100$ no contract android phone?

niffcreature

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 2, 2010
Messages
143
Man, there are so many phones out there I can't possibly do this research myself.
I would like:

- GSM
- Android upgradeable to 4.0
- WIFI
- Dual core 1ghz+
- Good battery life: specifically with WIFI on so I guess that means a bigger battery? I don't have a data plan, I don't even need 3g.
- Touch screen, no keyboard... unless its half qwerty? just kidding...
- At least 3mp camera, 720p video, not a big deal, I'd like a flash though
- The catch: I don't like big phones, so 4" max screen size, but I'd like a bright screen with some decent resolution (meaning higher than VGA)

Basically the only phone I've noticed is the Motorola Atrix, should I be getting something better for 100$?
 
Yeah, GL with finding anything with those specs at $100. You might get luckt on Craigslist finding something. But 4" died with the introduction of dual-core CPUs in Android phones. The best you'll see with those specs are 4.3" or higher with the exception of the Atrix, which never got 4.0 (officially) I don't think.

I would save another $100 and get a Galaxy S2 or Galaxy Nexus or something like that.
 
Captura? I think you meant captivate. :D
Thanks though I'm considering it now.

I would save another $100 and get a Galaxy S2 or Galaxy Nexus or something like that.

The only possible reason I would have for doing that is if the battery life was significantly better on WIFI. Unless you can give me another reason. Sorry, I like my phone to actually fit in my pocket.
 
hahaa
my pants might be a bit different

ironically i'm currently wearing "jeggings" with no front pockets :p

wish i could find that meme with the guy with like a 11" netbook in his back pocket, lol
 
You might be able to find a used LG G2x for that price. Not exactly a good phone, though, and you'll need custom ROMs for 4.0+.
 
Galaxy nexus used is great. The phone is not as large as the screen dimension makes it seem as the onscreen buttons take the place of capacitive buttons. It will fit in your pocket fine. The bezels are tiny on it. Don't bother with the atrix or bionic. The screens on those are horrendous. They are a weird lcd rgbw pentile matrix. Horrible contrast and weird motion.
 
Used recommendations are the best that you're going to get for your criteria. There is no Android phone approaching that price that meets your criteria that I am aware of. However, there is one Windows Phone 8 device that comes close, if you're willing to consider that.

Nokia Lumia 521 has most of your criteria:
-It's GSM
-latest available WP OS and should receive all WP8.x updates in a timely manner
-wifi
-dual-core Krait @ 1.0ghz
-solid battery life
-touch screen
-5MP camera, 720p video, but no flash I'm afraid.
-4" display, 800x480 resolution

Retail price is $149.99, but Wal-Mart sells it for $129.xx. If you have a Microsoft Store nearby, you can try to talk them into price matching WM (mixed success as they don't have a price match policy). On top of that, you can do the in-store Bing challenge for a $25 credit on your purchase. So, ideally, you get down to $104.xx.

You will find no other phone (other than used) with comparable specs for under $200.
 
not really into windows mobile... ok a few things:

- I'm coming from a smaller (albeit thicker and POS) Backflip. The galaxy nexus is more than an inch longer...
- I'm sure the Atrix screen would be way better and by no means "horrendous" relatively, this one isn't even daylight readable. Unless someone actually think the backflips screen is better in ANY way at all?
- I would be more interested in something with an AMOLED screen if it was smaller, not much over 100$ and/or had significantly better battery life. The galaxy s2 looks nice and I would definitely consider it if I could get one for maybe 150$ but it still doesn't seem entirely worth it. I know its only like 1/3" bigger but thats still kinda significant especially if I'm not really getting anything else I need out of it.

About battery life: I'm a bit confused.

What exactly gives the Galaxy s2 much better battery life than the Atrix, while on a smaller battery? And the Lumia, although I'm not really considering it, why does it get better talk time but worse standby time than the atrix?

The reason I'm curious is because I plan on using WIFI, so I guess basically I'm wondering if WIFI time is comparable to talk time...

oh and yeah, I didn't lose a bet :p jeggings are basically skinny jeans without pockets
 
I wouldn't recommend the Atrix to anybody... No matter the price...

It's a bit tragic in it's case, cause that was a flagship phone, which Motorola just dumped from one day to the next. Screen is ok-ish, usable but below par nowadays. Will not be upgraded to 4.0 officially. But the biggest problem for me was the intermittent Bluetooth disconnection problem which Motorola never fixed, and which can be a real hazard.
 
I wouldn't recommend the Atrix to anybody... No matter the price...

