Mid-range smartphone recommendations

[Nyezhov]

Daocat what do you think of the Nokia 6.1

[daocat555]

Thank you guys.  It was fun to compare the Nokia 6.1 with the Nokia G6 Play, and the Asus ZB570TL to the Asus ZB601KL.  

 

Compare Nokia 6.1 vs. Motorola Moto G6 Play - GSMArena.com

 

https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=8953&idPhone2=9173

 

For me, the Moto G6 Play is much better than the Nokia 6.1, and the Asus ZB579TL is much better than the Asus ZB601KL.  For me, body size (particularly width) is very important.  If you use a case the case adds width, but the width you start with is still important.  A note on the sound output of the Nokia 6.1 (67 dB max voice) and the Moto G6 Play (66 dB); these are pretty bad values.  Do you guys ever get a phone call in the evening when you are in a bar?  Good luck with that kind of sound output.  

 

Gsmarena.com said in their review of the Moto G6 Play.

 

The G6 Play is a bit quiet, especially in its default mode, with the audio equalizer turned off. Speaking of which, it's a bit odd that Motorola decided to provide a really in-depth audio equalizer, for the single, underwhelming speaker.

 

My favorite among these four phones is the Asus ZB570TL.  73 mm wide and 160 grams this model has a 5.7 in screen and a 4130 mAh battery.  For 5,990 baht at Lazada, I think, that's a pretty good deal.

 

Nyezhov; daocat the troll can happily add that with a 75.8 mm body width housing a 5.5 in screen, a weight of 172 grams getting you a battery of 3000 mAh, and an outrageous 8,990 baht price at Lazada, the Nokia 6.1 is clearly a dog.....with fleas.

 

We all know where the independent shops are who repair phones, and which brands are better supported by Authorized repair shops, so for sure consider that when purchasing.

[Nyezhov]

4 minutes ago, daocat555 said:

Thank you guys.  It was fun to compare the Nokia 6.1 with the Nokia G6 Play, and the Asus ZB570TL to the Asus ZB601KL.  

 

Compare Nokia 6.1 vs. Motorola Moto G6 Play - GSMArena.com

 

https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=8953&idPhone2=9173

 

For me, the Moto G6 Play is much better than the Nokia 6.1, and the Asus ZB579TL is much better than the Asus ZB601KL.  For me, body size (particularly width) is very important.  If you use a case the case adds width, but the width you start with is still important.  A note on the sound output of the Nokia 6.1 (67 dB max voice) and the Moto G6 Play (66 dB); these are pretty bad values.  Do you guys ever get a phone call in the evening when you are in a bar?  Good luck with that kind of sound output.  

 

Gsmarena.com said in their review of the Moto G6 Play.

 

The G6 Play is a bit quiet, especially in its default mode, with the audio equalizer turned off. Speaking of which, it's a bit odd that Motorola decided to provide a really in-depth audio equalizer, for the single, underwhelming speaker.

 

My favorite among these four phones is the Asus ZB570TL.  73 mm wide and 160 grams this model has a 5.7 in screen and a 4130 mAh battery.  For 5,990 baht at Lazada, I think, that's a pretty good deal.

 

Nyezhov; daocat the troll can happily add that with a 75.8 mm body width housing a 5.5 in screen, a weight of 172 grams getting you a battery of 3000 mAh, and an outrageous 8,990 baht price at Lazada, the Nokia 6.1 is clearly a dog.....with fleas.

 

We all know where the independent shops are who repair phones, and which brands are better supported by Authorized repair shops, so for sure consider that when purchasing.

What about the Nokia sturdiness?

 

My problem with a lot of these new phones is they are loooong. im so used to square. Im running an Honour 6 and now the Huaweii Mate is in the picture too...

 

And I hate glass back fones because I beat the shit out of them. And I hate Huaweiis Android mods. And I like clean Android. And what about the software updates?

 

Dude who called you a troll?

[daocat555]

Me, I am calling me "the troll".  Oh great, more phones to research, I'm on it Nyezhov.

 

By the way, the Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite is clean Android, no MIUE, with expected frequent software upgrades (please see Topic "Pute Android OS").

 

For sure I pay attention to the length of any phone I look at.  As for a glass back; do you crack the glass?  Dude, not so rough with your Mobile.

[Nyezhov]

2 minutes ago, daocat555 said:

Me, I am calling me "the troll".  Oh great, more phones to research, I'm on it Nyezhov.

 

By the way, the Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite is clean Android, no MIUE, with expected frequent software upgrades (please see Topic "Pute Android OS").

