What phone do you own?

[nnls]

I have an Oppo R9, it was on sale for about $400 (AUD)

[Daley]

my go to recommendation for people who want smartphones is the Moto E/G series. One of the few left with a kinda user replaceable battery

What's the catch on the "kinda" replaceable battery?  Because the official specs on the G6 and the G7 both say it's not replaceable.  Do they just mean I have to take it apart?

As in the E series should still actually be easily user replaceable with an OEM battery, but the G series will take some heat guns and glue peeling with prying devices like every other fool phone anymore, but at least you can buy a factory new OEM battery for it instead of a shoddy aftermarket that'll likely bulge on you in under a year.

[mizzourah2006]

We each have an Iphone 6+ that we bought about 2 years ago on Swappa for $300/each.

[Dee18]

Nokia Lumia 635 bought 3 years ago for about $75 new.  Has the best sound quality of any phone I tried.  I’ve dropped it many times and it’s fine, even without a separate case.  When I travel I sometimes carry an old (free) iPhone 5 to use as a camera.

[use2betrix]

My wife and I both have the Apple XS Max. Until last year we lived in an RV full time and typically didn’t have internet. As such, our phones were used for everything, maybe pulled out the laptop every few months. Most computer needs were take. Care of at work. I’d say 95% of my forum posts the last 4-5 years have been via phone (as this is now). I typically uograde yearly and my wife every other. I think we’ll be keeping these a few years though.

I did pick up a new iPad Pro recently. Mostly to make work easier and more efficient. They did, however, unexpectedly reimburse me for it, which I didn’t even ask for. I was casually telling my boss about the features and he said to expense it. Awesome.

That being said, at home, it’s taken away much of my typical phone duties and also much of my work laptop duties.

[markpst]

I have a used 64gb Moto G5 plus. I got it on Ebay for just over $100 maybe 5 months ago.

I am a fan of the low end Motorolas, which usually work on all of the major networks. I use the FM radio a decent amount. Now that this phone is 2 generations old, they are selling new ones with 64gb on the Motorola website for $199 (for another week or so). I didn't like the fact that the battery is non-replaceable - it's getting harder to find ones with easily replaceable batteries. I do figure that by the time I run this battery down it will be easy to replace with a newer model. I expect to look for either used or new/old stock.

[sol]

What sort of deals are all of you finding where you get "free" phones by buying something else?  I'm in the market for a new phone, and the rest of my monthly spend is already pretty high so I can probably make it work.

[MasterStache]

Flip phone for about a decade. Then was given a first generation Moto G hand me down phone for about a year. Bought a new iPhone SE at the end of last year for $80. Had to jump through some hoops to unlock it. I hate big phones so the SE was perfect. The parental control app is nice as well (my son hates it which is why I like it).

[MasterStache]

What sort of deals are all of you finding where you get "free" phones by buying something else?  I'm in the market for a new phone, and the rest of my monthly spend is already pretty high so I can probably make it work.

You can keep an eye out for deals. Sometimes you can get a phone tied to a certain carrier for cheap. It's possible, depending on the carrier, to unlock those phones to use on your preferred carriers network. It's how I got my brand new iPhone SE for so cheap.

[GuitarStv]

My phone plugs into a wall.  We upgraded to a cordless model several years ago though, which was an exciting improvement.

[zolotiyeruki]

Flip phone for about a decade. Then was given a first generation Moto G hand me down phone for about a year. Bought a new iPhone SE at the end of last year for $80. Had to jump through some hoops to unlock it. I hate big phones so the SE was perfect. The parental control app is nice as well (my son hates it which is why I like it).

Argh, I'm with you there.  Sony is the only Android manufacturer making higher-end phones in a smaller form factor, but the Z1/Z3/Z5 compact line is an ergonomic nightmare and the XZ2 doesn't have a headphone jack.

Right now, I'm using a Moto E4, bought for about $55 a few months ago.  Removable battery, SD card slot, headphone jack.  It's bigger than I like, but the price was good and I can deal with it.  DW has a G5 plus, bought for a similar amount around the same time.

I wish I could have the guts of my E4 in the body of the E2 I use at work for testing.  The E2 just sits so much better in the hand.

[Just Joe]

Asus Zenfone 3. I think the current version is 5 or 6.

