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Cellphones

Ask Slashdot: What's the Best Unlocked Smartphone? (slashdot.org) 284

Posted by EditorDavid from the unlimited-roaming dept.
A Slashdot reader writes: I've tried a lot of phones for extended periods of time. Some of these have included the Samsung S4, S5, S8+, Note 4, S7, iPhone 5, and Huawei Honor 8. I have stayed away from Apple... My favorite phone was the Nokia 920 Windows phone for its fluid performance and simplicity and hardware camera button, but that phone is long gone.

When searching for an unlocked phone after leaving my current job I ordered a Huawei Honor 8 which refused to join a network, and a iPhone 7 which was DOA. This led to my reluctant purchase of a Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra when the Microcenter sales team couldn't find the last Google Pixel they had in stock. Had no idea I was in for such a treat. The Sony Xperia phone experience is well refined and a joy to use.

Are there any other unlocked phones that you know of under $500 that run this good?
Share your own opinions and experiences in the comments. What's the best unlocked smartphone?
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Ask Slashdot: What's the Best Unlocked Smartphone? More

Ask Slashdot: What's the Best Unlocked Smartphone?

Comments Filter:

  • iPhone (Score:3, Informative)

    by hcs_$reboot ( 1536101 ) on Sunday August 12, 2018 @03:43AM (#57110232)
    No, no kidding. You can get a used iPhone 7 for below that price. Battery? Get the battery changed this year, it's still cheap from an Apple store.
    • On slashdot 'unlock' means root.

      • Are you sure? Many people when looking for an "unlocked" phone are looking for carrier unlocked, so they don't get the high hard one should they dare leave the United States.

        With a carrier-locked AT&T phone, you get the option of paying $17/day for their "international pass" screw-job when outside the US. With an unlocked phone, in a lot of countries you can buy a local SIM for that one-day cost and have two+ weeks, and be able to top up any time you wish. And it's not like changing out the SIM is ha

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by samkass ( 174571 )

      Agreed... an unlocked iPhone is probably the original posters best "non-ideologically-pure" option. Smooth, fast UI, good camera, great support, secure, continued OS security and functionality upgrades... and I'm going to call shenanigans on receiving a "DOA" iPhone 7 unless they bought a stolen used one. Apple backs up their products better than almost anyone. But Apple is the one Slashdot loves to hate, so...

      • Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • So your iphone 7 was DOA and that's your reason for not using an iphone7? Was it used or something, as that's almost unheard of and of all the phones out there the iphone is the easiest to get service on (especially if you live near a major city).

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by sl149q ( 1537343 )

        Reasonably sure that you can Google XXX for any high volume smartphone and find out that someone somewhere has had some dead on arrival anecdotal evidence for you. Law of large numbers etc.

        On the other hand, if you look at satisfaction stats you'll find all current and recent (and not so recent) iPhones at the top of the list consistently, which gives the lie to your anecdotal evidence based on an experiment of N units where N is 1.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jimbo ( 1370 )

      Yes, my wife just got a used iPhone 7. It's a bargain and 5 years of SW updates guaranteed (from initial release) is very useful in this respect.

      I just put iOS 12 beta on her old iPhone 5s and apps load in half the time, if it wasn't for wanting a bigger screen she would have stayed with it. In contrast my only 3 years old Android is no longer getting updates.

      With the things people use their phones for now they're practically the new Personal Computer and with people starting to keep phones longer it's not

  • Android P, SD 835.

    • This. Crazy fast updates (had android p just 3 hours after Google announced the release) great hardware, camera is ok. The 3d camera attachment is great.

  • The company's future is a bit unknown at this point, but I've been curious to take a look at the Essential Phone [essential.com] -- a pure android experience, unlocked, runs on most networks, and while not the highest of specs it seems reasonably good.

  • advertising (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 12, 2018 @04:03AM (#57110282)

    Had no idea I was in for such a treat. The Sony Xperia phone experience is well refined and a joy to use.

    slashvertisement in the guise of a question?

