Help. Smart phone recommadation

[roger101]

I have finally decided to buy a smart phone, I have resisted the temptation for years but the other day stuck indoors because of the rain  I would have liked to call Bolt for a taxi.

What I want is a cheap phone as long as its got reasonable camera with a prepaid sim. Being an ignoramus when it comes to technology it needs to be simple and easy to use. I don't necessarily need all the bells and whistles of on expensive phone.

I looked at Dtac  and others  but just get confused about what is available and what it means. I will still use my normal phone for speech

and SMS.

I know most people out there have and use smart phones and have done for years so I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction.

Looking forward to your replies.

[lopburi3]

In same boat but do not want anything to do with the tablets they call phones today.  About the only small choice for reasonable price seems to be about 5.45" models or to buy very old used models.  Xiaomi Redme 7a appears to be a contender and more recent Huawei Y5P (but no access to Google for Huawei products).  From experience it is very easy to drop and smash screen on large/thin phones.  

[Chris.B]

Good price and specs for a Samsung phone..............

 

Samsung A12

[Chris.B]

28 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

From experience it is very easy to drop and smash screen on large/thin phones.  

 

Use a phone case and a screen protector then you will be okay.

 

[Jeffr2]

I'm a samsung guy.  I've tried most of the cheaper types, but they just don't work as well and easy as the samsung.  Spend a few extra baht, IMHO, it's worth it.

 

My wife has the S20 plus and the camera and screen are amazing.  No need for a regular camera any more!

[mvdf]

Consider one of the Nokia smartphones. They are not expensive and Nokia phones are known for their longevity and clean presentation (no "bloatware" such as unnecessary or redundant apps).

 

Samsung A series phones are also reasonably priced. Look into the A22 or A52. Cheaper ones have less RAM and might lag and cause frequent bouts of ripping your hair out from frustration. 

 

 

 

[ronster]

Motorola g9 play for about 4000bht is decent phone or if you want similar with great camera the g30 for 5900. These also have great battery life and very easy to use with good display and speed.

Redmi 9t lite or just 9t is also good as is redmi note 10,10s and 10s pro.

After weeks of looking at reviews of many I opted for the redmi 10s 6gb/128 model as it has everything I need , looks good , fast , good display , 64mp camera and battery that lasts 2 days easy . It is almost identical to the pro version except the pro has a 108mp camera and was around 1800-2000bht more . I paid 5800 for mine from lazada .

[Will27]

1 hour ago, Jeffr2 said:

I'm a samsung guy.  I've tried most of the cheaper types, but they just don't work as well and easy as the samsung.  Spend a few extra baht, IMHO, it's worth it.

 

My wife has the S20 plus and the camera and screen are amazing.  No need for a regular camera any more!

He's after a cheap phone without "all the bells and whistles".

 

The S20 is hardly a few Baht more.

Edited November 5, 2021 by Will27

[Will27]

OP

 

There's quite a few good threads on here.

Would really be helpful if you give your budget so people know what to recommend.

[tonray]

I swear by Vivo phones. My first smartphone was Vivo...still use as ebook reader and over WIFI (old android not secure for financial apps anymore). The Huawei I replaced it with sucks big time. Soon going back to Vivo...GF also has Vivo...rock solid and cost effective.

[mvdf]

I swear by my iPhone 13 Pro Max and pre-ordered Pixel 6 Pro. You can't go wrong apart from their price.

[hotchilli]

12 minutes ago, tonray said:

I swear by Vivo phones. My first smartphone was Vivo...still use as ebook reader and over WIFI (old android not secure for financial apps anymore). The Huawei I replaced it with sucks big time. Soon going back to Vivo...GF also has Vivo...rock solid and cost effective.

Had a Vivo Y19 for a couple of years now, no issues.

Easy to use, slim, good camera... 5,999 baht at the time.

 

 

[Jeffr2]

27 minutes ago, Will27 said:

He's after a cheap phone without "all the bells and whistles".

 

The S20 is hardly a few Baht more.

Understood.  Just saying spending a bit more is sometimes worth it.  And S20's are available used at pretty good prices.  My S10 is working great and they're selling at a pretty good discount.  It's a fantastic phone.

 

https://www.techradar.com/uk/reviews/samsung-galaxy-s10

 

If you don't need the absolute latest and greatest, the two year-old flagship remains a great device with specs and cameras that will still be competitive. The Galaxy S10 is far from the newest phone from the brand, but it remains a powerhouse, especially at the discounts it's getting two years after its release.

[DPKANKAN]

2 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

I'm a samsung guy.  I've tried most of the cheaper types, but they just don't work as well and easy as the samsung.  Spend a few extra baht, IMHO, it's worth it.

 

My wife has the S20 plus and the camera and screen are amazing.  No need for a regular camera any more!

Samsung also. Pay about 40 baht per month for AIS sim, plus I also have a second sim card from LINE. 189 baht a month. 100 minutes free calls and 5GB WIFI.????????????????

[Jeffr2]

7 minutes ago, DPKANKAN said:

Samsung also. Pay about 40 baht per month for AIS sim, plus I also have a second sim card from LINE. 189 baht a month. 100 minutes free calls and 5GB WIFI.????????????????

Great setup!!!!  I think I'm at 350B per month or so for my DTAC package.  Too much for me, but since I'm not in Thailand much, I just quit paying and after even 6 months, I've still got my number!  Just top up and I'm ready to go! LOL

[sqwakvfr]

Samsung AO2.  Very affordable, small storage, average processor and adequate performance.  In the US it was under $100 unlocked.  I think some of the shops have them.  I would not buy a phone from one of the major cell phone companies.  

[hereforgood]

3 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

Samsung AO2.  Very affordable, small storage, average processor and adequate performance.  In the US it was under $100 unlocked.  I think some of the shops have them.  I would not buy a phone from one of the major cell phone companies.  

I convinced the friend to get one of these he was not familiar with the use of smartphones at all and he didn't want to spend a lot of money he's had it for about 6 months and he's very happy with it the reviews on it are not very good at all and I'm not sure why in any event inexpensive solid starter smartphone

[Eaglekott]

Get a secondhand, 1-2 year old iPhone, easy to use and very price worthy and usually you can use them for many many years.

 

I have a iPhone 3Gs here that is 11 years old, I have been using it as a backup phone and a phone I lend to visitors from other countries, 

This morning I notice the battery has swollen, and we will se if we can replace the battery. 

[Chris.B]

4 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

I'm a samsung guy.  I've tried most of the cheaper types, but they just don't work as well and easy as the samsung.  Spend a few extra baht, IMHO, it's worth it.

 

My wife has the S20 plus and the camera and screen are amazing.  No need for a regular camera any more!

The Op wants a cheap phone and you recommend a Samsung S20 plus at 16,000-17,000 baht! ????????

[Cake Monster]

Seriously consider a " Vivo Y 11 " Phone.

Large screen

good Memory ( expandable )

Fairly fast in use

5000ma Battery life

Good Camera

And you will see some change out of 4000 Baht

Then just sign up for an AIS pay as you go account, that way you can put as little or as much into your Account for usage

Any Phone you buy, ask for the Phone to be demo,d for you and you can see how easy they are to use.

I was the same as you a Year ago, and this was the route I chose to take, and it worked fine for me.

[robblok]

15 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

In same boat but do not want anything to do with the tablets they call phones today.  About the only small choice for reasonable price seems to be about 5.45" models or to buy very old used models.  Xiaomi Redme 7a appears to be a contender and more recent Huawei Y5P (but no access to Google for Huawei products).  From experience it is very easy to drop and smash screen on large/thin phones.  

I think it also depends on the phone got an S10 from samsung and it has gorilla glas and it dropped it more then a few times without problems. I think the cheaper ones dont have the really strong glas. Just read up about it, others can explain it better.

https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/gorilla-glass-victus-future-smartphones-all-in-the-glass/

[Jeffr2]

1 hour ago, Chris.B said:

The Op wants a cheap phone and you recommend a Samsung S20 plus at 16,000-17,000 baht! ????????

