In the current spectrum, how much should one spend to get the best value? I know everyone has a different taste and budget. But analysing the current trend of smartphone culture could give a bit of insight into spending wisely.
My general rule of thumb when getting a cheap device:
- want the cheapest device even if it has dubious ads and tracking: xiaomi
- want a relatively cheap device and ok with first party ads/promotion and tracking: low end Samsung
The thing with cheap device is it’s not guaranteed to have 3rd party roms available, and even if one exists, it’s not guaranteed how long they’ll be maintained, so it’s not a factor when I’m trying to get a very cheap device.
Best to look for current rom development on a device first. The Lineage device list is a big part of why I’m now going to Pixel.
Generally you get roms on the newer devices, and the older they get, development drops off.
Also depends on the device. If it was a flagship, it tends to have a longer rom lifespan because the hardware has a longer usability curve.
The Lineage device list is interesting in that you see which devices are (generally) more usable long term by the development cycle.
I prefer older used flagships. It’s hardly depends on the use case though. I don’t care about camera, games or what so ever. Phone, messenger and maybe a handful of apps for social and homelab. So for me it’s max 100€
This is getting to be a better and better option with Google and Samsung promising more than 3yrs of OS updates.
Meh, OS updates are overrated, especially now that Android is so much better with battery life.
I have a phone running Android 9… And it’s super fast. And if I switch it to Lineage/Divest, it’s even faster.
I tend to limit myself to max €100 per expected year of use. It’s just a phone to me. My Nokia 6.1 was €300 and is still working. Main requirement is the availability of an alternatuve rom for it.
250€ because I spent that much 18 months ago and still super happy
I spent £250 on my Motorola G73 and am very happy with it
