Shopping for a midrange but not Samsung or Apple smartphone now!

[Jingthing]

Well my now "old" Lenovo phone is not fully cutting it anymore.

As I previously posted I've had trouble with dropped net connections and now it's apparent the battery is in decline.

So why resist?

 

Anyway, I just started shopping as said looking for a midrange phone (under 10K baht) but not Samsung and not Apple. Obviously avoiding Apple means I'm committed to Android but my avoidance of Samsung is obviously less rational. But it's just as real.

 

So usually when I shop for phones the choice becomes difficult.

 

But this time on just one visit to a shop I found the Oppo F11 pro, looked at reviews, and I'm not sure I can really do better under 10K.

 

Now the truth is I could easily live with a lower end phone like a Realme but as I don't buy phones that often, why deprive myself that way? 

 

A big change since last time appears to be the notchless trend. Not sure yet how I feel about that, but the Oppo F11 pro is indeed notchless.

The only downside I can see is perhaps it's too big, being over 6 inches.

 

Other than the Vivo V15 which it seems is a direct competitor, can people suggest other current Android phones but not Samsung that I should look at?

Edited February 24, 2020 by Jingthing

[johng]

My wife is very happy with her  Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 (4+64/128G)   5,444 baht  COD from Lazada

 

https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_redmi_note_8-review-2040.php

Edited February 24, 2020 by johng

[Henryford]

Shame you can't spend a bit more. The One Plus 7 Pro is on Lazada for 15k. It is an amazing phone, knocks the spots off any of the 10k plastic ones from Oppo/Vivo and just as good as the 20/30k Samsungs.

[CharlieH]

8 hours ago, johng said:

My wife is very happy with her  Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 (4+64/128G)   5,444 baht  COD from Lazada

 

https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_redmi_note_8-review-2040.php

Bought this at Christmas for my daughter and she is delighted with it. Very practical and useful phone, excellent camera and all the things you might need.

Very impressive fast charge time.

[jackdd]

I bought the Huawei Nova 5t a few months ago for 11k, don't have any complaints.

Recently got the update to Android 10, and can now be bought for 9k including some free goodies.

[martin26]

Xiaomi very good quality performance and great value for money been using them for several years now

[ICECOOL]

I bought an Oppo A83 instead of my usual top of the range Samsung and love it. 

Screen is awesome. Different shortcuts etc to Samsung but once you get used to them I think better. Fast and great battery for much much less than Samsung. Recommended by Samsung repair shop. 

[ronaldo0]

Htc u11 eyes can be bought for 9400 bht. Good camera , waterproof , good display , good battery life and pretty bulletproof. Dropped it loads and not a mark on it . Am looking to buy it again or get the htc e19 For around 11000bht

[schondie]

I bought an Oukitel K6000 Pro a few years ago after a recommendation from another TV member. The phone cost about 6000 baht from Geekbuying or similar website. When it's time for me to buy a replacement, I'm buying the Oukitel K7 (around 4400 baht) as it's got a massive battery and doesn't come preloaded with loads of useless apps.

[Krungbin]

Recently bought a Xiaomi 9T to replace an old HTC OneM8.  I am delighted!

[hanssna]

Very happy with my Vivo V17, was under 12K, so spend a little more than 10K and you'll be fine. 

[Iron Tongue]

Nokia 9

[Sumarianson]

I want to buy one for the other half. The camera seems to be the most important along with battery life and speed for watching movies and FB clips. Any suggestions there? Don't want to spend more than I have to as she is accident prone. Dropped iPhone x in the mop bucket, "frazzeled". Not paying that money again. Between 5 and 10 would be the ideal margin.

[Max69xl]

15 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Bought this at Christmas for my daughter and she is delighted with it. Very practical and useful phone, excellent camera and all the things you might need.

Very impressive fast charge time.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 = 4,499 Baht at Lazada at the moment. 

[Jingthing]

OK.

I should have known better.

Even though that first phone I found would probably be more than fine, I started looking more deeply and it got quite complicated again!

Then there is the issue of 5g coming. It seems by this time next year that capability will become very common, but not now.

So there have been some good suggestions here, keep them coming but it's again a matter of too many choices,

To add some things though, my priorities are:

 

Very strong battery

Decent enough memory, willing to pay extra for better specs

Decent enough current chipset

UI, etc. -- not too picky, just needs to be usable enough

Probably don't want or need to pay extra for an Anoled screen

Average camera stuff is OK, does not need to be the best

Average audio stuff is OK, does not need to be the best

Quick charge sure but doesn't need to be the quickest, prefer type C connector of course but not critical

Plastic case fine but cool design is nice

Want a headphone jack

I do not play games!

But I do watch youtube videos quite a lot, but I don't usually watch full shows or movies on my phone

I actually think these over 6" screens are too large but that seems to be the standard now

Fingerprint unlock please

Prefer dual sim not one sim plus hybrid

I've bought a phone on Lazada before and it worked out OK, but I have some preference for buying from a store stocking more popular in Thailand brands

NFS capability would be nice but don't need

5G capability would be nice but not willing to pay much extra for that 

 

As I think is obvious a midrange price phone will be more than enough for me.  

 

Edited February 25, 2020 by Jingthing

[johng]

35 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 = 4,499 Baht at Lazada at the moment. 

Damn that always happens whenever I buy something ????

