Future Minded 5g+4G Phone ($200- $400) with 256GB Storage, Faster Charging (20watt+?), Great Screen Brightness

TiredKitty78 on 30/09/2023 - 12:26
Last edited 30/09/2023 - 12:27

Hi, re-considered my phone requirements.

5G for future usage, currently nicely in Vodafone 4g. Hey, it works for me.

Looking for a phone, and a huge caveat i'm finding is getting one with at least 256gb storage, or that comes with a micro sd-card slot. Seems they really want to bend you over and make you pay for those Gbs.

I've noticed a bright screen is important to me - harder to see in the summer sun in low brightness. So i need a fast charging-ish phone, with 4000mah+ battery. Current one is 5000mah. I can take smaller if it charges pretty fast. 50% in 20mins maybe? 'Easier' to replace battery would be nice. But i think that is likely a bit of a 'gimmick' to. The…what? Nokia 42 is 'fixable' and 'replaceable'. It was basically the same as replacing the one in my current phone. Now displays, displays are a biatch.

  • Fast charging - big priority - 20watt+? 50% in 20mins??
  • USB-C, faster data transfer?
  • Good battery 4000mah+, 'replaceable'.

  • Bright screen, that doesn't age start to 'dim' - ??? - faster

  • Future-proofed, newer wifi, bluetooth - fast data transfer, security updates. I keep my phones until the battery starts to go or new features are worth the upgrade

  • 6gb of RAM, though 4Gbs seems to do my current phone fine.
  • Responsive, just works. Messages and calls chime, etc. Great, great, cheap china phone seemed to have some quirks with this.
  • Size, 6in - 6.3in. Don't want a brick, weight… current is 185g-ish.
  • Good heat management? Current phone gets hot when busy (duh, you say) and in summer. But what can you do, right?
  • We all like good audio, speakers.

Not sure what else is worth putting in there. Really, i think fast charging is a huge consideration. Yes i know we're told it trashes the battery, i'm happy to find a good middle ground, then replace it in a couple years.

Mobile Mobile Phone

Comments

  • spackbace on 30/09/2023 - 12:34
    +1

    Future-proofed
    $200- $400

    Pick one of those lines, not both…

    Maybe have a look here - https://www.ozbargain.com.au/tag/mobile-phone and see what stands out to you…

    • TiredKitty78 on 30/09/2023 - 13:54

      Well future-proof-ish

      I could take it up to $500 for that but i'd prefer not to…

  • neoleo on 30/09/2023 - 13:39

    Recently I bought OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G. The price I got was less than $440. It's a new phone that has just been released few months ago. You can check detailed specs through google gsmarena.

    5G
    5000 mAh not easily replaceable for most phones anyway.
    USB C for new android phones are compulsory by Google.
    Snapdragon 695 5G processor. Don't choose Snapdragon 8xx if you don't like too hot, max 7xx processor is good enough.
    67 watts (big, faster charger)
    6.7 inch, 195 g still okay for men
    IPS LCD display, 120 Hz (Choose 60 Hz can save more battery and RAM).
    8 GB RAM (can be expanded to 16 GB by taking internal storage)
    256 GB or 128 GB options, not much difference in price ;-)
    Bluetooth 5.1 but doesn't support Qualcomm aptX Adaptive audio Codec I reckon. Support aptX, aptX HD
    WIFI 5. Not newer WIFI 6 but how many WIFI 6 routers out there? Maybe not even in your home. Always choose 5 Ghz for faster WIFI, not 2.4 GHz.
    3.5 audio jack and stereo speakers.
    Hybrid dual sim card (put 2 simcards or 1 simcard and 1 memory card).
    Fast security update, I got September security update already. This phone will get updates until android 15.

    I bought online through Kogan (different seller). Use Kogan free trial to get cheaper price <$440. Just type the name of the phone. You can check other websites too. Now it's up to you.

    • TiredKitty78 on 30/09/2023 - 13:58

      I've seen versions of that Nord phone around in my searches. Sounds pretty solid!

      Might be the size that gets me though.

      My phone is large already at 6.3". Might have to go look at ones sized the same to get an idea of if it's a deal breaker….

      EDIT: I should ask. Have you see any 'quirks' from this phone. Something that doesn't quite work, but is forgiveable. I'm finding my phone isn't always alerting me to incominv messages+calls, but that might be a software issue….

      • neoleo on 30/09/2023 - 14:08

        Incoming messages and calls are fine. But recently I used external USB OTG but cannot read files anymore. I think I'll reset the phone, maybe I messed up the setting. Most people don't use USB OTG (like USB drive), so maybe fine.

        • TiredKitty78 on 30/09/2023 - 15:38

          Oof, i'be been known to use the OTG usb drives, something to consider, though probably minor 😬

    • GordonD on 30/09/2023 - 14:09

      The phone you bought sounds very similar in spec and price to the OnePlus Nord N10 5G I bought from Kogan just under 2 years ago. And I badly regretted it afterwards because it was a grey import, and it was IMEI-blocked from working on the only network in Australia that had 5G in the area I lived in. All I could get out of Kogan was a $30 credit towards a future purchase from them.

