This Phone is $169 - What's the Catch?
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- Опубліковано 11 січ 2023
- Brand new budget phone vs older flagship phone?
Moto G Play: geni.us/ROuPcTc
MKBHD Merch: shop.MKBHD.com
Tech I'm using right now: www.amazon.com/shop/MKBHD
Playlist of MKBHD Intro music: goo.gl/B3AWV5
Phone provided by Motorola for review.
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/ mkbhd
/ mkbhd
/ mkbhd - Наука та технологія
it's literally cheaper than some wireless buds out there, that's crazy
*Dont_Read_My_Names!*
.........
Speaking as an unbiased Apple user, you could get two of these for what a set of Gen 2 AirPods Pro go for.
@@ThotaV18 given i can get a sony xperia XZ3 for 120$. i'll never get this phone. since the xz3 is premium flagship albeit used
As opposed to figuratively cheaper?
Garbage tends to be cheaper.
"At this price point, I'd prefer prehistoric premium over presently pleasantly priced" is a great closing sentence.
And a generally pleasing sentence.
Old flagship plus custom ROM? Yes, please.
@@PeanutBreathing What phones allow for that? I only know that the Pixel allows for custom rom flashing. I'd love to do that with my OnePlus Nord N10 5G Pro if I knew how.
@@zanegandini5350 XDA Developers Forum, search for your phone and have fun, but of course READ a lot before doing anything.
It's really, really not.
The problem with these old flagships is to get a new battery. It’s often that you cannot get it replaced officially, or if you can then they just charge too much.
This. Not to mention the chipset efficiency and battery capacity improvements over the years.
Just get it from a reputable refurbisher from Back Market - Minimum battery capacity policies are at 85% :)
Yeah, most of these phones get 6nm chips and a decent 5000mAh battery with 33w charging. They are much safer option than an old Samsung for example.
Just buy one that is refurbished. Or just do it yourself.
@@stonesymmetry that's good choice. For older family members I usually suggest buying refurbished iPhones. They are great phones just for calling and WhatsApp.
As a person who loves cheaper phones with decent workhorse power Motorola has been putting it out.
I have a Stylo 5G and standard Stylo, both have headphone jacks, lovely large screens and battery. The camera can leave you wanting if you are after photographer quality, but it's definitely functional for pulling out to capture some random family event.
Gaming is pretty good, on the 5G I can play Xbox games from game pass (haven't tried on the regular Stylo) with little sacrifice.
try one plus n20 prolly go for 30 ish or even the 30 with way better specs. I don't think it's that specail but irts good the old g power 2022 imo is better.
It kinda feels good to see big tech tubers talk about budget phones! Thank you for showing some love for the sub $200 category.
Much appreciated.
Fr
This should be the way~ and Marques would also in return likely be blessed.
It's a sponsored video
The best phone for me is the Unihertz Tank. Imagine nearly 100 days of standby and 40 hours SOT?
@@francissalvator8729 don't think so, he literally advised against the budget phone
I remember when $550 was the price of a flagship!
*Dont_Read_My_Names!*
.........
A used S21 Ultra (and very soon, Samsung S22 Ultra) can be had for under $600 easy. Used of course
@@RealWorldReview i got my s20 ultra for $650 brandnew at walmart
@@RealWorldReview Got mine like two months ago. Blew my old S10e out of the water lol
@@RealWorldReview u can even get a used Z Fold 3 for around $500-600, used phones are crazy cheap, almost making it a ripoff to buy current gen
Nice to see Motorola still making decent budget options. One of my favourite phones was the G5 plus - just did basically everything I needed it to while not blowing my budget, and the gestures like shaking for torch etc were actually super useful and I have missed them since I sold it, even if my phones since have had upgrades like better cameras and a compass.
Unlike this phone the g5+ was generally a good user experience though, don't remember any slowdown.
Yeah I miss my chop flashlight too from my g5plus
I'm still using an older G7play and I use the chop flashlight literally every day at least once. Love it. Oddly enough my older play seems to be faster lol. Probably due to less bloated updates sucking up all the ram.
