Hi all,
I am in the market for getting a budget smartphone. Basically, I just need to be able to check emails, browsing, video calls e.g. teams, zoom skype etc.
Small footprint and lightweight are preferred.
Even better if there is bonus going round.
Any recommendations?
Thank you.
Honestly 100 ish is good. 200 prob max.
No preference on network tbh.
Do you know how often this deal comes about?
Looking to get within a week ideally
For a cheap network locked phone, check the woolworths/coles/bigw/target/kmart/officeworks/jbhifi weekly or monthly catalogues in their mobile section. Look for whatever network phone has the biggest discount. From a 30 second glance there isnt anything particularly special this week. Sometimes there are ok promos ticketed in store too/ just check out the mobile cabinet while in woolies/coles.
The A13 recommendation below is a good bet if you want to spend a bit more. Its a good basics phone & because its Samsung it will "just work" without any weird software quirks like some of the ultra budget phones. The hardware is very average but thats not necessary for what you want. What is useful with going Samsung is the software validation. Because they are popular/common app developers bother to ensure everything just works.
You also wont get locked into a particular network if it turns out one has reception issues you didnt know about or you want to swap to a cheaper provider.
The 12 month sims are also the best value set and forget option for light use. You can get cheaper churning to a new provider every month (I have actually made money on my phone/internet this year via cashback) but sounds like you dont want the hassle.
Just keep an eye out here for a good 12 month sim. https://www.ozbargain.com.au/tag/prepaid-mobile-plan
Thank you!
Thanks for the recommendation.
If buying network unlocked, what would you recommend for network plan? No need for big data quota since most likely just checking emails, light browsing and zoom calls maybe but rare.
You can get a second hand 1st gen iPhone SE on eBay for fairly cheap, around the $100 mark. Still runs beautifully, quite snappy (although it is not getting iOS 16).
Nice small size too, refreshing from the phablets of today.
What is your price range for "Budget".
If ~100 wait for a network locked phone on promo from your network of choice.
If more, most of the $100-$200 phones are interchangeable. The ones that are total garbage are immediately obvious with a quick google search. The network unlocked super budget phones are often as bad/worse than the network locked cheap ones. Those carrier subsidies matter.
If more.
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/700816
A referb previous gen higher end phone also becomes an option at this point. The older referbs are often more capable than the modern budget phones if you get a good deal.