$500- $600 Phone Suggestions

Frayin on 10/04/2020 - 18:57
Last edited 10/04/2020 - 18:57

Looking to buy two phones at $500-$600 each. Just curious what are the best buys out there in this price range? There is no real criteria for specs, except that it be android. The phones are for my partner and myself.

Would prefer:

  • Really good camera
  • Decent battery life
  • 128 gb storage if no expandable storage

but realistically, just looking for a good phone for my partner and myself. Not extremely fussed at specifications. I'll also most likely wait for a good deal to pop up on OzBargain before buying something, as there is no rush.

My current phone is an LG G6, and she'll be coming from an iphone 6s (she had a huawei nova 3e but broke it lol) .

Mobile Mobile Phone

Comments

  • Xyzzy on 10/04/2020 - 19:07
    +2

    JB have the LG G8S ThinQ 128GB, on sale for $499; if you're happy enough with LG.

    • Frayin on 10/04/2020 - 19:14

      Thanks mate, just gave it a quick look on reviews. Will see what the missus thinks!

  • kenunderscore on 10/04/2020 - 19:08
    +1

    In your price range consider the Samsung A51: 2 years warranty, 6.5 inch, all-day battery, 128gb and expandable etc. Decent camera for taking pics of family etc but not as good as flagship samsung/iPhones.

    • Frayin on 10/04/2020 - 19:17

      On first looks, the A51 looks very promising. Camera seems very good, and a big battery. Thanks for the input!

    • Frayin on 10/04/2020 - 20:02

      Might consider doing this! I'd have to buy 2 cheap Sims to port those over, as we'd need to keep our current numbers. Thanks! Hopefully the good guys around me have stock.

      • Kangal on 10/04/2020 - 21:50
        +5

        Just as a warning, this is the inferior model with their custom Isocell camera and custom Exynos 9820 chipset.

        The 2015/S6 Exynos 7420 was much superior to the Snapdragon 810.
        The 2016/S7 Exynos 8890 was decently superior to the Snapdragon 821.
        The 2017/S8 Exynos 8895 was slightly inferior to the Snapdragon 835.
        …now here's where things changed
        The 2018/S9 Exynos 9810 was much inferior to the Snapdragon 845.
        The 2019/S10 Exynos 9820 was much inferior to the Snapdragon 855.
        Again 2019/Note10 Exynos 9825 was much inferior to the Snapdragon 855+.
        Now the 2020 Exynos 990 is much inferior to the Snapdragon 865.

        The reason you don't see a huge difference between the different regional variants, is because Samsung artificially slows down their Snapdragon variants down to bring them to parity. And their IMX camera variants are also artificially adjusted to bring them to parity with their in-house Samsung camera variants. In other words, a 2020 Samsung is roughly equal to a 2019 flagship. So this 2019 Samsung is roughly equal to a 2018 flagship.

        The Samsung S10 is totally eclipsed by the likes of the Mate 30 Pro, Pixel 4XL, or iPhone 11 Pro…. all 2019 competitors. And it's still not as good as the iPhone XS or Huawei Mate 20 Pro either, but it is not as bad as an iPhone X or Huawei P20 Pro. Overall, it's roughly equal to the Google Pixel 3XL. Just to throw some information out there.

  • Barefoot Miner on 10/04/2020 - 20:01

    OnePlus 6, been a huge fan of the OnePlus phones since i swapped out from Samsung. Get all the top end specs, great camera and battery life for a great price. Stock android as well is great, gets rid of the bloatware and super snappy performance. Not sure why they don't sell them at retailers in Aus since they are huge in the US/Europe, plenty of good reviews as well.

    • Gandalf the Thrifty on 10/04/2020 - 20:40
      +1

      They soft launched the oneplus 5 and then closed shop. About to launch 8 and still closed in au site, so seems be something in our market they don't like.