I recently switched from a Moto G Fast to a Redmi Note 12 Pro, and although the new phone is better in literally every way, I do miss that flashlight thing every time I need to use the flashlight. And I still miss the feature my really old LG used to have where you could double-tap the screen to wake it up or turn it off again, I remember that being really convenient
@@DuckInGameStopI still have the flashlight chop on my new Moto G82. I never left Motorola.
@@MrBottlecapBillI prefer Moto Phones. I'm on the Moto G82 atm. Great phones and the chop chop feature is a must have.
I have a S23 Ultra but there is a lot to be said for phones made of polycarbonate. They are so much lighter that even if you drop them them they hit the ground with far less force lowering the risk of damage. One of the things I liked about the Galaxy S2 was that it was so light it felt futuristic.
You Should try Budget Moto G52 - 160$(India)
About to comment the same, or moto g32
Big fan🤩
G32 - $123 (India) Excellent deal 👌
Ha inlog ko india ka price btaenge to sar khujane lgenge itne saste me itna samaan.
Yes, it has OLED, Great Design, excellent batteries and a faster chipset.
The moto G Play is much more weaker, Just because Motorola phones in India are more competitive and value for money.
I don't know if there's any competition between smartphone brands in the US. But here in India, tech brands fight like dogs 🤣🤘🏻
The OnePlus 7 Pro was ahead of its time and still my favourite ever phone. It's a real shame the market and companies didn't keep the popup camera going.
I have an LG Wing, which also has the popup camera. Probably won't see any more in that series for a while though...
On my Oneplus 7T Pro McLaren. An absolute monster of phone if ever was one. My older Oneplus 6T also chugging along nicely
Solid shipsets, build quality, software, design
I still have my 7T Pro McLaren. still kicking perfectly fine.
@@Dudofall I have an LG G4 and I like the curved screen 📱 too bad they ditched it later
I used Mi 9T for a while and none of my phones after it can match the viewing pleasure of a notchless display
I never understood why manufacturers decided to go with metal frames but glass back panels, making phones weigh around 200 grams, just for the sake of a more "premium look and feel" when most people will have the phone covered for protection, adding a few miligramos more and hiding the design of the phone. Plastic phones were never a problem in my mind.
hmm maybe if you did some research nfx and wireless charging is why can't do that through thick ass plastic
@@dustinmoore2589 According to this reddit post: "Wireless charging works through the use of electromagnetic induction. Essentially the current from the outlet goes through the coil of the charger, which induces a current in the receptive coil. This current is then fed into the battery like a normal charger. Plastic won’t really get in the way of the em field, unlike metal.
Source: college electrodynamics course"
lots of people don’t use cases. plastic phones feel bad. i don’t want to touch something that feels bad every day.
@@supitschillbrothat's why I feel bad for your gf bro
@@christopherpekel6096 weird, your mom loves how i feel
I had a Moto E4 as a backup / secondary phone. Loaned it out to several people. It actually worked really great and had great battery life.
Sadly many phones today don't support 5G or VoLTE so they are now worthless... That's the issue with buying used. You need to find something that will have good connectivity and hopefully some software update...
Not to mention, the new phone will also have a brand new battery so that will last longer. If you buy the old phone, you will probably need to get a replacement battery for it pretty soon. That’s definitely something to take into account.
