This $150 Smartphone might be All You Need.

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  • čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
  • We all think that the best smartphones in 2024 are the most expensive. But what happens if I told you there's a smarphone that costs 1/10th the price of some flagships but gives 95% of their features? Well, say hello to a shockingly good option for almost everyone.
    WARNING: WATCH OUT FOR THIRD PARTY SELLERS W/ REFURBISHED MODELS!!!
    Buy The $150 Smartphone on Amazon: geni.us/THE150PHONE
    The Arctic Liquid Freezer III Series on Amazon (Sponsor) - geni.us/FreezerIII240
    GET MERCH ►hwcstore.com
    SUBSCRIBE ►bit.ly/SubHWC
    TIMESTAMPS
    0:00 - 2024 Smartphones are too $$$
    0:47 - Let’s go phone shopping
    1:11 - So I Screwed Up...
    2:19 - This is the RIGHT $150 Smartphone
    2:32 - Design and Build Quality
    3:19 - Hello old friend
    3:44 - Sponsor Spot
    4:15 - The Display is GOOD!?
    5:43 - But is it Fast?
    7:31 - How to Make an Android Phone Faster
    8:10 - EXPANDABLE Storage!
    8:39 - Can it run Crysis?
    9:06 - The Software is simple BUT…
    10:55 - Stellar Battery Life!
    11:48 - Camera Performance
    13:31 - The Perfect Phone for MOST People
    This video is sponsored by Artic. As per Hardware Canucks guidelines, no review direction was received from manufacturer. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
    Follow us for more updates!
    Twitter bit.ly/HWC_Twitter
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    ---------------------------------------­-----------------------
    #android #budgetphone
  • Věda a technologie

Komentáře • 837

  • @leophoenix1452
    @leophoenix1452 Před měsícem +1489

    Its funny that you can't install mobile android games on a micro SD but you can run God of war 2018 off a micro SD in a steam deck😅...

    • @tarfeef_4268
      @tarfeef_4268 Před měsícem +55

      Probably about the protocol it supports. Ufs1 or smth

    • @ElMarcoh
      @ElMarcoh Před měsícem +114

      with root you can install anything on SD, it's probably disabled on default installs in order to sell more phones with the pretext of "ensuring good user experience". I regret buying a samsung phone, my last one was also asmsung as was difficult to root, but my last one (s20) was practically impossible.

    • @splashmoby
      @splashmoby Před měsícem +4

      Lol hilarious

    • @xerzy
      @xerzy Před měsícem +18

      @@ElMarcoh I would *tend to agree* that people buy shitty SD cards and only later regret how slow a phone feels and will end up buying a new one when it wasn't needed at all... BUT they could have just hidden it from the main UI. They could have kept it internally for third party apps to manage. They didn't. So I'm not sure what they win out of this, particularly as we reach storage sizes that make expansion unnecessary for most people...

    • @leophoenix1452
      @leophoenix1452 Před měsícem +6

      @@ElMarcoh thats if the SD port is available... Most phones do not have the SD port anymore.

  • @BoxBoxBoxGaming
    @BoxBoxBoxGaming Před měsícem +528

    my man put Initial D on the phone to test it, mad respect

  • @flookaraz
    @flookaraz Před měsícem +597

    For $150 cant complain. Just shows how much people are willing to pay for branding and bells/whistles!

    • @FromDkWithLove
      @FromDkWithLove Před měsícem +23

      I'd go cheaper still. It's comparable to last gen Xiaomi Redmi or OnePlus Nord with a 50% mark up.

    • @imwatchingyou6113
      @imwatchingyou6113 Před měsícem +13

      If you want to buy rubbish then go ahead or buy something like infinix note pro 40 see specs on CZcams...you will soon realise you can and will complain 😮

    • @ikram2512
      @ikram2512 Před měsícem

      ​@@imwatchingyou6113how much?

    • @iambear.6526
      @iambear.6526 Před měsícem +7

      Yeah but how long is this $150 going to last?

    • @lukas______
      @lukas______ Před měsícem

      At the rate these software supports (Google 7 years...) the hardware will burn out before then, like the batteries no doubt. ​@@iambear.6526

  • @ThisisDD
    @ThisisDD Před měsícem +351

    Moto phones have been amazing in the under $200 range for years. Moto X and G were mid range beasts for their time

    • @SilvioBritto
      @SilvioBritto Před měsícem +18

      Yes, in that range Samsung's OneUI is a disadvantage, for example. Motos have such clean OS

    • @ThisisDD
      @ThisisDD Před měsícem

      @@SilvioBritto 💯 I generally detest Sanding phones regardless

    • @SIPEROTH
      @SIPEROTH Před měsícem +5

      ​@@SilvioBritto Yeah i had two cheap Samsung phones. Updates made them really slow and even killed one.

    • @AlphaMachina
      @AlphaMachina Před měsícem +5

      I absolutely hate my Moto One 5G Ace. It's a terrible phone. It's thick as hell, weighs a ton, runs slow as hell, has terrible battery life. The OS is garbage. The screen looks like ass. Nothing about this phone is better than my Xioami Mi 9T that's a couple years older, and in fact, everything about the 9T is better. It has the same size screen, but is much thinner, has an Amoled display, more storage, better specs across the board, etc. and was about the same price. Moto needs to do better, imo.

