Cannot find the smartphone I want.

[3d1l]

Hello,

Can you please help me to find an unit with the specs I want?

I have saw many many options but still cannot find the one I want. Here is what I'm looking for:

1. Cannot be a phone made by Google.
   
2. No more than $300, that's the top, "no más".
   
3. Main camera that takes the best photos at night or in dark places.
4. Unlocked with USA warranty.
5. 4G LTE with T-Mobile or AT&T network.
6. No less than 4 Gb ram / 64 Gb storage space.

Nice to have but not mandatory:

1. Takes great pictures in daylight/well lighted rooms.
2. Storage that can be expanded with SD-Card.
3. Water/liquid spills resistant.
   
4. Easy to root after warranty expires.
   
5. Unit that is well supported by alternative ROMs (Linage OS perhaps).

So those are my requirements, can you please recommend an unit that fit that description?

 

[svim]

The gsmarena site has a handy phone search page where you select your preferences and it will show results from whatever models are in their database of phones. Note this is a hardware spec only matter so at best it will provide you with a listing of phones as a starting point, and while their database is pretty extensive it can't include every model available. And don't forget to factor in compatibility with your chosen carrier. You have a mix if hardware, software, and retail requirements so something like a phone's warranty will be based primarily on where you buy it from. Also, something like flashing a third-party firmware like Lineage will be a matter of searching through the Lineage site's database of models they support.
gsmarena
https://www.gsmarena.com/search.php3?
Lineage
https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/

 

[3d1l]

Svim thank you very much for your suggestion. Yes I did check that site, problem is to find one with a camera that takes very good photos at night or dark settings. Every time I found a model that seems to fit the bill, I check the reviews and they say that photos in the dark for that particular model are not good and the models that are said to be good taking photos at the dark, are too expensive for me.

 

[svim]

Higher end phones will tend to have better camera modules, along with more feature-rich camera apps -- it's that combination of hardware and software optimized to work in unison to be able to do things like capture better images in low light situations. This also involves more development costs so higher prices get factored in.

Maybe you can get by with a lessor phone, but pick up a smartphone tripod or bipod?
https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?d=smartphone+tripod
Some people also use hand-sized bean bags and just shape them accordingly to support their phones to take a pics when lighting isn't good enough.
You'll also need to get more comfortable disabling the auto-shot feature of your camera app and use its manual exposure controls in dark situations.

 

[Jon Crosby]

Svim thank you very much for your suggestion. Yes I did check that site, problem is to find one with a camera that takes very good photos at night or dark settings. Every time I found a model that seems to fit the bill, I check the reviews and they say that photos in the dark for that particular model are not good and the models that are said to be good taking photos at the dark, are too expensive for me.

To add to the excellent response by svim, Gcam has been ported to a huge number of devices. I use it on motog7 with decent night sight results. The G7 actually seems like a good fit for your requirement.

 

[3d1l]

To add to the excellent response by svim, Gcam has been ported to a huge number of devices. I use it on motog7 with decent night sight results. The G7 actually seems like a good fit for your requirement.

Jon thanks for your recommendation on the G7, it is one of the models that is on top of my list but I was hesitant, your recommendation now gives me more assurance. I didn't knew that the Gcam has been ported thanks for the tip as well.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

I just take multiple photos until I get one I like. But a tripod could help. Even a monopod (looks like a cane).

 

[dgilluly]

The closest you're going to get in my experience is the Motorola G series. I used to use all G series phones at one time. Only thing I didn't like about them is no NFC. But even with my Z4, I rarely use NFC.

And the camera on the phones worked good enough to get clear pictures in day to day scenarios. HDR mode wasn't as colorful on them as they were with flagships, but it's not a bad compromise for spending less than half the cost of a flagship phone. I could throw together a sample album of pictures taken with my Moto G4 Plus and G5 if you wanted something to compare the cameras on them. The new ones will probably be better.

 

[3d1l]

You guys are probably going to sweep the floor with me but I took the plunge and ordered a Moto One Action 128GB Smartphone. The cost with shipping and protective case was under the $300 that I had for budget. I hope that it delivers.

Thank you very much for all your help and suggestions!

 

[dgilluly]

You guys are probably going to sweep the floor with me but I took the plunge and ordered a Moto One Action 128GB Smartphone.

They're actually a step up from the G series in specs. Not a bad phone, but normally they're $300-400. I didn't realize that it was on sale. Should serve you well for the price.