[Question] What's a good Cheap android phone? - Android Software/Hacking General [Developers Only]

well ive owned the g1 ever since it first came out. but im tired of roms slowing down on me after a few days. At the moment i dont have too much money to play with though. whats a good phone you guys would recommend that i can buy cheap like off craigslist or ebay etc. that would give me good performance in terms of speed and is being worked on?
like i hear the roms for N1 that the speed is never a problem only stability. and that is freakin sweet, but i dont have the money for that yet.

what's your range for cheap android phones? Samsung Galaxy Spica sounds quite good after rooted.

gilangb89 said:
what's your range for cheap android phones? Samsung Galaxy Spica sounds quite good after rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
looks quite good in specs too. but i hear it's not great with 3g for tmobile in the US? havent check with root yet though. but cheapest i can find is $250 and i dont think id hop on that boat yet.

for verizon, there is the lg ally. $50 with a contract and its about the same hardware as the motorola droid.
for t mobile there's not too much that I could find
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Htc wildfire ?? It looks good in white and has the same specs as hero but with a camera flash i suppose tht not too bad

jason6g said:
for verizon, there is the lg ally. $50 with a contract and its about the same hardware as the motorola droid.
for t mobile there's not too much that I could find
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Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Saw the Ally at best buy for 29.99

spica is a bit sluggish even on 2.1. dont let the 800mhz chip fool you into thinking that its fast. moved to a nexus one after a few weeks with the spica.
havnt tried the lower end HTC ones but id go for those. the legend looks like the best if you could get that.

damn well after some searching around it seems like i might aswell try and get a nexus one, it's not too big of a difference. Im tired of waiting around for a good phone to come to tmobile.

Related

Help choosing a cheap late model android phone

So I'm a wimo guy through and through. I don't even plan on upgrading to WP7. I do want to play around with android a bit though. Carrier is not an issue as long as its GSM. I'd like to get froyo eventrually but its not a deal breaker. At least I would like 2.1. Looking for something highly customizable so something that has been hacked to death so I can do some real tinkering with android. I'm leaning towards the hero since everyone seemed to love them in their day and you can pick one up for around $125. Any suggestions? Or thoughts of things I should think about before I take the plunge? This will not be my primary phone but just a play phone.
My touch 3g, i think for tmo
Sent from my Hero CDMA using XDA App
No, absolutely not a myCrap3g (excuse me). Get either a Xperia X10, HTC Desire, or Samsung Galaxy S 9something.
Edit: if you want a cheap yet good phone, then the HTC legend is the way to go. Or x10 since those are going cheap on eBay, but that's donuts. So, legend is your only choice. Don't waste your time on the Hero, or any of the maxtouch phones.
Hello, I would like some help from you, I saw a cheap tablet,(HKC) Q79, that looks a lot like mini iPad, the internal configuration is also good, I want to know this tablet is worth or not?. Thank you!!
Check out Chinese phones . theres this quad phone for 150$
Sent from my GT-i9100 using xda app-developers app
My favorite late model would be nexus one

[Q] Captivate, should I get one?