 

@Jingthing    Redmi Note 8    has fingerprint unlock,headphone jack, speaker is quite loud,camera is good has dual SIM and SDcard,  but uses a pop out tray to hold SIM's and SDcard which is a bit fiddly and may not stand many  eject/insertions  if your are prone to  swapping SIMS/SD

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, Iron Tongue said:

Nokia 9

 

I don't think that fits into the OP's request for an under 10K baht model...

[Grusa]

I have had Oppo, Vivo and presently Huawei. All have been excellent. My only disappointment with my Huawei is that it does not have an eSim, the other two brands now do. The advantage of eSim is that unlike dual sims, you can roam simply by subscribing to a network without having to have a dedicated network sim. This ideal if you travel abroad a lot.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Just one thing to be conscious of when buying a new phone these days:

 

At least in "first world" countries like the U.S. (though I suspect Thailand will be further behind on this), the major mobile providers these days and in times ahead are gradually disabling/turning off their legacy 2G and 3G phone networks... in order to make room for expanded LTE and 5G bandwidth.

 

What that means is, it's going to be increasingly important now and in the future to have a phone model that supports what's called VOLTE (or Voice Over LTE).  That's because right now, most of the voice call traffic goes over the old 2 and 3G networks that are being phased out. And regular/older LTE without VOLTE does not handle voice calls...

 

I think a lot of the newer phones from major manufacturers these days are coming with VOLTE capability. But I'm not sure to what extent that's the case with the cheaper Chinese import models...  So best for the buyer to check, especially if you plan on using the phone on trips back to the home country.

 

Here's an example from the U.S. of the 2-3G phaseout / VOLTE issue I explained above:

 

https://ting.com/blog/3g-shutdown-and-volte/

 

Quote

What we’ll be talking about today is how this move to 5G will affect older 2G and 3G technology. The nationwide mobile providers will be shutting down their 2G and 3G networks. And although you likely haven’t heard a peep about it, the 2G/3G shutdown process has already begun. If you’re using a phone that utilizes older technology, you could begin to have a very poor mobile experience if you don’t act soon!

 

[Iron Tongue]

21 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I don't think that fits into the OP's request for an under 10K baht model...

Lazada has them for 9,900 baht!

[taxout]

As said above, the Redmi Note 8 is great value. Only downside for me is that both SIM slots are micro. And you need a tool (or a needle, etc) to open the slot.

 

I particularly like the way Xiaomi keeps pushing out updates to its phones. So many other makers just abandon you after you buy the thing.

[Kurtf]

I;m happy with my Huawei.Many features of the top end phones at half the price.

[CLW]

Bought Realme 5 (3GB+64GB) from Lazada when they had some promotion in September. Price was 4.299 Baht.

Until now, absolutely satisfied with it. Before I had a few midrange Samsung models, I would say Realme gives you a better value.

[taxout]

I'll mention too that phones have over the last couple of years become narrower, and that includes all the Xiaomi/Redmi phones. I find reading on them cramped compared to the phones available few years ago, but finding new phones with those old dimensions is almost impossible. Buying an old phone second-hand sounds like a good idea, till you find the battery dying on the thing after a month and factory replacements either hard to find or expensive to install, depending on the phone. So basically you're stuck with buying a new model and squinting.

[Jingthing]

2 hours ago, taxout said:

I'll mention too that phones have over the last couple of years become narrower, and that includes all the Xiaomi/Redmi phones. I find reading on them cramped compared to the phones available few years ago, but finding new phones with those old dimensions is almost impossible. Buying an old phone second-hand sounds like a good idea, till you find the battery dying on the thing after a month and factory replacements either hard to find or expensive to install, depending on the phone. So basically you're stuck with buying a new model and squinting.

Yeah, I agree. The current normal size doesn't seem at all ideal to me. I read it has something to do with Instagram users!

[Jingthing]

This guy makes a lot of sense. Beware of the HYPE!

 

 

 

[dddave]

On 2/24/2020 at 8:28 PM, CharlieH said:

Bought this at Christmas for my daughter and she is delighted with it. Very practical and useful phone, excellent camera and all the things you might need.

Very impressive fast charge time.

I also recently suggested a friend buy the "Redmi Note-8" and he is really happy with it. 

Be careful if you decide to shop Xiaomi phones, the model naming system can be VERY confusing.

The recommended phone is the "Xiaomi Redmi Note-8"   There is also a more expensive "Redmi Note-8 Pro", a less expensive "Redmi-8" also a "Redmi 8A"

Bang for the buck, you can't beat the "Redmi Note-8"

 

If you do prefer a somewhat smaller but very capable phone, The "Xiaomi Mi9 SE" has excellent specs but smaller form factor. 

Edited February 25, 2020 by dddave

[treetops]

18 hours ago, Sumarianson said:

Dropped iPhone x in the mop bucket, "frazzeled". Not paying that money again. Between 5 and 10 would be the ideal margin.

iPhone X is waterproof.

 

https://www.payetteforward.com/is-iphone-x-waterproof-heres-the-truth/

 

[taxout]

There's also the Redmi Note 8T, which comes with NFS.

 

As well, make sure you get the global version of Redmi phones. If you buy direct from China, you may get the Chinese version, which doesn't include Google Play or other Google services. There are ways to add these in, but your phone may later have problems using some banking apps in particular, since they may check if your phone has been modified and not install if it has been.

[Jingthing]

I think if I go for a Redmi Note 8 that I'd probably go for the 'Pro' version. 

 

The Realme X2 considered a direct competitor to the Redmi Note 8 'Pro' has also come on my radar.