 

For sure I pay attention to the length of any phone I look at.  As for a glass back; do you crack the glass?  Dude, not so rough with your Mobile.

I went through two ZTE big old glass phones in 3 months. I have cracked the camera glass 2x on my Honor. I am active 555555

 

I just looked at the Xiaomi and it gets poor reviews from the experts.....

 

Wouldnt the better comparison be between the Nokia and the G6 not the play?

 

The thing I like bout the Nokia is that it is the "retro" non glass more square style with a print reader on the back where it belongs. The G6 is on the front.

 

As for sound, I dont want to talk to anybody anyway and I use BT speaker or earphones 555

 

Am I going to notice that much of a performance difference between Nokia and Xiomi

[daocat555]

I really like the Nokia 6.1 Plus.  Small bodied and light, with a big (albeit IPS) 5.8 in screen with 1080 x 2280 resolution and 435 ppi, and a fingerprint reader on the back.  It does have a glass back and Lazada has it for a terrible price.  It might be in the mall, or the International sellers have it for a good price (eg Cool Cool , 7,667 baht).

 

Running Oreo 8.1 with 4/64 memory, an 80.62% usable display area (per devicespecifications), and having an Antutu score of  109,000: there is much to like about this phone.

 

From Digital trends:

 

We’re not entirely sure if the Nokia 6.1 Plus will ship with Android 8.1 Oreo or Android P. However, no matter what it ships with, you will be sure to get Android P, since its part of the Android One program.

Android One phones run a stock version of Android and feature Google’s artificial intelligence-powered innovations like Google Lens baked in. Additionally, you get monthly security updates as well as a streamlined Android experience.

 

Nokia 6.1 Plus (Nokia X6) - Full phone specifications

 

https://www.devicespecifications.com/en/model/9c3b4b96

 

Nokia 6.1 Plus: Price, features and where to buy

[Elkski]

You phone geeks.    

[SooKee]

Great deal on the Xiaomi Mi 8 with AIS at the moment, their current flagship AFAIK.  10,990 with a contract at 699 pm.  17,900 still from Xiaomi Thailand.  Superb phone!

[Nyezhov]

1 hour ago, SooKee said:

Great deal on the Xiaomi Mi 8 with AIS at the moment, their current flagship AFAIK.  10,990 with a contract at 699 pm.  17,900 still from Xiaomi Thailand.  Superb phone!

I'm done with flagship phones. Ya ever drop a Samsung into a pile of bloody Moose guts?

 

No phone over 10000 Baht need apply

[SooKee]

Yeah, it's 990 baht out, oh well ?

[Nyezhov]

48 minutes ago, SooKee said:

Yeah, it's 990 baht out, oh well ?

with a contract.

[SooKee]

Yes with a contract.  699 pm, I'm with AIS now and pay that anyway.  YMMV.

[Nyezhov]

22 minutes ago, SooKee said:

Yes with a contract.  699 pm, I'm with AIS now and pay that anyway.  YMMV.

Well yeah, Im not doing a contract.

[YorkshireTyke]

Daocat, what would you recommend for me ?

 

I am replacing my Xiaomi redmi note 3.

 

I want to spend 5-6k

 

I like the fingerprint scanner on the Xiaomi, makes it easy to open and secure. The downsides are although the camera is 16/5 pixels the photos are poor, despite having an 'armoured' protector I have broke the screen twice, and now the battery is 'bulging' and gets very hot when charging. I live in Hua Hin and at the moment there is no support for Xiaomi, cannot even buy a screen protector here. I had to source a replacement screen my self from Lazada, along with screen protectors.

 

So, it gets light use, I always carry it in my shorts pocket so I don't want a large heavy phone, I take a lot of photos of my son (not selfies, I'm too ugly for that !), I mainly use Line and similar apps, I don't play music on it so not bothered about speaker quality and a fingerprint scanner would be nice.

 

My friend has a 3 year old Oppo which has a camera with far less pixels than mine but takes fantastic clear pics every time so I was sort of favouring Oppo then after reading 10 pages of recommendations there is so much choice out there.

 

So at the moment its Oppo, not sure which, maybe A83 or Huawei, maybe Y9, I don't want Xiaomi this time, any suggestions ?

 

Edit: min 3GB, 3 or 4 will suffice.

 

Thanks.

Edited August 26, 2018 by YorkshireTyke
Add 3gb

[daocat555]

YorkshireTyke; please read the posts in the Affordable Smartphone topic as many people have brought some good ideas there.  The first comparison below is for the Oppo  A83, the Huawei Y9, and the Samsung J6, all available at Lazada.