Greetings,
I've never had an Android phone. I'm still using a Behold and a Storm II for work.
I bought a Nook Color, and I've been running Honeycomb for a few weeks.
I'm ready to bail on T-Mobile and go to ATT while I can still get a good deal on a phone for being a new customer, and the refurb Captivate is free.
I'll try the OEM 2.2 release, then probably root.
If you knew then what you know now, would you still get a Captivate?
I would, imho still the most customizable phone out there. I was mad because 4 days after my 30 day the phone was free for black friday.
I would buy it . If u don't wana wait if u wait till first week of April Samsung galaxy s2 is coming with all the frequency bands on it. So its 3g compatible basically with all carriers.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
Get an Inspire, so much better.
MNMichael said:
Greetings,
I've never had an Android phone. I'm still using a Behold and a Storm II for work.
I bought a Nook Color, and I've been running Honeycomb for a few weeks.
I'm ready to bail on T-Mobile and go to ATT while I can still get a good deal on a phone for being a new customer, and the refurb Captivate is free.
I'll try the OEM 2.2 release, then probably root.
If you knew then what you know now, would you still get a Captivate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The deal with the refurb phone is that you run a chance at getting one that has a shutdown problem. There are still some refurbs floating around in their stock that hasn't been repaired by Samsung (despite what AT&T claims) that resolves a random shutdown problem. I know this because I got a refurb that had this problem and I had to send it to Samsung to have it repaired (I got my Cappy last December).
Other than the problem I had with it initially the phone rocks and I am glad I got it at the price of a two year contract renewal and no more.
DONT GET A REFURB. you want the full warranty just in case.
The main problems with Captivates is the crappy (useless on stock) GPS, warranty is good for getting a replacement if your phone has issues. The other problem is the random shutdown problem. it happened to an earlier batch and doubtful you would get one with that issue.
I LOVE mine, best screen i have seen and a great phone with a custom ROM which is not too difficult to install.
I beg to differ. We got better display (samoled), more roms, more kernels, and more developers. What about unlocking? We got that. HTC don't. Ton of themes. HTC is heavy and the battery case is hard to open. We got 16gb on board and HTC got 8gb. Maybe I just like my captivate.
dark42 said:
Get an Inspire, so much better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
xdahgary said:
I beg to differ. We got better display (samoled), more roms, more kernels, and more developers. What about unlocking? We got that. HTC don't. Ton of themes. HTC is heavy and the battery case is hard to open. We got 16gb on board and HTC got 8gb. Maybe I just like my captivate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to have a Cappy, so I know what I'm talking about. Glad I ditched it.
Display - yeah, SAMOLED is better, although it's pretty good on the Inspire as well.
Roms - I've only tried CM7 on the Inspire, but it's been far nicer than any of the custom roms I've tried on the Captivate. The Cappy ones are great, but CM7 just has so many more features. I know you guys are getting CM7, eventually, but looks like it'll take a while.
Unlocking - yes it is possible to unlock the Inspire, in fact the initial rooting program does it for you.
Weight - it's a little heavier than my old Cappy but it doesn't bother me too much.
Battery door - it was only hard to open the first few times, now it's easy.
Memory - yes Cappy has more to begin with, but it is possible to change out the SD card in the Inspire to a bigger one. Cappy has 16gb internal, Inspire has an 8gb SD card bundled.
Oh yeah the Inspire's GPS actually works pretty well, and HTC actually seems to care about putting updates out for their phones. That was my biggest gripe with the Captivate, is just that Samsung didn't seem to give a **** about their customers after sale. Of course custom roms and such from here were very helpful.
No. Wait for the Galaxy S2
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
If you weren't so close to other phones (and better phones) being launched, I would say get a Captivate. At this point though, wait for the new phones. Plus you never know with AT &T now buying T-Mobile, the deals should be a plenty.
sofia-captivate said:
I would buy it . If u don't wana wait if u wait till first week of April Samsung galaxy s2 is coming with all the frequency bands on it. So its 3g compatible basically with all carriers.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First week of April? You sure?
Captivate is an awesome phone minus the GPS issue which a lot of the roms do seem to "almost" fix. Awesome battery life, great screen and TONS of roms.
If you can't wait, get it... But if I were you, I'd wait for the S2.
I say yes!!!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Yep
phonex1 said:
First week of April? You sure?
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Click to collapse
Sent from my X10i using Tapatalk
I have HTC desire and captivate. And love my captivate. About more roms, kernels, and developers HTC do have more. And they do get updates faster than any company. Either way I love my cappuccino
xdahgary said:
I beg to differ. We got better display (samoled), more roms, more kernels, and more developers. What about unlocking? We got that. HTC don't. Ton of themes. HTC is heavy and the battery case is hard to open. We got 16gb on board and HTC got 8gb. Maybe I just like my captivate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my X10i using Tapatalk
captivates a great phone inspire is a great phone,and the gs2 will be a great phone.
take your pick.
My Inspire destroys my Captivate. Even unlocking the phone is faster. The Inspire has Sense ROM's, MIUI and Cyanogenmod support, a true AOSP build in the works, and RoyalLiquid is being ported from the MyTouch 4G. The Captivate has just now gotten Cyanogenmod support. Pretty much everything else in the Captivate Dev section is the same ROM with a different theme (no offence to the Capybara devs).
The Captivate has one thing over the Inspire: a SAMOLED screen.
All of this being said, it's all fact beside the first sentence. YMMV. They're both awesome phones but better phones are around the corner.
I gat a refurb 5 days later sent it back when I knew they will send
Me a new cuz I talk to the insuranse first and now I gat a 300 dls phone for free
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
tupirujp said:
I gat a refurb 5 days later sent it back when I knew they will send
Me a new cuz I talk to the insuranse first and now I gat a 300 dls phone for free
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What
.....
All in all, the Captivate is a great contender when it comes to these kinda phones. I love this thing. lol