I got the Zenfone 5 for free through Verizon and literally could not get it to work correctly. It would completely lose signal when I left my home or office WiFi network and couldn't connect to the 4G for some reason. It would work fine if I reset it, but if I forgot, I'd suddenly look at my phone 4 hours later, restart it, and have missed a bunch of messages. I'm available pretty much 24/7 for work, and it was not cutting it. Verizon just told me it was a "known issue" with zero resolution. It was also my first Android so I thought the interface just sucked. I switched to a Galaxy S7 and the interface was MUCH better and no weird connection issues.

Just thought I'd put an FYI out there for folks looking at the new Zenfones.

Hmmm, not had a single problem like that. Dunno. Different carrier? Maybe one of the ASUS updates resolved it. The UI is perhaps whatever a person likes. I helped friends with Samsung S-series last night. Didn't like those but got used to them by the time I was done tutoring. The fingerprint reader was quirky whereas my Asus has a great fingerprint reader.

[Shane]

Paid ~$235 for a Huawei Y7 Prime Android a little less than two years ago. It's a decent phone with a long-lasting battery. Only complaints are that the earphone jack broke about 6 months ago, and the speaker is kind of lame compared to other phones I've had. It still works fine, though, for most of the things I need it for, so I'll keep using it, hopefully for a couple more years, before getting a new one.

[expatartist]

Picked up the Huawei P20 Pro, about US$750 last month after previous phone died, by far the most expensive phone I've gotten. I'm using it to discreetly document my city for a few projects - high resolution still photos I'll turn into moving images/videos. The 3 Leica lenses take brilliant photos, especially night shots which is why I chose this one.

[Bee763]

Just updated to a Fairphone 2 and so far I am happy with it, even though I spent far more on it than I have ever spent on a phone before.

Pros:

• Good ecological and ethical credentials (fairtrade gold, conflict free tin, tungsten and tantalum, good working conditions throughout the supply chain)
• Designed to be long-lasting and user-servicable
• Mine is reconditioned, so extra eco-points there
• Just as functional as most standard smart phones and a lot more functional than my tiny little HTC One (even though I loved that little phone)

Cons:

• This thing is big, I've still got to get used to that
• So far it gets through battery charge fairly fast, but I used it a lot over the weekend on wireless internet

I'll see how I get on with it in real life, but already having access to better communications apps (mostly WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger) has been helpful and might even move my ridiculously low pay-as-you-go spending slightly lower.

[Harrington]

Apple 5s.....Hand me down from daughter. I love it. I'll never understand why people need a new phone every 2 years.

[Pigeon]

Moto G5+.  Very good value and I've also bought them for my kids.

I had been buying used Samsung Galaxy S series phones off Swappa. I found that the batteries from the used phones were toward the end of their lifespan, and the Motos were a better value for less money.

[Cadman]

Apple 5s.....Hand me down from daughter. I love it. I'll never understand why people need a new phone every 2 years.

5S here, too. It's even on its original battery and doing fine. I did replace the batt on DW's last iPhone; despite being non-removable, 20 minutes and $20 later and we were good to go.

[Lmoot]

iPhone 6s. First and only smartphone and had for 3 years so far in perfect condition. $600 and the plan costs as much as my flip phone. I use it far more than I thought I would. I consider it a useful tool and while I could survive happily without it, I can’t imagine a feasible scenario in which I would. So if given the choice, I would probably always choose a smartphone.

[igetit]

iPhone 3. Bought for 99 cents when the 4 came out in 2010
It's like a badge of honor with me now to keep this phone in use - as my phone - until it does not work anymore.

Do I like it?  I sure do.

[CoffeeAndDonuts]

Google Pixel 3: $0 or $800 depending on how you look at it.. (I got $800 in airfare gift cards for buying it for $800)

I don't like it. The camera is good, but not as good as reviews say. That, and I miss having a headphone jack.

I'll probably sell it once I am allowed to, bringing my cost down, and making a "profit" considering the airfare which we would use anyway. I'll probably replace it with a midrage, maybe a moto G, or something strange and not too expensive like the Blloc Zero 18 (Or a KaiOS phone?)

Ha, as mentioned upthread, we did this too but with the express intent to flip them. Just watching the calendar waiting to unload.

Maybe other flagship phones are just awesome but this, as my first experience with one, has been underwhelming.

I will return to my Moto x4 without any regret. In fact, I really never left since Google fi offers free data Sims and so I've primarily used it while my pixel 3 xl sits waiting to be sold.

Next up... Free Sprint for a year. Google fi's been great but free is better.

[CCCA]

iPhone 3. Bought for 99 cents when the 4 came out in 2010
It's like a badge of honor with me now to keep this phone in use - as my phone - until it does not work anymore.