    • @TrinaMukherjee-ry6xf
      @TrinaMukherjee-ry6xf Před měsícem

      Totally agree

  • @gregharder2765
    @gregharder2765 Před měsícem +414

    It's really frustrating that you can get a cheap phone like this that performs just as well as one would need, but you can't get a cheap tablet with the same specs.

    • @ravitejasikhakolli
      @ravitejasikhakolli Před měsícem +13

      In India we can get decent tablet for $200, better specs than this mobile

    • @Cantripping
      @Cantripping Před měsícem +14

      Redmi Pad SE.

    • @ItsAssassin
      @ItsAssassin Před měsícem +13

      mi pads are really good in budget...been using them for 2 years now...no complaints

    • @zelonfuentes966
      @zelonfuentes966 Před měsícem +2

      But... I mean new cheap phones have a space...
      But almost everytime is better buy a used ipad or mi pad or galaxy tab...
      My wife uses his tablet to watch media and read news and HATES iOS so I bought her a galaxy tab s6 for 180 bucks and it even got a free case...
      My 8yo wanna play and watch her shows I bought her an 8th gen ipad for 150 bucks

    • @kklc5477
      @kklc5477 Před měsícem +7

      Alldocube mini 50 pro
      Lincplus t3
      Samsung a9 LTE
      Redmi Pad series
      any iPad series
      the first 2 will give 0 updates but will absoltuely max its budget on the hardware
      Samsung continues to give garbage hardware and pretty good software.
      Redmi Pad gives pretty good hardware and gives updates but MIUI OS on tablet is atrocious
      iPad software updates are good and hardware is unexpectedly good too but I personally wouldn't touch the atrocious iPad OS

  • @ChengHorn9
    @ChengHorn9 Před měsícem +191

    4:40 As long as I can watch Initial D and it looks decent I'm sold.

    • @stewiegilligangriffin4904
      @stewiegilligangriffin4904 Před měsícem

      Is this your burner account ? And sounds like this was a sponsored ad

    • @ignaciotomasi
      @ignaciotomasi Před měsícem +7

      @@stewiegilligangriffin4904 nah, i doubt it, initial d is a pretty old anime series. if it was an ad maybe he would have said MF Ghost which is the secuel, came out last year.

    • @jiffonbuffo
      @jiffonbuffo Před 13 dny

      ​@@stewiegilligangriffin4904It's quite a well known classic anime for people of certain ages. And might get more attention with the newer but lamer MF Ghost.

  • @WildWest83
    @WildWest83 Před měsícem +91

    Motorola’s Achilles heel has always been lack of software/security support. But, you gotta remember this phone is $150(was $129.99 on Motorola the last time it went on sale). Cheap phones are getting really good and Motorola is a great, clean, stock android experience. Their phones are generally good value for the money and they’re dependable devices. Great review!

    • @jonboy602
      @jonboy602 Před měsícem +2

      Do you know what the support period (time of receiving security updates) is on these phones? That might the only dealbreaker for me.

    • @FunFreakeyy
      @FunFreakeyy Před měsícem +8

      That's why Motorola + LineageOS is the killer combo. Of course you need tech skills to do it but if you have them it's a great choice.

    • @tamwilfred
      @tamwilfred Před měsícem +7

      @@jonboy602 For their budget line it might just be two years. For their flagship line it's around 4 years. But Moto doesn't have a track record for timely updates.

    • @darylpruitt53
      @darylpruitt53 Před 16 dny +2

      ​@@jonboy602is 150 bucks. Just pickup another one in 2 years. That ain't enough money to care.

  • @valkasolidor6727
    @valkasolidor6727 Před měsícem +124

    I've been using the MotoG power for a while now. Thankfully I don't have to worry too much about security updates since AT&T has already given the world all of my personal info.

    • @bretislav9247
      @bretislav9247 Před měsícem

      I don't understand, what's AT&T?

    • @appleusher
      @appleusher Před měsícem

      ​@@bretislav9247 It's the biggest telecommunication company in the US which had quite huge personal data leak on the dark web quite recently.

    • @rimondas6729
      @rimondas6729 Před měsícem

      ​@bretislav9247 massive data leak

    • @joemama-mo5fi
      @joemama-mo5fi Před měsícem +1

      AT&t is a carrier company it gives sim cards and wifi

  • @failfurby
    @failfurby Před měsícem +84

    This is EXACTLY the kind of phone I will be looking for when my pixel 6a eventually dies. Good to see companies can still deliver solid devices without charging me an arm and a leg.

    • @depbassist7848
      @depbassist7848 Před 20 dny +3

      I agree, but I'd miss the camera too much.

    • @RoastBeefSandwich
      @RoastBeefSandwich Před 11 hodinami

      @@depbassist7848 9 times out of 10 the photos will look the same on social media. Seriously. But it's all in what is important to you.

