Buying 1st smartphone, advice please

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Operaghost

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jun 4, 2004
Messages
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Finally biting the bullet and want to purchase my first smartphone.

1. I plan on purchasing used from swappa. I want one for under $200.

2. I want one that has a good camera, not necessarily the best, but good quality.

3. I want a phone that has good multitasking capabilities, such as being able to view my calendar while on a phone call, switching between open apps, things of that nature.

4. I would like a phone that I can print from as well, although I know a lot of this relies on the printer as well.

5. I would also prefer a phone that will still receive software updates via the manufacturer, as I know some phones have been "phased out" so to speak. I remember reading about some android phones that are stuck using old, cruddy OS versions.

Ideally I'd prefer a phone that could be "unlocked" from network so that I can have my full choice of carriers to go to.

Any and all suggestions and advice is welcome as I really have very limited exposure to smartphones.
 
based on your list, I'd say buy the best iphone you can for your $.
 
Moto G 3rd-generation with 2GB of RAM / 16GB of storage, or the best iPhone you can find. Maybe a Nexus 5X if you get lucky.

With that said, you may be a bit optimistic if you're expecting long-term support for a sub-$200 phone from Swappa. An Android phone at that price is usually either unsupported (as it's too old) or a budget device that will get a shorter-than-usual support lifespan.
 
Not so much expecting long-term, future support, as I am for up to date (now) current software.

Since you did mention the Nexus 5X, what would this phone offer over say an iPhone 5S?
Or maybe I should ask, what the highpoints of the 5X are?

Thank you both for your input
 
Operaghost said:
Not so much expecting long-term, future support, as I am for up to date (now) current software.

Since you did mention the Nexus 5X, what would this phone offer over say an iPhone 5S?
Or maybe I should ask, what the highpoints of the 5X are?

Thank you both for your input
Click to expand...

The 5X has a larger screen, a higher-resolution camera and NFC (mostly useful for tap-to-pay services like Android Pay). Apple has NFC in all its newer iPhones (including the SE), but those are of course well above $200.
 
The Nexus 5X brand new could be bought with $199 if you also sign up for project fi. Which you only have to keep for a month, and that's just another $20.
 
High points of the 5x are Google updates the phone regularly and it works on any network. I get monthly security updates on my 5x and it has both radios in it so you can go on AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, or Verizon.
 
If you come up in your budget just a bit (209-240 depending on which carrier version) the LG G4 would be an awesome phone for the money. Great camera, 3gb of ram & LG is one of the better manufacturers about software upgrades. Not very fast, but reports are that the g2 will get marshmallow so thats showing a pretty dang decent trend for updates.
 
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