Very good point
Probably still better to get an older phone for 150-160€ and then spend another 30-40 bucks on a new battery
yep
@@mariuskusch738 would last longer performance wise too
@@mariuskusch738 agreed
I've learned based on a lot of people I've met in their 50s and older that buy budget phones. They primarily just want a phone that doesn't slow down and lag out and maybe a decent camera. Battery life is good, but since many of them don't use their phones too much or travel as much as they did, they last. I find more issues when they are start lagging out or being too slow and them becoming frustrated asking my Gen Z self to fix it
yup that's why I prefer midrange rather than flagship, cause I don't see my self using those extra features daily
Phones like A52s have really blurred the line between flagship & midranger,for me phones like A52s are delivering flagship experience since I have not used a phone from 800 series nor I plan
I upgrade when phone gets damaged or I feel an upgrade is now worth it
But don't cheap out like me & use miui
From my past experiences, you buy a phone depending on where you use it (gaming/photography/watching videos) and also what's the budget
@@ChrisTian-sd5yq here is my list of phones & budget since 2010 india
Htc explorer Pico_high school
budget $100
2014 Vodafone smart turbo 4g
Budget $100
2017 iphone SE 2016 budget $220
2017 Samsung a5 2017 budget $200
2018 I made mistake sold both these phones to friends & got Nokia 6.1 plus then gave that to my sister
2020 $80 redmi 8A gave that to my mom
2021 $120 redmi note 7 got damaged got A70 full price
Got water damaged
Bought iPhone SE2020 64gb $230
Cousin took that one for $120
2023 using redmi note 11 4gb $150 & got realme 7 pro for $230
Its all about right budget right model
@@dinozaurpickupline4221 mine's:
Nokia N70
Galaxy y
Galaxy V
Asus Zenfone 5.5s
Redmi note 9s
Galaxy note 10 plus
Simply excellent perspective Marques!! Thank you for getting that most important decision in there at the end!!!!
I’ll keep looking for the 2021-2022 mid-upper level phone.
Which manufacturers in Android space have longer s/w upgrade support?? The key piece right with cost. Thanks again!
I have a Moto G Power from years ago for
My Moto G Power was such a beast. Great battery life, good camera, little to no speed issues, and great for gaming. Mine ended up getting dropped face down on a concrete driveway, so I had to get a replacement (ended up buying a 2023 Moto G Stylus), but I'm planning to try and repair the LCD and screen myself to hopefully keep as a backup phone.
OnePlus 7 Pro was such an amazing phone! Always loved that uninterrupted screen with the pop-up camera. Don't know why it hasn't become more mainstream.
"bEcAsE meCHanICal PArTs BreAK anD No wAtER cErtiFIAte" or in other words - the mainstream consumer is stupid and clumsy.
source: a happy 7T Pro user, that can't find an upgrade worthy phone yet.
Because it isn't beneficial to the companies. Punch hole cameras are cheaper than moving cameras with mechanical parts dedicated for them.
I also use a similar phone and I love this uninterrupted screen. Now that I look at the recent phones. I don't like any of it. It's disappointing for me to buy a new one. Feels like a downgrade! :/
Also i have seen atleast two friends who have dropped their phone while taking selfies camera didn't go inside as claimed by company and replacing them is huge hassle
Coz pop up cam was trash
Btw I would still but a full screen even if it doesn’t have a front cam
@@alMeraki Sony.
So glad you recognized the environmental advantage of buying used - I feel like that is often neglected by most tech-channels 🙌
OnePlus 8T Pro, Best used phone to get in the market. Lead with speed, and it specs are samsung competitive easy
@Archive batteries these days are fine for a few years or regular use. Even then you'd still be putting in new batteries into new phones so the battery issue is moot.
@@nickthaskater I don't think he meant from the environmental point of view as from an economical pov
@@Alken2 in all things hardware the best thing we can do is maximize their life cycle, because in an enormous amount of energy went into the production of pretty much any hardware, from your phone to your automobile and everything in between. The carbon output of the production of these devices dwarfs the carbon output of the life of these devices, even for automobiles. That guy driving the old E350 because he can’t afford an electric car is doing the right thing by the environment.
@Archive I bought my iPhone 8 3 years ago used and the battery is still fine.
Video was great thank you for showing off specs , grateful I seen this video before I bought this phone 💪🏾
That fingerprint sensor slide to bring the notifications bar down was lit
Here in Brazil Motorola never went out of fashion. My first smartphone was a Moto G2 and was one of the best for its price range (considering that for most flagships, like iPhones, you have to pay very high consumer taxes).
Vamos Brazil 🇧🇷! 💯💯💯💪🏿💪🏿
Still using my Moto G5. 😁
brazil tem seu estresses mais esperimenta vir pra mozambique
Makes sense since most people there can't afford anything better
@@magtheridonxd5611 Yeah i completely understand it.
