nel33 870 Posted October 16, 2021 im looking for an older smartphone in the 4-5" screen size range to use next year as i ride out this year with the trusty LG flip phone. the flip still works but it might only have 5yrs left on it??? a bit scratchy at times but not every call. im looking for a budget smartphone that is an older model and im not fussed about super high speed internet, high app capacity, high resolution camera, social media and related apps. im looking at the samsung galaxy J3 and S5 as they are both supported by my current cell provider. i dont like phones that have huge screens so 5.1" limits are ideal, so all the new phones that are 1-2 years old are out of the question. the provider likely wont support an older iphone 4 (4" screen), not compatible with Videotron 3g network without apple agreeing to it . the J3 and s5 have easy access to battery, expandable memory which is a great perk. these 2 are dependable for their performance. there is a specific anime related S5 galaxy phone case (iphone or Galaxy S class available only) id like to use but a matching sticker put on J3 battery cover and soft clear phone case. a sticker and soft J3 case shouldnt be too hard to figure/find out. i did consider iphone but they have their own issues and no self replacing battery. the downsides: J3 (2016 i believe) is not dust or water resistant and market standard glass face. it has and 7.1.1 OS samsung exp 8.5 which is newer OS S5 older phone and 6.0.1 os but its water/dust resistant and stronger glass surface. im leaning more to S5 but shelling out $70 for an ebay phone is an option unless my brother has one . i know that newer smartphone might be much more reliable but its the usual rat race and no one else makes screens in 4-5" range. both the OS are outdated to say the least but how buggy have they become to interfere with the operation of the phone? the J3 (no cracked screen) would be a hand me down but the strength of the glass cover is an issue as cracked glass screens are sooo much fun in general... the flip has done its job excellently and i would like to use it for the remainder of the year let it rest. it still can get enlisted incase the newer phone breaks or what ever happens. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jonathon Gillham 4595 Posted October 16, 2021 Strangely I actually know something about this. I had an S5 when they were new and my mum got a J3 around the same time. The S5 was my first decent phone and I would still have it except it was on one of those work plans where they give ypu the next one. I did a lot of calling and the battery was dead within 2 years but its replaceable. The S7 upgrade was a much worse phone that only lasted a year before the screen broke. The S8 that replaced it was just replaced last weekend as the speaker died, but that lasted 4 years. The S8 is a great phone and worth considering too. The J3 was pretty bad from the start. I think my mum persevered for about 18 months before it was just too slow and couldn't run anything, ran out of memory etc. It must've been bad for my mum to replace something that was still relatively new and should have worked for her. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nel33 870 Posted October 16, 2021 Thank you for the reply. I find the screen size on the s8 to be a bit big for my liking. Maybe 5.5" screen could work but if there are smaller options then it's better. I hate belt clips and that sort of thing. A bigger screen has some limitation to pocket sizes. I do wear a belt but i dont like putting a phone holder or other object on it. A replaceable battery is preferable in my case, less headache to replace unless spare batteries get hard to find. I don't particularly mind if a j3 isn't great. I plan to use it more for calls, text, pictures, videos and light internet use. If it works admirably enough while maintaing decent battery life. The less bells and whistles, the better. I'm aware both OS are at their limits long ago if you don't count 3rd party OS programs that let you put OS 9 or 10 on an S5. When i see my brother i will ask if he has an s5 somewhere but I might use the j3 starting next year. I want to finish off using the flip this year and leave it as backup. I don't know how the last supported OS on the s5 holds up in these days but at least they are still easy found under $100. I don't need to pay anything for the j3 at the moment aside from a protective case and cell plan when the time comes. I would love to use an even older phone and smaller screen but carriers have likely moved away from the oldest phones to an extent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alvinlwh 5848 Posted October 17, 2021 19 hours ago, nel33 said: im looking for an older smartphone in the 4-5" screen size range to use next year as i ride out this year with the trusty LG flip phone. the flip still works but it might only have 5yrs left on it??? a bit scratchy at times but not every call. im looking for a budget smartphone that is an older model and im not fussed about super high speed internet, high app capacity, high resolution camera, social media and related apps. im looking at the samsung galaxy J3 and S5 as they are both supported by my current cell provider. i dont like phones that have huge screens so 5.1" limits are ideal, so all the new phones that are 1-2 years old are out of the question. the provider likely wont support an older iphone 4 (4" screen), not compatible with Videotron 3g network without apple agreeing to it . the J3 and s5 have easy access to battery, expandable memory which is a great perk. these 2 are dependable for their performance. there is a specific anime related S5 galaxy phone case (iphone or Galaxy S class available only) id like to use but a matching sticker put on J3 battery cover and soft clear phone case. a sticker and soft J3 case shouldnt be too hard to figure/find out. i did consider iphone but they have their own issues and no self replacing battery. the downsides: J3 (2016 i believe) is not dust or water resistant and market standard glass face. it has and 7.1.1 OS samsung exp 8.5 which is newer OS S5 older phone and 6.0.1 os but its water/dust resistant and stronger