[itwasntme]

Need to buy 12 year old tween a phone with a maximum budget of 8k. Would prefer to stick to Android plus leading brands like Samsung, Motorola etc. Essential to have expandable memory (for MP3s!) and nice-to-have is 4G.

Recommendations from anyone in the same boat?

Please note that I used my first mobile at age 28 :-)

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Need to buy 12 year old tween a phone with a maximum budget of 8k. Would prefer to stick to Android plus leading brands like Samsung, Motorola etc. Essential to have expandable memory (for MP3s!) and nice-to-have is 4G.

Recommendations from anyone in the same boat?

Please note that I used my first mobile at age 28 :-)

Expand to 10k and get Redmi Note 3 (unbelievable battery). Or even Moto G3 at that price.

8k for a samsung will get something outright crappy - please don't!

[civic-sense]

Nexus 5X is not really a small phone. It is only slightly smaller than a 5.5 inch phone (ex: OPO). My wife's 5 inch MI4i feels much compact compared to the 5X. The generous bezels are only making things worse.

I wouldn't trust Google to provide updates to the 5X for 3 years. After a couple of versions, the 2GB RAM is going to be a bottleneck. I think the 5X is going to suffer the fate of Nexus 4.

The camera is superb, especially in low light. But lack of OIS is quite evident while shooting videos. Especially if you have a shaky hands. And camera app freezes up if you shoot a lot of pics in a row (not necessarily continuous shooting).

Make sure you have a case or a skin from day 1, because the finish on the plastic wears off in a matter of days (2-3 days) and then would look ugly even with a transparent case. Anyway a case will only enhance the looks as the stock phone looks no better than a cheap micromax.

But it is a good phone overall.

[kavensri]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Need to buy 12 year old tween a phone with a maximum budget of 8k. Would prefer to stick to Android plus leading brands like Samsung, Motorola etc. Essential to have expandable memory (for MP3s!) and nice-to-have is 4G.

Recommendations from anyone in the same boat?

Please note that I used my first mobile at age 28 :-)

extend your budget a bit and go for moto g3. at this price range, better to buy a phone with pure android UI (if not, at least close to it).

[GeneralJazz]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Need to buy 12 year old tween a phone with a maximum budget of 8k. Would prefer to stick to Android plus leading brands like Samsung, Motorola etc. Essential to have expandable memory (for MP3s!) and nice-to-have is 4G.

Recommendations from anyone in the same boat?

Please note that I used my first mobile at age 28 :-)

8k budget? Got for Asus Zenfone Max. Gigantic battery, 4G, expandable memory, great camera and great UI.

[Sahil]

Since the Moto E(2nd Generation) is currently discontinued what is a similar spec good smartphone with a large screen approx 5inch, good battery life (over 2200 mah), average single camera, gps and good brand with decent service back up?

My company has purchased primarily Moto E phones for the sales team for FMCG order booking via an app. Now that the Moto E is not available we need to pick another phone within a similar budget of approx Rs.6000 to Rs.7000

Also, does anyone have a contact with a corporate sales team at Samsung or other reputed mobile brands? If so, please do share as this will be a bulk purchase.

[mayankk]

App info:

For anyone still looking for a feasible reverse tethering option, try the app , er, "reverse tethering" from the play store.
The typical apps ask you to make changes on your computers lappy. Not this guy.
Works seamlessly to transfer your laptop's connection for use on your phone via USB. Trial will have a limitation of 10 minutes usage every half hour, so you can check if your phone is supported.
Do remember, though, if there is a filter blocking content on your PC, the same will apply on your phone.
I ended up purchasing it, since it cut down my plan by a GB a month.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by mayankk

For anyone still looking for a feasible reverse tethering option, try the app , er, "reverse tethering" from the play store. ...

have wifi, but still, I really appreciate that someone has done this. Nice technical achievement

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

have wifi, but still, I really appreciate that someone has done this. Nice technical achievement

Actually its for people in offices who are not using their office's wifi on the phone, or if there is just LAN.

[lordvader]

Originally Posted by mayankk

Actually its for people in offices who are not using their office's wifi on the phone, or if there is just LAN.

The main challenge is to install adb drivers on office laptop. I couldn't get that to install on mine. Without those drivers this is a no-go.

Otherwise, there is an in-built option in internet settings (windows) called internet connection sharing which actually allows reverse tethering, i.e. sharing computer's internet with other devices. Usually it requires administrative access, just like drivers.

[Mr.Beat]

Finally took the decision of heart vs brain and went ahead with the Nexus 5x.

Previous phone: Nexus 5

Requirements: 5 ish inch screen with snappy UI

Sold my 2 yr old Nexus 5 for 7.5k and bought a 1 month old Nexus 5x for 15 k.

Total amount spent: 7.5k

Pro's
Extremely fast and crisp UI
Hopefully will get updated to android N
Camera is a different league altogether
Lightweight and perfect fit for my palm ( Used redmi note 3 and Note 3 neo in the meanwhile and was not comfortable with either of them)
Sharp screen with good viewing angles and bright screen
Charges from 0 - 50 % very quickly

Cons:
Battery life is poor ( 3.5 - 4 hours of SOT)
Build quality is just like nexus 5 ( Will not last long)
16 Gb variant means, 10.5 gb space available
Speaker output is terrible


I guess, once you own a nexus phone you cannot be happy with any other UI . I am happy to carry a power bank to compensate the poor battery life rather than take a phone with good battery life but laggy UI.

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by Mr.Beat

Sold my 2 yr old Nexus 5 for 7.5k and bought a 1 month old Nexus 5x for 15 k.

Total amount spent: 7.5k

Did you do the buy sell transactions at any store or through classified sites?

[@Chaand]

Originally Posted by Mr.Beat

I guess, once you own a nexus phone you cannot be happy with any other UI . I am happy to carry a power bank to compensate the poor battery life rather than take a phone with good battery life but laggy UI.

Right said. Once used to Nexus and other custom roms, it becomes difficult to adjust to other UI's. Did you not try to get the 32 gigs Nexus 5X. This would have helped you to an extent.
The Nexus 5X uses type C charging/data port. This would mean an additional Micro USB to Type C adapter to carry as well.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Since the Moto E(2nd Generation) is currently discontinued what is a similar spec good smartphone with a large screen approx 5inch, good battery life (over 2200 mah), average single camera, gps and good brand with decent service back up?

My company has purchased primarily Moto E phones for the sales team for FMCG order booking via an app. Now that the Moto E is not available we need to pick another phone within a similar budget of approx Rs.6000 to Rs.7000

Also, does anyone have a contact with a corporate sales team at Samsung or other reputed mobile brands? If so, please do share as this will be a bulk purchase.

Redmi 2 Prime or Lenovo A6000+

Relatives have both and are very happy.

[alpha1]

Are there any phone less than 4.5 inches that have good workable specs.
I mean not everyone had hands of Goliath to maneuver the gargantuan 5.5 inch screens that are in vogue these days ...