Best current cheapest decent smart phone

[Ban Chang Banger]

Always been a Apple or Samsung guy....looking for decent phone to leave in Thailand that runs Android apps well. Any recommendations would be helpful 

[Greg_B]

Samsung A5 (unlocked) is about $60 (USD) on eBay and a good Thailand phone

[snowbird]

Yeah samsung has lines of phones that are more common and much cheaper that are not like the expensive Galaxy line that is most common here. More recently you can find their cheaper lines of cellphones here but then you must be careful of what frequency and cdma or gsm bands and all that and unlocked so I prefer now to go to a small kiosk there and the pretty girls will set you all up as cheap or cheaper than you can do elsewhere.

I don't do used phones anymore because the battery condition is unknown. If you want to mess with a battery replacement they have them online from china cheap and some are good some are not. Ebay has big volume sellers that are actually a scam and sell you "new" batteries but are used from recycled phones. Ebay is only out for money and won't kick them off the platform even if you file a complaint.

I just bought the girlfriend a new phone again for her birthday last month. Sorry I can't remember the exact model but I  think its A16K or A17K from Oppo. Her last Oppo phone I got her lasted a good year or two until she kept dropping it and it quit. Because of screen repair price then the battery would have worn down also by now, you know how they poke at those things ALL day and night I thought it better to just get a new one since they are only about 3500baht than pay repairs. The other Chinese brands have problems with overheating and slow and freezing so I won't recommend them, like Redmi brand. Their reviews online sound great but real world is different, about like a bargirls.

Edit: add a link just for reference, don't know seller and don't suggest buying online. Girlfriend says fake cellphones are common. I've never heard of that before but things are different there as I keep getting reminded.

https://shopee.co.th/OPPO-A16k-3-32GB-แบต4-320mAh-เครื่องศูนย์แท้-รับประกันศูนย์-1-ปี-i.123551831.16728452952?sp_atk=5f0c5a15-bddb-4c87-86a0-cfadf8961cdb&xptdk=5f0c5a15-bddb-4c87-86a0-cfadf8961cdb

 

Edited April 7, 2023 by snowbird

[Kickoff]

What is the budget? For $300USD you can probably find  used Pixel 6 or Samsung S21 Plus.