Do I like it?  I sure do.

I'm impressed.  We have an old iphone 3g that my kid uses like an ipod to play music on long car rides.
What apps do you use, if any?

[Paul der Krake]

I have found HMD's reboot of the Nokia line to make fine Android devices. Good looking, good pricing, timely updates, no manufacturer "enhancements". When my iPhone 6S dies I will probably get one for myself too.

[billy]

Samsung Galaxy 7. Mainstream choice - I'm on the family plan, and based on the math it's not worth the effort to switch. Phone is fine.

I have the same, for the samsung pay, I have issues with my bluetooth though.

[markbike528CBX]

iPhone 3. Bought for 99 cents when the 4 came out in 2010
It's like a badge of honor with me now to keep this phone in use - as my phone - until it does not work anymore.

Do I like it?  I sure do.

I'm impressed.  We have an old iphone 3g that my kid uses like an ipod to play music on long car rides.
What apps do you use, if any?

I approve of your badge of honor.  I would have gotten a iPhone3, but had thought that they didn't run 3G phone network.

CCCA, you can download early software/apps if you've previously gotten them for the hardware version you're currently running.
My advice to iPhone/iPod users is to download every app you might need.  When you have to reset or get a newer (but still obsolete) iPhone/iPod, then you can reload the apps to match the one you have.

I think my next iPhone is a 5, as it will run LTE service after 3G phone service is sunset (2022??).

[deek]

iPhone 6s, bought for $100 from the owner of the company I work for, real good deal, and I plan to have it for a long time.

[DragonSlayer]

Galaxy Note 3, bought refurbed in 2015 for $189, I think. Still going strong. I have no plans to replace it, especially since it has a user replaceable battery. I love the large screen and anything that large today is usually at a price point that gives me hives.

[Arbitrage]

Google Pixel 3: $0 or $800 depending on how you look at it.. (I got $800 in airfare gift cards for buying it for $800)

I don't like it. The camera is good, but not as good as reviews say. That, and I miss having a headphone jack.

I'll probably sell it once I am allowed to, bringing my cost down, and making a "profit" considering the airfare which we would use anyway. I'll probably replace it with a midrage, maybe a moto G, or something strange and not too expensive like the Blloc Zero 18 (Or a KaiOS phone?)

Same phone and deal.  I do like the phone, though.  I'll be redeeming the gift cards shortly.

[Threshkin]

LG V20, bought on a 2 for 1 deal roughly 18 months ago from TMobile.  They were the best phone we could find that had replaceable batteries, had the most memory possible and high quality cameras.  My DW needs the memory and camera for work and the battery is a must have.

Don't remember the price at the moment.  But is was a deductible business expense.

Just had to replace the display on mine.  $120.  Dropped it face down on pavement and the gravel took it out.  Looks like new now though!

[innkeeper77]

Google Pixel 3: $0 or $800 depending on how you look at it.. (I got $800 in airfare gift cards for buying it for $800)

I don't like it. The camera is good, but not as good as reviews say. That, and I miss having a headphone jack.

I'll probably sell it once I am allowed to, bringing my cost down, and making a "profit" considering the airfare which we would use anyway. I'll probably replace it with a midrage, maybe a moto G, or something strange and not too expensive like the Blloc Zero 18 (Or a KaiOS phone?)

Ha, as mentioned upthread, we did this too but with the express intent to flip them. Just watching the calendar waiting to unload.

Maybe other flagship phones are just awesome but this, as my first experience with one, has been underwhelming.

I will return to my Moto x4 without any regret. In fact, I really never left since Google fi offers free data Sims and so I've primarily used it while my pixel 3 xl sits waiting to be sold.

Next up... Free Sprint for a year. Google fi's been great but free is better.

I'm also going to try to get sprint if it's still available once we hit the magic 120 days!

Unfortunately I am somewhat tempted to keep the pixel based on some new info I found. Being a CS student (Second degree, mostly for fun..) I am tempted by the fact that I can run a custom rom WITH a secure locked bootloader. See: Rattlesnake OS.

The goal would then be to have a totally google free phone with none of their services, and have it stripped down to feel as much like a "dumbphone" as possible. Ironic, yes.

[alsoknownasDean]

I've got a HTC 10. I picked it up refurbished about 18 months ago for A$300.

It's been OK, I had to replace the battery about a year ago ($150!), and apparently they're an absolute nightmare to do, so if later HTCs are like that I'll probably look at something else next.