  • @3dge433
    @3dge433 Před měsícem +58

    For 200$ you can get a Samsung A15 with an amoled fhd display, 8gb/256gb, and five years of updates

    • @Zomeone
      @Zomeone Před 26 dny +2

      Even the f15 model with 6k battery

    • @squatch545
      @squatch545 Před 20 dny +4

      The A15 only has 4 GB of memory.

    • @3dge433
      @3dge433 Před 19 dny

      @@squatch545 there is an 8gb/256gb option

    • @squatch545
      @squatch545 Před 19 dny +1

      @@3dge433 Not in Canada. The 8 GB version must be a global/International version.

    • @IrisFox97
      @IrisFox97 Před 10 dny

      I got the A13 5G and it's been fine with me

  • @ElementalITcc
    @ElementalITcc Před měsícem +80

    I have 10 ppl on my phone plan and most of them are young adults I am helping get on their feet or out of bad situations. buying a phone outright is the way to go, and giving them one that is serviceable for a reasonable price is awesome. I would love to see some perspective after extended use to see if these opinions change.
    Thanks for the great review.

    • @HShango
      @HShango Před měsícem +3

      I always buy my phones out right

    • @IcaroMorse
      @IcaroMorse Před měsícem +4

      After the Galaxy S8 (last "flagship" I bought) I started buying cheaper and cheaper and ended with the A04S as the lowest I could reasonably go. I've been using the Galaxy A04S for the past year and can't complain for the price I've paid. It does slow a little bit after months of use but if you don't have a lot of background apps and the storage full it's fine. After some time you just understand things aren't instantaneous. For communication, social media, banking and the normal internet browsing it's great.

    • @SIPEROTH
      @SIPEROTH Před měsícem

      ​@@IcaroMorse Just avoid updates because those really slow it down.

    • @AlphaMachina
      @AlphaMachina Před měsícem

      I use a service called Redpocket. I'm on AT&T towers with unlimited talk/text, 2GB of 5G/unlimited 3G for 10 doll hairs a month.

    • @Hussain313-ht3kj
      @Hussain313-ht3kj Před 8 dny

      God bless you 🙂

  • @UpgradeLemonade
    @UpgradeLemonade Před měsícem +73

    Well it's like 10x less the cost of a flagship. So i guess just buy a new one when updates stop coming 😅

    • @SIPEROTH
      @SIPEROTH Před měsícem +10

      Even cheap phones get at least 2 years of updates.
      Replacing something so cheap every 2 years isn't hard and about what one expects before needing some more performance.

    • @czkmeister
      @czkmeister Před měsícem +3

      @@SIPEROTH It sounds nice when you say 2 years, but those 2 years (especially for brands like Motorola, Sony, Xiaomi etc.) look like this: Release the phone at the end cycle of an android version, so the phone already ships with and update waiting, which already counts as the first year of those 2 years of updates, and then usually ONLY get only the second update about year and a half later to another android version and that's it. One untimely android version update and no bug fixes or security patches in-between. Premium brands now offer 7 years of updates (older models still 5 years which is more than enough) with new android version on time AND with monthly security and bug patches.
      You can buy a 3 year old premium phone for less than $200 and still be better off for YEARS than buying a brand new almost nothing for $150.

    • @overflow7276
      @overflow7276 Před měsícem

      @@czkmeister Those 200$ are only a whish, I am afraid. I think the sweet spot lays somewhere in the middle. Get a phone with at least 3 years of software support left and use it for 4 years. Android development has slowed down quite a lot since about Android 10. You don't miss out on much if you just use your last version for just a year longer than google wants you to.

    • @namele55777
      @namele55777 Před měsícem +1

      @@czkmeisterpray tell which 3-year old flagship android could you get for $200? let's be strict and quote me any 2021 flagship, with at least 5 years of promised updates from the factory (meaning 2 years left to go), without a busted screen, battery, camera etc, that you can buy under $200.

  • @gaurav_0369
    @gaurav_0369 Před měsícem +59

    these kinds of phones are common in developing countries mostly dominated by chinese brands, even better specs than this for same price like 120 hz oled screen with decent brightness and better processors as well

    • @the.villan
      @the.villan Před měsícem +14

      They're popular in Europe as well. It's been years since I've used a flagship phone. When you can pick up a decent android for under £200, my pay as you go service is £10 per month. All calls and texts free, 15GB mobile internet a month (I don't even use anywhere near that with WiFi at work and at home. It's an easy decision.

    • @gaurav_0369
      @gaurav_0369 Před měsícem +1

      @@the.villan is the pay as you go about the mobile data plans ? i honestly think we are spoiled in that department, 2gb per day for a month for just around 4 dollars, unlimited calls and sms is same, oh and unlimited 5g till june 2024 if you got a 5g phone, 5g coverage is really good as well even in small towns

    • @the.villan
      @the.villan Před měsícem

      @@gaurav_0369 You can choose to lock in for a 12 month contract for either slightly cheaper or with more data. Yes there is a scale for more data, going up to £25 a month for unlimited data on 12 month contract or £35 a monthly pay as you go, both unlimited free calls and SMS. It's 4G and 5G but 5G is still rolling out here. I'm in a town of around 170k people and it's not here yet but is next city over like 20 miles away

    • @dorientjewoller113
      @dorientjewoller113 Před měsícem +2

      @@the.villan Correct ... bought me a couple of months ago a Motorola G13 with 128GB internal storage and a free SD Card of 128GB on top of it. Primal use of it is making calls, MP3 player, texting and once and a while taking a picture on the fly. Total price 130 Euro's.

