Dual sim phone advice for $500-800 with a good screen

Musiclover on 16/12/2020 - 18:53

Hello dear friends, my LG G6 is OK but the battery is just not as good as it used to be 3 years ago when I bought it.

So, I decided to buy a new phone for:
1. Calling people using two sim cards (work and home).
2. Listening to music on BT (Sennheiser Momentum 2).
3. Watching youtube.
4. Browsing.

No games ever, too old for that.

  1. OnePlus 8T – is not sold in AU, VoLTE problems, no AU bands.
  2. Samsung s20FE – no dual sim for AU phones which tend to have better pricing than grey import often.
  3. Realme 7 pro – no weather protection. I get drenched in the rain a lot because I am a cyclist.
  4. Oppo A52 – too budget.
  5. Xiaomi mi 10t – could not find a competitive price, no weather protection.
  6. LG G8s – not available, not being manufactured.
  7. LG v60 – not available, not sure why.
  8. POCO X3 – no weather protection, bad screen (for youtube or movies).

Did I forget something? I am ready to give up and wait for another year or two.

Mobile

Comments

  • avoidfullprice on 16/12/2020 - 19:03

    What about this https://m.catch.com.au/product/oppo-find-x2-lite-128gb-smart…

    It is dual sim. Does it feel as budget as Oppo a52?

  • AustriaBargain on 16/12/2020 - 19:05

    As long as you're fine with one of the sims being an e-sim, then you have to consider the iPhone SE. Apple is in a league of their own at the moment with marriage of chip and software design and three years from now an iPhone SE will feel more like a new phone than most Androids in this budget. Apple have lowered the price of battery replacements too, so you can relatively inexpensively get the battery refreshed to brand in a few years from now.

    • didaswiwaw on 16/12/2020 - 20:01

      His priorities include watching youtube and browsing which is not good on SE because of the small screen.

      • AustriaBargain on 17/12/2020 - 09:15

        It's a little big for me, I wish they sold something between the original SE size and the new SE size.

  • Fishdog on 16/12/2020 - 19:08
    +1

    Maybe look at pixel 4a or pixel 4a 5G? Decent OLED screens, but one sim is e-sim.

  • Martop on 16/12/2020 - 19:10

    Redmi note 8t

  • Musiclover on 16/12/2020 - 19:17

    Unfortunately, providers that I use do not offer "esims"…
    Some of the phones offerred are not wheatherproof.
    But thanks a lot for the options.
    Probably Find X2 being the best but it will die after the first ride or when I unexpectedly need to work outisde and it is stuck in my pocket.

  • freefall101 on 16/12/2020 - 19:18
    +1

    Motorola edge, it has a "splashproof" design. Same with the G9 Plus for half the price.

    Pixel 5? So long as you're with someone who supports eSim it will do dual sim. Does have oddities with dual sim and 5G though. Telstra had it for $750 on black friday, seems to always be part of a JB sale too.

    Galaxy S10/S10+ Probably a better phone than a lot on your list, some models are dual sim and Samsungs software updates/security updates are top notch these days

    iPhone SE if you're willing to go down that route

    P30/P30 Pro, still a great phone but software updates likely won't last long

    Realistically the waterproof rating doesn't mean much. There's plenty of videos of people submerging the OnePlus Nord in water, a lot more damage than a bit of rain could do.

  • Drakesy on 16/12/2020 - 19:31

    Funny an s9+ ticks all those boxes, although updates will be few and far between in the future.

  • MS Paint on 16/12/2020 - 19:38

    Samsung A71

  • djkelly69 on 16/12/2020 - 20:24

    I have an Oppo Reno 10x Zoom which ticks all the boxes, although a 'good screen' is fairly subjective. Not sure if you will be able to find one now, but got mine for $500 a few months ago.

    Edit: sorry no weather protection AFAIK, which could be a deal-breaker.

  • ShadowCrimson on 16/12/2020 - 21:58

    I have the Real Me 7 Pro. Got a couple of weeks ago. I would say it ticks the boxes except as you said it doesn't have weather protection. Could you find some bag to keep it safe in though when in the rain. If I'm out for the day and it rains I chuck my phone and stuff in my bag which is rain proof so it doesn't get wet in my pockets.

    • Musiclover on 16/12/2020 - 22:02

      Thanks. How happy are you with sound in video that you shoot?

      • ShadowCrimson on 16/12/2020 - 22:08

        It sounds good to me. I mainly got a new phone as I do photography as a hobby and branching into video. I wanted a new phone that had the different lens and could do better video. Sound on video I would not complain about. If I want perfect I use my rode lav mic with it but just on holiday and needing to do videos of places with commentary is fine. and doing plays etc at work i tested and no complaints (work in schools).

        • Musiclover on 16/12/2020 - 22:26

          It's on the top of the list for me as well. I could spare a bit more on the phone but do not want the extra money to be a waste. I am not a very phone centric person and would use smartphone in limited ways.
          I like the 65W charger!

          • ShadowCrimson on 16/12/2020 - 22:31

            @Musiclover: I don't use my phone like most do either. I always use my phone as a phone. Being able to take photos/videos is nice when for day to day when I don't have my gear on me. and then as a very basic pda - calendar,notes, tasks. The 65w charge is crazy. I i am getting about 3 days and then it needs charge. Thats leaving it on all night as well. Being able to fully charge in 30mins if i forget to charge just using a usb charger and know I will need it all day is wonderful.

  • mtrkr on 17/12/2020 - 10:40

    Re: #6, the LG G8s still available, https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/lg-g8s-thinq-128gb-mirror-bla…
    … tho sadly this particular G8 variant without the top-sounding quad DACs, unlike the V-series too.
    Won't matter tho given you're using bluetooth, not wired h'phones

    • Musiclover on 17/12/2020 - 16:02

      It is not available, just appears on the website. Try buying it…

      • Geekomatic on 17/12/2020 - 16:28

        TGG's list more "out of stock", than stocked items. They need to add a sort by "in stock" filter to their sh**ty website.

      • mtrkr on 19/12/2020 - 14:33

        oops, so that's TGG site … but maybe not worth it anyway, given this particular g8s model's restrictions compared to other g8.

  • ishanism on 17/12/2020 - 15:29

    I would personally suggest Galaxy Note 9.
    It has been 2 years since I bought, battery is still strong. Gives me approx 9 hours on netflix even now with brightness at around level 4. High brightness does drain my battery pretty quick though.
    I bought it from Education store for 900$ two years back, so you might get it around your budget now.
    I would check the price but I don't have access to it now.

    • Musiclover on 17/12/2020 - 16:13

      I don't know… It is 2018 phone, although I can not articulate what exactly could be wrong with it apart from the fact that battery could be a bit stale, I don't think it is a good idea to buy such an old machine.

  • brad1-8tsi on 17/12/2020 - 16:51

    Redmi Note - whatever the latest is

  • whyisave on 23/12/2020 - 04:40

    what about a Xiaomi 9T Pro ?

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