A decent 'emergency' cheap mobile phone - recommendation?

B0bbyEwing

OH needs to send her iPhone off for repair under AppleCare warranty & as it's off to Czech there's a 10 day turnaround.

Looking to see what's decent AND CHEAP just to get her by for this timeframe.

She bought an iPhone 6S for £35 from some black website (I'm pretty sure it has black in the name. She said she'd heard decent things about it) but it's awful. The physical condition is good but…

• bluetooth doesn't seem to work. It'll connect her air buds or whatever they're called but it wont play music through them. I wonder if there's a bluetooth issue with the phone as she tried to drop her phone off at a locker last night & couldn't get the locker to open via bluetooth (yes bluetooth is turned on - as I said, her air buds connect, they just don't play).
• The phone's battery is awful. Health says 100% yet it must be some mickey mouse battery as it's draining while being on charge & in use. Not even video play, just texting. She went to work on 70%, 30mins later she's 45%.
• Whatsapp just wont work which is how she does 99.9% of her communication including for work purposes across 2 jobs. The app will open but then immediately closes. Restart the phone & then the app opens & goes black. Uninstall, reinstall - same.

Those are the issues she's found in just a few hours use of it.

She doesn't want to have to keep buying a phone & another phone testing them all out until she gets a decent one.

Doesn't have to be iPhone, could be Android. Needs to have internet capabilities though, music, whatsapp. If not compatible with her airbuds then a 3.5mm jack would be ideal but she may have some non-apple bluetooth buds still from years ago in a drawer, we'd need to check.

flaneurs_lobster

Those are the issues she's found in just a few hours use of it.

On an iPhone that's 10 years old and cost £35? Are you surprised?

For ten days? Is there no-one that a spare phone couldn't be borrowed from?

Local High St phone shop will have a selection, they'll let you check out the phone - AirPods will work with iPhone or Android.

If it's for work purposes then it's a business expense, no point not having a decent backup.

B0bbyEwing

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82032358#Comment_82032358

What are you talking about business expense?

It's just a Whatsapp group chat where work-folk communicate. People arranging cover, texting in unwell (hey I don't agree with it either but it's accepted). Talking about business expense sounds like we're getting a bit overboard here.

Nope. Tried the 1 person who we thought may be able to loan one but they don't want to erase their phone.

IOWJJBTM2025

If she is used to apple phones would suggest easier to remain.

iphone 6 will not get updates and will not be compatible with a number of apps - in particular banking apps.

Would suggest minimum iphone 12 to at least get some use before apple no longer supports. I think iphone 11 support may cease this year.

I got my iphone from CEX a couple of years ago and came with a 5 year guarantee.

Just looked online and the cheapest iphone 12's on CEX with 5 year guarantee are £180.

Am not saying that CEX are the only place to buy a phone, but they do test and have a guarantee.

Amazon sell iphone 12 for £150 next day delivery but do not know about guarantee.

B0bbyEwing

Yeah nearly £200 for 10 days is a bit nuts really.

I said Android because she's been an Android user on a number of occasions. Her most recent was the Galaxy S20. So it's not like it'd be alien to her.

My own works phone is an iPhone 7. Works fine enough for WhatsApp which is the only app that's installed on it beyond what the phone comes with.

As for when that'll cease to be compatible (for me) I've no idea. I obviously don't use banking apps on a works phone & almost never use Safari on it anyway. It's pretty much just phone calls & WhatsApp but both work perfectly fine for me & it's only 1 generation along from the 6S so not sure why the need to then jump 5 generations for her to get something to tick this 10 day box.

flaneurs_lobster

Any chance your personal phone needs/wants an upgrade?

Frees up a phone.

B0bbyEwing

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82032417#Comment_82032417

Mine?

Nope.

We don't rent phones. We always go SIM free as it's the cheapest option in the long run.

Mine is a Galaxy S24+ which I intend on keeping until it dies. In my opinion it's pointless changing phones until either 4 or at the very least 3 generations have passed because the changes are so minimal these days.

And the wife's is an iPhone 16 Pro.

Emmia

If Android isn't a problem then Argos will sell you a Motorola SIM free for £100

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/4668895?clickPR=plp:1:33

Cisco001

If it is iphone, I am thinking about used iphone SE 2022

Android would be refurb samsung A16 4G argos ebay £81

Both of them should be a good spare phone for few years.

P.S. another way to work around is order a phone ONLINE from CEX, use it for 10 days, then return to store within the 14 days and get full refund. It would be £0 for 10 days, but it is really immoral, and I would strongly against it.

QrizB

> She bought an iPhone 6S for £35 from some black website (I'm pretty sure it has black in the name. She said she'd heard decent things about it)

I'd guess this was "Backmarket" which doesn't have black in the name but sounds as though it should.

B0bbyEwing

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82032536#Comment_82032536

I'd be strongly against it too.

But that is a mighty fine immoral suggestion that I wasn't aware of :)

I most certainly will not be suggesting that to her at all because I am a guy of high morals :)

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82032572#Comment_82032572

Haha, that's the one! I thought it had black in the name because when she told me I asked what do you mean you bought it on the black market.

Which is why I still had black in my head.

I'll need to check out their returns policy to see what the deal is because it's pretty crappy. There was good condition & excellent condition, which cost like an extra £3 so that's what she did. Like I say, the physical appearance of it is excellent.

Just…stuff doesn't work.