What phone to buy?

fordguy00 · Apr 1, 2017

Hi all

I'm looking to switch carriers soon (T-mo's coverage is even worse in practice than their website shows). So I'm going to need to get another phone. Right now, I'm leaning toward a used Moto X Pure but I'm not quite sure that's what I want. I need a phone that:
-can be found (new or good used condition) for 150-200 USD
-has expandable storage
-works with Verizon
-Can be rooted without using any sketchy "one-click root" apps.
-Has at least as much power as the LG G3 I'm currently using
And
-Has a large screen, preferably 5.3 in. or larger.
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance!

lunatic59 · Apr 1, 2017

As they say on the specials menu at the Golden Dragon ... pick any three.

Newer phones are harder to root and after Android 6.0, unless it's a Nexus or Pixel, darn near impossible (safely or permanently) The larger screens and faster processors are going to command a higher price point, and the SD card slot has been disappearing from many phones in the past few years. Throw Verizon into the mix and you are very limited in find a phone that has all those features in any price range.

kate · Apr 2, 2017

fordguy00 said:
-can be found (new or good used condition) for 150-200 USD
-has expandable storage
-works with Verizon
-Can be rooted without using any sketchy "one-click root" apps.
-Has at least as much power as the LG G3 I'm currently using
And
-Has a large screen, preferably 5.3 in. or larger.

That will be a short list of phones.

The only new phone I can think of is the Moto G5 Plus. $229, 5.2 inches, Octa-core 2.0GHz, SD card, Verizon compatible, quick search shows people saying it's rootable (was just released this week).

fordguy00 · Apr 2, 2017

I thought of the G5+ too, but a 5.2" screen in a phone the size of a phablet is not gonna fly. So I guess a used Moto X pure is about the only way to go.

DonB · Apr 12, 2017

Or the new Moto G6+ Looks promising also and not that much more for the price.

munemsahariar · Apr 12, 2017

dontpanicbobby · Apr 12, 2017

I'm curious. Why do you need /root? Is there a special app you want to use?

kate · Apr 12, 2017

munemsahariar said:
"ZTE ZMax Pro"

The ZMax Pro is GSM only and unfortunately will not work on Verizon.

Clementine_3 · Apr 12, 2017

DonB said:
Or the new Moto G6+ Looks promising also and not that much more for the price.

G5 Plus?
Just an FYI, there seem to be issues with it and Verizon, go figure. I'm sure they will be fixed but who knows when. If you have a SIM it can be activated easily but the signal/calls/data is horrible (or so I'm reading). Thanks Verizon, another unlocked phone fiasco...

edit: I have and really like the Moto X Pure, it's still on MM but if you are rooting anyway that shouldn't be an issue for you.

maykelbembibre · May 20, 2017

dontpanicbobby said:
I'm curious. Why do you need /root? Is there a special app you want to use?

Root is still necessary nowadays. For example I bought a Galaxy A5 2017 and it had a system process which was always hung, so it consumed a lot of battery and CPU without any fix. If I had rooted the phone then I would be able to use Titanium Backup and freeze that damned process. Instead, I asked for a refund.

Marvin Domin · May 20, 2017

Try moto G5 it has a good specs with aa cheap price.

mikedt · May 20, 2017

maykelbembibre said:
Root is still necessary nowadays.

Well if you're using any financial apps, things like banking apps, payment services, etc, root is very unnecessary, and will prevent you using them. If I had a rooted device now, quite frankly it would be useless to me as a daily use smart-phone.

maykelbembibre · May 20, 2017

mikedt said:
Well if you're using any financial apps, things like banking apps, payment services, etc, root is very unnecessary, and will prevent you using them. If I had a rooted device now, quite frankly it would be useless to me as a daily use smart-phone.

You're right there. Manufacturers take us off lots of features if we root. But if we don't do it then they put lots of crap processes swallowing the battery without control. The case is to f*** us off all the time.

Hadron · May 20, 2017

You do know that there are no-root Samsung-specific package disabler apps?

mikedt · May 20, 2017

maykelbembibre said:
You're right there. Manufacturers take us off lots of features if we root.

Root will disable things like Samsung Pay and Android Pay. And just about all bank apps won't work on rooted devices. If I rooted my phone, I wouldn't even be able to rent a bicycle....http://mobike.com/ ...and would have to go back to paying cash for so many things. It's not necessarily the phone manufacturers.

maykelbembibre said:
But if we don't do it then they put lots of crap processes swallowing the battery without control. The case is to f*** us off all the time.

Never really found that a problem with the phones I've had, and have never had any carrier version devices, where they put their bloat on there.

maykelbembibre · May 20, 2017

mikedt said:
Root will disable things like Samsung Pay and Android Pay. And just about all bank apps won't work on rooted devices. If I rooted my phone, I wouldn't even be able to rent a bicycle....http://mobike.com/ ...and would have to go back to paying cash for so many things. It's not necessarily the phone manufacturers.

Never really found that a problem with the phones I've had, and have never had any carrier version devices, where they put their bloat on there.

Samsung has got a lot of bloat even in carrier free devices. When I bought the A5 2017 there was a system process consuming CPU and battery continuously, even if I was just looking at a static photo on the gallery. When a process that is not related to the apps you have opened consumes a whole core of the CPU and never stops, that is a problem.

What phone to buy?

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