Looking for smartphone

[tomos]

Some thoughts about lower-to-mid-range phones if anyone considering:

Considering the Pixel 6a which is very similar to my last, the Pixel 4a 5g.
[...]
I suspect I could get something similar even cheaper. Would be willing to pay more for a better camera though.

-tomos (June 30, 2023, 06:27 AM)

I couldnt find anything under €/$ 500 with a better camera, so ordered the 6a.
Its main con for me is only available with 128GB and no SD expansion.

The 7a has a better processor, better refresh rate, its camera has more megapixels -- but doesnt seem to make much better images (so not worth the extra €100 to me).

If you're not such a fussy beggar re the camera, there's probably lots of good options out there. One that looked very interesting to me was the Samsung A53. Didnt take eSIM though and I wasnt convinced enough to go order a new SIM card.

[MilesAhead]

Some thoughts about lower-to-mid-range phones if anyone considering:

Considering the Pixel 6a which is very similar to my last, the Pixel 4a 5g.
[...]
I suspect I could get something similar even cheaper. Would be willing to pay more for a better camera though.

-tomos (June 30, 2023, 06:27 AM)

I couldnt find anything under €/$ 500 with a better camera, so ordered the 6a.
Its main con for me is only available with 128GB and no SD expansion.

The 7a has a better processor, better refresh rate, its camera has more megapixels -- but doesnt seem to make much better images (so not worth the extra €100 to me).

If you're not such a fussy beggar re the camera, there's probably lots of good options out there. One that looked very interesting to me was the Samsung A53. Didnt take eSIM though and I wasnt convinced enough to go order a new SIM card.

-tomos (July 03, 2023, 05:29 AM)

Hey.  I had a OnePlus Nord N10 5G phone.  I was hoping for an upgrade with faster charging, more Ram etc..  The first attempt by OnePlus was a phone with 65W charger but less Ram and not as much storage, plus it cost $100 more than the N10.  I held out and the end of June they released the Nord N30 5G.  It was an enhanced N10 5G basically.  It comes with a 50W charger instead of 33W.  8 GB Ram instead of 6 GB.  The same 128 GB storage and the same open spot in the Sim tray for a micro sdcard.  Plus the Qualcom processor is a bit better.  The screen refresh rate is 120 FPS instead of 90.  The cameras are improved but I don't really know much about them.  I am not into photography.  The main disappointment was the fingerprint unlock got uncoorperative after only 3 days.  But that was kind of a blessing in disguise because it provoked me to try face unlock.  Turns out it is much smoother than using the fingerprint.  With "lift to wake" setting enabled I just lift the phone and look at the screen and the padlock shows unlocked.  Then swipe up to go to home screen.

I think it is a good buy for $270 USD.  The main drawback getting phones from Metro by T-Mobile is they seal them.  You need to be a phone tech to change the battery.  But that aside I especially love the charging.  The N10 could take 15 minutes to go from 99% to 100%.  This N30 goes from 72% to 100% in about 20 minutes.  And the charger still fits in my cargo pocket.  Another thing I like is it is Android 13 and works well with Hyperion Launcher.  The main feature of Hyperion is it will save and restore home screen layouts.  Saves unscrambling a botched home screen by hand.

So far I have to say I like the phone.  But I haven't watched much streaming yet.  I got a Lenovo Laptop with 2.5K res so I try to watch vids with that.

[tomos]

the Nord N30 5G.  It was an enhanced N10 5G basically.  It comes with a 50W charger instead of 33W.  8 GB Ram instead of 6 GB.  The same 128 GB storage and the same open spot in the Sim tray for a micro sdcard.  Plus the Qualcom processor is a bit better.  The screen refresh rate is 120 FPS instead of 90.
[...]
I think it is a good buy for $270 USD

-MilesAhead (July 28, 2023, 02:12 PM)

Sounds very good to me 

[MilesAhead]

the Nord N30 5G.  It was an enhanced N10 5G basically.  It comes with a 50W charger instead of 33W.  8 GB Ram instead of 6 GB.  The same 128 GB storage and the same open spot in the Sim tray for a micro sdcard.  Plus the Qualcom processor is a bit better.  The screen refresh rate is 120 FPS instead of 90.
[...]
I think it is a good buy for $270 USD

-MilesAhead (July 28, 2023, 02:12 PM)

Sounds very good to me 

-tomos (July 28, 2023, 04:17 PM)

Thanks.  There is a setting to keep it in High Performance mode.  Even with that setting off the Snapdragon cpu seems snappier than the old one.  I am sure the additional 2 GB Ram also helps.  But I have to admit once on the charger for a few minutes it seems to kick up a gear and the wait to full charge is not tedious.  I don't think it has gotten down to 50% charge yet.