    • Re:advertising (Score:5, Interesting)

      by DeBaas ( 470886 ) on Sunday August 12, 2018 @07:21AM (#57110732) Homepage

      possibly, but let my counter that.. Since owning an Xperia (Z compact) as well as an Xperia tablet, I've put Sony on my personal blacklist. Forget about security updates when they don't sell your model anymore. It also comes with lots of bloatware that you can't really remove without the device becoming unstable (I tried). After another push message by Sony's 'social whatever' on Kim Kardashian I got a Nexus 5x and haven't looked back.
      Too bad, the hardware was OK...
      In the same period I updated the firmware on a Sony TV. Afterwards I couldn't get HD channels anymore. Couldn't go back to the latest version since 'Sony wants you to have the best experience' so they don't support reflashing to older firmware.
      I'm done with Sony

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by shanen ( 462549 )

        I've also stopped major purchases from Sony, though I had a lot of respect for their Vaio line of computers. I was actually working in Akihabara at that time, and I've never seen a better entry into the market, and it took the other makers many months to catch up with the 505 series. I didn't buy one until a few years later, but it was a good machine and served me well and long.

        That was the old Sony.

        The main experience in souring my view was actually the orphaning of a PDA. That was an expensive mistake, ev

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • SD 820, many 8.1 oreo roms to choose from.

  • one with monthly Android OS updates (Score:5, Informative)

    by galaad2 ( 847861 ) on Sunday August 12, 2018 @04:10AM (#57110300) Homepage Journal

    Any phone that you can get with regular monthly OS updates or you can install LineageOS on

    when someone asks me to look for a phone i tell them to
    1) use GSMArena's phone finder (or whatever their prefer) to search for a phone
    2) check the phone they find against the list of devices that LineageOS supports https://download.lineageos.org... [lineageos.org]

    Currently i'm using a Moto E 2015 LTE phone (surnia), but my next phone won't be a Moto - when they launched this model they promised it would have regular OS updates without having to install alternate OSs but then they fucked us and even discontinued all support for the phone. They sold it with a 2 year warranty but dumped its support 6 months after they launched it.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      The new Google Pixel phone will be out in a few months. That means that the current model, the Pixel 2, will be on sale soon. You will be able to get one for less than half price.

      You will get a year of guaranteed OS updates and probably more. Many years of security updates. The bootloader is unlocked and it is supported by third party ROMs if that is your thing. They also have excellent cameras and other hardware.

      • After my Nexus 4 went tits up I stopped trusting google to lean on manufacturers to produce decent devices. They keep using LG and HTC. I have never had a product from either of these vendors which I did not find deeply disappointing, so I am not even considering a Google device myself. I'd rather buy a Moto and load LineageOS, at which point I don't give a good goddamn if I ever get another official ROM.

        I'm not married to Moto, but they've offered me the best experience so far, even if my Moto G 2nd is now

    • Sounds like Motorola hasn't changed since the Motorola "CLIQ with MOTOBLUR". They were pretty awful.
    • Using LineageOS (which you recommend, and which I do) means that whether the manufacturer (in your example, Motorola) puts out OS updates is irrelevant... since the updates come via LineageOS. So is it on principle -- namely to punish Motorola for not putting out OS updates, even though you don't use them -- that you're promising your next hardware won't be Moto? Just curious.

  • Pre-installed garbage (Score:2, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward

    One of the things i loathe on modern smart phones is the manufacturer's custom UI and the pre-Insalled garbage on them.

    This is, why I usually recommend Android One phones (all current Nokia or Xiaomi Mi), or phones with an experience as close to AOSP as possible, like Motorola or Oneplus

    Sony builds nice handsets, with a horrible UI, but they offer their Open Devices program [sony.com] with detailed instructions on how to build AOSP and how to install it

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Xolotl ( 675282 )

      One of the things i loathe on modern smart phones is the manufacturer's custom UI and the pre-Insalled garbage on them.

      This is, why I usually recommend Android One phones (all current Nokia or Xiaomi Mi), or phones with an experience as close to AOSP as possible, like Motorola or Oneplus

      Sony builds nice handsets, with a horrible UI, but they offer their Open Devices program [sony.com] with detailed instructions on how to build AOSP and how to install it

      This. The Xiaomi Mi A1 is very good, about $200, stock Android, only thing it doesn't do is NFC. Very pleased with it.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gTsiros ( 205624 )

      had a z ultra

      with each update they removed another feature.

      content adaptive backlight control was hardcoded *on*

      now the screen fluctuates in brightness when the content changes. It's very distracting and *can not be disabled*.

      yeah you can unlock the bootloader and they give the sources but good luck having all features work (in some versions the camera won't work, or the gps or whatever)

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Does the question mean unlocked firmware/bootloader so that one can easily flash LineageOS (possibly rebuilt)or does it just mean a locked proprietary firmware where SIM card of any operator can be used?

