange guide. Price range would be 0-300 USD for the States, and use your local currency as appropriate.

I would like to see people list some interesting budget models that we don't usually talk about here this week for sure.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (7 children)

If I were to buy my own cheap phone, from my preferred local store, I would be limited to pretty much Samsung, and Chinese phones such as Xiaomi.

From experience using an extended Wifi (open area, multiple routers and extenders), Samsung models seem to have the most problem on the edges. People with Chinese phones (and in general, iPhones) don't seem to have this problem. So, Samsung is out for me. I would consider Samsung if my regularly-used Wifi signal is strong.

These damn phones last more than 3 years. Having a 2-3 year update policy (normal for cheap Chinese phones) are pretty wasteful. Therefore, the phone should be likely to support custom ROMs. For this purpose, Xiaomi is it.

Xiaomi models come with either MediaTek or SnapDragon CPUs. Since phones are often used a security device (2nd factor and such), having a hardware-backed storage is something to be desired. For this purpose, SnapDragon is it.

Two models I end up with:

XIAOMI Redmi Note 12 4G (8+256) ~USD$ 172

  • CPU : Snapdragon 685 (Octa-Core 2.8GHz)
  • RAM : 8GB LPDDR4X
  • ROM : 256GB UFS2.2
  • Display : 6.67" AMOLED 120Hz
  • Back Camera : 50.0MP + 8.0MP + 2.0MP
  • Front Camera : 13.0MP
  • OS : MIUI 14 (Android 13)
  • Battery : 5000 mAh

XIAOMI Redmi Note 12 5G (8+256) ~USD$ 245

  • CPU : Snapdragon4 Gen 1 (Octa-Core 2.0GHz)
  • Back Camera : 48.0MP + 8.0MP + 2.0MP
  • OS : MIUI 14 (Android 12)
  • Rest same as above.

Sorry about no price ranges. This store usually sells phones on the lower half of the spectrum, though. So, let's say they are mid prices.

I would personally would grab the 4G version. Faster CPU. Possibly newer Android. I am on Wifi most of the time. Don't need 5G.

[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Yea, if your area sells Xiaomi phones, they're very hard to beat. The Note series at this stage offers fast refresh OLED screens, a decent SoC, cameras, and enthusiast favourites like SD card slot and headphone jack. Shame the higher end versions drop the card slot, but you do get OIS in the main camera. All-in-all a very complete package that is hard to beat.

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