It's a bit tragic in it's case, cause that was a flagship phone, which Motorola just dumped from one day to the next. Screen is ok-ish, usable but below par nowadays. Will not be upgraded to 4.0 officially. But the biggest problem for me was the intermittent Bluetooth disconnection problem which Motorola never fixed, and which can be a real hazard.

OK SERIOUSLY

Did you consider asking me if I used bluetooth first???

Is that the ONLY reason you wouldn't recommend it to ANYBODY?

What kind of hazard are you talking about? I don't see how its possible but like, sending the wrong text to your mom hazardous? li-ion battery explosion hazardous? or maybe something on the level of war games? :rolleyes:
 
OK SERIOUSLY

Did you consider asking me if I used bluetooth first???

Is that the ONLY reason you wouldn't recommend it to ANYBODY?

What kind of hazard are you talking about? I don't see how its possible but like, sending the wrong text to your mom hazardous? li-ion battery explosion hazardous? or maybe something on the level of war games? :rolleyes:


Lol... Go ahead then, enjoy.
 
The atrix hd is actually quite a good phone, I would recommend the GS2 over it based on what prices you are getting either for but it is a great phone.
 
Lol... Go ahead then, enjoy.

tragedy, LOL gee thanks for stating your opinion and giving me no relevant information

sometimes it seems like everyone here is a [H]ardcore critic and not much else?

I really don't understand how you're missing this, the only smartphone I've had is the Backflip which is really a piece of crap. I'm sure I will fully enjoy the Atrix if I buy it considering it will be worlds better in every way.
 
Some feedback on the Samsung Galaxy S2. My wife currently uses one that was a hand-me-down from a family member.

The battery life is somewhere between acceptable and needs improvement. She uses it to text and play facebook games occasionally. She charges over night and by mid evening she is already having to plug it in again. This is not to say that the GS2 has inherently bad battery life, but it may be a reality of a used phone. So you may spend an extra $10 or $15 and get a fresh battery as well. May be something to do with any used phone.

The camera is mediocre, compared to an iPhone 4S and 5, as that's the only comparison we have in the house. But the iPhone is generally considered a good benchmark. If your looking for something like at work and you need to capture a picture of a machine or something, I don't think you would really notice. Medium to Low light is its big weakness.

Stability has been ok so far. It does funky stuff very infrequently needing a reboot. Compared to the Galaxy S1 she had before its light years more stable. So if you are looking at a Galaxy, 2 is the minimum I would recommend. Stay away from the first generation.

Size is good in my opinion. I don't care for the greater then 4" screens. I had a 4.3" for a while when they first came out (HTC EVO 4G) and it was cool at first, but it got stuck in my pockets a lot or just took too much room in one pocket. I'm a pocket user, so I got lots of stuff going on.

As much as I love iPhones I wouldn't recommend trying to get anything below a 4S even if the price is good. Going forward they are to dated. Especially being limited to 3G.
 
I like those MTK SoC's. The only problem is 4gb internal, which is very limiting but at $160 thats a great phone.

I'd challenge the company's CS though. Never heard of them before.
 
If you are still keen on the Atrix 4g i'd honestly be willing to sell you mine as i'm going to be upgrading to the HTC one today. Would rather sell it to a fellow [H] member than mess with ebay! Only problem is the battery doesn't hold a very good charge these days (i'd estimate 4-5 hours of heavy usage) so i'd suggest you replace it ($10 on ebay). Feel free to pm me if you wanna discuss it further.
 
They're a bootleg, 2nd rate manufacturer, but from what Modaco was saying the phone is amazing. At that price, it's almost worth a shot. Plus? It comes in ORANGE. Can't go wrong.

I'd challenge the company's CS though. Never heard of them before.
 
They're a bootleg, 2nd rate manufacturer, but from what Modaco was saying the phone is amazing. At that price, it's almost worth a shot. Plus? It comes in ORANGE. Can't go wrong.

I may try this just for my kid to toy on.
 
You guys were really unhelpful BTW. There are like a dozen decent dual core android phones with 4" or smaller screens out there. Looks like doing my own research is the only way to go.
 
OK, have fun. Maybe next time someone will post a LMGTFY link. Bring a nasty attitude and then bitch about nobody wanting to help. Go fucking figure.
 
You guys were really unhelpful BTW. There are like a dozen decent dual core android phones with 4" or smaller screens out there. Looks like doing my own research is the only way to go.

Yeah, your post was like "do my research for me plz kthx." I will say that some of the replies you got were retarded. All in all, you got out of the thread what you put into it.
 
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