  • Nokia 2 is unlocked, unsure if it's the _best_ (Score:4, Informative)

    by fustflum ( 67376 ) on Sunday August 12, 2018 @04:39AM (#57110368)

    I recently purchased a Nokia 2 from Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075FLG6MV]. It's a generic android phone, unlocked, and with an unlocked bootloader. It cost $100 bucks. I'm not in love with it, but, it supports 2 sim cards at the same time, which is really cool, and I'm sure I'll find some use for eventually. ;)

  • I've found that there's no appreciable difference between the Moto G5/G6 than the Pixel, with the sole exeption being the screen and camera. The screen, doesn't matter a whole lot, the OLED is a nice bump up, but the camera, you cannot fix or overlook a camera if your phone is your main camera.

    I freaking hate paying more than I have to for a phone, I would just carry an old Moto G4 to do facebook and whatsapp, but the camera on it is garbage. The camera on the Pixel however is top notch, every photo

    • If your memories don't matter to you then yeah, get a cheap phone

      If your memories matter to you that much then get a real camera. It does make a difference you know. I wouldn't get too worked about about a phone camera, even the best. Just get something serviceable. I have a prosumer DSLR for serious photos and the phone to cover off that memory thing. You can get great pictures out of both, but the DSLR is so much better there is just no comparison. Can't be explained in mere words to someone who hasn't tried it. Borrow one and try it, then you will chill about phone ca

      • If your memories matter to you that much then get a real camera.

        Yeah - however the best camera in the world is the one you have with you. If you're not carrying the separate camera then it's no good to anyone, and that's the ultimate problem with them. I love my SLR, but it also weighs a ton in comparison, gives me backache if I carry it around all day so I only do it when I really mean it. My Pixel 2 is always with me and takes great pictures whenever.

        • Yeah - however the best camera in the world is the one you have with you.

          I've had some pretty crap cameras with me, completely incapable of capturing the priceless image I know I could have gotten with a real one. Sure, you will get lots of good photos with a phone, I have plenty of great ones. But what I can do with a DSLR is way beyond.

          Let's try an anology that might work on a coding nerd (like me). You know how PHP programmers are completely convinced they have mastered the field? It's like that with phone cameras.

          If you're not carrying the separate camera then it's no good to anyone, and that's the ultimate problem with them.

          Which was the last hollywood blockbuster shot on a cell phone?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Hadlock ( 143607 )

        My girlfriend has an SLR. The only time in three years it has left the box was for an hour at her brother's wedding.

        There's a lot to be said about one touch push to [ social media platform of your choice ]. I want the memory, I want good quality, but I am not going to haul around a camera based on 1930s era philosophy on camera technology.

        I used to be big in to cameras, I still have two 35mm SLRs, worked in a darkroom, etc. I just don't have the time or space for a hobby like that. I get no

    • If you must buy a Pixel, don't get one from Google's Project FI

      I have five phones from Google (2 nexus, 3 pixel) and was one of their biggest fanbois, primarily because they put out crapware free phones.

      I currently have two broken FI pixels (broken hardware) and one working one. (along with a couple of Nexus phones).

      Still paying on the three pixels, all are under the (extra cost/month) hardware assurance plan.

      I can't get them fixed despite paying the extra hardware assurance simply because i put a TMO sim

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Hadlock ( 143607 )

        I've had zero issues with Project Fi, nor has anyone I work with or met who has Fi (200+ people). Sorry you had such a bad experience.

  • I thought that wasn't a thing any more. Don't tell me people still fall for that subsidized phone scam.

  • Define what you are looking for exactly. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by wierd_w ( 1375923 ) on Sunday August 12, 2018 @06:10AM (#57110600)

    "Good user experience" is very subjective, and very "how I use the phone!" specific.

    Not everyone is looking for the same thing in a phone.

    For instance, a recent purchase I made from ebay is a modified Motorola Photon Q.

    Normally, this phone is incapable of accepting a SIM card, and is locked to Sprint. However, a simple hardware mod removes the baked on SIM module, and attaches a push-push sim card slot instead.

    After that, and enabling carrier unlocking, it will accept any sim, even international.

    Why bother? It is the most modern phone with a slide-out keyboard. If you use your phone for more than just making calls (you would be surprised how useful being able to jam on an SSH session while on the go can be) then this kind of mod is damn handy, and not being stuck 6 years in the past as far as android is concerned (Did I mention this bad-boy supports LineageOS? :P) and having a fairly decent hardware package along with that swanky keyboard is fan fucking tastic--- If you are into that kind of thing..