 

Compare Oppo A83 vs. Huawei Y9 (2018) vs. Samsung Galaxy J7 (2018) - GSMArena.com

 

Comparison between: Samsung Galaxy J6 (2018), Huawei Y9 (2018), Oppo A83

 

For 5,552 baht in 3/32 the Huawei Y9 is my least preferred model of the three.  It's 75.3 mm wide with fairly big side bezels.  I found it not particularly comfortable to hold my last phone in one hand while talking which had a similar width.  The Oppo A83 is 4,350 baht in 2/16 at Lazada and is 73.1 mm wide, a bit thinner than the Huawei and 27 grams lighter.  The Oppo is very affordable but I wouldn't expect much with respect to it's camera or it's performance.  The Samsung Galaxy J6 (2018) is 4,859 baht at Lazada in 3/32 and has the smallest screen but it is Super Amoled, and with a body width of 70.2 mm it's easy to hold in one hand.

 

I recommend a soft protective case and not the hard protective cases.  For the Samsung that would set you back 88 baht at Lazada.

 

Venture to an International seller and you can throw caution to the wind, buy the lastest Chinese off brand model, and rest assured that whether in Hua Hin or Bangkok you won't have local support from your friendly seller.  I will hopefully have an Umidigi One Pro in my hands in the next week, so I am going to give feedback on that model when and if I get it (dealextreme...yikes).

 

So just to throw out two models what you get in the newest phones is a better screen-to-body ratio which gives you a bigger screen in a narrower body.  The display area % of the first three phone models ranged from 76.18% to 76.91% and on the below phones from 81.79% to 82.26%; their screens are 5.85 in or 5.9 in and their body width 71.4 mm or 72 mm.

 

Comparison between: Leagoo S9, UMIDIGI One Pro

 

Just some ideas off the top of my head.  I'll reread your post again latter and think about some other models to show for your consideration.  Too bad you don't want a Xiaomi this time (bad ringtones?).  I would like to ask you why you don't want a Xiaomi this time, as I have been recommending some Xiaomi models left and right in the Affordable Topic.

[YorkshireTyke]

Hi Daocat

 

The A83 model I would get is the 3GB/32 at 5,990 on lazada, with possibly 8% discount. 

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/oppo-a83-2018-332gb-inbox-i167240667-s382440267.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.1.54081f920iZsww&search=1

 

I thought I explained the reasons why not a Xiaomi this time, screen broke twice, battery is swollen and bulging so it is pushing the phone apart, very poor picture quality, no parts available in HH at the moment. Also the on/off button now is very slow to work, have to push very hard and wait a good few seconds for it to work, the guy who changed the screen for me had to get me to turn it on as he couldn't do it.

 

Other plusses I didn't mention are I like the Mi remote for my A/C as my A/C remote is temperamental but i'm sure there are apps for that anyway and a hidden file feature so I can hide my passwords etc........

[daocat555]

The link you give for the Oppo I think gets you a good phone with excellent value.  I didn't like the ringtones of my Huawei Y7 so I told myself I wouldn't get another Huawei.  I think Xiaomi has improved build quality since Jan 2016 when the Redmi Note 3 was released, but my point is going with your feelings about a Company is reasonable.  Specification wise so many of the Chinese phones are so similar.  I did like the wallpaper of my ex-Huawei and was wondering how to port it to my Meizu 15.  But then I really like the wallpaper I found on the Meizu, so maybe if I get an Oppo R17 Pro I'll bring to the software wizards here the question how to port wallpaper (or now is okay; anybody?).

 

I found three soft cases for the Oppo ranging from 45 to 85 baht; the screen protectors are a bit more expensive.

 

I think it's fun to speculate on which 6,000 baht phones offer the best camera.  Not Xiaomi as the camera is usually a weaker feature of a Xiaomi.   It's raining pretty hard outside so I think I am going to research that issue right now.  Thank you for bringing the Oppo A83 to this topic; a nice phone.

[YorkshireTyke]

Ring tones and wallpapers are the last thing on my mind. It's the phones performance which is the only considertaion for me.

[losworld]

1 hour ago, YorkshireTyke said:

Hi Daocat

 

The A83 model I would get is the 3GB/32 at 5,990 on lazada, with possibly 8% discount. 

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/oppo-a83-2018-332gb-inbox-i167240667-s382440267.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.1.54081f920iZsww&search=1

 

I thought I explained the reasons why not a Xiaomi this time, screen broke twice, battery is swollen and bulging so it is pushing the phone apart, very poor picture quality, no parts available in HH at the moment. Also the on/off button now is very slow to work, have to push very hard and wait a good few seconds for it to work, the guy who changed the screen for me had to get me to turn it on as he couldn't do it.