  • sjtem3 on 10/04/2020 - 20:19

    Not an expert, but recently went through the same process with a similar budget and ended up getting a Xiaomi Mi 9 lite - not what I was expecting to end up with, but delighted with the outcome. It seems to have most of what the new phones dont have these days that is wanted and useful - SD card slot, headphone jack, etc - and performs usual phone functions really well.

  • Wystri Warrick on 10/04/2020 - 21:04
    +3

    Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro/ K20. I'd provide a more detailed answer but I just don't have the time ATM.

    P.s. I'm looking at getting the Xiaomi Mi 9T either Pro or non Pro, or a version of the Xiaomi Mi 9

    • Frayin on 10/04/2020 - 21:07

      Thanks mate, no worries on the details! I'm happy to look up reviews and specifications myself :D

      Thanks!

      • Nalar on 10/04/2020 - 22:35

        I have the 9T really good phone for a cheap price.

        The pop up camera scares people but I'm only keeping this guy for 3 years so I don't care if it lasts forever. I'd probably get the Pro version today because it's cheaper now and gives more RAM and can shoot 4k 60fps.

    • Wampus on 11/04/2020 - 06:51

      I bought this phone a few months back and can't recommend it enough, punches far beyond its weight for the price

  • UnknownUser74 on 10/04/2020 - 21:14

    Oppo does have some smartphones in that price range, but a downside is that the camera quality isn't that good.

  • yummypinacolada on 10/04/2020 - 22:11

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/529853

    Pixel 3a. It doesn't have 128gb memory, but at least its cheaper than your price range.

  • Kangal on 10/04/2020 - 22:49
    +3

    You might be able to snag some 2019 ex-flagships around that $600 price range.. if you get lucky. Though you should have much less trouble getting a 2018 ex-flagship under the $500 price bracket.

    On top of all this, you'll have to choose between getting a proper full-featured flagship, or a compromised phone that has good longevity. You cannot "have it all" that option is no longer available. The market started turning at the end of 2014, with the Note 4-Exynos being the standout phone that had the features and longevity. And the market made the full-conversion at the start of 2016 with the Samsung S7+ which had the features and longevity.

    …but now if you want full-features, you're going to stick to a Samsung or an LG.
    …or now if you want longevity, you're going to have to go for a Google or a OnePlus.
    Flagship (regular): LG G7, LG V40, Samsung S9, S9+, Note9
    Flagship (lucky): LG G8, Samsung S10e, S10, S10+
    Longevity (regular): OnePlus 6 (skip the 6t it's a downgrade).
    Longevity (lucky): Google Pixel 3XL or a OnePlus 7 Pro. (Pixel 3 has bad battery life, OnePlus 7t is too new, OnePlus 7 isn't water resistant).

    The market is turning again in 2020. There are no more flagship phones (flagship specs, with Headphone Jacks AND IP68 waterproofing). There's some midrange phones and gaming phones with great specs, but lack water resistance. Or there's these outrageously priced "ultra" phones which keep water resistance but they remove the headphone jack. And I expect things to continue like this for 2021 and beyond. Very soon we will be losing the microSD slot from phones as well. We've already lost these great features: User Removable Battery, IrDa Blaster, FM Radio, Durable/Metal backplates, etc etc.

    edit: the upcoming Sony Xperia 1 II looks to be the last standout. It's a proper flagship phone, AND IP68 waterproof, AND 3.5mm Headphone Jack.
    The LG V60 is in a similar boat, but it is poor software updates and locked bootloader. The Sony has a great OS with long-term support, and bootloader unlockable so Custom Roms will keep it updated for several extra years.

    • Arzak on 02/07/2021 - 11:34

      Damn, can suggest me a phone to buy?
      same needs as op.I was looking at the s10+ but unsure if it's a good buy a year later.