Thinking about getting a new phone, but which road do I take?

With the SGS II not coming to Canada anytime soon, Im looking for a different android phone to play around with and probably end up keeping in the long run. I was dead set on getting an Atrix purely for the power of the phone and the lapdock accessory, after seeing most of the reviews saying that I was better off getting an actual laptop for the same price and could do far more itself, Im kinda leaning off the Atrix trail atm. So I was thinking about either the Nexus S or the HTC Incredible S. Or should I still go ahead with the Atrix (Even though that pretty little bootloader still aint unlocked)?
PearsonDKA said:
With the SGS II not coming to Canada anytime soon, Im looking for a different android phone to play around with and probably end up keeping in the long run. I was dead set on getting an Atrix purely for the power of the phone and the lapdock accessory, after seeing most of the reviews saying that I was better off getting an actual laptop for the same price and could do far more itself, Im kinda leaning off the Atrix trail atm. So I was thinking about either the Nexus S or the HTC Incredible S. Or should I still go ahead with the Atrix (Even though that pretty little bootloader still aint unlocked)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
go for nexus s.u will love it
PearsonDKA said:
With the SGS II not coming to Canada anytime soon, Im looking for a different android phone to play around with and probably end up keeping in the long run. I was dead set on getting an Atrix purely for the power of the phone and the lapdock accessory, after seeing most of the reviews saying that I was better off getting an actual laptop for the same price and could do far more itself, Im kinda leaning off the Atrix trail atm. So I was thinking about either the Nexus S or the HTC Incredible S. Or should I still go ahead with the Atrix (Even though that pretty little bootloader still aint unlocked)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Skip the Atrix as the software (and Motoblur) is terrible - the hardware is amazing, but it feels crippled by the crappy software, The HTC Incredible S is a nice phone, IMO it doesn't excel in any one category, but overall is a pretty good device. Note that if you are into modding, the Incredible S has a locked bootloader and root still has not been achieved on it for the Bell version.
The Nexus S is pretty good, but is missing a couple of things I like (LED notification light and an SD card slot), but it is a stock Google phone and should be great for modding. I'm currently on a SE Arc - overall, I think I prefer it to the Incredible S and the Nexus S.
BTW, some of the UK sellers are now selling the Galaxy S II if you want to pick one up.
rajeshr said:
Skip the Atrix as the software (and Motoblur) is terrible - the hardware is amazing, but it feels crippled by the crappy software, The HTC Incredible S is a nice phone, IMO it doesn't excel in any one category, but overall is a pretty good device. Note that if you are into modding, the Incredible S has a locked bootloader and root still has not been achieved on it for the Bell version.
The Nexus S is pretty good, but is missing a couple of things I like (LED notification light and an SD card slot), but it is a stock Google phone and should be great for modding. I'm currently on a SE Arc - overall, I think I prefer it to the Incredible S and the Nexus S.
BTW, some of the UK sellers are now selling the Galaxy S II if you want to pick one up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So they would ship it across seas? :O
Also the HTC is the one I'm leading more towards ATM because when it comes to the camera on a phone, its some what a deal breaker for me.
Roaming the forums on the XDA app.
PearsonDKA said:
So they would ship it across seas? :O
Also the HTC is the one I'm leading more towards ATM because when it comes to the camera on a phone, its some what a deal breaker for me.
Roaming the forums on the XDA app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, they would. Check out clove.co.uk and expansys for more information.
If the Sensation has the same camera (8 MP) as the Incredible S, then I would suggest that you look at alternate camera's. While it's great to have a 8MP camera, the Incredible S camera is not as good as some of the other 8MP camera's.
Personally, I would lean towards the Galaxy S II!
i'd go with the nexus s
rajeshr said:
Yes, they would. Check out clove.co.uk and expansys for more information.
