I show up here every five years or so to ask y'all what I should do next... I'm baaaack

[blastoff99]

Hi all, and as before, thanks for your indulgence.

My Moto G7 has been a great phone for me for 3.5 years. Today the camera is making a buzzzz and refusing to focus. The 'civilian level' fixes have not worked, and due to the construction of this phone (the screen has to come off) the repair is likely beyond my ability to successfully execute. So to take it to a shop to have new camera guts, new battery because we're there, and new screen because the old one will likely shatter = $150. That strikes me as kinda on the edge for a 3.5 year old phone.

But maybe not, given the price of new ones.

But maybe so? I don't need (or want) anything expensive. My priorities are:

Good call quality - I still use it as a phone
Good battery life - two days is better than one
Not huge - don't want anything bigger than the 6" screen I have, and would prefer smaller
Ability to use Brave browser, so maybe that eliminates the Pixel models
Sub $300 price if possible

I don't think I need 5G, and I'm pretty sure I don't even want it. Do I need it?

My G7's camera quality was adequate for my needs.

I'm not a gamer.

Samsung and I are not friends; I enjoy the 'closer to stock Android' experience of motorola.

A rugged phone might not be a bad idea, as my motorcycling GPS just croaked and I could make the phone help me there. I know nothing about the DOOGEE, Uniherz, and Blackwing phones available on Amazon. Good? Bad? Ugly?

I'm in the Verizon world.

Thanks for any ideas, and if the best idea is 'repair the phone ya got,' that's actually easiest.

 

[ocnbrze]

under $300 is going to really narrow down your search. with phones and tech, you get what you pay for.

just curious why can't a pixel phone not use the brave browser?

 

[Dannydet]

Check out the Motorola line of phones, should be good enough and under 300.
I use a Moto G stylus with no issues

 

[Windroid]

Do you have a backup phone? That is, a phone you can switch to if your main phone breaks or gets lost? If not, I'd say get a new phone. Your current phone works except for the camera, right? Then it will work as a backup phone.

 

[Clementine_3]

Moto G7 has been a great phone for me for 3.5 years.

Moto's are still good phones.

don't want anything bigger than the 6" screen I have, and would prefer smaller

That may be tricky, most phones are pretty big these days, Moto's especially. The Pixel 'a' series are around 6" -ish, not sure what else is.

I don't think I need 5G, and I'm pretty sure I don't even want it. Do I need it?

I'm on Verizon as well and have my phone set to use only LTE, not 5g. I didn't get Verizon's model so it doesn't even have their super limited UW/mmwave bands/radio. Where I live has crappy coverage and LTE is actually faster/more reliable than 5g.
PSA on that though, you used to be able to set the preferred network but Verizon removed that option, dialer codes don't even work anymore on Moto's so you are stuck with it if it's a 5g phone. Of you are in good signal area it's actually not an issue. The option was removed with the latest update for my phone (Pixel 7) but the dial codes still work, I do have mine set for LTE and they haven't un-done that yet but I'm sure they eventually will and then I'll have a pretty useless phone - jerks. End of that rant.

Long story longer, a lot of friends have Moto's and they are still good phones and a good price. Happy hunting!

 

[blastoff99]

under $300 is going to really narrow down your search. with phones and tech, you get what you pay for.

just curious why can't a pixel phone not use the brave browser?

This is an excellent question. I had assumed that with a Pixel one would be stuck in the ecosystem completely, so if that's not the case, the 6a might fit the bill. It's a year old but will receive updates for five years, says Google,

I realize that I may have to stretch my budget. At first I was a 'flagship phone' sort of person, but not for the last ten years. I'm not abusive to phones, although I suspect my G7 camera issue is probably thanks to my bad acting, but I don't have the level or kind of use that makes a flagship phone make any sense at all now that they're $1000+. Also, I'm old and uncool, so nobody cares anyway. My G7 was under $200 on sale, and as I said, it's been great.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[ocnbrze]

No a pixel phone is just like any other android phone. Brave browser should work fine.

 

[nickdalzell]

I personally don't need 5G, but with 3G being shut down, and the possibility that one day 4G will also be shut down, having 5G is added peace of mind to 'future proof' a device so I can hold onto it longer...I'm hoping my Z Flip 4 will outlive me.

 

[blastoff99]

Plot twist...

After two weeks of camera no worky, today it was spontaneously healed? changed its mind? overheard that I was contemplating putting it to pasture?

This makes zero sense but will allow me to kick the can down the road for now.

Thanks to your input, I'm leaning toward another motorola device when the time comes, although I wouldn't rule out a Pixel if the price was decent.

Thanks all. Be well and see you again later. Or sooner. Who knows.