    • @the.villan
      @the.villan Před měsícem

      @@dorientjewoller113 Bargain. Motorola make some nice cheap phones. As do Xiaomi, Huawei and Oppo.l, Samsung A series phones. Unless you are using your phone as a desktop (in which case why?), gaming at a competitive level (again why, when you could get a console or even a decent PC with the money you've saved) or the only actual reasons that makes sense, for business or you do youtube/tiktok/Instagram/OF as a career. In both cases you'd probably just get an iPhone.

  • @northernwing8191
    @northernwing8191 Před měsícem +105

    I daily drive a Motorola Edge (2021 model) - 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage + SD, 5G, 8-core Snapdragon 778G. You can still find them new for ~$250 these days and it still sinks anything I've ever wanted to do with it.
    I'm done wasting $1000/year when every flagship I've ever bought has been dead within two years anyway.

    • @Rresenden
      @Rresenden Před měsícem +8

      You spent 1000 every year the problem is you not the market or phones. I have iPhone 12 Pro Max since day one , and works great. Better that any 250$ phone

    • @twilekcustodian
      @twilekcustodian Před měsícem +8

      I was using a flagship phone, the samsung s7. But then i got the idea, instead of using a flagship phone for years and years, why not just buy budget phones and you can upgrade more often. So i got the a15 for 200 bucks. I can upgrade it 5 times before it reaches the price of going for a flagship

    • @priyanshusharma1812
      @priyanshusharma1812 Před měsícem +32

      @@Rresenden bro is mad someone is happy with a cheap phone

    • @jordanpulciani1526
      @jordanpulciani1526 Před měsícem +5

      @@priyanshusharma1812 i think you missunderstood his comment. Expensive phones are good since they last long. He's saying that whats wrong is buying a 1000$ phone every year

    • @darkkforest
      @darkkforest Před měsícem +1

      Buy a 1k phone every year might be a problem that needs to be fixed. Glad you've done that

  • @OverlordActual
    @OverlordActual Před měsícem +10

    Thanks for making this video by the way. Always like seeing what these super budget phones are doing these days. The storage space alone would limit a lot of people I feel but otherwise seems like an ok buy.

  • @corpclarke
    @corpclarke Před měsícem +23

    I'm nearly 40 years old and the idea you can get a handheld high performance computer for 150 is still mind blowing. We used to pay several times this for a phone that could only talk and text and was the size of a breeze block.

  • @zacharysandberg
    @zacharysandberg Před 5 dny +4

    I really like your delivery on reviews. Very pleasant to listen to.

  • @y55en45
    @y55en45 Před měsícem +70

    0:24 you guys put CAD twice instead of 1299 USD

    • @CollectionLearning.
      @CollectionLearning. Před měsícem +37

      CAD stands for Californian American Dollar

    • @JagadguruSvamiVegananda
      @JagadguruSvamiVegananda Před měsícem +2

      @@TominiOfficial, says the DUNCE who is unable to spot an obvious joke.

    • @MrMega200
      @MrMega200 Před měsícem +1

      @@JagadguruSvamiVegananda or you're the dunce that can't see an editing error.

    • @JagadguruSvamiVegananda
      @JagadguruSvamiVegananda Před měsícem

      @@MrMega200, kindly repeat that in ENGLISH, Miss.☝️
      Incidentally, Slave, are you VEGAN? 🌱

    • @MyNameIsUnavailable
      @MyNameIsUnavailable Před 20 dny

      American dollars are worth less than Canadian Pesos at this point 😂

  • @Punk661
    @Punk661 Před měsícem +2

    Amazing video, really love this kind of content and comparison.

  • @IMUSTHCOOSEANEWNAMEB
    @IMUSTHCOOSEANEWNAMEB Před měsícem +2

    Insanely good video, a master piece and probably the best one you will ever do, cheers.

  • @rmking_beats
    @rmking_beats Před měsícem +30

    It’s not really the camera but the person using it. Those pictures look sick even though it was shot on a budget phone.

    • @gintoki_sakata__
      @gintoki_sakata__ Před měsícem

      Now imagine a camera that does that regardless of the person.

    • @IrisFox97
      @IrisFox97 Před 10 dny

      Yeah I was confused when he said they aren't really good but that could be because I'm used to using not so good cameras

  • @Paulie8K
    @Paulie8K Před měsícem +3

    Nice review. I've mostly bought mid to upper-midrange phones over the years. I have the Pixel 6 now and may challenge myself to get the best phone I can for around $400 max. Midrange phones often get the latest SOC but a few compromises compared to the top end. Give me good performance, 3-4 years of software updates, and a decent camera and I'm set.