If the Sensation has the same camera (8 MP) as the Incredible S, then I would suggest that you look at alternate camera's. While it's great to have a 8MP camera, the Incredible S camera is not as good as some of the other 8MP camera's.
Personally, I would lean towards the Galaxy S II!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If anything ill wait till the prices go down for the sgs II lol. $900 seems a tad pricey at the moment. I might go with the attic cause of the whole dual core.
Roaming the forums on the XDA app.
PearsonDKA said:
If anything ill wait till the prices go down for the sgs II lol. $900 seems a tad pricey at the moment. I might go with the attic cause of the whole dual core.
Roaming the forums on the XDA app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the SGS II costs about $680 (GBP440), not $900.
Anyway, I found the software on the Atrix bad enough to sell it a couple of months into ownership. There are a few issues on the Rogers/Fido network with the Atrix - e.g. capped upload speeds (max 384kb upload), issues with displaying Caller ID with name and issues with wifi hot spots. The hardware is amazing, but I wish I could install HTC Sense on it (never going to happen due to a locked bootloader).
It's your call in the end, but maybe it's better to wait for the prices to come down.
rajeshr said:
I think the SGS II costs about $680 (GBP440), not $900.
Anyway, I found the software on the Atrix bad enough to sell it a couple of months into ownership. There are a few issues on the Rogers/Fido network with the Atrix - e.g. capped upload speeds (max 384kb upload), issues with displaying Caller ID with name and issues with wifi hot spots. The hardware is amazing, but I wish I could install HTC Sense on it (never going to happen due to a locked bootloader).
It's your call in the end, but maybe it's better to wait for the prices to come down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea was doing a bit more research on the Atrix and found out that issue as well. When you say $680, that canadian or US? The cappy i have right now, got someone to buy it for $500. So I guess forking out $200 more shouldnt hurt.
I will go for Incredible S. Why? Just preference. What I normally do is if you really can't decide, head to the shop and try the feel of the phone.
If you are leaning towards hardware and stuff, then of course would need more advise on those who had hands on experience with it.
Just my 2 cents.
Kinda thinking about grabbing a SGS 2. Just trying to find out if there's gonna be an issue ordering it to Canada and through who.
Roaming the forums on the XDA app.
PearsonDKA said:
Kinda thinking about grabbing a SGS 2. Just trying to find out if there's gonna be an issue ordering it to Canada and through who.
Roaming the forums on the XDA app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ordered the SGS2 through Clove, but you can also choose Handtec or Expansys.
I would pick the Nexus. That thing is faster stock than you're ever going to need it. SGS2 seems like a good pick but so did the first Galaxy S phones before they came out.
thegnargnarshredder said:
I would pick the Nexus. That thing is faster stock than you're ever going to need it. SGS2 seems like a good pick but so did the first Galaxy S phones before they came out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SGS I with ROMS is much faster than Nexus S stock based on quadrant (not sure if true in actuality).
What do you think about HTC Aria...
nexus s for sure.
what about Thunderbolt
rajeshr said:
I ordered the SGS2 through Clove, but you can also choose Handtec or Expansys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ill check whichever has the better deal. Gonna grab a case, screen protector and the MHL cable along with the phone.
thegnargnarshredder said:
I would pick the Nexus. That thing is faster stock than you're ever going to need it. SGS2 seems like a good pick but so did the first Galaxy S phones before they came out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Nexus S I moved on from. Camera quality wasn't all to enjoyable.
Orikon said:
SGS I with ROMS is much faster than Nexus S stock based on quadrant (not sure if true in actuality).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To true. This Cappy is hitting the 2500's in AnTuTu.
asmeena said:
What do you think about HTC Aria...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never heard of it =X
wooddale said:
what about Thunderbolt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it's gonna work on Rogers bands.

Best place to sell you phone?