In India It's a Different story Motorola mobiles Under 300 Dollars Are So competitive
The OP 7 Pro was easily one of my favorite phone experiences. Especially the camera, it felt good to take it into manual, but the processed photos also looked very good.
I had the OnePlus 7 pro and it was f****** amazing. I recently traded it in for the Pixel 7 pro because it was outdated via software. Even though oxygen OS has more features then pixel OS lol.
Still has a oneplus 7tpro, still a amazing
Still love my 7pro, running Android12, still getting updates
I really liked my OP 5T.. I kept it for 5 years, up until just a couple months ago.. I really wish the new 10T would have been good.. I would have stuck with them, for sure. Ended up switching to a Pixel this time around, though.. maybe next time.
@@coolyou7 You can probably root your new phone to get that OS on yours, if you really wanted it.. but even just a new launcher, like Nova Prime would probably be enough (and safer/easier) I have a Pixel 7 right now but I've been fairly happy with the stock OS, for now. I just miss the super customization you can get with Nova etc.
I love when you cover Motorola I'm such a big fan of them. Im using the Moto edge plus 2022!!
Thank you for encouraging people to update their software in view of the security updates. Great review, thanks!
First time I hear Marques include the second hand market into the picture and talking about the environmental aspect of buying used phones. Love it! My appreciation just went way up!
It also made me think, how is this slow Motorola getting software updates, but the Oneplus won’t? Manufactures should start making phones with software that can last as long as the hardware.
@@angelkostadinov1689 it's not the hardware , it's the software support aka the effort and costs that manufacturer willing to spend for supporting their old phones sold that earns them nothing in present and future except for their brand reputation, but ultimately they want you to replace your old phone with their new phone as frequently as possible so that they can earn your money as much as possible.
motorola only guarantees like 2 years updates even for their flagships that costs 5x of this one.
He's mentioned going second hand before, it's just been a while back.
@@angelkostadinov1689 If they did that they wouldn't be able to sell anything anymore.
People would be surprized what midrange phones today have sepcs to last a lifetime (assuming the battery is easily replaceable and you don't drop it).
@@Daniel-dj7fh Yes, as I said, first time I hear it myself but good to know it happens more often than I’ve seen in that case. I watch most of his video’s and believe that the impact of his voice is not be underestimated. I really love tech advancements myself but often feel a duality of reasoning riding these waves of expansive progression. These high profile tech tubers are part of what makes us want to buy more new stuff every year and consume more so I do believe they should consider their carbon footprint quite differently. Currently companies and their products are the fuel and they are the engine that gets the motor running.
So good you opened up the conversation about old premium phones being an option, because more often than not majority of people aint spending 1000 dollars on a new phone. So the option between an old flagships vs current mid rangers is always the dilemma. this goes for iphones vs iphones, to androids vs other androids, to iphones vs androids. I really think you can incorporate past flagships on your yearly rewards show. "Phones that aged well" category
How old is "old enough" though? A phone released 1 year ago? 2 years ago?
Problem with used/older phones is degraded battery though. (Ofc you can replace it but that is an added cost)
@@mistermastermind528 1 year is still new imo , 2 years or more i would say
on second thought, smartphones that have 1 year of software/security updates left
@@jackwilson5542 and the companies make it as difficult as possible and expensive to replace parts, big ups to EU for mandating removable battery by 2027 (still far in the future in tech years) and the usb c for iphones
@@jackwilson5542 You could get the old flagship phone for brand new. It'd obviously be more expensive than used but not by a lot. I believe S10 goes for $200 brand new nowadays.
I used to have a Motorola, and I still miss some of the features. One of the biggest things for me was fingerprint on the back and some of the software features.
Thank you so much for giving me and my family insights on these products before we buy. Good man! 💜
I love the review of lower end phones! When I worked at target I was at a lose of any of the features for these phones. Everybody loves to cover the latest and greatest when in reality a lot of people just want something affordable!
