Need a new, affordable smartphone

So...I need a new phone...

1) What is your budget?

$25 - $50, trying to stay on the lower end since I'm poor.​

2) What size smartphone would you prefer?

Big enough that I can actually read on it.​

3) Which country will you be buying this smartphone from?

U.S.A.​

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

I'm not picky. I'm not really familiar with Apple phones. I am familiar with LG and Samsung.​

5) Would you consider phones that are refurbished/redistributed?

I guess so? Are there any huge negatives to doing this?​

6) What are the primary tasks that you will be performing with this phone?

Mainly: Calls, Text, Browsing the Internet, Taking photos/videos
Nice perks: Listening to Music, Watching videos, Playing some games​

7) Will you be playing games on your phone? (If so, please state which games or types of games.)

Maybe...simpler graphic games. I don't think I'll be able to play PUBG Mobile with this budget.​

8) How many hours of battery life do you need?

As long as you can get it. I think the LG Fiesta 2 has 10 hours talk time?​

9) Which carrier are you under?

TracFone (They have the option of Bring Your Own Phone, so I don't think carrier matters???)​

10) What other phone features would you like?

Bluetooth. Reasonably tough against wear and tear or an accidental drop. If possible, water resistant. Standard headphone jack would be nice, but not necessary. Expandable storage is a plus. Are batteries still replaceable?​

11) What screen resolution(s) would you prefer?

480 is fine...but it'd be nice to have 780 or higher.​

12) Is the phone's appearance or style important to you?

No, not really. I can always buy a case, right?​

13) When are you buying this phone?

As soon as possible, unless it makes better sense to wait until January 2019.​

14) How long do you expect to use this smartphone?
Maybe, a year or two. I'll buy a better phone, once I can afford it.

What I've found so far:

$19.99
Simple Mobile Raven A574BL - Android 7.1, 16GB internal memory, 2GB RAM, 5MP Rear Cam, 2MP Face Cam **I think I can bring Simple Mobile to TracFone?

$29.99
Alcatel TCL LX - Android 8.1, 16GB internal memory, 2GB RAM, 8MP Rear Cam, 5MP Face Cam

$39.99
Straight Talk LG Rebel 4 - Android 8.1, 16GB internal memory, 8MP Rear Cam, 2GB RAM, 5MP Face Cam **I don't know if I can actually bring to TracFone, but Straight Talk is owned by TracFone, right?

$49.99
Simple Mobile LG Fiesta 2 4G LTE - Android 7, 16GB internal memory, 2GB RAM, 13MP Rear Cam, 5MP Face Cam **A reviewer said it works with TracFone.

Some of the other phones, that I had saved, went up in price.

 

At this price point, get one of the android 8.1 devices.

 

With that kind of budget, I’d be tempted just to get a flip phone...

 

Or buy used.

 

I was able to buy some time, so I'm still looking. I received a used Samsung Galaxy Note 3 from a family member to borrow. How are Blu phones or Motorola phones? I've found:
Blu C6 for $20
Blu C5 for $20
Moto X4 for $59 on eBay (but it's probably going to go up)
Moto G6 for $79 (but probably going to go up)
Moto G6 Play for $69 (ditto)
Moto E5 for $20
LG K8 for $25 (salvage sticker on it but brand new)
LG Stylo 4 for $60 (probably going to go up)

 

Run away from blu. They are garbage.

Out of all the phone, grab that lg stylo 4 for 60 and run.

 

Thanks for the reply! The Stylo 4 has gone up to $82.

 

Even at that price it's a steal. One of the best budget devices made today.

 

It went for $101...I couldn't afford that much. Shipping was $15, too.

By the way, how are ZTE phones? (Just trying to look at other options.)

What's the difference between the Galaxy Notes and the Galaxy S series? I understand the Notes have bigger screens and a stylus...but do the numbers correlate with each other? For example, is an S4 similar to a Galaxy Note 4 but just smaller and no stylus? From what I can tell, there is a difference; and they're not the same. It seems a Galaxy S6 is more comparable to a Galaxy Note 4?

Right now, I'm leaning towards a Motorola phone...E5 at the least, unless I can somehow afford the G6 or X4. When comparing the LG K8 to the Moto E5, it appeared that the E5 is better? Would I be better off getting an older Samsung Galaxy Note or S series rather than a Moto G6 or X4?

I have a family member who says she has a bunch of old smartphones; but she doesn't know how old they are, the models, or if they're unlocked. Her plan is to bring them to our holiday get-together and just give all of them to me. However, it makes my decision hard; I don't know if I should jump on a good deal or wait and see what she's got!