    If all you want is to poke at facebook, post photos to instagram, or do all that social media shit-- you will want a more mainstream phone.

    So, again-- what EXACTLY are you looking for in a phone?

    • If you want slide out landscape keyboard, you should take a look at the MotoZ play with a Livermorium Slide-out keyboard MotoMod.

      I do not know if it supports LineageOS, but the ShaterShield screen will add enhanced durability to the package...

  • If you buy your phone cash, without going through your carrier, it should be unlocked.
    There are some caveats. For example some Samsung phones require you to activate your phone with a SIM card from the country you bought it from, and only then, it is usable worldwide. Also you need to check that the frequencies your phone supports match the one your country use.

    Now if you are talking about bootloader unlock, for installing custom ROMs, I suggest you take a look at xda-developers.com. A lot of flagship phone

  • My Samsung S6 was $500 and it works great. As always: Fuck Apple

  • I'm playing with the idea of buying a new phone and found this when I was checking phones out online about a week ago.

    https://www.tomsguide.com/us/b... [tomsguide.com]

    Tom's has been around forever and as far as I know is still pretty reputable in regards to its recommendations.

  • Actually, I had a seventh phone that was supposed to be a smartphone, but I beg to differ. Some kind of Microsoft OS, though I count myself fortunate to have forgotten the details now. About 10 or 15 years ago?

    My own experiences with Huawei have been quite good, and my primary phone right now is a rather low-end and unlocked Huawei. Perhaps my expectations are too low, but the p10 lite seems to be doing everything I want and doing them well enough. Slightly complicated in that it's a limited data plan and I

  • Moto G[X] (Score:4, Interesting)

    by markdavis ( 642305 ) on Sunday August 12, 2018 @07:59AM (#57110810)

    >"What's the best unlocked smartphone?"

    You will have to define what you mean by "best"? Cheapest? Fastest? Most features? Best built? Let's try for cheapest with the maximum features...

    My last phone was a $350 Nexus 5. I used it for something like 4 YEARS (replacing the battery once). Didn't regret it a bit. But it is kinda irrelevant now, so...

    Now I have a Lenovo/Motorola Moto G5 Plus that I bought in November for $170 at Costco and does almost everything I could want. It is much faster than the Nexus 5, not overly large, yet not stupid thin, has decent battery life, nice screen, is totally unlocked, works on all carriers, has no crapware, the cameras work great (but doesn't try to compete with my professional Sony), has decent sound and functionality, has a real headset jack I can plug into anything, a freaky fast fingerprint sensor on the FRONT where it is easily accessed, and has SD card support so I can have all my music and photos with me. Popped in the T-Mobile SIM card, my SD, added a magnetic USB charger and a gel case, logged in and pulled in the rest of my stuff, loaded Nova Launcher and I was in business! I wish it had an easily serviceable battery and better updates (like to the next version of Android, which was implied but still not delivered), but for $170, I consider it a MAJOR win even if it lasts me only 2 years (it has already been 9 months).

    I told all my friends and family about it, and before they sold out a few months later, mot of them grabbed one and like it a lot. Why anyone would want to buy a $1000 phone, especially every couple of years, is totally beyond my comprehension, unless it is just some stupid fashion statement and they have way more dollars than sense.

  • ...disabled features. I have an unlocked S7, and for some reason the unlocked model does not have "WiFi Calling".

    The phone co. branded versions of the S7 do, and I'm sure the unlocked phone has the capability but it is not enabled or accessible for some reason.

  • I miss being able to hold a phone in one hand and type. I have nexus 4 that I keep updated still. It's not my daily diver because it's underpowered for my current work but it's great when I just need a map and something to stream audio. If I could design a dram phone it'd be a similar size, modern processor, 16G+ storage (I don't keep much) and 3G+ RAM with a headphone jack. That's it. I don't care about screens or cameras (I remove them and leave them with my collection of tinfoil hats, where possible) or

  • I will not claim it "the best" but I have an Honor 8 and had no problems with it being able to join a network.
    When it comes time to replace it, from what I know now, I'll be giving OnePlus serious consideration at the very least.

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by shanen ( 462549 )

        Considering your role as OP, I wish you would write more clearly...

        Still trying to figure out what sense of "unlocked" you mean, though this comment is evidence in favor of "not locked to a carrier".