Yeah I sold a bunch of the unlocked moto powers and styluses when people asked for recommendations. Solid phones for the money
@@Stealth87 same here and Moto’s software was always the closest to stock android, which most people wanted
100% agree with this, my mom doesn't need a crazy phone so she's always had budget phones but was never really happy with them, so when she finally needed a new one now I decided to get her a S20FE for 170$ in really good condition. No budget phone can compete with that, she's really happy with it now!
Haha what a coincidence I'm getting that for my mom's birthday that's why I was on UA-cam seeing if the phone is worth it as tho it looks great especially with 128gb there always is a catch
Good thing you did.
Wow your mom has a better phone than me! I am rocking a S8 😂
170$ for a Snapdragon 865 phone is hard to beat
My moms the same way.. currently has some budget Moto from four years back, doesn’t do anything demanding and is now even saying she needs an upgrade herself. Looking to get her into an iPhone 11 or 12 next time we’re together.
I keep telling her that a decent phone is almost worth it for the camera alone. Her current one… well it ain’t great lol
In that clip at the beginning in the play store I saw some frames drop on scrolling so I was guessing it was lacking on processing power. I think that of all things processing power is all in all really what you buy when you get a more premium phone. Not that this isn't a solid option for many people, but renewed/refurbished is the way to go. Android or iOS device there are some really solid deals on old flagships that are renewed or used that still work very well. They may be old flagships but more often than not they'll be more reliable and last longer than a phone like this would.
I got this phone recently. It's not great, I know, but I got this for the 1080p at 60fps. It takes quality videos straight out of the box if you don't do all the crazy gaming and just need the basics. I record on a massive 256G A2 micro SD even though it's rated for 32G. In fairness, the SD card was formatted on a phone rated for 512G so maybe that helps. It's a good overseas phone because it comes unlocked and carries CDMA and GSM on a ton of bands. So ehh. It works. And they make Poetic cases that fit it!
There's a nice hint of the "catch" when you quick-scroll the Play Store 😄. And yeah I agree that I would definitely want to buy a refurbished or a used flagship phone, particularly the slightly older Pixel phones.
@Muhammad Ehtasam Nah, the SoC is simply too weak. It has an Antutu score of around 110k, which doesn't cut it anymore. Using a midrange phone with a decent SoC is enough to smoothen out the OS, something like the Snapdragon 695 (around 400k Antutu score) for new midranges.
@Muhammad Ehtasam Okay sure whatever floats your boat.
Still rocking the OnePlus 7 Pro. I still haven't found any other phone that is worth the update. Apart from some camera and charging speed improvements, I still consider it one of the best phones ever made. Way ahead of it's time
Yeah
One plus 7t user here and I feel the exact same way. The 7 series was undoubtedly one of the best one plus ever produced.
thats the exact problem my friend is having. the new oneplus phones, like my 9, arent good anymore. and other android companies just dont match the old oneplus.
Finally receiving that Android 12 update was a great Christmas present. I don't see any reason to upgrade anytime soon.
I have a 7pro but I stopped using it because I had issues with my texts coming thru on time
Watching this on my op7 pro which I bought nearly 4 years ago. Crazy. No new phone seems to be able to compare.
A little faster cheapest on newer phones isn't enough for me to upgrade for. Although the new inglass front camera is tempting.
i love motorola android phones, they are amazing, i had one a while back and loved it. sadly because it's so low specs, it just didn't last. after like a year it just started to slow down a lot and starting to have a lot of issues.
You can pay more money to buy nicer ones.
6:57 that's where you know the phone is that slow lol.
You can get the Xiaomi 11t often on sale for $200 or less. I got it for $200 in the summer 2022. The phone is almost as fast as my s22 ultra, has a really good camera (worse than S22 ultra ofcourse, but not actually by much), it has a really fast charge (67 watt) and the screen is awesome for the price. All in all that phone is a much better value compared to the Moto G when it's on sale, which is almost weekly atm.
I love this phone. I got mine last week. And considering the cheap price I paid $120. I'm impressed with how quick it is and how long the battery lasts.
I was confused by the Geekbench score he had. When I looked it up I find about twice that.
