Low cost smartphone options?

[explanade]

They're all made in China but some are sold by American companies which configure the software and back the product.

There's a reason LTE was being sanctioned and why the DoD was told not to buy from certain Chinese vendors.

 

[candrew]

I also have a Moto G4 and have been really happy with it.

DW and I each have Moto G4s and like them.

Michael, the DW and I have had good luck with the Motorola Moto G series. Currently we have the G5 Plus, about $225 on Amazon. You can probably find it for less or the 4 series, $160 . The Moto G is routinely rated as one of the best budget android phones. But, I would have thought she might do better with a flip phone with buttons.

Edit to add: It looks like Consumer Cellular offers the G5 Plus for $200

+1

 

[pb4uski]

I haven't tried those phones.

But lower end phones have slower processors so the UI is probably less responsive, with stutters and lags in response to gestures. ...

Nope.... no stutters or lags in response to gestures... actually very fast... of course, you wouldn't know that because you haven't tried those phones.

 

[explanade]

Nope.... no stutters or lags in response to gestures... actually very fast... of course, you wouldn't know that because you haven't tried those phones.

Generally it is the case.

Have you tried faster phones?

Maybe they're running the latest OS, which would crawl on cheaper hardware.

 

[pb4uski]

No need to try a faster phone when the one I have in my hand is plenty fast.

That said, some of our guests (friends, relatives) have the latest and greatest and I'm not particularly impressed.

Go back the OP... this phone is for someone in their mid-80s... how much speed would they need? and why would they need the latest OS? Also, affordability is a factor... which puts higher ned phones out of the budget.

 

[ERD50]

Generally it is the case.

Have you tried faster phones?

Maybe they're running the latest OS, which would crawl on cheaper hardware.

The value phones of some years back were laggy - I know, I've used some in the family.

But the gen 3 of MOTO that DW has from 2015, and my newer G4 (2016) are not laggy that way at all. I've been loading the OS updates, no issues. I just grabbed DWs phone to check - yep, I can scroll through apps, contacts, photos - very responsive. I don't doubt that a phone at 4x the price would be snappier in some ways (it better be!), but these phones are past the point of lagging, IME.

$220 and $200 back then, unlocked GSM through Amazon.

-ERD50