      I ended up having to buy another phone a year later, again with about that spec and about that price, that was sold and warranted and actually guaranteed to work on all networks here in Australia by its manufacturer. An Oppo A54 5G.

      Grey-import phones from Kogan that the manufacturer has chosen not to sell here aren't a bargain.

      • neoleo on 30/09/2023 - 14:13

        IMEI blocked? Was it a stolen phone? I'll try 5G from Boost Mobile soon (Telstra 5G network too)

      • spackbace on 30/09/2023 - 14:17
        +2

        IMEI-blocked from working on the only network in Australia that had 5G

        That's unlikely, most likely is it didn't support B28

        • GordonD on 30/09/2023 - 14:20

          It may be "unlikely", but it happened. It was IMEI blocked because that carrier says clearly "approved" phones, and that carrier had it flagged because it was a grey import. A year later and suddenly it was working on all networks.

    • gyrex on 01/10/2023 - 10:49
      +1

      Does VoLTE and VoWiFi work on Telstra networks with Oneplus phones these days? In the past it didn't work because Telstra locked them out.

  • GordonD on 30/09/2023 - 14:17

    OP, on my second try I ended up with an Oppo A54 5G.

    You can buy them from Harvey Norman for $238, and other places for similar. Put a microSD card in it. I just bought a couple of 256GB ones for $26 each.

    • neoleo on 30/09/2023 - 14:27

      The problem is android 11, maybe only get update until Android 13. This is why I didn't buy this Oppo A54 5G

      Less powerful processor too Snapdragon 480. I think better at least Snapdragon 6xx until 7xx.

      • TiredKitty78 on 30/09/2023 - 15:42

        Probably a good call on the processor….

    • TiredKitty78 on 30/09/2023 - 15:58

      The A78 5g is looking good, except not quite as fast charging at 33watts.

  • mskeggs on 30/09/2023 - 14:47
    +1

    Oppo find? Looks like the x5 lite or x3 neo are in your budget. I’ve been super happy with my x2 neo. Only drawback is single sim.

    • TiredKitty78 on 30/09/2023 - 15:42

      I've seen that one around, it does look promising….

  • shxhshzhz on 30/09/2023 - 16:17

    Edge 30 Neo $299 if there's stock left.

    Features that match:

    • 68W fast charging 4020mAh battery
    • Bright OLED screen
    • Two years security left, updated to Android 13
    • 8GB RAM
    • Snapdragon 695 5G + 120Hz should be very responsive
    • 6.28" screen, very light device only 155g
    • Stereo speakers
    • TiredKitty78 on 30/09/2023 - 17:51

      Almost perfectly acceptable except there's only 128gb of storage and no sd-card.

      I guess i could 'make do' but do you really want to 'make do' with a new phone?

      • shxhshzhz on 30/09/2023 - 17:52

        for $300 I could

        • TiredKitty78 on 30/09/2023 - 17:57

          Yeah, it's a tough one. Wait and spend another $200 to get a phone with more storage, or get this one a likely find yourself getting annoyed frequently because, well there isn't enough storage. Kinda death by a thousand cuts you know? 😬

  • TiredKitty78 on 30/09/2023 - 17:53

    To reply to my own thread, the 'Poco x5 pro' looks really good, but $500+ which is out of my price range. Maybe it'll come on sale soon around christmas?

  • merivetio on 01/10/2023 - 07:29

    It doesn't necessarily trash the battery, phone/battery manufacturers are improving the tech to minimise the amount of degrading (and some phones already do a decent job of it today)

    Avoid using the phone during the fast/ultra fast charging to minimise battery degradation

    https://youtu.be/UpqaQR4ikig?si=7_ogaE6zhd-tpBgg

  • BigBirdy on 02/10/2023 - 09:36

    Oppo Find X5 5G Lite (8gb RAM, 256gb storage, sd card), has been on sale a few times for under $300 (I paid $271), and probably will again. Or Motorola Edge 30 Neo.

    • TiredKitty78 on 02/10/2023 - 15:22

      I've seen some bad reviews, how are you finding it?

      • BigBirdy on 02/10/2023 - 16:54

        I'm happy with it. It replaced a Huawei Nova 5T, which was a surprisingly good phone for it's price. Daytime photos are good. I've only taken two night shots, flash off, and they came out a bit darker than I'm used to, possibly just a settings issue (like enabling flash LOL). Battery lasts 3-4 days of light use. Face recognition and fingerprint scanner work well. Plenty of good & cheap covers on AliExpress.

        I looked at reviews before buying, and they were very positive. What are the negatives you've seen?

        • TiredKitty78 on 03/10/2023 - 14:36

          Honestly, i think it was just a brief glance on office works website 😅

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