Still rocking my 7 Pro
I used my old OnePlus 7 Pro temporarily while I was waiting to get my s22 ultra replaced last week and was incredibly surprised how absolutely well it still works. Still feels like a budget flagship phone
I mean it's an overspecced phone, it'll never be bad for normal use. You just don't get all the new fancy new features, like camera zoom which gets you into the neighbours room.
It had the best of everything when it came out. Better than what Samsung had out.
I'm still rocking my OP 7pro until today although it was almost 4 years old but to be susprisingly, it felt so damn smooth for my daily usage that made me think than im not need to upgrade for at least 2 3 year for now
I used my OP6 somewhat recently when I was repairing my Pixel 6 Pro - beyond the battery (which randomly dropped from 42-2 in the span of 5 minutes) the phone works fantastically, I probably could still get years out of it with just a battery replacement
Man I miss the old OnePlus
@@wayando Oh but where is OnePlus now lmao
You can just install a custom ROM to fix the software update issue and if you're buying an older flagship phone it'll probably have official lineageOS support, so you'll just have to install it once and get software updates without having to install anything through recovery.
Lineage OS is the goat for boomer phones
Mediatek chips cant be installed a custom rom, last i recall
@@piercecruz3629Nope, It’s more of having locked boot loader which can be unlocked if manufacturer supports it and moto does.
So customer rom can be installed, Instructions on xda .
google been pretty aggressive against unlocked bootloader phone when you want to use a banking app
@@prateekpanwar646 A phone like this won't see the light of day on XDA
Thanks for checking out low end ones. 👍
I have the exact One plus 7T pro McLaren edition and it's simply one of the best! I've had it for three years now and it works like the first day. I remember I was blown away with the charging speed back in the day.
One things you should have mentioned with the update side of it, knock on wood, is that some older flagships have an active modding community like for the op 7 pro and custom roms that even go up to android 13 now.
*Dont_Read_My_Names!*
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Exactly. This is why I always buy a flagship, and change only after 4+ years
Thats amazing, didnt know that
I had a note9 for 4 years and its probably the best phone i ever had
Used to love this in the days of Cyanogenmod. On my HTC Desire it was so much better to use the custom ROM over HTC's skin. However, the difficulty in getting things such as Google Pay up and running on a modded phone puts me off now.
yes but the security might be flawed in that case
My big problem with older phones is battery life. I use my phones hard, and by the time I'm ready to upgrade, their battery health is generally pretty poor in comparison to where they started off. If I was to buy a used phone that had say 80% battery health, and then use it for two years, it would probably struggle to get through a day. That's why I like newer, midrange phones. They have bigger, newer batteries, and they pair that with slightly less powerful but much more efficient chipsets. Feature wise they tend to compare favourably with older flagships too.
Not with my s6 edge. Will be 5 years next month and bought used so real age is 7-8 years. Charged multiple times a day because sot is only 3 hours (dropped to 90 minutes when I started using TikTok) so that's thousands and thousands of cycles over the years.
If it’s a iPhone it’s not bad to get it replaced through them just consider it when negotiating price since mine per say is $69 through apple
But if you have to buy old make sure it's snapdragon 820 and above. My daily is now an LG G5 bought for less than $50 from China 🇨🇳 2 months ago 😂 the difference between 2015 S6 Edge and 2016 820 is night and day.
S6 Edge 2600 mah sot 2 hours TikTok Lite rooted
LG G5 2800 mah up to 4 hours sot TikTok Lite not rooted so would last longer if rooted
Both 2k resolution. Both ufs 2.0 but S6 Edge felt like an old, slow horse compared to 820 plus ufs. I'm typing this on an LG G4 bought 6 months ago for $30 also from China 🇨🇳 Performance is on par with the s6. I'm thinking of buying next the LG G6 and Huawei P10
You probably drain your battery to 15 to 5% everyday, and that's the only time you'll charge it. That's torture for the battery.
I have a 5 year old budget Huawei, and is still at 80% battery capacity compared to when its new.
I charge whenever it is below 55%, at most convenient time, for example, while I'm doing other things that doesn't require using a phone, I charge it. Always charge your phone even if the battery is not even half. It will do wonders.
