Reading this post When Is a Mobile Phone Worth Buying Coming? saying a 5-year-old is still capable in 2024, and there has not been a great innovation in phone technology, I came up the title question.
With a set budget would you choose a new budget / mid-range phone or a used flagship phone from previous generations?
If you read it as human generation, the first telephone patent was granted to Alexander Graham Bell in 1869.
I'd add a 4. to this, it gets a 2 year warranty (compared to used) and longer software support (compared to old/used).
I bought a brand new Edge 30 Fusion at the start of the year for $350, the screen is absolutely incredible (144hz OLED), the hardware is great (Snapdragon 888+ is more than fast enough), but Android 14 is likely the last update, whenever it comes. A midrange Samsung from 2024 though will likely have a better camera, slower hardware, decent screen and many years of support to come.
On tax though, you can write off a refurb from ebay easily enough, just not a marketplace one. I wouldn't buy a marketplace phone anyway though, too dodgy.
I bought a brand new Edge 30 Fusion at the start of the year for $350
Where from?
Goodguys. Totally out of stock now.
For Android I'd probably go with a new/unused older generation flagship or a mid-range Snapdragon 6 or 7 series.
I sometimes buy used Apple phones for my family though and they are usually pretty good for the price.
Depends how old the used flagship is. I got a second hand S22 Ultra for $500 a few months ago and I'd buy second hand again. Normal/most people don't need a new $1500+ phone.
Buy one generation older flagship. So you can still enjoy some warranty
Very little beats the Motorola G84 when its on a good promo, or the G54 if you dont use your phone for anything but basic stuff. Refurb/second hand older phones aren't worth it given the battery is a wear item & its a pain/costly to replace.
Used phones are great,I bought a refurb iPhone 12 Mini from eBay the other day for $330 and I think it’s brilliant. Spending $1000+ for a new phone is pointless for my use case, and I’d rather get a second hand iPhone than a new mid range Android for around the same price.
How is the battery life on the used 12 mini? The battery life is the main concern from many reviews.
I upgraded from an iPhone 8 with an even smaller battery so to me the battery in the 12 Mini is actually an upgrade. It’s definitely small if you use your phone a ton, but I only really use it for phone calls and playing music and usually have a battery bank anyway so it’s plenty for me
They had phones back in those days?¿