glass surface. im leaning more to S5 but shelling out $70 for an ebay phone is an option unless my brother has one . i know that newer smartphone might be much more reliable but its the usual rat race and no one else makes screens in 4-5" range. both the OS are outdated to say the least but how buggy have they become to interfere with the operation of the phone? the J3 (no cracked screen) would be a hand me down but the strength of the glass cover is an issue as cracked glass screens are sooo much fun in general... the flip has done its job excellently and i would like to use it for the remainder of the year let it rest. it still can get enlisted incase the newer phone breaks or what ever happens. If you have nothing against Chinese products, may I suggest a Xiaomi? I used to dislike Chinese "rubbish" but since getting a Mi 8, I was extremely impressed by its quality AND support. Samsung stop supporting and updating their budget phones after only a year and that 3yo Mi 8 (now used by my wife) is going to get its end of life update soon, meaning it should last for another year or so on a up to date OS. There is also a surprising lack of bloatware on it. I was not impressed at all with the uninstallable rubbish on my Samsungs. I am now using a Redmi (budget version of Xiaomi) but their top end (2 years ago) Note 8 Pro and I have no desire to upgrade it. My wife is surprised as I am the kind that get a new phone after 12 - 18 months. If you are looking for budget phones, I will suggest the Redmi 9A. If you desire something better let me know and I will look again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nel33 870 Posted October 17, 2021 I do have some unrealistic aversion to Chinese phones but it's more related to them wanting to control the cell phone market share rather than unrealitic spyware fears. A good quality phone is still what it is. I do have a hard limit on screen size to at most being 5.2" big. 4.5 to 5 are ideal but 5.1 usually have same overall dimensions. 5.5" being on the very edge of being too tall. This 5.2 screen limit will make it a bit harder to find newer phone models but thats my main schtick against the smart phones these days. They arent the most portable in pockets these days. My parents are using iphone 6s and overall dimensions are suitable though they will keep the phone for a few more years or when they find its time to change. Still not sure if I will get an s5 but the free j3 should do okay as a temporary short or medium term phone. Mainly interested in samsung or iPhone. IPhone 9 max, galaxy 6 max or any that fall within 5.2 screen limit. LG is a brand I'm open to as they do carry 5.3 and smaller screens, they are fairly recent. i see there is a 4.7" screen on the iphone SE 2nd gen. its gonna set me back $564 if i use or buy it from current provider. its apparently has a capacity similar to the iphone 8 and isnt that close to the flagship models. its an option to consider that will have modern support but a lower battery life. the standby and talk time on the J3 are much better than compared to the SE. i will see how the J3 fares first before considering another model that is above $free to get hold of. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alvinlwh 5848 Posted October 18, 2021 Try this search tool, play around with the settings to suit your needs. https://m.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2019&fDisplayInchesMin=3.4&fDisplayInchesMax=5.1&sAvailabilities=1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nel33 870 Posted October 19, 2021 20 hours ago, alvinlwh said: Try this search tool, play around with the settings to suit your needs. https://m.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2019&fDisplayInchesMin=3.4&fDisplayInchesMax=5.1&sAvailabilities=1 Thank you, that is a useful site. Makes it much easier to narrow down the phones by size. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SlideWRX 760 Posted November 9, 2021 On 10/17/2021 at 10:44 AM, nel33 said: I see there is a 4.7" screen on the iphone SE 2nd gen. its gonna set me back $564 if i use or buy it from current provider. its apparently has a capacity similar to the iphone 8 and isnt that close to the flagship models. its an option to consider that will have modern support but a lower battery life. the standby and talk time on the J3 are much better than compared to the SE. i will see how the J3 fares first before considering another model that is above $free to get hold of. I have the SE 2nd gen, and like it quite a bit. I used to have a larger phone (alcatel idol 4s), but went smaller and couldn't be happier. I can use this with one hand all day. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nel33 870 Posted November 9, 2021 2 hours ago, SlideWRX said: I have the SE 2nd gen, and like it quite a bit. I used to have a larger phone (alcatel idol 4s), but went smaller and couldn't be happier. I can use this with one hand all day. my main worry with iphones are the battery life and non replaceable batteries. they can be good phones to use for their size and they are still offered on the market. i can see why you switched from the alcatel, 5.5 screen is rather big mid range these days. though i cant even fathom using a 6.5'-6.8' screen... i just activated the J3 yesterday, had to call Telus to get it unlocked but its working with my cell provider now. it has around 2days life in no battery save and mid battery save mode. i put it in max battery save mode for 160 something hours of battery. black screen and only 8 apps that can be used, though i can switch out the last 4 apps as needed. it has phone, internet, messages and setting as the first 4 and the last 4 options gallery camera chrome and mail top the last 4 it feels rather basic now. it looks like that amazing battery life comes at the cost of 40% CPU not being used and black screen. gonna run it like that for now and see how it feels. i did get the case for the s5 neo and its leagues better than the j3 rubber case. it almost fits the J3 but the dimensions between dont guarantee it will stay in the case if it drops. 0.2mm difference on 2 dimensions. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites