Moto G5 - Which SD Card Should I Get?

martindow

Grumpy_chap said:

However, I'd also add that my wife has (had) a Moto G5 and the version of Android installed is no longer receiving the security updates and that caused a conflict with MyFitnessPal app.  We figured it would not be long before other apps also declared themselves incompatible, so combined with low memory issues, she went for an upgrade to the Moto G9 which is an absolute bargain at present and 64GB:
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7835216

Thanks, that looks a good deal but it seems very tall and quite a jump in size from the G5.  Does your wife find it unwieldy to use?

Grumpy_chap

martindow said:

Grumpy_chap said:

However, I'd also add that my wife has (had) a Moto G5 and the version of Android installed is no longer receiving the security updates and that caused a conflict with MyFitnessPal app.  We figured it would not be long before other apps also declared themselves incompatible, so combined with low memory issues, she went for an upgrade to the Moto G9 which is an absolute bargain at present and 64GB:
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7835216

Thanks, that looks a good deal but it seems very tall and quite a jump in size from the G5.  Does your wife find it unwieldy to use?

You are correct about the increase in physical size, but she likes the phone overall, especially the amazing battery life lasting for a few days.

GDB2222

My wife has the G9 Play, and she complains that it is too big!

martindow

How much of an issue is the lack of updates to a phone that has been previously mentioned?  I don't do banking on the phone, so is this something I need to worry about?

I am still dithering as I am reluctant to get a larger phone.  If I can get away with moving across what I can onto a £15 SD card to keep the G5 useable I'm tempted to do that.

Thanks for all of your your advice!

Neil_Jones

martindow said:

How much of an issue is the lack of updates to a phone that has been previously mentioned?  I don't do banking on the phone, so is this something I need to worry about?

All Android phones eventually stop receiving updates, some don't get any beyond what they ship with, as the responsibility for updating is with the manufacturer who decide what to push out and when (or if)..  This is in stark contrast to Apple devices where Apple push out all the updates and control the support/upgrade cycle software wise.  The iPad 2 for example was released in 2011, and was still receiving iOS updates as late as 2019.

This Android practice was resolved to an extent with Android One/Go, which gave devices two major Android updates and three years of security updates, but a lot of the phones that were stuck with Android One were mostly crap anyway in the early days, though they've become more impressive as of late.  But of course One isn't the same as full Android so some apps still don't support it but there you go.

GDB2222

If your phone is 16GB, I don’t really see the need for more than a 16GB SD card? 

jamesd

Depends on the use.

I bought the Moto G 5G Plus with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of built in storage in late 2020 because I'd grown tired of having to manage space tightly. So far I haven't had the need to expand that... Cost me almost £100 more to get that instead of the 4/54 model available from suppliers other than Amazon at the time. Wasn't happy about that price premium but I reduced it by buying from Amazon Warehouse. Part missing turned out to be the screen protector which was already on the phone.

martindow

Thanks everyone.

I'm still not clear what risk I am taking by having a phone that no longer receives updates.  Unless I use it to access bank accounts what is the worst that could happen?

[Deleted User]

martindow said:

Thanks everyone.

I'm still not clear what risk I am taking by having a phone that no longer receives updates. 

The risk is that your phone gets exploited by some malware that enables a malicious person to access personal data and passwords, impersonate you or enslave your phone as a malicious device sending malware or spam on to other devices.

This risk isn't that high if you take good care with your internet hygiene, be cautious about the source and types of apps you install - ie stick to Play Store (enable to "unknown sources" block in settings)

And in general you can keep well protected by doing all the good things you should still do on supported systems such as they way you manage all you online accounts and passwords - strong, long and unique for all accounts and enabling 2FA where available. Being aware of phishing via SMS and email and not clicking any links your aren't sure are safe.

Install an antivirus as well for extra protection.

And finally, but very important is a regular and full backup routine for your phone, so if the worst does happen, you can wipe it immediately to rid it of malware without any fear of losing data.

martindow said:

Unless I use it to access bank accounts what is the worst that could happen?

Don't be fooled into thinking your banking app is the risky activity - most banking apps have very high levels of security and theft of money from peoples banks accounts is usually through phishing or social engineering - not outright hacking. Your email, messaging and social media apps are just as risky.

The worst that could happen is that a malicious person can impersonate you if they can take control of some simple apps on your phone such as email or messaging apps. Once they do that, they could contact your family and friends with phishing or social engineering techniques to dupe them into sending you some money that is going to end up elsewhere for example. A hacker doesn't need access to your banking app to steal money - most of the time people willingly send money to a hacker.

They also access enough personal information to impersonate you by setting up fake social media accounts or with enough information, totally steal your identity - many people have enough information in their email accounts and photos to do all of that.

Furthermore, your email account is usually the weak spot for hackers. Having a quick read through your emails will determine what online accounts you access, all they need to do is request a forgotten password reset, click the link in the email and now they have control of whatever account they want.

But you did ask about what is the worst that could happen, in reality having an unsupported version of Android isn't anywhere near as risky as the things people do with supported and secure systems - the human operator is usually the weakness in computer security.

martindow

Thanks tallman for your detailed reply - much appreciated.