Although I'm not sure which way I'll go next, I'll either get another used/refurbished previous-generation flagship, or maybe get some budget midrange handset (maybe a Xiaomi or one of the Nokia models?) for similar money.

Although I'll hang on to the HTC a little while longer, it's stuck on Oreo but I could always put LineageOS on it if that really mattered to me. By the time the battery that's in it now dies, I probably wouldn't bother putting a third battery in it.

[23andfrugal]

I have a Pixel OG, which I bought refurbished last summer. All in it cost me about $340.

$260 - phone itself
$50 - 3 year protection plan*
$30 - misc screen protector + new charging cables, as my old phone wasn't a USBC.

I like the phone. It takes great pictures and the processor is quite fast. I'd like to try the Pixel 3, but this one's going strong and hopefully will for a while to come.

*Before I get facepunched for buying aftermarket insurance, I have found refurb retailers' protection plans to be a good deal. Basically of anything goes wrong with the phone within the first 3 years, they'll give me a new one or refund me the price of the phone. I had a protection plan on my last phone and that's exactly what happened. I basically got to use the phone for 2 years for the $30 cost of the plan.

[FireHiker]

Got an iPhone 8 last year.  Switched to T-Mobile for their military plan and they had a BOGO deal where they gave you a VISA gift card.  Paid $700 each for the phones and then applied the $700 gift card to my account so essentially paid $350 each.  Had an iPhone 5S for several years prior to that.

We did the same, although my husband and now 18 year old got the iPhone 8's. We love the military plan (applies to veterans too, not sure if you are active or veteran). Our plan is $90 for unlimited talk, text, and data for 3 iphones, with international included.

I have an iPhone SE. I bought it new in November of 2016 after having an Iphone 5 for four years. Looking back I can see I spent $484 but I'm not sure if that included anything else purchased at Apple at the time or just the phone. With the Tmobile deal we actually spent less for the iPhone 8's in January 2018, at $350 each. My SE still works just fine so I see no need to consider replacing it anytime soon. The battery life isn't fabulous, but if I'm going somewhere that it will be an issue I just bring a portable battery or two (super cheap ones I got for $2 on clearance; not super small or high capacity, but it works).

[Slow2FIRE]

And why? How did it cost and would you recommend it?

I have a Pixel XL (1st Gen).
Big hands, frustration with tiny touch screen keyboards, wanted some water resistance, wanted access to newest Android OS and wanted a fancy toy.
It cost $400.  I originally purchased the Nexus 6P for $400 and it died a week after the warranty ran out -> Google kindly replaced the device under warranty with a new Pixel XL.  The Pixel XL I have is now 2 years old.

I wouldn't recommend buying the Pixel XL today unless you can get it for less than $150.  Too many mid-range and entry range phones in the $150-200 price range now outperform it.

[Andrew9141]

iPhone X - There was little reason for an upgrade to the Xs. I may upgrade at the end of this year. I typically purchase a phone every 2-3 years.

[MonkeyJenga]

I have the Moto e2. It cost $5 in shipping, since a forum friend gave it to me when he got a new phone.

It's terrible. Or at least combined with republic wireless it's terrible. I can only install 2 apps at a time, texts drop, the battery life is poor. But like the below person, I LOVE how it fits in my hand. No other phones are as good, not even the small iPhones.

Plus I can drop it constantly and it doesn't break.

I'm looking at getting a Moto g6 (or g6 play) for $100-150 with Sprint activation. Or maybe Google Fi. Sprint has unlimited data, but I don't use much anyway. Need to compare networks.

I wish I could have the guts of my E4 in the body of the E2 I use at work for testing.  The E2 just sits so much better in the hand.

[goalphish2002]

I have the newest, biggest, most expensive iPhone.  My employer pays for it.  I'd like to cut it off and use a flip phone about 1/2 the time.  I wish it were possible to cut it off, temporarily, and have a flip phone then activate with the same number. 

[Milizard]

I have the Samsung galaxy sky  tracfone, but I will be switching to the moto g6 tracfone  soon. My husband bought it for himself,  but it doesn't work the way he likes it to for playing clash royale. If you  decide to go the tracfone route, always check the deals on QVC or hsn.

[londonbanker]

iPhone 8 - costs nothing as it’s a company phone. It’s OK although battery life is terrible

[Cranky]

iPhone SE. it’s like ... 3 years old? It wasn’t terribly expensive at T-Mobile even then, and it’s got a ginormous amount of memory. I had the battery replaced this winter for $50 and it’s perfect again. All I want to run on it is Pokemon Go, really.