 

the note is just a stylus derived version of the S series really. No, the note 4 is much more powerful than an S4. The notes are a numerical step behind the S series so the note 4 would have the inner workings of an S5. Also be aware that android are throttling back services to older versions of android now. Chowda, where are you living?

 

I'm in the USA. So, they are rolling back from Android 9 Pie to Android 8.1 Oreo? I don't understand...why?

Have you heard of the Schok Freedom Turbo or the Schok Freedom Turbo XL? (I prefer the XL.) It doesn't look like they are well known; I haven't found many either. They seem to be fairly comparable to a Moto e5, except they have a lower ppi and mediatek processors. Each does have a double GPU. Here's a link if you want to check them out. They are on Target too.

I'm supposed to see my family sometime around December 20th, so I guess I'll wait and see what my family member has. (I'll keep hunting, though. Gotta find those deals!!) Then, I'll see if they are locked or crap or whatever. If they are all junk, I'll have to figure out what to do with them because the phones will mine. It's kind of frustrating that I can't get her to tell me the model names or number; that'd solve a lot. All I know is that she maybe has a Samsung S5 and a LG phone that still turns on. *smacks head*

 

What network will you be using?

 

GSM

 

NO, I mean what NETWORK are you going to be using, AT&T, verison etc...

 

TracFone. It's under my first post.

 

Ahh.. sorry about that. Missed it. Why not just buy a new android trac fone. They are reasonably priced at target. I live in Canada, but have used tracfones in the past while at my house in florida.

 

No worries. They have a good deal for a TracFone Moto E5 on Amazon...but I read it's more of a hybrid between the E5 and E5 Play. I guess it's specially made for TracFone? That's awesome, but it looks like it's CDMA. Doesn't TracFone use both GSM and CDMA? I can't find out if it'd be compatible with TracFone. I guess I shouldn't worry too much about it. At this point, I'm going to wait and see what my relative has.

 

Yes they do support both gsm and cdma. When you buy the Tracfone byod sim kit (usually $1 at the dollar stores or supermarket) they give you both gsm and cdma sims in both nano and micro size. Depending on if the phone supports gsm/cdma, you choose which sim to use. This also lets you choose which network you want (as long as the phone supports it).
I have previously bought 2 used iphone 5's on "social media" for $80 each and because Verizon has better coverage here, I choose to use the CDMA sim. Also there used to be an issue with tracfone gsm, where you could not receive any MMS (specifically picture texts), so you may want to look into that. Also check walmart phone refurbs for deals ( example).
For what its worth, I choose iPhone because when on wifi, you can text other iPhones via imessage and it doesn't use any credits. You can also imessage to different countries without charge too.

 

@Primes Thanks for clearing that up. @kojack I got a bag of used smartphones from my relative. Here is what I have:

AT&T Samsung Galaxy S - in the process of unlocking
US Cellular Samsung Galaxy S3 - needs unlocked
T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Core Prime - needs new battery and unlocked
T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy On5 - unlocked
T-Mobile LG Optimus F6 - needs unlocked
Sprint LG Optimus G - won't work with Tracfone according to their website; needs unlocked

 

@Chowda289 they're all terrible but On5 looks most promising.

 

I don't think any are beyond android 4 are they?

 

@Starlight5 They're not terrible for being free. I have a low budget right now. A free phone gives me time to save up and buy a better phone later on.

@kojack The On5 is using Android 6.0.1. The Samsung Galaxy S3 is using Android 4.3. The LG Optimus F6 is using Android 4.1.2. The LG Optimus G is using Android 4.3.1...however, I don't know if it's not updating because of the network error message.

I don't think I should bother with the Samsung Galaxy Core Prime, since it needs a new battery. I can't even factory reset the phone because I can't load to the main screen. The S3 is probably better anyway, right? The Samsung Galaxy S is too old, so I won't bother with it.

 

I would only consider the On5 at this point, the rest are unsupported now, and even a lot of apps don't work on those versions of android. My little LePan tablet is on 4.1.1 I think and it cannot use a lot of the apps I want to use on it.

 

Probably more than you want to spend but B&H has the Moto X4 for $165. ( info)

 

I know it's not a great device, but at work we have RCA phones for 99, 89, and 79 respectively. I am buying the 6" model to do a video review on for my new channel and blog.

 

Has anyone recommended Swappa.com? You can find some good deals on the main site and they have a "boneyard" that have devices that have issues - dropped, cracked, ect...