Cheap smart phone advice

[woody1]

I've never had a smart phone. I only ever use a laptop for internet, and have a 20-year old Nokia mobile.

However, I've realised it would be useful to have internet access on holiday, and presumably a smart phone would be the most convenient way to do this? I have a giffgaff sim with free EU roaming data that I can put in it. All I need it for is the airline's website, maps, restaurant reviews, maybe ordering taxis, takeaway etc.

Given that I'll only be using it for a couple of weeks a year, it's not worth spending much on it.

1. eBay have some cheap new ones, with names I've never heard of (eg. TCL, HTC, IMO, STK, XGODY).
2. Or I could buy a reconditioned or pre-owned more well known brand.

Any advice?

[b0redom]

How do you do MFA with a 20 year old nokia?

[Snooky]

You don't give an indication of your price limit. £100? £50?

Anyway, I'd suggest getting an Android phone as you won't get any Apple phone for £100 that isn't fairly ancient.

I currently have a Google Pixel but previously always had Motorola phones because they were decent, if hardly top range, highly rated and inexpensive. There are plenty of Chinese brands such as Honor which are also highly rated and inexpensive.

My suggestion is that, having decided which features are actually important to you (camera quality, 5G compatibility etc), you search for something like "best budget smartphone under £100" and you should find lots of articles, like this one: https://www.expertreviews.com/uk/mob...et-smartphones

Once you've identified a few likely options, you could look at https://www.gsmarena.com/, where you'll find detailed specs on virtually every phone made in the last 20 years, as well as the ability to compare multiple models side by side.

If you really want to spend a small amount, go for a model which is a few years old or a reconditioned one. The only issue with the older models is that smartphones aren't supported for that long, so at some point the operating system will no longer get updated and/or newer versions of apps will no longer run on your older version of the operating system (this is a particular bugbear of mine with Apple iOS).

[courtg9000]

I use Motorola, £150 for a brand new one should see you right.

[edison]

Another vote for Motorola. I gave my daughter a Moto G handset as her first phone when she was about 10 or 11.

She was absolutely adamant she had to have an Iphone for her next phone so I made her pay for half of the cost of a reconditioned device.

[woody1]

How do you do MFA with a 20 year old nokia?

Authorisation codes get sent by text, which I then enter manually on the laptop.

The thing I like about the Nokia is I can have the phone on several hours a day, and if I don't make or receive too many calls, the battery lasts several months between charges.

From what I've heard, smart phones have to be charged every day or so.

[woody1]

Is it true that most, if not all, smart phones use nano sim cards?

I've got a giffgaff standard sim, in a broadband router, that I was intending to put in the smart phone when I go on holiday. It has knock outs for micro and nano, so that's not a problem but presumably I will need to get a nano->standard adapter to put it back in the router when I get home?

BTW, do any tablets take sim cards, or are they just wifi?

Thanks.

[courtg9000]

some android tablets take sim cards

[WTFH]

Is it true that most, if not all, smart phones use nano sim cards?

I've got a giffgaff standard sim, in a broadband router, that I was intending to put in the smart phone when I go on holiday. It has knock outs for micro and nano, so that's not a problem but presumably I will need to get a nano->standard adapter to put it back in the router when I get home?

BTW, do any tablets take sim cards, or are they just wifi?

Thanks.

Many smartphones use nano sims, or even e-sims (i.e. nothing to plug in, you are just using your account rather than a chip)

Yes, plenty of tablets take sim cards (again it's generally a micro/nano sim), but they are more expensive than the wifi only ones.

[woody1]

...even e-sims (i.e. nothing to plug in, you are just using your account rather than a chip)

So, I could leave the sim card in the router at home (switched off)? That would avoid having to keep moving the sim and using a nano->standard adapter.

Presumably, it would be a bit of a problem if the two devices were ever on at the same time (one with the sim card, one with the e-sim)?

I was going to ask if it was possible to have 2 sim cards (standard & nano) for the same phone number but thought that was a dumb question.