Author Topic: Should I buy a $250 Moto G6, or am I just being too cheap?  (Read 3735 times)

mattp

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Should I buy a $250 Moto G6, or am I just being too cheap?
« on: July 16, 2018, 01:52:21 PM »
A year ago my galaxy broke (I got it wet), so I inherited my dad's old iphone 5. I've been pretty happy with it, even though it's a significant downgrade. Slow, small screen, and poor battery life. I think it's time for a new phone. 
I visited a store today and played with a Moto G6, which many sites recommend as the top budget phone. It honestly felt no different than my old galaxy.   
My dilemma: On one hand I like saving money, and don't want to spend $700 for a galaxy or another "top" smartphone. But on the other hand I use my phone way more often than I should (mostly just browsing on Chrome). A $700 phone probably works out to pennies per hour of use. Also my wife and I earn $160k combined gross and save two-thirds of our take-home, so it's not like I can't afford it.   

So tell me: is spending $500 extra for a phone that seems no better stupid, or is it cheap to not get the best phone possible, considering how often I use it?

mattp

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Re: Should I buy a $250 Moto G6, or am I just being too cheap?
« Reply #1 on: July 16, 2018, 02:25:56 PM »
Buying the "best" phone which is 10% better for 300% of the price is markedly sub-optimal.

I disagree with this logic. Paying $500 extra (which will delay FI by about two days) for a 10% improvement for something I use for a non-negligible portion of my waking hours sounds like a great deal.
However, I doubt it's a 10% improvement. Does that mean my happiness will increase by 10% while using the more expensive phone vs the cheaper phone? I figure my happiness while using the phone won't increase at all, so there's no reason to waste $500. But I want a mustachian's view on whether expensive smartphones increase happiness (relative to budget smartphones).

boarder42

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Re: Should I buy a $250 Moto G6, or am I just being too cheap?
« Reply #2 on: July 16, 2018, 02:27:20 PM »
Moto x4 is a much better phone for 200 on prime day right now

katsiki

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Re: Should I buy a $250 Moto G6, or am I just being too cheap?
« Reply #3 on: July 16, 2018, 02:28:16 PM »
Check out the Samsung Galaxy J6.  You should be able to find it for around $200.

Tester

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Re: Should I buy a $250 Moto G6, or am I just being too cheap?
« Reply #4 on: July 16, 2018, 04:43:45 PM »
In my family we went from nexus 5x and samsung j3 to two moto g5+.
My nexus 5x got salted water, my wife's samsung j3 was a pain to use.
After one year I am still very happy with the decision.
I don't know your usage patters but I use it for browsing, twitch, youtube, strava, google maps.
Battery is still going strong.
Compared to nexus 5x the Moto is charging while used as a gps - nexus would barely keep the same level and would crash after several hours in the sun and navigation on.
Regarding thr price difference, I can use the 500 usd difference for better things, your mileage may vary.

martyconlonontherun

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Re: Should I buy a $250 Moto G6, or am I just being too cheap?
« Reply #5 on: July 16, 2018, 04:50:32 PM »
MotoG4+ over here and i can't tell a difference between that and im work iPhone 6s with the exception of the camera. I carry my work phone around when traveling and want quality photos.

So basically, how important is a camera to you? I know it's not mustachian but if you are a person who values great photos from trips and family outings you might want a nicer phone. Otherwise, I can't think of something that I care about that my moto can't do. The 6 is 2 generations nicer so it should be awesome.

gerardc

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Re: Should I buy a $250 Moto G6, or am I just being too cheap?
« Reply #6 on: July 16, 2018, 05:29:07 PM »
Yes, that's the phone I would buy. It's also compatible with Project Fi! Perfect for traveling.

Otherwise there's also Samsung Galaxy J and Zenfone who could be contenders.

pecunia

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Re: Should I buy a $250 Moto G6, or am I just being too cheap?
« Reply #7 on: July 16, 2018, 06:09:30 PM »
The only good financial advise my dad ever told me was, "Buy what you need."

snogirl

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Re: Should I buy a $250 Moto G6, or am I just being too cheap?
« Reply #8 on: July 16, 2018, 07:46:03 PM »
I've had a Moto Z play ( work accident Great phone!), a Moto Z Force flagship that fell into the water & now own a Moto G5 unlocked bought for $169 from Costco. Honestly the Moto G5 is just as good as the expensive one. It does all my needs since I'm fire'd

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk


chemistk

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Re: Should I buy a $250 Moto G6, or am I just being too cheap?
« Reply #9 on: July 17, 2018, 05:24:03 AM »
Moto x4 is a much better phone for 200 on prime day right now

I completely second this. The specs are better (even for being last year's model), so it's likely going to last longer.

mattp

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Re: Should I buy a $250 Moto G6, or am I just being too cheap?
« Reply #10 on: July 17, 2018, 05:51:06 AM »
Thanks everyone for your advice! I decided to go for the Moto X4, I think it will be just as good as any fancy phone. I signed up for an Amazon Prime trial. Also, if you link your Amex MR account to your Amazon and pay with at least 1 point, you can get 20% off (https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=17170797011) your order. There's also an Amex offer for 2000 points (worth at least $20) when spending $50, so in total this cost me $200*0.8-$20 = $140!

Radagast

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Re: Should I buy a $250 Moto G6, or am I just being too cheap?
« Reply #11 on: July 17, 2018, 11:28:01 PM »
Moto x4 is a much better phone for 200 on prime day right now
It just now came to me that I need a new phone. This seemed like a great deal. I signed up for Amazon Prime trial. Then I decided I actually wanted to try an iPhone SE for $160 since I've never used Apple before, and everybody may never make a phone this small again.

Guess I just wasted my only Amazon Prime trial for who knows how long and got nothing! Doh! But if it was that useful I would have done it years or months ago, I guess Amazon Prime just does not usually have much value for me. Well, it nearly did this time.

boarder42

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Re: Should I buy a $250 Moto G6, or am I just being too cheap?
« Reply #12 on: July 18, 2018, 04:47:51 AM »
Thanks everyone for your advice! I decided to go for the Moto X4, I think it will be just as good as any fancy phone. I signed up for an Amazon Prime trial. Also, if you link your Amex MR account to your Amazon and pay with at least 1 point, you can get 20% off (https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=17170797011) your order. There's also an Amex offer for 2000 points (worth at least $20) when spending $50, so in total this cost me $200*0.8-$20 = $140!

Nice work I got it for 173 AT. didn't have the amex offer

grantmeaname

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Re: Should I buy a $250 Moto G6, or am I just being too cheap?
« Reply #13 on: July 20, 2018, 05:45:51 AM »
My Moto E4 r00lz and even in NYC it only cost $130.