I guess you missed my other post...

[PeachCH]

Check out 

INFINIX NOTE 10

 

Great phone for the price. 6.95 screen, 6 MB / 128

Good camera

[lopburi3]

26 minutes ago, robblok said:

I think it also depends on the phone got an S10 from samsung and it has gorilla glas and it dropped it more then a few times without problems. I think the cheaper ones dont have the really strong glas. Just read up about it, others can explain it better.

https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/gorilla-glass-victus-future-smartphones-all-in-the-glass/

Thanks but really don't want to spend 30,000 baht for very limited use.  He just wants for taxi tracking and that would be about all I would need.  Last attempt was Samsung A01 which fit the bill OK at 1/10th the price but screen totally smashed on first drop so no great loss.  

[xylophone]

I recently posted on a similar thread with regards to buying a smart phone, which I have never needed, but MAY need with all of this Covid/re-entry paraphernalia going on, and I got a few good replies, including a PM from a poster who gave me some good information with regards to my needs.

 

I had let this fade into the background until yesterday when a friend of mine who was waxing lyrical about his second-hand iPhone kept saying to me that I should get one, because I can watch YouTube on it – – I told him I never watch YouTube. He then suggested that I can plug earphones into it and listen to it, something I told him that I don't want to do.

 

I told him that I have my computer at home and I answer my emails in the morning and sometimes later in the afternoon, and that's all I want, because I don't want them following me around. However he couldn't understand that because he is tapping away all of the time, and always complaining about being stressed out – – I wonder why.

 

Getting back on track, I did look at a smartphone or two and I don't want a large beast to carry around, and the smallest I could see which MAY be of interest to me would be the Samsung J2 (which I believe is still available) and the Apple SE (the smaller one).

 

It would be used only as a phone and I don't want any other apps on it apart from those applicable to Covid and immigration.

 

Perhaps the OP would like to look at the Samsung J2 as an option.

[robblok]

17 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Thanks but really don't want to spend 30,000 baht for very limited use.  He just wants for taxi tracking and that would be about all I would need.  Last attempt was Samsung A01 which fit the bill OK at 1/10th the price but screen totally smashed on first drop so no great loss.  

I would not spend that much either, the S10 is no longer that expensive. Point being that you should look at mobiles that were top of the line but no longer. These have better glas as never but cheaper models. I would not advise people to go for the top of the line. I feel 30k is lot. I buy a phone every 2-3 years. 

[Chris.B]

40 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Perhaps the OP would like to look at the Samsung J2 as an option.

Bought my grandson one of these a couple of years ago. Extremely limited memory which made it hard to run anything. I would avoid this phone.

 

Go for the Redmi Note, another good phone but make sure you are getting the Global version from a Thai reseller.

[Gsxrnz]

Anybody's first smartphone (or computer, motorcycle, car, house, stereo system, watch, camera, wife) needs to fit the following description: 

 

As cheap as possible and you ain't gonna be broken hearted if you lose it, break it, have it stolen, or decide you want a more up to date and younger model.

 

 

 

[xylophone]

41 minutes ago, Chris.B said:

Bought my grandson one of these a couple of years ago. Extremely limited memory which made it hard to run anything. I would avoid this phone.

 

Go for the Redmi Note, another good phone but make sure you are getting the Global version from a Thai reseller.

Thanks for the feedback Chris, however I don't want to run anything on it, although the OP may be different, but judging by his posts his needs aren't that much different to mine.

 

As I said I don't want to run anything on it, I want to be able to make phone calls and receive them, as well as send an SMS or two.......oh and have the vaccination stuff on it. Also of course it is small.

 

That's it........so do you think it will cope?

[Chris.B]

40 minutes ago, Gsxrnz said:

Anybody's first smartphone (or computer, motorcycle, car, house, stereo system, watch, camera, wife) needs to fit the following description: 

 

As cheap as possible and you ain't gonna be broken hearted if you lose it, break it, have it stolen, or decide you want a more up to date and younger model.

 

 

 

Agreed, and when they say they don't want to use it for anything other than as a phone they soon change their minds! ????