[JimLahey]

Well my refurbished Pixel XL that I bought on Swappa, a little over a year ago, died suddenly yesterday. Contacted Google and it's out of warranty. So it would cost an estimated $250 to ship it to them to fix. Went to Best Buy and came come with an open box Moto E5 Play. Got it for around $85 after using a gift card my wife had. It feels like a toy compared to the Pixel, but it's not horrible for the price. Has a headphone jack, expandable memory, and a replaceable battery. Not many smartphones have those features nowadays.

[AlotToLearn]

Samsung S10. I know l, I know....paid way too much and you are right. Would I do it again? No.

Is the phone my lifeline for my business? Yes. One comission check paid for the phone two weeks after purchase, and much like my previous (S7l), I will keep this for 3-4 yrs.

[Alchemisst]

I've found the Moto G5+ gets a little slow after a while

[Bucksandreds]

Just paid $650 for an iPhone xr. Unlimited everything for $25 per month and I love it. Replaced a 4 year old iPhone with it so if I use this 4 years its' $162.50 per year. Not concerned. I save about $4500 per month so $40 per month for phone plus service is fine with me. I have 3 little kids and love the camera. Phones made in the last year or 2 have cameras that are becoming comparable to basic DSLR camera photos. That's super pricey for the standards people use here but 5 years ago $60 per month for phone plus service was the norm. At current trends I'll be nearly retired by the time I replace this phone and it will be $30 or so total.

[Bucksandreds]

iPhone 8 - costs nothing as it’s a company phone. It’s OK although battery life is terrible

IPhone XR probably has the best battery line of any phone ever from what I'm reading. It seems to be true in real life too.

[Bucksandreds]

Picked up the Huawei P20 Pro, about US$750 last month after previous phone died, by far the most expensive phone I've gotten. I'm using it to discreetly document my city for a few projects - high resolution still photos I'll turn into moving images/videos. The 3 Leica lenses take brilliant photos, especially night shots which is why I chose this one.

Maybe the best phone camera photo that I've ever seen

[ketchup]

I'm on a four year old piece of poop HTC right now.  Bought it in August-ish 2015 for $130 new.  It was fine, not great, for the time I originally used it, through Dec 2016 when we bought our iPhones on Black Friday from T-mobile. 

Through a little voodoo we got our iPhone 7s for about $260 each.  But about two weeks ago, my iPhone 7's charging port quit on me, probably due to the dumb way I was leaning it every day in the car to charge.  Lesson learned.  Solid phone though otherwise.  No headphone jack which is super dumb, but I knew that going in.

I'm going to attempt to take it apart and fix it, but I'm back on the HTC for now and it's extremely poor performance-wise now and is a giant chore to even do the simplest of tasks (unlock, open email app, search for a certain email, copy URL from email body, switch to web browser, paste URL, load site: 10 seconds on a desktop, 20 seconds on my iPhone, 2-3 minutes on this HTC).  I don't think Android updates over time were kind to it.

GF is using an iPhone SE right now, and I'm convinced that's essentially the perfect phone.  Snappy and powerful, not gigantic, runs current OS, and solid battery life.  It's a shame Apple discontinued it and doesn't have a replacement planned (and the smallest current-generation iPhone is somehow even larger than my iPhone 7).

[zolotiyeruki]

GF is using an iPhone SE right now, and I'm convinced that's essentially the perfect phone.  Snappy and powerful, not gigantic, runs current OS, and solid battery life.  It's a shame Apple discontinued it and doesn't have a replacement planned (and the smallest current-generation iPhone is somehow even larger than my iPhone 7).

Yeah, unfortunately there's only one company (Sony) still making good-and-compact phones nowadays.

It (sorta) surprises me that Apple discontinued (and didn't replace) the SE, given its popularity

[mizzourah2006]

Iphone 6+, bought used for $300 off of Swappa last year.

[ketchup]

GF is using an iPhone SE right now, and I'm convinced that's essentially the perfect phone.  Snappy and powerful, not gigantic, runs current OS, and solid battery life.  It's a shame Apple discontinued it and doesn't have a replacement planned (and the smallest current-generation iPhone is somehow even larger than my iPhone 7).

Yeah, unfortunately there's only one company (Sony) still making good-and-compact phones nowadays.

It (sorta) surprises me that Apple discontinued (and didn't replace) the SE, given its popularity

My guess is that they didn't want to spend the dough to develop a new device they know they would have to sell for $399.