Cell Phones

In search of a new android phone, midrange

  • Last Updated:
  • Jan 7th, 2017 10:45 pm
Deal Fanatic
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Dec 30, 2006
6762 posts
2096 upvotes

In search of a new android phone, midrange

So I think my Zenfone 2 is essentially bricked and messed so I'm gonna need a new phone. I was thinking of getting a new phone anyway (albeit in a few months but still). Here is what I need/really want:

- expandable memory for a micro SD card
- easy to root (for Adaway, then Xposed Framework; used to have a Nexus and it was easy to work with, the Zenfone has been a bit of a PITA)
- I like the 5.5 inch screen of the Zenfone, I guess 5 isn't horrid but I actually like the larger size
- on Marshmallow for version of Android, I guess almost every device these days is on it now, hopefully not filled with bloatware
- preferably under $500

I prefer not to go back to Asus for the Zenfone 3 even though it does in fact match up with majority of my points. I know the Xiaomi makes some good stuff as well (I have friends with the Redmi Note 3 Pro) but I also prefer to not go down that route since it'll take a long time for me to receive it and just rather not since I need it fairly soon. Thanks in advance.
9 replies
Sr. Member
May 12, 2004
984 posts
244 upvotes
Honor 8. Available from Newegg.ca pretty quick.
Member
Nov 26, 2013
207 posts
30 upvotes
If you are willing to spend $50 more, you can get the ZTE Axon 7 - flagship phone at mid-range price. Available from newegg.ca
Deal Fanatic
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Dec 30, 2006
6762 posts
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Are both of these phones easy to root (as well as installing Xposed Framework)? And a good community of support in case I need help with stuff? Thanks.
Deal Expert
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Dec 12, 2009
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Canada_7 wrote: Are both of these phones easy to root (as well as installing Xposed Framework)? And a good community of support in case I need help with stuff? Thanks.
No. They have well protected bootloaders.
Last edited by will888 on Jan 1st, 2017 7:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Deal Expert
Feb 29, 2008
30106 posts
5547 upvotes
Montreal
If you want rootable phones with unlocked bootloaders, nothing beats OnePlus phones.
Sr. Member
Jun 6, 2007
501 posts
193 upvotes
CAPRICA
Canada_7 wrote: Are both of these phones easy to root (as well as installing Xposed Framework)? And a good community of support in case I need help with stuff? Thanks.
Honor 8 community kind of sucks, but it is possible to unlock and root. You can also do the same with axon 7, and it's got a much more active community in comparison as well
Jr. Member
Oct 28, 2016
117 posts
20 upvotes
You can take a look on one plus three, if you are okay with Chinese product. I personally prefer HTC 10. It is a good and high quality device. It has a great camera quality.
Sr. Member
May 11, 2009
536 posts
369 upvotes
Vancouver
Might help the suggestions if you identified which requirement is a must vs would-like.

If you drop the first req (expandable memory), you can get a used Nexus 6P within your budget. For $500, you can probably get a 128GB version too. When I was looking, 32GB were selling for just under $400 on CL.
Deal Fanatic
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Dec 30, 2006
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I'd say the cost and having good support/ease of rooting are probably my top options. I don't wanna spend too much and don't wanna brick my phone with rooting. I'm no expert in that regard but rooting it is nice (like I said, Adaway and Xposed Framework), and being able to fix a bricked phone without issue would be great. Having the support is nice so that there's a lot of guides on how to fix in case of anything is good (ie. Easy to get back to stock if something went wrong). I also would prefer getting something brand new instead of used just because of the buyer beware, just in case for used.

Expandable memory isn't super necessary I guess if the phone already has a large storage but having the expandable storage makes for easy backup instead (personal preference) of depending on cloud. And I think at this point just about every device is running Marshmallow so that shouldn't be hard to fulfill. It doesn't have to be 5.5 inch, I guess I could deal with 5 inch screen.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll look into them.

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