@@aaronwestley3239 I've read long ago to charge at 40% up to 99%. I use a simple android battery alarm that alerts me when the phone is almost full
Excellent video. I've been a fan of Moto phones for a long time, having owned 5 of them at this point. But I've become concerned about the way they have been migrating many of their lower end phones from Snapdragon chips to Mediatek. The Moto G Pure that I have just replaced wasn't too bad though, and wasn't especially slow. But the Nokia G100 I own now is in the same general price range as this new Moto G Play that you review here, and has a Snapdragon 662, 4 gigs of ram, and 128 gigs of internal storage, and performs quite well, at least in my experience. It has it all over the Moto G Play for roughly the same price.
My personal recommendation would be to get a phone that has good custom ROM support. Even though my OnePlus 6T hasn't been supported for a year I've been running the latest Android version thanks to LineageOS and crDroid.
Yeah Motorola phones have been awesome lately, I recently got a 2021 Moto Edge 20 Pro which was about £750 at release but it was discounted to £350 in the September back to school sale. It was amazing with a fast chipset unlike this phone and it has really good build quality with glass on the back. I would recommend definitely getting the old flagship phone over a new cheap phone. As you mentioned though they do get less software updates but if you get a phone from like last year it has just about as much updates as a new budget phone.
Edit: thx for the likes!
I agree with going with the cheaper older phone. Although the S21 FE is not that old yet, it was a massive upgrade for a family member who was using a painfully slow A10e.
even i have upgraded to s21 fe from 100$ phone
hey i am planning to get the s21 fe. My budget is 40k indian rupees. will it be wort it?
@@DeepjyotiBarman ha bai lele sale mai 35k tak ka mil jayega
@@DeepjyotiBarman I'd go for a 2nd had s20 or unless the S21 fe is more a design based purchase
I'm upgrading my mom's 3.5 year old s9 to the 2 year old s20 fe for $120US. The bigger screen, more versatile cameras, better battery life, and faster charging are all points of improvement over the s9 that my mom will enjoy
MKBHD Still doing such a great job many years later.
Praised the phone really good but also roasted it to oblivion. Now, that's some real wisdom that come with experience..kudos to MKBHD
Actually having a macro camera is really useful for me
But yeah, being really slow is a 'no' from me I reckon. Cheers for the review
I just recently bought the Umidigi a13 pro 5g for $156. That was a flash sale. Price was like $219 I believe. It's dropped to about $175. It has the Dimensity 700, 5150 battery, and 8gb of Ram and 128gb storage. It also has a 1080p display. 2 updates when I got it to put it on the June 2022 security patch. Not one update since though, which like Marquez says, tends to be one of the main issue with these budget phones. Motorola usually updates better than this though. I think I may start going with the older mid-range or flagships after this though. Phone works pretty good for a budget phone, but it's like a 2nd or 3rd to use and could never be my daily driver. It's a good all around budget phone though.
*You should do more of these budget/mid-range phone reviews.* Btw, Moto is doing fine nowadays and OnePlus, take notes on how good you were back then. Cheers 🥂
Nice name
From India?
@@sumedhvats1395
Yours is better.
Yes.
For the last ten years I always have “an old flagship” and it’s working great for me. 50/50 android and iOS
I really think this would be a winner if they raised the price by about ~$50 and just stuck a really decent processor in there.
I agree with you. I gave my dad my old Pixel 2. And although it's from 2017 it's still a great phone with good power and takes great pictures. I recently asked if you wants a newer phone, but he said he is totally happy with it.
Bless your pa
i have a small phone collection... i have an iphone xr as my daily driver i have a iphone 6s i have a iphone 7 plus i have a iphone 6 plus and i have a moto g pure 2021 and a moto g stylus 5g 2021... all of which are unlocked for any network so if i get tired of one i can just throw my sim in one of my other phones!
My old Pixel 2XL with Camera PX was better than my new Pixel 6a
@@DavideDiPaolo that's just placebo or you got a sub performing unit
I'm still using a Pixel 2, it's honestly not bad except the battery life and occasional stutters, but both issue can be resolved with a battery replacement.