      • Kangal on 04/07/2021 - 01:27
        +1

        First of all, this post was more than a year ago. In some sense, the market has gotten worse (higher prices, less durability, less features, more bloated software, no proper speed upgrades in real-world conditions). But there has been some improvements (battery life, camera sharpness). So I will first try to evaluate the S10+ to current climate to see how it stacks up, then later I will look into if there's other devices that are better.

        Secondly, when discussing the S10+, make sure it's the better variant.
        Go for the one that has the Qualcomm processor and Sony camera, and one that can get it's bootloader unlocked (and hence rooted/modded). Here's an XDA thread about it:
        https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/recovery-unofficial-twrp-…

        Why this is important:
        The software (OneUI) on Samsung flagships are get priority over their midrange and low-end phones, and its moved up in quality quiet a bit since the S9 days. However, having root access would mean you could make it that slightly more efficient, and slightly faster, and add features, and some customisations… it's 100% worth it.

        This would mean the S10+ camera (with the updates + mods) will be "good quality" compared to today's flagships but not great/bleeding edge. As long as this doesn't bother you, continue on. And performance wise it would be as fast/faster than today's flagships (since all of the QSD 860/865/870/888 phones thermal throttle, and are bloated by default). Although it will be slightly less battery life (1.4 days VS 1.7 days). So overall, it's still worth it as long as:
        - priced cheap (eg $400)
        - good condition (eg light smudges only)
        - better variant (eg SM-G9750)
        - unlock bootloader, root, some light mods (eg As explained above)

        • Kangal on 04/07/2021 - 02:07
          +1

          Now is there a better phone than this?

          Yes, the first phone to come to mind is the Google Pixel 4XL (also the Pixel 5). In many ways it is not an upgrade, but in some ways it is (eg software support).

          This segue into considering the OnePlus 8 Pro or the OnePlus 9 Pro. They're also not entirely an upgrade over the S10+, more like a side-grade if you ask me. The ASUS Zenfone 8 is neat competitor to those too. Then there's the ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip/Zenfone 7/Zenfone 7 Pro, all great phones with peculiarities. Not to mention the ASUS RoG Phone 2, ASUS RoG Phone 3 and RoG Phone 5…. the big issue with ALL of these phones is that you won't find them cheap used/second-hand, and they don't sell them in Australia (so no warranty).

          The LG Velvet, LG V50 and LG V60 variants are good, but LG has closed their mobile phone division, so I'm conflicted in recommending these devices. They're probably a steal for the enthusiasts, but not for the casual. Same goes for Huawei.

          The one phone I know that is a definite upgrade over the S10+ is the Sony 1.2. And the slightly better 5.2, and the 5.3, and lastly the latest Sony Xperia 1 mk III. However, they're expensive, and not worth the price since these devices lack warranty (no more Sony-Australia). I say this because I'm itching for those phones.

          ….and that's about it.
          These are phones which either excel so much overall, or otherwise are not a disappointment for owners considering/upgrading from Samsung S10+. However, we've only looked at the mainstream flagships here…. there are high-end/midrange phones we could consider. The only ones that seems fine for me is the Samsung A52 and Samsung A72, and these are local units too. There's definitely some units (Oppo, Realme, Motorola) I would've also missed here unintentionally. But I won't recommend ones from Mainland China (Xiaomi, Redmi, Lenovo, etc etc) since most of those are not compatible with our 3G/4G radio frequencies. We will cross the 5G requirement later years when that becomes relevant.

  • Eeples on 11/04/2020 - 08:38

    iPhone SE for wifey.

    It might be a few months away, though.

  • spiderbite88 on 11/04/2020 - 09:41

    I was an iPhone user for 10 years and still like them, but I switched over to the OnePlus 7 Pro for something different. It's very good. Highly recommend

  • matictac on 12/04/2020 - 07:48

    OnePlus 6. Awesome phone, have been thinking about upgrading mine to something else, but there's a serious doubt that anything else I buy would be as good.

    Chances are you could get two secondhand for $600.

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