 

Other plusses I didn't mention are I like the Mi remote for my A/C as my A/C remote is temperamental but i'm sure there are apps for that anyway and a hidden file feature so I can hide my passwords etc........

Contrary to this I have found Xiaomi phones to be reliable well built and priced very competively I have owned three with no complaints.  

[YorkshireTyke]

18 minutes ago, losworld said:

Contrary to this I have found Xiaomi phones to be reliable well built and priced very competively I have owned three with no complaints.  

I agree, they sell bucketloads of 'em, and I was all set to buy another , probably 6a?  They have a lot of features I like but the photo quality is too crap.

[daocat555]

Of course it's very sensible to value a phone's performance over wallpaper and ringtones.  However the performance of a soon to be purchased phone is never known.  Not like how past performance in known, as losworld has had good performance from his three Xiaomi's and you did not from your one Xiaomi.  At least with respect to ringtones and wallpaper I know for sure what I like.

 

Okay kind of quick and dirty here are four models as compared on kimovil. Two are known entities, the Nokia 6.1 Plus and the Leagoo S8 Pro, along with the Meizu 16X (not yet announced), and the upcoming Oppo R17 Pro (which has been formally announced but not released).

 

Pricewise the Nokia 6.1 Plus is a whopping 12,999 baht at Lazada (4/64) but at Aliexpress with free shipping it is $221. ( 7,207 baht, 4/32 version).  The Leagoo S8 Pro is $194.99 ( 6,353 baht).  

 

The Oppo R17 Pro, I believe, will have the best camera by far of any phone, anywhere, and will cost more than the list price of $640 if prices on the R17 are any indication as they are presently being offered by all sellers at higher than list price (including direct from Oppo!)..

 

The Meizu 16X is expected to be priced less than 9,000 baht from International sellers.  Kimovil, I believe has the camera specifications wrong on their rumored specs. Reliable rumer sites (how's that for an oxymoron) report the camera of the Meizu 16X as being dual 20 MP and 12 MP and that it will have OIS!

 

For me, I am eating more from street vendor's to save up for the Oppo R17 Pro (okay I did last night, probable won't last).  I think it might be cool to have a mobile with the best camera, but probable I should think further that it will be a fleeting accomplishment.  Newer sensors from Sony are going to lead to some very nice cameras in 2019 phones.

 

My take on the four.  Nobody here is going to buy a Leagoo S8 Pro.  It was the cheapest phone I could find with a dual high resolution cameras.

 

The Nokia 6.1 Plus is a known entity, it has a full review at gsmarena and the camera has EIS.

 

The Meizu 16X is reliable rumored to have OIS, which matters a whole lot more than number of pixels, and I expect it to be the best "all around value" of any phone.  Buy it, and hope they have that single tree in a lush green field as viewed from a wooden porch as wallpaper.

 

The Oppo R17 Pro should have a camera setup which is the cat's meow.  I want one.  Not for pride of ownership, really, I like photography.

 

Thank you everybody.  Keep posting please.

 

https://www.kimovil.com/en/compare/leagoo-s8-pro,meizu-16x,nokia-x6,oppo-r17-pro

[Nyezhov]

Daocat, my dude just brought me a 6.1.

 

I cant comment on specs, becasue I havent really used it yet to the max. But it seems faster than my Honour 6x.

 

And I cant tell you how nice it is to have almost stripped out Android with none of the fewgaws and gimcracks manufactureres and carriers add on.

 

Styling wise, its so yesterday. But it is built like a tank and looks so good I ordered a clear case for it. Plus it has the fingerpring sensor in the right place (under the camera).

 

Build quality is important to me because I beat equipment up.

 

Gave my buddy $260 for it (8460B). It is a US model so Im covered. My only complaint would be 32gigs, but I can work around that.

[daocat555]

Happy for you Nyezhov.  That phone suits your style nicely, and looking at pictures of it I love the black with copper accents and everyone should love Android One.

 

DIGITAL TRENDS calls it the best budget phone of 2018 and I would say you got it for a fair price.

 

Smooth move, Dude.

 

 

[Nyezhov]

18 minutes ago, daocat555 said:

Happy for you Nyezhov.  That phone suits your style nicely, and looking at pictures of it I love the black with copper accents and everyone should love Android One.

 

DIGITAL TRENDS calls it the best budget phone of 2018 and I would say you got it for a fair price.

 

Smooth move, Dude.

 

 

Thanks. the pureness of the Android is refreshing and the phone itself does not look like a budget phone, of which I had several...I went through two ZTEs in 4 months. the ZTE was a Great display, huge, classy looking but buggy and fragile...somehow me and the glass backs dont make it..

