Help buying a smartphone

virgo17

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82003126#Comment_82003126

You will have a torrid time with 4GB of RAM in a modern phone. I would suggest that you go for 8GB or at very least 6GB. Sitting waiting for actions to complete is extremely frustrating.

JSmithy45AD

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82003223#Comment_82003223

My Honor 200 Lite is a couple of years old and has just updated to MagicOS 10/Android 16 although they're the last major updates promised so I'll probably change phone again in a year.

BB10

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6668725/help-buying-a-smartphone

Samsung A16/17, excellent software support (6 years of updates) in my opinion, pretty much the best value for this budget.

molerat

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82004738#Comment_82004738

Although worth noting that is 6 years from release so Nov 2030 and Aug 2031 respectively.

CaptainWales

Might be a daft question but what happens after a phone doesn't get updates? Does it stop working?

virgo17

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82005983#Comment_82005983

The phone will still function.

However you must be aware that protection from the nasties that the internet offers will diminish, especially as new attack vectors are being produced all the time. In addition, financial applications for your phone may cease to function as the bank or organisation protects itself from the vulnerabilities of unprotected software.

flaneurs_lobster

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82005983#Comment_82005983

No, but it might be vulnerable to over-air attacks from bad actors, vulnerabilities that would have been addressed in regular security updates.

Important if you are using your phone for personal/financial transactions.

The risks are low, but not ones you want to take if they can be avoided/mitigated.

JSmithy45AD

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82005990#Comment_82005990

You should still be protected by security updates for awhile, in the Android sphere no more updates means you won't get the latest full Android release, so it can be more a lack of the latest bells & whistles. In the Apple sphere it'll probably mean that they'll slow your OS down making the phone feel slow and dated ;)

finbaar

Android version updates are nice - for me anyway - but if you are just after a functioning phone they are not needed really. Security patches either monthly or less frequently are more important. But remember, even if your device has stopped recieving either of these it isn't that vulnerable really. Google update phone security themselves through Google Play System and Google Play Services. My second phone is running Android 12L and hasn't received a security patch for nearly 3 years now but banks have enough confidence to allow it to run their apps.