Cheap smartphone required

RomfordNavy

Where do I start looking for a cheap smartphone, probably second-hand, of some type or a cheap Chinese one? My old 2g phone is going to be turned off soon so looks like I need to move to a 4g/5g phone of some variety.

Know virtually nothing about mobile phones and what facilities I should/shouldn't be looking for. Only thing I can think of is to get an Android phone rather than an iPhone so that I can install Firefox/AdGuard.

born_again

U-tube video's is a good starting place for how good they are.

Grumpy_chap

Any sim-free smart phone would probably suffice for the OP moving from whatever their current device is assuming they are happy with the current device apart from the "G" number.

I purchased a Moto G06 for £30 from Tesco just before Christmas, though I note the price for the same is somewhat higher today.

The OP could just look for what offers are available - there is little to choose between devices at the real budget point.

What is the OP's budget?

What needs does the OP have?

QrizB

Where do I start looking for a cheap smartphone, probably second-hand,

How cheap is cheap?

I'm typing this on a Motorola G53 (G - their midrange series, 5x - halfway up the range, 3 - 2023 model) that cost me a little over £100 new. It does everything I ask of it - web browsing, apps for various services, YouTube watching and music playback. Oh, and calls & texts too 😂

I've also got a G22 (lower in the range, a year older) that I bought used for about £50. I use that for a couple of badly-behaved apps. I suspect it would be good enough for everything I use the G53 for; right this moment, it's playing music in the room I'm in.

Suggestion for a new phone - Moto G35, £100

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/4357175?clickPR=plp:1:8

Suggestion for a used phone - Moto G24, £60

https://ebay.us/m/FZzuOy

oldernonethewiser

Lots of options for second hand phones where you can actually see the device and get to play with it to an extent eg, CEX, Cashconvertors

As an aside Firefox works fine on an iphone and you can also install adblockers for Safari (Apple's browser)

JSmithy45AD

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81984880#Comment_81984880

The best add-on for an iPhone is Firefox…

ScratchyCat

I brought my Samsung from amazon. Think I paid about £160 that was about 4 years ago. It depends on what price range your looking at. You can still get basic phones for £30. If you want to download apps you need to pay a little more. You need to get something with storage. By the time you've added on a few apps and they've updated, storage gets used up pretty quick.

Frozen_up_north

Another vote for a Motorola G35 from Argos, in stock at my local Argos too. Both black or green for £99.99
Note, like most phones these days, it doesn't come with a charger. The SIM is nano sized, so you may need a new SIM if yours is larger.

I bought one to use a specific app that wasn't available on my iPhone. The phone is generally good, except the camera is very poor in low light compared to my iPhone… but for a penny under £100 it's plenty good enough. It is not loaded with advertising either.

molerat

One slight downside of Moto, and many other, budget phones is that they only offer OS and security updates for a limited time - generally 2 OS and 3 years from launch date - often getting an OS update when you first switch it on. Samsung on the other hand often give 6 OS and 6 year's security updates even on lower end models. The Moto G35 as mentioned here is only capable of updating to Android 15, which has already been superseded, and security updates end in Aug 2027.

RomfordNavy

A couple of AliX phones, are eother of these any good:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005012143372649.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005011652509554.html

oldernonethewiser

You can check reviews of both online.

Cheap.

Might do what you need.