        As regards the substance, my ASUS was the only one that had trouble with establishing network connections and I eventually bought the FreeTel to get the voice line on a reliable device. The ASUS was sort of usable with the data-only SIM and WiFi, but I'm standing on my ranking it at the bottom. (The proximate tr

  • Over the last several years, I've opted for a refurbished Samsung S4, then S5, and put LineageOS on them. The results on these have been outstanding, and I paid less than $150 in either case.

  • For my job, the new parent company demanded a bunch of crap that I was not willing to put up with. And since I travel a lot for work anyways, I picked up a second phone just for work.
    I read the reviews over at the Wirecutter and picked up a Moto G6 unlocked from a local BestBuy. While here in the states I run SIM card free, but when I travel I pop in a SIM card and go.
    As far as usability goes, it's okay. I think Google does need to really polish their stuff to Apple's level, but that's my opinion.

  • Smartphones are more and more a trap and a cancer. Don't get one at all, get cheap basic phone that's good at being a phone and never mind the rest of it. You'll save money on the phone, you'll save money on the wireless plan, and you'll maybe save your life by not being distracted by the thing when you're driving or even walking for that matter.

    • there are other important things a smartphone will do for working adult that a mere telephone cannot.

      1. work and personal calendar of meetings and appointments, and option to view them integrated

      2. ability to vpn and ssh into a server to fix it during emergency

      3. multifactor authentication with one step being smartphone based is mandatory at my job

      4. transit system bus and train actual arrival and departure tracking in my city

      5. price comparisons with other stores while shopping (which sometimes includes b

      • and the camera, great for quickly getting serial numbers of back and off components inside server or to record which server network jacks are in use prior to move

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by tepples ( 727027 )

        Items 1, 2, and 4 can be done with a laptop through a native or web-based calendar app, native SSH, and the website of the bus or train operator respectively. Item 3 can be done with a smartphone that has no cellular service and is powered off except when in use for authentication.

      • You can do all those things in other ways. Stop making excuses for your smartphone addiction.

        • Please list the other ways and what tools would be needed. then will ascertain who the one addicted to *something* is.

          Your position is not looking good right now....

  • My favorite phone was the HTC OneMAX.

    Its only drawback was that it required a daily charging. Miss that and you were screwed.

  • Both are about $125, are fast enough for day to day use, have removable battery and upgradable storage.

  • I don't mind paying more than $500 for a good phone, but in recent years I've been appalled at the awful quality of high-end smartphones. I had to return an HTC One because it had a broken mic that apparently couldn't be fixed in the three times they claimed to have fixed it. My Samsung Galaxy's orientation is broken, regularly does completely random stuff, and it's full of bloatware I can't remove. Connectivity is poor. I really love Fairphone, but my Fairphone 2 does automatic reboots way too often (and n

  • Blackberry. I picked one up last year (the Priv model) for around $250. It runs pure Android without any carrier crap added to it. As a bonus, it is a very secure phone. It comes bundled with several BB apps and my favorite is BB Hub. It's sort of like a communications unified inbox. You can uninstall the BB apps if you don't want to use them. The best part is that you get access to the entire Google Play Store. It will run any Android app.

    For fans of it, there is a physical keyboard. Honestly I never reall

  • If you mean unlocked BOOTLOADER, as in, I can install custom ROMs, than Sony is the one to beat. Just be careful of the specific model you select.

    If by uunlocked you mean "I can stick a SIMcard from any opearator and the thing will work", then a Nokia 6 or higher is the best Android for that job.

    Onorable mention for the MotoZ with Shatershield + MotoMods.

  • I'm pretty enthusiastic about OnePlus. It's close to AOSP, with the changes being genuine enhancements (added interfaces and options to manage battery usage and data usage). The OTA update procedure supports rooted phones (though you'll need to root again afterwards). Some button customizations are possible without root. The "cheap" plastic screen protector that comes with the OnePlus 5 is better than any I've seen: is seems to be oleophobic and optically fairly clear, with much less friction than expected.

  • For $159 you can get a Nokia 3.1 running pure Android (Oreo) with zero bloatware. It's part of the "Android One" program. The only real downside is that Nokia removed the NFC chip from the US model and it doesn't have any biometric authentication. At that price don't expect flagship performance either.

    For $100 more you can get the Nokia 6.1 which includes NFC and a fingerprint reader.

    Both phones have a beautiful design accented with metal. They are sleek and can take great daylight pictures. Their nighttime

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