Want this second hand phone.

RumRat

The A17 is a good call with a tight budget. Bought one for a family member a few months back and it's performing perfectly for their use, which is around the same as the OP.

Also the A17 is due an update to the latest software (UI9), so will outlast the A53 by some margin.

Having said that, it does have the bigger 6.7" screen that maybe not suitable for OP.

twopenny

While I've checked these newer models they are square edged. Add plastic case and bigger.

The idea with my original choice is that it's 1+ cm slimmer with rounded edges so my hand fits round it.

So some decisions to be made.

PRAISETHESUN

I've got both a Pixel 8a as my main phone, and a Samsung A17 as a cheap keep at home phone to run apps I'd rather not have on a device that leave the house every day. Both are good for what I need them to do, with good promises of software updates until the 2030s.

As a budget phone, I definitely notice the performance of the A17. It's noticable slow. Apps take a few seconds to load, if you have more than 2 or 3 apps open at the same time, I find that the oldest apps get closed to save memory - annoying when trying to multitask between a website and a banking app for example. But for £100 it's a fair compromise. It's also big, and I find it good for watching videos but difficult to hold/operate with 1 hand.

Pixel 8a is another story. Small and compact, zippy, but at the upper limit of what I find comfortable to use with one hand. Compact smart phones are a bit of a rarity these days but this is probably one of the smaller ones out there these days. It's pricier, but not overly so. Solid performance and I've not had any issues with it in the 2 years I've owned it.

poseidon1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82155812#Comment_82155812

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82155812#Comment_82155812

Consider putting a cheap silicon case on it rather than plastic.

Have done this with a large angular Samsung S24 ultra titanium chassis phone ( bought to eventually replace current phone), and found the sharp corner quite intrusive. The silicon case made all the difference in softening it down.

Cisco001

I don't recommend cheap phone these days as they could be sluggish. At this moment. I would say google pixel 10a £260 from giffgaff is the best value for money if you want smaller phone, considering the software support.

https://www.giffgaff.com/mobile-phones/google/google-pixel-10a/new

Pay full

Select see all plan

Select £10 20GB monthly rolling no contact.

Cisco001

Samsung A37 £239 with possible claim of Tab 11 (purchase before 06/10/2026)

https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/samsung-galaxy-a37-5g-6-128gb-graphite-4989471

finbaar

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6685164/want-this-second-hand-phone

I'll said the following over on the Mobiles section regarding how Google keep phones safe via Google Play System and/or Google Play Services updates.

"It's a fallacy that phones are particularly vulnerable once OTA updates stop. My Microsoft Surface Duo is on Android 12L and hasn't had a security patch for 3 years but both the above "apps" are up-to-date and all my banking apps still work great. I'm not saying that new exploits do not become live in the world but Google has done a reasonable job to protect devices outside the OTA update route."

So basically the smaller A53 5g, if you can get it very cheap' would be absolutely fine and you'd have no issues with security.