Where's best for a ...
 

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Where's best for a refurbished phone (or sub £100 new Android?)

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Need a cheap "spare" device for the house, our old pixel 2a has finally given up the house. Useful to have kicking around if we need a backup, kids use it for podcasts/music/syncing their garmins. No network, wifi only.

Where's the most legit supplier online for refurbished android devices? Backtomarket and big phone store come up in searches. Looks like Pixel 2/3 type age for £50-100 which would be ideal.

I'd consider new if there was anything decent, but most stuff at that price seems to use Android Go, which is a bit problematic for some of the apps we use for the kids stuff, like no Garmin Connect. Side Loading is possible but a bit of a faff with parental controls.


 
Posted : 19/01/2024 8:39 am
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I have a cupboard with a couple of old phones it - more than happy to post to someone. I *think* latest one is a Sony Xperia XZ1


 
Posted : 19/01/2024 8:46 am
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GiffGaff and CeX seem to be the go-to places.


 
Posted : 19/01/2024 8:48 am
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Moto G32 is an excellent budget phone, I was quite impressed when I got one. £70 new in December.


 
Posted : 19/01/2024 8:50 am
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CEX is good. My current phone is a Huawei (last of the google friendly ones) bought for about £100 in mint condition from them. Lasted 2 years so far no problems. Just be sure to go in to a store and see it, A/B grade quality can vary.

Worth noting locked phones are way cheaper and can be unlocked by you for free (Well certainly EE ones can be, I guess others too). Don't fall for paying someone to do that for you!


 
Posted : 19/01/2024 9:03 am
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Music magpie do good deals and I've had good handsets from them before 


 
Posted : 19/01/2024 1:07 pm
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A new Moto G13 is about £100.

Can't fault mine, and didn't cry like a baby when I dropped it and broke the screen as it only cost me £100.

Actually, it cost me £160, but that was before the price dropped.


 
Posted : 19/01/2024 1:13 pm
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i got a galaxy a14 (box opened but not used) from cheapest electrical on ebay for just over £80


 
Posted : 19/01/2024 1:16 pm
 nuke
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Another suggestion for Motorola but Id suggest the Motorola G7 Power....good battery capacity so even if second hand and therefore battery had potentially degraded, it'll still give you over a day.


 
Posted : 19/01/2024 1:17 pm
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Ulephone from Amazon?

And there are phones for half that price as well.


 
Posted : 19/01/2024 1:18 pm
 StuF
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I've had good results with both music magpie and backtomarket. music magpie has an ebay store that is usually slightly cheaper than their website


 
Posted : 19/01/2024 1:22 pm
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New or used Samsung would be my choice. Last time I looked there wasn't much in it between the specs of a 2nd hand Galaxy Sxx and a new Axx, i.e. a £150 2nd hand galaxy was the same as whatever the new £150 A.

Every time I try something different it's worse in some way and I end up back with a Samsung.

They might not be great, but the camera works properly, the sound is OK, the screen is good, etc etc.

The only downside of 2nd hand is they run out of security updates sooner. But I figure the banks must trust them enough to allow app-banking, and anything else is more likely to be a scam based attack that'll be operator error not the phone.

Ulephone from Amazon?

And there are phones for half that price as well.

I had a coupe of off-brand phones, they were a bit pants TBH.

Ulefone power had an insane battery life, but weighed as much as a house brick and had a crap screen and camera. Blackview, likewise, except it stopped working after a few weeks and the CS details on amazon go to blackview uk which is an entirely different company sellingf dashcams unrelated to Chinese smartphones.


 
Posted : 19/01/2024 2:55 pm
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I bought a phone through Backmarket relatively recently. Can't fault the service.


 
Posted : 19/01/2024 3:02 pm
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I bought a phone through Backmarket relatively recently. Can’t fault the service.

Me too. "Excellent" condition which actually looks brand new.


 
Posted : 19/01/2024 3:04 pm
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Backmarket - pixel 3 refurb is sub £100


 
Posted : 19/01/2024 4:06 pm
Ambrose and Ambrose reacted

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