  • @samridhabarman7292
    @samridhabarman7292 Před měsícem +4

    Very unique style of reviwing a mobile phone liked it ❤

  • @internziko
    @internziko Před 25 dny

    This video was so relaxing and informative. I watched it while having my morning coffee. Keep up yhe great work guys!

  • @lunchie80
    @lunchie80 Před měsícem +4

    Bought my 9yo daughter one of these(cheap but decent smartphone like this). She uses it constantly, it has good battery life, handles thr apps she uses(simple games etc).
    Absolutely no need for her to use a more expensive device yet. Better low end phones are also good for older folks. Ive seen some older people struggle with smart phones and often its because they're using garbage tech that already makes it hard.
    Something responsive and smooth with a good display is all they need.

  • @Kreeschon
    @Kreeschon Před měsícem +11

    Absolutely phones of this price class are still relevant! And I think you guys should cover more of them!! TCL has been putting out a lot of interesting stuff in the budget space lately but there aren't many quality video reviews of anything they put out

    • @SilvioBritto
      @SilvioBritto Před měsícem +2

      Theirs matte screen technology is sick

    • @Jbzy3000
      @Jbzy3000 Před 15 dny +1

      I've got a tcl and it's decent. Not so sold on it and there are things that gets on my nerves but it's jthe fact the keyboard seems slow and inaccurate but it's decent v android auto isn't good either.

    • @SilvioBritto
      @SilvioBritto Před 14 dny

      @@Jbzy3000 I wanna try somadas the matte screens from TCL

  • @PowerTower25
    @PowerTower25 Před měsícem +2

    Great review! I bought this phone after watching your review so I can have a backup phone if my Pixel 4a fails. I ended up switching since it's faster than the Pixel 4a (super easy process on Google Fi).

  • @cael_1303
    @cael_1303 Před měsícem +2

    I literally bought this phone Friday (spur of the moment but was planning to do it. Didn't know what brand I was going to get before I went) to replace my old one. I actually got it on discount thanks to the MetroPCS assistant for $109 (about $145 with a case and screen cover). I got the 2023 version but considering the 24 version has no charger and it was still an upgrade I'm content with it.

  • @ace_of_laze
    @ace_of_laze Před měsícem +1

    Yeah, i would gladly get something like this. Not looking for anything fancy, just to cover well all the basics and give me good experience using it

  • @Bitbiscuit
    @Bitbiscuit Před měsícem +1

    Interesting vid, enjoyed it!

  • @hasselblad445
    @hasselblad445 Před 23 dny +1

    Editing & cinematography is much better than other youtubers seriously hats offf

  • @sbuuby
    @sbuuby Před měsícem +7

    as an iphone pro user i'm jealous of that minimal camera bump

  • @nfriedly
    @nfriedly Před měsícem +6

    I'm on a Moto g100 that I got for about $300 a year or so ago, and I'm really happy with it. All the benefits that you mentioned for the g play (including a headphones jack and a MicroSD slot), plus twice the storage and RAM, and official LineageOS support, so up-to-date Android.

    • @FunFreakeyy
      @FunFreakeyy Před měsícem +1

      Me too! It sucks that newer phones have no sd card slot, so I may be even buy it again if it breaks.

    • @IrisFox97
      @IrisFox97 Před 10 dny

      One of the reasons I like mid range phones because they have a headphone jack

  • @MG-mb6mj
    @MG-mb6mj Před 22 dny

    Honest review! Probably hated by smartphone companies… like to see other CZcamsrs get their hands on the similar priced phones

  • @freeloaderfs
    @freeloaderfs Před měsícem

    great video keep them coming

  • @russellvonastel7111
    @russellvonastel7111 Před 21 dnem

    Very good review,thank you

  • @PaladinOfHope
    @PaladinOfHope Před měsícem +4

    Rocking the Motorola G84 for the last few months, a bit more expensive but the overall idea is the same, this cheap phone can do it perfectly fine in almost all everyday situations for a fraction of the price of a flagship.

  • @drewnewby
    @drewnewby Před měsícem +4

    The Snapdragon 680 4G is a nice upgrade from the Helio G37 in last years model, about 50% faster, but as little as $150 is, you can find the 2023 for next to nothing.

  • @kajobluemane
    @kajobluemane Před měsícem +1

    This looks like the perfect phone for my mother that doesn't game at all and uses it primarily for light browsing or messaging. The camera looks very decent as well. Thank you for this review. I'll definitely take a closer look at it.

  • @thefumigator
    @thefumigator Před měsícem +5

    Snapdragon 680 is the 4G version of Snapdragon 695 5G. And is still a respectable processor. A couple more gigabytes of real ram and it would be a low spec killer. While hybrid ram may do the trick, real ram still makes real difference.

  • @SolidSnake4Ever2003
    @SolidSnake4Ever2003 Před měsícem

    A sincere thanks for this thoughtful and in-depth review. Honestly, as I'm getting older in my mid 30s now, this is all I personally would want or need in a phone. Something that can do the occasional call, occasional cat pic, browse social media, browse online, watch youtube, and text/IM while having decent battery life. Even if the update cycle isn't the longest, it's so cheap that in ~2 years or whenever, another new cheap model can just be purchased then. I've been around the block as a budget phone connoisseur over the years and it's truly remarkable to see how good budget phones have gotten over time. I'd wager I could keep this thing running very smoothly with a weekly or bi-weekly cache clear, SD maid run, reboot, and greenify usage or outright just disabling/sleeping stuff I simply don't use. I have a very ailing 2nd gen iPhone SE 2020 and something like this is right up my ally, having a bigger screen to type on will be very welcome, I personally always found the 4.7in iPhone's screen small, cramped to type on as a grown man, and non immersive for media. The SE's battery life is also horrid. I'll actually gain some features back with this phone in the SD card and headphone jack, while also not feeling tethered to the charging cable...yay lol.

  • @Scarbir
    @Scarbir Před měsícem +18

    Great review - but honestly, doesn’t this apply to all Redmi’s and Poco’s as well?

    • @keithmooore
      @keithmooore Před měsícem +11

      Those aren't sold in electronic stores in US and Canada, so most people know nothing about them

    • @gogetablue7905
      @gogetablue7905 Před měsícem +9

      Yeah I was so disturbed they acting like this is so cool, While a similar price like the Poco M6 Pro or Redmi 13 can dominate this Moto G Play

    • @NarcolepticRaccoon7
      @NarcolepticRaccoon7 Před měsícem

      @@gogetablue7905 While tech enthusiasts would enjoy having Redmi and Poco, it's not available in the US and Canada. They have to be purchased on places like AliExpress. Even if we were to buy those, they lack all the network bands used for mobile carriers in the US

    • @wes.9353
      @wes.9353 Před měsícem +7

      They aren't capable of using our broadband frequencies. As an American, it's some bullshit. We have the worst mobile phone market in the free world by far.

  • @ShakeelAhmad-qj5rm
    @ShakeelAhmad-qj5rm Před měsícem +1

    Excellent review ❤smile and peace bro

  • @saadjameel1820
    @saadjameel1820 Před měsícem

    Mann those photos look REALLY GOOD for the price ♥ I guess it can be used for photography if you have a good eye for it.

  • @keiserious
    @keiserious Před měsícem +1

    They need to improve the camera since it’s the most important part today…love that EK9😊

  • @titaniumtitan7093
    @titaniumtitan7093 Před měsícem +2

    Ive had a redmi 9T for a while, had it as a secondary phone for media and some games but last week it died. Tried to reboot it and it didnt come back.
    Ill be looking for its replacement now thanks to this video

    • @FromDkWithLove
      @FromDkWithLove Před měsícem

      I'd go for last gen OnePlus Nord 5G. It's 50 usd less than this one, with the same specs. Decent enough oxygen os, with minimal bloatware and no ingrained ads.

  • @forthelichkingsname
    @forthelichkingsname Před měsícem

    When I'm getting into a new phone, the first I thing do is enable developer options and change the animations speed. But there are some apps now that doesn't work when dev options is enabled. And it sucks because that app is a cash app for my country.

  • @strykar4744
    @strykar4744 Před měsícem +1

    Got $250 2022 Motorola Edge and have been using it since. I think Motorola has solid price to performance/use case phones for most people. More than 128GB storage was my primary concern and that was the cheapest option for that. Been a happy user.

  • @chrislee8970
    @chrislee8970 Před 26 dny

    Good review. Sounds like a solid entry level phone, hits pretty much all the important needs but doesn't go overboard on trying to match the premium phones. Software update life is one of the things I've truly been annoyed with about Android; most phones are dead after a few years, while I've got an iPhone 6s I use to play games via wifi that just went EoL after almost 15.

  • @ACM9407
    @ACM9407 Před 6 dny

    I used to work at Best Buy in their Mobile department. This was a popular budget phone for people to buy so I’ve sold and setup tons of them…It’s a solid phone if you’re really on a tight budget, an elderly person who hardly uses their phone, and/or just need a secondary throwaway phone, but that said, I wouldn’t recommend to the average person if you use your phone frequently or have a higher budget to play with.

  • @azenyr
    @azenyr Před měsícem +5

    10:40 - "Apple, even their cheapest iPhone supports all updates" - well the fact is that the "cheapest" iPhone from Apple is still $500-$600 .... with those huge profit margins, any brand can give 10 years of updates .. but you are talking about a $150 NEW in-box phone here...

  • @Bless3757
    @Bless3757 Před měsícem

    its a good thing you realized your mistake at the beginning lol
    im a phone saleperson and ive sold a decent amount of Moto G Play 2023's and i noticed an immediate EXTREMELY notable improvement to the smoothness of the experience

  • @OverlordActual
    @OverlordActual Před měsícem

    I use my Stylus and 30x zoom in my S24 Ultra. I use a lot of the features of my phone. Including photo editing stuff (that does not require connection). I do use the 100x occasionally when I am trying to read something really far away and figured it would actually be clear enough. Also 32gb would be very very limiting.

  • @Audibleknight
    @Audibleknight Před měsícem

    The price point is great, and the specs are good enough to be really attractive for those with tight budgets or used for a cheap secondary phone. The lack of software updates though feel like a deal-breaker.

  • @a1000island
    @a1000island Před měsícem

    I'm not mad at that side mounted fingerprint reader
    So simple always works and they add additional functionality as well

  • @Richniques
    @Richniques Před 29 dny

    Well done review.

  • @ninjanerdstudent6937
    @ninjanerdstudent6937 Před měsícem +1

    13:20 it is commendable.
    Sounds very ChatGPT.

  • @allawa
    @allawa Před měsícem

    I'm rocking a ulefone about 400 bucks and nearly indistructable. comes with 8gb ram 8 core possessor laser range finder and massive battery. I've dropped it 30 feet into concrete and it was fine... would love to see a review of one of them! not many have done so

  • @janmortensen9314
    @janmortensen9314 Před měsícem +1

    4 year old Motorola One Action. It is still doing all that i need. Paid 180$ for it; I see no reason to pay more. And EU now want 3 year OS updates + 5 year security patches... yeah

  • @socksonfeet8125
    @socksonfeet8125 Před 17 dny

    Camera can capture full megapixels, its in the advanced options of the camera. Files are like 7-10MB though, the average user is gonna eat up their memory pretty fast.

  • @forte7991
    @forte7991 Před měsícem

    Great video. Phone are easy to expensive. I just picked a galaxy gold 4. I'm happy with it

  • @swecreations
    @swecreations Před 4 dny +1

    So NICE to see the new phone not having that useless 2MP macro camera every budget phone seem to come with.
    Honestly such an ingenious design as well to have the flash like that.

  • @AzureRT456
    @AzureRT456 Před měsícem

    App incompatibility will never be a problem for this phone since it's on Android 13. Again, that's relatively recent. I've also heard performance dropping for users (on any phone) when upgrading to a new Android version. Never had it happen to me but still.

  • @feliciasbeard
    @feliciasbeard Před 2 dny

    If you want to know how he changed the settings for animation and whatever, it's in the developer settings. About phone>build#, click it about 10 times and it should unlock it, it tells you how many steps away you are after like five clicks. Some of the new phones are listing it and not hiding it behind the build number anymore.

  • @i2ohit
    @i2ohit Před měsícem

    I have one of these, i use it for all phone needs except for the camera, which yes is an obvious trade off here but i already have a company provided Samsung which takes great pictures.
    So if Camera is something you can be okay with taking decent pictures in good lighting, this phone has everything else nailed down correctly.
    Display - 7/10, performance 10/10 for the price, its light weight, looks clean, UI is clean and slick, NO ADS, NO BLOATWARE

  • @KyleRuggles
    @KyleRuggles Před měsícem

    Great review, sucks bout the updates, but I'm sure there's a custom rom for it.

  • @ValentinoNicko
    @ValentinoNicko Před měsícem

    Just get used last year / last two year flagship smartphone. It is technically still out power and more feature-rich than this year midrange / entry level.

  • @josephmuniz9959
    @josephmuniz9959 Před měsícem

    I do believe that those cheaper devices have a space. Especially for a kid or older person, heck even a decent backup is hard to find. It’s super nice to have the option and not have to spend $1000+ on a phone and get all the necessities.

  • @mayureshpatil1873
    @mayureshpatil1873 Před měsícem

    It's about perspective, that's what I learnt from you.

  • @chromerims
    @chromerims Před 5 dny +1

    4:48 -- 720p HD. Boy, it is hard to get 1080p FHD at low prices. Nice video 👍

  • @felreizmeshinca7459
    @felreizmeshinca7459 Před měsícem

    I'm actually blown away by the photos, probably because my old phone's camera is dying that the quality gets so bad. As a power user I'll still need a better phone but that phone is what most people "need", not "want".

  • @IrishWolf
    @IrishWolf Před měsícem

    My OnePlus 7 pro finally gave up after almost 5 years of use, absolutely loved every minute of using it. Bought the Moto G84 for €220 on sale. Battery life has been absolutely fantastic and just an all round great phone to use.

  • @Kinsypoo
    @Kinsypoo Před 15 dny

    i use a pixel 6 i bought refurbished on Amazon for like 120$ and i dont see myself needing to upgrade anytime soon. I think buying used couple generations old flagship phones is the way to go.

  • @stevestruthers6180
    @stevestruthers6180 Před 20 dny

    A friend gave me his old iPhone XR and it functions flawlessly. When that phone gives up the ghost in a few years from now, I'll be looking at getting something like a cheap Moto G to replace it. All I really need is a basic means of communicating when I'm outside of my home. A camera is simply a bonus, and I can use it for utility purposes - to take pictures of receipts or posters advertising an event or service, etc. If I need to take a high-quality photo, I will take my digital camera with me. Sometimes, less is more.

  • @kettusnuhveli341
    @kettusnuhveli341 Před měsícem +1

    Funnily enough you can get the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G for around 150 EUR here all the time.
    Wonder how that would compare to this?

