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Help me pick a midrange Android phone?

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daddydave:
I am window shopping at this point, and have a few other expenses I need to take care of first, but I am thinking of deviating from my normal path of buying a smartphone without the phone and getting a smartphone with a phone. Just so you know, I don't plan on using that much data, and sync things wirelessly from home as much as I can. I don't talk or text that much either, I am currently using a Net10 dumb Java phone for $15 for 200 minutes every month. So I am a bit of a cheapskate so I will try to use a non-contract plan if at all possible. I am looking at Android phones only, and trying to find the exact right one for my needs, that isn't too expensive to pick up as a non-contract phone. I am in the United States.

(Updating requirements slightly from original post.)

Requirements (for Phase 2 phone, see update at bottom)

- Something I can pick up on, say, ebay or swappa for about $150-200 (this is probably the most difficult requirement)
- Replaceable Battery (learned my lesson with iPod Touch)
- 802.11n wi-fi (not just g)
- GPS
- Camera (I'm not too picky)
- No QWERTY hard keys
- At least 10 hours of battery life
- People can hear me on the other end of the "line" (not sure how to determine this without trying it)
- AMOLED or Super AMOLED or anything where I can read it outside in daylight. The phone will be an e-book reader among other things
- REVISED: Born with Android 4 (ICS): capable (rooting OK -- my current rule of thumb is 1Ghz or higher processor Now I have read too many stories about GPS breaking when flashed with ICS)
- At least 3.5" screen, preferable closer to 4"
- Decent RAM (learned my lesson with iPod Touch generation 2 -- seems like Windows Mobile 5 was smarter about virtual memory, not sure how Android rolls)
-    Quad band GSM (maybe I will get a chance to use as a world phone although I am too much of a homebody currently)
- Vibrate notification capable (I mention this because my iPod Touch 2 unexpectedly did not have this)
- REVISED: 2G 900,1800, HSPA+ 1700 and 2100 (This takes care of 3G in U.S. (T-Mobile) and India. Also want quad band 2G. But wait, there's more: in 2013, T-Mobile will push their HSPA+ band to 1900 to make way for LTE, so I need some flavor of HSPA at 1900 too!
- NEW: Speakerphone (to remind myself to check. Samsung Dart (Android 2.2) doesn't have)
- NEW: 32GB storage internal or upgradable to such using a card - (had this in my head but forgot to mention earlier)
- NEW: Supports a carrier which provides a combined voice and data plan of between $30-35 per month (T-Mobile or Virgin Mobile -- however Virgin Mobile doesn't seem to be able meet the multiband requirement, they are U.S. only as far as I can determine)


Negotiable

- Scratch resistant glass
- NEW:8 MP camera

- In spite of the required quad band GSM support, I would like it to be either Verizon 3G network capable (if I go with Page Plus prepaid 3G plans, which use the Verizon network) or Sprint network capable, in which case I go with PlatinumTel. (obsolete section - see above band requirements)


So far the Motorola Photon 4G looks pretty good, and they seem to have good battery life, something that rules out a lot of otherwise solid contenders. Some of those are available used at close to my $200 limit. (swappa link). Any thoughts here?

UPDATED: As time went on, I had a thought to wait until later to buy a phone that meets all the requirements. That brought to mind that I should by a cheaper phone, which I called a Phase 1 phone, to use in the interim (I do in fact need a new phone, two things about my current one are not working, although it makes calls OK)

For Phase 1, the following requirements become optional
- Usable outside the USA
- Android 4.0 (still preferred, but there is a way to get Devanagari script on older versions, so I can try that)
- Replaceable battery

A requirement for Phase 1 is that the cost should be around $100 or less.

off topicMan those list tags went crazy on me. Replaced them with hyphens

KynloStephen66515:
How about this: https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=galaxy_nexus_hspa

daddydave:
How about this: https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=galaxy_nexus_hspa
-Stephen66515 (June 27, 2012, 08:19 PM)
--- End quote ---

If I can see a used one somewhere for around $200, I'll consider it. Seems to overshoot that requirement quite a bit, so I didn't look to see if it met the other requirements.

Renegade:
No real recommendations, but if you're in the US, phones are significantly cheaper than other places. Also, you might want to check out used phones as you're likely to be able to pick up a good one for far below the going rate for most new phones.

If you want an ICS capable phone, that's going to be a newer one though. Not sure if you'll be able to get that on a lower budget though. Being in the US will help there.

For cameras, if you see anything with BSI in it, that's a major plus. (Back Side Imaging - makes pictures MUCH clearer than others. Samsung proprietary camera sensor.)

Rover:
Self confession:  I am an Android phone whore. 

In Dec. I "upgraded" to a Samsung Nexus (google phone) on Verizon.  I despised the battery life and bought the "big" battery.  It was OK with careful monitoring.  Radio's seemed weak.  So I imitated my Profile Icon one night and "lost" it.  Turns out it was just dead on my couch (found it next day), but I needed a phone so I headed to VZW and picked up a RAZR Maxx.  I'm in love.  Best phone I've owned since my thumbwheel, monochrome blackberry. 

It doesn't have ICS yet, but I don't really care.  Batt. life is sick.  Radios seem much better than Nexus.  I was able to root and install No-cost Wifi Access point with minimal effort after visit to XDA-Developers.

I'm not sure if that helps our friends over the pond, but I hope it helps someone.  :P

These were not my first two 'droids.   :huh:  :-[

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