Phone for Wife? LG, Xiaomi, Oppo?

coota1268 on 22/06/2018 - 11:42

Hi all. Looking to get a new phone for my wife's birthday. She needs the following:

  • Decent camera (For pics of baby animals, Instagram nature photos + selfies).
  • Snappy/Relatively fast (i.e switching between social media apps/multi-tab web browsing).
  • Band 28. We live in "the sticks" so Telstra w/ Band 28 is essential.
  • Not a massive screen (little hands…)

I don't really want to spend more than $500-ish. I was originally looking at a used S8, but they seem to still be in the high $600 range. S9's are out of the question as they are too expensive.

I then came across the following phones, but I'm not sure if they are considered "good". They all come in below budget. And if a new Xiaomi/Oppo/LG phone is going to be "Better" than a used S8, then i'm all for it.

LG v20
LG V30
LG G6

Mi Mix
Mi Mix 2
Mi Mix 2S

oppo r9
oppo r9s
oppo r11
oppo r11s

Any suggestions from the list above? I have no idea what the difference between the Oppo R9 and R9s is (or the R11 vs R11s), but they look quite nice for the price.

Mobile

Comments

  • scrimshaw on 22/06/2018 - 11:50

    Motorola Moto X4 (Black or Sterling Blue) 64GB/4GB $399 (Was $599) @ JB Hi-Fi
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/384372

    Overall similar specs (same storage, RAM & snapdragon 630 processor) to the G6 Plus but the X4 screen is a bit smaller 5.2" vs 5.9". However the X4 camera looks better on paper (Dual 12mp/8mp f2.0 & f2.2 vs dual 12mp/5mp f/1.8 on the rear and 16mp front camera vs 8mp front camera). Note that X4 is upgradable to Android Oreo 8.1, G6 Plus has it out of the box.

    By the way, you can also use this tool to compare the camera qualities of different phones
    https://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=5&idPhone1=8634&…

    Looking at the Moto X4, it seems to have slightly noisier low-light images compared to the LG G6 as the software seems to be over-exposing the image. The Oppo R11 seems to take the best low light photos.

    In good light however, the Moto x4 takes the lead over the G6 and Oppo.

    • coota1268 on 22/06/2018 - 12:06

      Thanks for your reply.
      Do you know what the difference between the Oppo R9 and R9s is (And also the R11 and R11s?)

      • scrimshaw on 22/06/2018 - 12:09

        You can use this tool to compare phone models.

        https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=8644&idPhone2…

        The difference between the R11 and R11s is the size of the phone. The R11 is smaller with a 5.5" screen 16:9 ratio (and with a bigger chin) while the R11s is a 6-inch, 18:9 aspect ratio phone.

        They both, on paper, seem pretty identical apart from battery and screen.

  • MathNerd on 22/06/2018 - 12:22

    She needs the following:

    • Decent camera (For pics of baby animals, Instagram nature photos + selfies).
    • Snappy/Relatively fast (i.e switching between social media apps/multi-tab web browsing).
    • Band 28. We live in "the sticks" so Telstra w/ Band 28 is essential.
    • Not a massive screen (little hands…)

    You forgot the most important question.

    Does it have a notification LED?

  • roundnumbersonly on 22/06/2018 - 12:36

    Does it have to be android? i've given my wife most my old samsung galaxy hand me downs, she hated every model until she bought an iPhone 6s and seems pretty content with it.

  • Savas on 22/06/2018 - 12:49

    don't people usually buy jewellery or something?

    • onetwothreefour on 22/06/2018 - 13:51
      +6

      Yeah a pearl necklace is a better surprise than a phone…

    • Wystri Warrick on 22/06/2018 - 16:14
      +1

      Savas is the romantic type!

  • [Deactivated] on 22/06/2018 - 12:53

    after my current oppo phone I would never consider purchasing one of their phones again

  • [Deactivated] on 22/06/2018 - 12:59
    -1

    Just get a RedMi

    • mckennal on 22/06/2018 - 21:50

      Not many have b28

  • Toph Beifong on 22/06/2018 - 14:08

    Oppo R9 seems to fit your list of requirements, and now that it has been on the market for a while you should be able to get a good price on them.

  • [Deactivated] on 22/06/2018 - 15:12

    With most wives, you won't need a phone to hear what she's saying.
    They're generally loud enough on their own.

  • nith265 on 22/06/2018 - 15:22

    What phone does she have now?

    Don't underestimate the hatred someone will express to you if you go changing their phone experience on them without asking.

    I love my Redmi Note 4x – amazing value and performance - but my wife just refers to her’s as the “cheap Chinese phone” that doesn’t work. Little differences with how MIUI works and with the phone and messaging apps drive her insane.

    I’m buying her a Samsung soon so I don’t have to keep hearing about it.

  • shiznit on 22/06/2018 - 15:41

    Have you considered the Sharp Aquos S2? It's way under your budget, but ticks all your boxes.

  • ausdday on 22/06/2018 - 15:54

    Wife? Birthday? New phone? It better be iPhoneX. Otherwise you will be the Ex :)

  • datzed on 22/06/2018 - 16:09

    is the LG G6 the best value android atm (given the frequent sale price @~$420).

  • HighAndDry on 22/06/2018 - 17:32

    LG (or Motorola, etc) will have better local support than Oppo or Xiaomi.

  • HeWhoKnows on 23/06/2018 - 12:58

    Samsung S7 then - still takes a great pic and can be purchased new from the mid 400s.
    There was a post here past week with a super deal on this phone.

  • wonderkathy on 23/06/2018 - 16:39

    My husband has an Oppo r9 and he is happy with it. It takes good pictures he doesn't know about Band 28 we live in the city. I have had an Oppo 7 for over 3 years. It too has been most reliable,takes good photos and like the Oppo 9 you are able to change quickly between different sites. I needed to return my phone for service. This was done within a week turn around in Sydney, it was fixed at Ryde. They were good in keeping me informed of when It would be sent back to me.

  • mashas78 on 26/06/2018 - 14:12

    Hi there! Happy owner of LG V20. She'll get used to the massive screen. Great camera (+flash), dual sims, a tiny second screen at the top, music is hi-fi quad DAC and they come with decent B&O headphones. A huge PLUS is an IR Blaster (sadly, but they stopped including them in the new phones) and it's getting so handy when you're loosing the remote. Also for convinience, you can keep all your remotes in one.

  • demiurge on 30/06/2018 - 13:44

    For wife just get her an iPhone. More important to keep the wife happy.

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