 

Now Im gonna see if I can get the glass on the camera of my Honor 6x fixed, any suggestions?

[YorkshireTyke]

I've done some more painstaking research, I'm fed up of reading about CPU and Rom  and pixels !

 

However, I am posting my findings for anyone else who is looking for a cheap good camera phone.

 

This website has at no 3 Sony Xperia XA1 and says 'You will struggle to find a better camera for this low price'.

https://www.t3.com/news/best-cheap-smartphone

 

So a XA1 is available from Lazada at the fantastic cheap price of only 3,990 Baht. 3/32GB

 

So I looked at it on GSM and things look OK then GSM gives you more headache by giving you comparisons to look at ! So it's rival is the Experia XA1 Plus which can be had for 5,790 at Lazada in Blue or 5,990 in Black. Same camera, 23 mp, but 4/32 GB and other upgrades I like especially fingerprint sensor although it's on the side and not the back.

 

GSM then give a rival to this the Xiaomi Mi A1 at only 4,790 on Lazada 4/32 GB, fingerprint sensor and dual lens camera......

 

Decisions, decisions, decisions............

[Nyezhov]

6 minutes ago, YorkshireTyke said:

I've done some more painstaking research, I'm fed up of reading about CPU and Rom  and pixels !

 

However, I am posting my findings for anyone else who is looking for a cheap good camera phone.

 

This website has at no 3 Sony Xperia XA1 and says 'You will struggle to find a better camera for this low price'.

https://www.t3.com/news/best-cheap-smartphone

 

So a XA1 is available from Lazada at the fantastic cheap price of only 3,990 Baht. 3/32GB

 

So I looked at it on GSM and things look OK then GSM gives you more headache by giving you comparisons to look at ! So it's rival is the Experia XA1 Plus which can be had for 5,790 at Lazada in Blue or 5,990 in Black. Same camera, 23 mp, but 4/32 GB and other upgrades I like especially fingerprint sensor although it's on the side and not the back.

 

GSM then give a rival to this the Xiaomi Mi A1 at only 4,790 on Lazada 4/32 GB, fingerprint sensor and dual lens camera......

 

Decisions, decisions, decisions............

I find that fingerprint sensors on any part of the phone other than the back render it useless

[HAKAPALITA]

Must say that over time my Family has found Apple vey reasonably priced due to no faults


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[YorkshireTyke]

26 minutes ago, HAKAPALITA said:

Must say that over time my Family has found Apple vey reasonably priced due to no faults


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Which Apple phone are you recommending in the mid price range?

 

[HAKAPALITA]

Lazarda do recons It on their website . Reaso i chipped in is because all the others we had break Battery overheats Dead in a year , os slow, many things Apple hasnt don, just saying, initialy expensive but long term not so, this is top one but unnecessary realy Never bought fromm Lazarda but they do a recon from 12K



Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[daocat555]

 

There were many good posts on both the Mid and Affordable topic, and a new topic; rugged phones, by a new poster, and I think that topic is a nice addition as rugged phones have their own niche.

 

For me, optical image stabilization and optical zoom are two essential features of a phone's camera.  My nominee for the current best value in a phone with a good camera is the Meizu 15.  It's similarly prices at three or four stores at Aliexpress.  With a new user coupon the phone is $301.49 (9,823 baht) at the link given below.

 

Oryginalny Meizu 15 Globalna Wersja 4 gb RAM 64 gb ROM Snapdragon 660 Octa Rdzeń Telefon komórkowy 5.46 "1920x1080 p Ekran 20MP Dual Camera w Oryginalny Meizu 15 Globalna Wersja 4 gb RAM 64 gb ROM Snapdragon 660 Octa Rdzeń Telefon komórkowy 5.46 "192

 

I didn't know Lazada had the Sony Xperia XA1 for 3,990 baht (3/32, black) and I think that's a quality camera in a quality phone.  I do not think that the Xperia XA1 Plus is a good value at 5,790 baht or that the Xiaomi Mi A1 is worth much at all these days, certainly not 4,790 baht.  I say that because, I think, the Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro and other phones come into play as the price gets to 5,000 baht.  

 

But I'm adding the Sony Xperia XA1 to my list of the art form know as "best sub 4,000 baht phones".

 

Concerning flip phones I don't think there needs to be a topic on them but I'm currently reading about possible upcoming flip phones; and there's a lot there, especially the probably $2,000+ Samsung SM-W2018.

 

Apple phones, I believe, tend to have quality build, quality camera, and they hold their value well if you want to sell yours used.