Phone shopping Q1 2019

Tek7

CGA President, Tribe of Judah Founder & President
Staff member
I bought a Nexus 6 a little over 3 years ago and it's been a fantastic phone (except for the few occasions when it hasn't).

I'm considering buying a replacement, but one of my top picks, the Nokia 8.1, is not for sale in the US yet. Other top picks such as the Pixel 2 XL are way too expensive.

So if I want a powerful phone with a gorgeous screen and a fingerprint sensor (preferably on the back of the phone) and don't want to spend any more than $400 (and would prefer to pay $300 or less), what are my options?

I'd be running the phone on a GSM network, so a CDMA radio isn't a requirement.

Interested to hear from some of the other tech heads in the community. :)
 
Sorry, I know practically nothing about the latest generation of phones. I'm still running an iPhone SE and probably will continue to do so until it dies or becomes progressively slower.
 
I bought a Nexus 6 a little over 3 years ago and it's been a fantastic phone (except for the few occasions when it hasn't).

I'm considering buying a replacement, but one of my top picks, the Nokia 8.1, is not for sale in the US yet. Other top picks such as the Pixel 2 XL are way too expensive.

So if I want a powerful phone with a gorgeous screen and a fingerprint sensor (preferably on the back of the phone) and don't want to spend any more than $400 (and would prefer to pay $300 or less), what are my options?

I'd be running the phone on a GSM network, so a CDMA radio isn't a requirement.

Interested to hear from some of the other tech heads in the community. :)
first of all..what do you want the phone to actually do?
 
unless you are gaming tons..you do not need any of the flasghip phones. If you spend more than 5-600 you have overspent.
 
first of all..what do you want the phone to actually do?
Everything. :D

In short, I want a Nexus 6 with more processing power, a fingerprint reader (preferably on the back), and a great camera.

The Moto G7 Plus sounds like the closet fit at the most reasonable price, but it won't sell in the US. Since I don't plan to use a CDMA network, I'll probably just wait for it to go on sale on Amazon and buy it when the price is reasonable.

unless you are gaming tons..you do not need any of the flasghip phones. If you spend more than 5-600 you have overspent.
I do play games on my N6 and I'd like something with a little more horsepower. I agree that $500 is too much for a phone, so I'm aiming for $350 or below. (For reference, I paid $250 for my N6.)
 
I do not know if cricket supports fully unlocked phones or not..even though they are an ATT subsidiary.
never mind on that one cricket REQUIRES an unlocked phone. just about anything snapdragon 700 series or higher will be faster than the nexus 6 you are rocking now. that's really all you are probably going to need. Stay away form the pixel..used or otherwise..if you put android poop on them they become worse than anything on the market. I am on my third and a client of mine is on his second.(this includes the pixel, pixel 2, pixel 3). Google's hardware quality control is terrible. Unfortunately the pixels are also the ones that do not suffer from carrier or manufacturer bloatware and get fast updates.
edit looked up the motos..the 600 series isn't too bad and should serve you ok. If you can see if the att store has any of them on disaplay..that way you can at least try one before you buy it..but otherwise they look like decent phones..and good for the price.
 
edit looked up the motos..the 600 series isn't too bad and should serve you ok. If you can see if the att store has any of them on disaplay..that way you can at least try one before you buy it..but otherwise they look like decent phones..and good for the price.
Do you mean the Moto G6 series?

I would have considered the G6 Plus, but with the G7 Plus announced a few days ago, I might as well wait and see if I can snag one on Amazon. It won't support CDMA networks, but Sprint is terrible here and Verizon is too expensive. (I'm also wondering how long Sprint and Verizon are going to cling to CDMA tech.)
 
Iphone8?

runs and hides
I WILL FIND YOU

Just kiddin'. I know some folks love their iPhones, but my views on technology and ownership conflict with Apple's philosophies.

That being said, I do have an iPhone 4S that's still operational and sees regular use as a Pandora receiver in the living room thanks to an aux cable and my wife's stereo system from the mid-90s. I also have an iPad 2 that I received for free that I use regularly for media streaming.

But for a phone, I want a stock Android device or a device capable of running stock Android. The beauty of Motorola phones is that they stick as close to stock Android as any company out there. I can't stand Samsung's interfaces (again, personal preference, not a knock against Samsung fans) or bloatware, so Motorola gets an A++ in my book.

I'm going to wait and see what phone manufacturers announce at Mobile World Congress at the end of this month and then probably try to import a Motorola G7 Plus some time in March and switch from Google Fi to Cricket.
 
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