If you had £200 to spend what mobile phone would you buy

Motorola Moto G4, free of junk/bloatware, Android 6.0 Marshmallow, 16GB Storage + 256GB SD card slot,unlocked & a darn good camera.

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/motorola-moto-g4-black-sm4360ae7b1/version.asp

 

Nokia 3 might be a thought Okay phone running Nougat ~£130 sim free
Possibly Nokia 5 out in a couple of weeks £170

If you are up for a bit more than the £200 mark the Nokia 6 comes with good spec's

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/141...es-and-prices-for-nokia-3-nokia-5-and-nokia-6

Removable battery is harder to get as it increases the size of the phone by including contacts, cover clips etc, The reality is the phones are not designed to last much more than a couple of years anyway. With a fixed battery you will still get that without any real charging issues, the days of NiCad memory fails are long gone.

With most of the Android phones you can load an alternative ROM to remove the bloatware if you feel the need, but equally Android lets you turn a lot off now too, so as long as you are happy with the feel of the phone most issues can be overcome with firmware changes or launchers like Nova.

Personally I would not buy a phone running less than Nougat. Android O will be launched to the minions later this year, so it's getting on and without commitment from the manufacturer to upgrade it, you could start to see apps not working

 

I like the aluminium body, compared to the plastic one of the G4, but I wouldn't buy the G5, because it only has support for MicroSD cards up to 128GB.
But,even the Moto G5 Plus just out, is not worth the extra expense in my opinion, I would be tempted with the Lenovo P2, as it supports a Micro SD card up to 256Mb, was looking at one earlier in the week to replace a Samsung I drowned last week.

 

Argos do so called refurbished sim free mobile phones on their ebay outlet,had a few now for family/self and only difference from brand new is that its not in an original box,usually no charger just a usb lead,The 4 phones i have are returns and have not had the case opened but they have a 12 month guarantee.
Not had one go wrong,had them for 3 years plus now and if ordered before midday they deliver next day or very quick.

They also do refurbished laptops and other media stuff,not advertising them but delighted with their service.

Currently looking at the Sim Free Sony Xperia X Mobile £200

 

I had to get one with a £150 budget a couple of months back and went for the G4. Can't really do much better sub £150 but I'm not sure what extra you'd get with another £50 to spend. Never been rich enough to have a £200 budget

 

I have just resurrected my Moto G4 after putting my G5 through the wash last night. I hope the G5 will work again after a few days in the airing cupboard but who knows. It means that I have wedged my nano SIM in the G4 but it's working at the moment. Never done anything like that before to a phone - grrr.

My G4 got into a cycle of not responding to any input and even boot loader type input failed. It was difficult to even turn it off and a restart just started the problems again. I was staying in an area with poor if any signal and I convinced myself that this was part of the reason. I couldn't get another quickly so got the G5.

Once you get past the snob factor that they're both budget phones they're really very good. I don't need the storage that KIAB highlights so that wasn't an issue. The battery life on the G4 was phenomenal, I don't think the G5 is quite as good but it lasts me easily all day, possibly two if desperate and it is a removable battery so a spare can be carried if necessary. I hadn't realised that although the G4's tough glass front meant that it survived being in my work trouser pockets without so much as a scratch, the same cannot be said of the camera lens on the back which is now looking like a used skating rink. My G5 lives in a case for that reason, (equally wet at present) not that I'm looking for anything special out of the camera though.

The G4 is the larger phone, slightly thinner and there's no finger print sensor unlike the G5. The G5 needs a nano SIM (I just trimmed mine down with a Stanley knife at the time) and has a removable battery). The G5 has a rounded back rather than the virtually flat back of the G4. Neither is classed as water resistant - I think you need to look at a G3 for that. They're broadly similar in operation and the beauty of sharing all of our private lives and secrets with Mr Google means that you switch on and sign in and everything uploads to the replacement phone. I did a factory reset on the G4 last night in the hopes of a temporary solution to my laundry error and so far so good. WiFi passwords, log in details and app downloads synchronised straight away - dead simple so long as you've backed up.

Don't know if any of this helps? Good luck.

 

Don't use all the storage on my G4, only using a 128mb card, but it's nice having the 256mb option,use to have a lot of apps, but have thinned them down a bit lately.

 

Blimey - I've just looked at the price of the G5 at Argos and it's £20 dearer than when I bought it two and a half months ago. I hope mine works again once dry.

 

You can find the G5 for £154 ,so not so bad, but the G5 Plus at £200, is not worth the extra expense over the G4 or G5.

 

Don't be put off the G5 just because of the 128Gb SD card limit,& a non-removable battery doesn't bother me, no chance of it popping out when you drop your phone.

 

I've seen that at Amazon, but I have a single sim, when G5 was released UK was only getting single sim models, & I don't think that has changed.

Bought mine from here.

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/moto...b-4g-unlocked-sim-free-pa600002gb/version.asp

 

I did buy mine from Argos and I think it was actually £140 at the time. It was the best price I could get and have the phone in my hand that day. If I remember correctly, Argos were also listing the G4 at the time but it was £10 dearer and out of stock.
I've tried my laundered G5 this evening, it seems to work properly but the screen looks like a lava lamp with a selection of water bubbles distorting the display. Back in the airing cupboard....

That Amazon deal looks good and dual SIM would be useful - mine is the 2GB but that's proved more than adequate so far.

 

Quick update. Far from scientific but it would appear that a Moto G5 MIGHT survive 15 minutes of a 40° wash cycle if it's in a cheap 'slip in' case inside your overall pockets and you only ring it twice to see where you've left the bl**dy thing! It was three days in the airing cupboard and the watermarks/lava lamp effects are diminishing all the time. It is completely functional otherwise. Phew!

 

Lucky escape,prehaps a few more days in airing cupboard might still be a good idea.

 

I thought that but I was getting too hot and it's a bit cramped.