Phone Models That Withstand The Passage of Time

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Oldies but goodies: phone models that withstand the passage of time best

We have all, time and time again, heard the complaint about the never-ending race for yet another new model of this or that piece of tech the gadget makers are getting us into. And there is a certain point to this accusation: pretty much any noticeable player in the market keeps churning out one upgraded version of their phones (tablets, laptops, etc.) after another. But then again, it takes (figuratively speaking) two to dance this tango. And if there is no way (and probably, no point) trying to make them stop, we, on our part, have it one power to at least pause… by sticking to not so new, but still solid and trusty devices. After all, we often read on many forums and social networks that the upgrades sported by quite a few latest phone models often aren’t worth the price boost. So why not go for something less hyped up but still good – and significantly cheaper at that? In the field of smartphones, for example, the choice is virtually limitless by now. (Especially in case of the GSM models, allowing for SIM card transfer, which means that you won’t lose anything of your existing info with the device change). And we are happy to recommend to you our top five of earlier yet not too shabby mobiles you can save on without regretting it down the road.

So, to start with, the best of the best of these comes, you guessed it, from Apple. At least for now, there is no escaping the fact that the iPhone embodies the mobile’s perfection. True enough, it is still the most expensive of this not-so-costly bunch, too. Nevertheless, it concedes to the latest 14th iPhone much more in price ($899 against way over $1,000) than in characteristics and overall quality. Its cameras are already equipped well enough for the most demanding photo buffs, boasting Dolby Vision and 4K. It comes with a high level of protection, what with the chassis that can fight off dust and humidity. There is plenty of space for whichever data you’d want to put there: 128GB is certainly not to sneeze at. Plus, one charge can keep it working as long as 19 hours. And, speaking of charging, you can do it wirelessly thanks to MagSafe (or QI). The only thing missing here is the microSD slot, but whether it alone is worth several hundred dollars of price difference is a big question. However, that these $829 would be money well spent, should you go for this one, is no question at all.

But even if you, by any chance, are against anything Apple on principle, there is something we can suggest for you as well – namely, the Galaxy S20 FE 5G model of Samsung. And it even outdoes the near-perfect iPhone on space front: on top of the same inbuilt 128GB, it actually does have that coveted microSD support. Besides, you can put in it two SIMs at once, its AMOLED display will dazzle you with most vivid colors possible, its cameras, we must admit, are at the very least equal to those of Apple phones (it will let you easily shoot at night, and 30x of zoom speaks for itself), and the screen size of 6.5 inch is more than respectable. And you can have all that for less than half of the money that will buy you the above-mentioned phone ($352, to be precise). Yet on the other hand, even its fully charged battery will also last less than half as long as the iPhone’s (though the charging itself is admittedly very speedy) and the screen, impressive as it is, is also very vulnerable.

Now as far as making your kids happy in a more affordable way, you can hardly find anything better than (or even equal to) Pixel 6 by Google. Firstly, it will only cost you $280. Then, it is amazingly sturdy on the outside (few phones can survive four feet of water) and, which is no less important, can fight off many a software threat: the dynamic duo of Tensor CPU and Titan M2 security chip will give any hacker quite a run for their money. It also features Google Assistant, reducing the need of typing and charges swiftly enough for the most impatient of schoolchildren (though they may complain about the need to charge it again after eight hours). But we must warn that some of you will find the lack of parental controls sort of sabotaging the purpose. And if you will choose this particular gift for you offspring you better not mention microSD slots in front of them.

As for the next phone in our review – Motorola’s Moto Edge 5G, that is – it will surely please anyone who values the battery work length above all else. It can be used for two days without charging, which is itself not bad for $250. But on top of that it also boasts such cutting-edge tech as 5G support, and 4K video resolution, does actually have the microSD slot (compatible with cards capable of housing a full terabyte of data) on top of already-mighty 256GB drive and is prepared to take some serious impact. Not only water isn’t much of a threat to it, but breaking or even cracking the Corning Gorilla Glass display is not an easy task either. You will also be able to do a lot with its home screen via Motorola’s own My UX software. Be forewarned, though, that all these advantages do have their price, after all (if not a monetary one): this model is far from being all that compact or ultra-light. Far from it, in fact. And it’s a strictly single SIM phone, too.

Finally, and speaking of withstanding virtually anything (while still being far from technically outdated), there is Kyocera DuraSport 5G. Mind you, it’s not the cheapest of the lost – $500 is quite a sum for an earlier model – but it does manage something that Moto Edge struggles with: to wit, combining modest enough size with topmost protection (and also rather powerful battery that will keep this phone alive while in power-saving mode for whopping two weeks). It really have all its bases covered: it is designed to stave off any element, from water to extreme heat or cold, and survive hard encounter with whatever surfaces, up to and including concrete, with literally nary a scratch; it responds normally to the touch of a wet or gloved finger; it is not bothered by direct rays of sun…. And its physical toughness is matched by equally strong connectivity. As you can see from its name, this Durasport model is 5G-compatible, and it also is videoconferencing-capable. But then again, you don’t get the MIL-STD-810H rating for nothing. So even half a thousand doesn’t seem too much money for that, even despite the relatively limited storage and memory (which is well made up for by the incorporated GPS to get you out of unfamiliar territories).

So, as you see, buying cheap(er) doesn’t always mean making do with so much less, and you don’t necessarily have to chase for the latest gizmos in the market. Just choose wisely.

Links

• The top old phones to buy (because new doesn’t always equal best) – ZDNET
• Sell pre-owned cell phone online – iGotOffer