Ive been reading many people saying that they are going to sell their g2x and buy a different phone. Now ive seen new phones at like $500-600. Now im getting the feeling that I should sell my phone when i get the chance. So how can i get the most for it?
Sent from my G2X
Typos....
Sent from my G2X
There's no real way to the most from it. Phones only get old and outdated. There's no pre determined value for what the phone is worth 8 months after release to compare its selling and buying price.
Things you can do to sweeted the deal is to include accessories
Or check out CeX if there's one in your area. They will give you more store value than cash.
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium
I usually see how much they go for on Craig's list and use that as the average and sell accordingly.
Okay thank you for the advice.
Sent from my G2X
hello well here is the deal first alot of folks dont like the g2x well they dont like lg due to lack of support of for the device with updates to os and such. that being said i love mine and my setup.
the best places for you to sell it for a reasonable price would be craigslist , ebay , gazzele and pretty much in that order for you to get the most money.
honestly though if you do some modding to the device and take time to tune it it will out perform most other phones out there now imo
hope it helps
There's a website called Swappa that will buy gently used Android devices. They will give you a quote online. You can buy used devices there too.
If I were you, I'd check Craigslist. If not, I'd definitely sell it on eBay, I would just let people bid on it and see how high it'll go. Definitely with a reserved price too.
But like someone mentioned before, there is no real way to get the most money out of your phone, it depends on how much your buyer knows too.
Okay, thanks. I was just curious. Not very serious about it because i love this phone. But my mother is having problems with hers even after installing custom roms and kernals.
Sent from my G2X
zoppp said:
Okay, thanks. I was just curious. Not very serious about it because i love this phone. But my mother is having problems with hers even after installing custom roms and kernals.
Sent from my G2X
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my past experiences of looking up prices of the G2x, a like new condition G2x for T-Mobiles was always around 200-250, the unlocked ones are usually 270-350, assuming that it's in a like new condition.
What if i have one thats Like NEw un opened accessories, screen protector + case since day 1 :3 but mine is from canada :/ i was thinking of getting a sensation. I mean i love this phone and all, but the camera ... MIUI has made me love android. Its like the best features of iphone and best features of android + more in one phone i love ips, and my phone on stock miui gets a higher quadrant than on my cousins Amaze 4G (he averages around 2500 with stock and with custom roms, i average around 2800-3200 with stock cm7.2 kernel :3) and the design imo is nicer on the g2x.

[Q] What would you recomend?

What smart phone would you guys recomend to use with straight talks new byod program using one of their att sims? I'm leaning towards the HTC aria but i'm open to suggestions as I have a budget of around 150. I would prefer an android based device, but am open in that area also.
Thanks in advance!
Gamma
I'd get something with a bigger screen, I used the inspire for a while on straight talk before I upgraded to the vivid.
I've had an HTC Incredible before with a 3.7 inch screen and that was about perfect for me i do have rather large hands but i dont know if there are very many within my price range that big. I have found a huawei Impulse 4G for 130 with a 3.8" screen but there are practically no updates for it and well i would like to install a custom rom maybe CN7.
what about iPhone 4s
ahmedmila17 said:
what about iPhone 4s
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not with a budget of $150
gahhhhh apple it burns nooooooo lol
Android will always eat apples
Sent from my NookColor using xda premium
yup haha i settled this and ordered a huawei impulse 4g on ebay brand new for $130 i think i got a decent deal
Sounds like a good deal to me! Congrats
Sent from my NookColor using xda premium
well thankie will let ya'll know how it works out for me
Ha, I was going to post a topic asking about the exact same question as OP. I'm looking for a phone under about $150 (although I'd prefer a bit lower, like $120-130) to use with the StraightTalk BYOD thing. I almost bought an Impulse 4G, but they don't have a keyboard, and that's a deal breaker for me. Does anyone have any suggestions? I don't mind eBaying for it.
Also, as a sidenote, I need to use this phone with ATT towers, not T-Mobile towers. I think that's just something you select when you buy the SIM card for BYOD, but I'm not sure if the phone I pick would have any effect on that.
EDIT: Think I may get an XPeria Play on eBay. They looked awesome when they dropped last year. It doesn't have a keyboard, but... Well, I might be willing to trade a keyboard for a gamepad.

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