  • @keithstrickland6311
    @keithstrickland6311 Před 19 dny

    I appreciate you making this video. I have a Pro iPhone and a Surface Duo, but I believe phones like this are a great value.

  • @iDreu
    @iDreu Před měsícem

    I was rocking a moto g power 2022 for a hot minute, great for older games, awesome multi day battery life, and installing a custom rom made it that much better. Motorola doesn't install a ton of bloatware but for under $200 one of the best phones I've ever used

  • @callmerahro
    @callmerahro Před měsícem +1

    It's really interesting how companies limit options for NA market

  • @sultanabran1
    @sultanabran1 Před měsícem

    this phone is all i really need. all i use my pixel 6 for is whatsapp, messaging, phone calls, spotify and android auto. any phone can handle that. oh and the camera. the pixel does have an awesome camera which is important to me.

  • @tarfeef_4268
    @tarfeef_4268 Před měsícem

    Would pay double for software support and a faster soc if needed. Maybe 1080p as well. Otherwise looks great

  • @fazilmohamed2507
    @fazilmohamed2507 Před měsícem +1

    Great video btw. Keep the long term reviews coming. Cheers!!

  • @Mark-mu4pj
    @Mark-mu4pj Před měsícem

    Great video, it's quite a nice phone for the price.

  • @FIVESTRZ
    @FIVESTRZ Před měsícem

    I used to have the G7 for one of my extra lines, made life easy, and felt really good knowing that it was only $150 and that i didn't need to be aa careful 99% of the time it did what i needed how i needed it done.

  • @bpcgos
    @bpcgos Před dnem

    My Poco F3 cost around US $250 in 2021, and it still thrive with SD 870 powering any games and most importantly emulator nowadays out of the box just fine. Also with SD 684G (or snapdragon in general) it will live a long life by the community Cutom ROM and security updates

  • @telepathicdragon
    @telepathicdragon Před měsícem +2

    As soon as i saw him show costco and walk in to buy the phone, i knew immediately he was grabbing the wrong model LOL

  • @mma93067
    @mma93067 Před 15 dny

    If Google could just provide a way to define a headless android base layer and ensure backwards-compatibility between versions, all android phones could be on the latest version at anytime while the vendor can offer their own ui/bloatware

  • @paulhannawi7169
    @paulhannawi7169 Před 28 dny

    The e5 play used to allow the capability of installing apps on an SD card but they took that away on the more recent models. Its not a complete deal breaker but it is a handy feature. Nonetheless the Moto G Power is only $50 more or so than the G-play and it does an amazing job for a mid range smart phone

  • @bengt_axle
    @bengt_axle Před 27 dny

    Moto does not lock the bootloader like Samsung. Have you tried flashing Graphene, Lineage or Calyx OS on this phone? If it works well with these custom ROMS, then it would make sense, because after two years, you could flash it with an OS that is maintained, and still have something functional and secure. You should try these custom Roms and make a video about it.
    I think the camera is good enough for taking pictures of signs, travel photos and scanning QR codes.

  • @jeff-sv6ud
    @jeff-sv6ud Před 2 dny

    Thanks for sharing. I bought a Motorola Play last week at London Drugs for $134.00, including 50gb of Data.

  • @russ4AGE
    @russ4AGE Před měsícem +1

    Best episode of initial d! Done, sold. Leaving to go to Best Buy right now

  • @Funkfreed
    @Funkfreed Před měsícem

    If we buy this camera and find a proper handheld camera. What camera would be a good budget? Preferably a compact one.

  • @matthewahn3663
    @matthewahn3663 Před měsícem

    Currently rocking a OnePlus 12R but I think these truly budget phones interest me as there aren't that many good options in the US. You are right though security is the one thing that is kinda keeping me from getting these as my backup phone

    • @SIPEROTH
      @SIPEROTH Před měsícem +1

      Security is a worthless concern unless you are visiting some really sketchy sites and download weird stuff.
      I have old devices that haven't got an update for years now and never had any issues.

    • @matthewahn3663
      @matthewahn3663 Před měsícem

      @@SIPEROTH interesting point 😁

  • @curousity
    @curousity Před 20 dny

    An audio jack ? Im sold

  • @576turky
    @576turky Před měsícem

    just bought refurbished pixel 6 a couple weeks ago for just 169$
    and what an amazing experience

  • @TMM6900
    @TMM6900 Před měsícem

    Might as well do a side by side comparison

  • @NicholasDhruboDas
    @NicholasDhruboDas Před měsícem

    The camera quality is amazing!

  • @Theekshanaabenayake
    @Theekshanaabenayake Před měsícem

    Motorolla is really improved it’s budget and midrange phone lineup ❤

  • @NukaOrQuantum...
    @NukaOrQuantum... Před měsícem +1

    The Motorola ring tone goes crazy. The singing robot women is very unsettling for some reason

  • @elchamber
    @elchamber Před 11 dny

    This reminds me of the Droid X after a long term experience. I basically had to learn how to be able to get it to work correctly and give up on having widgets.

  • @AnthorOne
    @AnthorOne Před 28 dny +1

    I use similarly priced phone. If you just need to call, write, GPS, why overpay?