I still believe as a starter phone for both younger and older people this is a great option. Considering the amount of software updates coming vs an older phone this is a good option.
I have a Redmi 8, which has 4GB Ram and SD 439 chipset and it's much faster than this phone considering it's a budget phone from 2019 and i also use a custom GCam Port instead of the stock camera to get better quality and extra features like night mode and such.
And BTW the night works amazingly albeit of course there's some noise but it's still much better than budget phones these days.
No its not. The redmi 11 is better in every way. (Amoled screen, 700 nits brightness, 6gb ram, 128gb storage....) and its 18usd more
Nah yound people would want to play games and this thing is slow as shit, for old people, sure
@@ll-WOW-ll It also is unlikely to have VoLTE certification, making it virtually useless -- unless you don't need to make phone calls.
it has a mediatek processor, it's never gonna get an update
6:58 😂😂😂😂😂
Me when I use to use a moto g power 2021 that kept freezing
A cheap phone today might get two years of updates from the OEM, but a popular flagship or mid-range phone from a few years ago is still going to be getting software updates too, just not from the OEM.
This was a thoughtful and well written review I enjoyed it
I love the environment point you bring up, I always bring that up. There should be some kind of framework in which you can reset a phone to a certain stock setting and get basic security coverage without extra features just so that you can use it and there is much less e-waste.
AOSP does this to an extent, but that's out of reach for most users. Maybe hope the EU can do their thing and bully smartphone manufacturers into providing extended security support for the sake of the environment.
7:16 Oh no, he suddenly pulled out probably my favorite phone ever 😭
I've had the OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition for 3 years straight. Lost the first phone and got the same model back.
Everything was so good about it!
The One Plus 7 !! I had forgotten all about it. You reminded me Marques and i went onto Ebay Canada (I live in Canada)and there NOTHING period listed. I was so exited for five minutes and then dropped like a bobshell. So dissapointed. I loved the One Plus's of that era
Love your channel by the way --- couldn't live without my regular dose of "Marques"
We got one of these for my mom and it is perfectly fine. One of the things you have to do is really optimize on it. Only a couple of games and not 90 Apps installed. Plus something like Simple launcher really helps.
This is an interesting video, especially since I would love to see more budget and midrange options reviewed. However, I think there are two important points missed. First, is yes, at the absolute rock bottom price of $169, this is a slow phone. But move up to the low-$200s, and there are some options with the much faster Dimensity 700 and 5G that feel much MUCH better. The second point in regards to new versus used phones, is that you simply don't know how an older phone was used. The battery may well be significantly degraded. If you can't afford to spend a lot of money, a new phone, even a $169 new phone will likely last a lot longer than a used phone of the same price before you start having hardware problems.
Also, a lot of those good 300 USD equivalent phones do not get launched in your country + the use of Credit cards allow people to buy more expensive phones on debt
@@abhigyakhandelwal9215 The bigger issue right now is VoLTE validation. I was able to get some phones that worked great even on 5G, at least on T-Mobile, but sadly there was no way to bypass the VoLTE verification even though it is standard and should have worked just fine.
For a phone from last year, who cares if the price is similar to this.
For a phone from 2019? Boi, don't.
I have 4 (yes 4) OnePlus 7, 2 of which have such a degraded battery that it won't last you through the morning, 1 is basically brand new and 1 that has an acceptable degree of wear.
Used phones older than 2 years, you need to add the cost of changing the battery to the buying price.
@@OmniUni op7 is volte validated... Except Android 12 update completely broke it and the LAST update was released 2 days ago. I still haven't got it so I don't know if it got fixed, but that was pretty bad.
Great point about battery and phones condition. Might only be able to get a year or less out of it in worse circumstances
Used to have a Moto, i have to say the shake shake to turn the flashlight on is brilliant
I have the moto g power 2022 which is essentially the same exact phone. Performs well and I haven't run into a single app that it doesn't run. Very pleased with this phone. A minimalist's dream.
After a fall, Montorola is booming everywhere, good to see my childhood favorite phone rising.
@Main_marquese
☝️write me✍Let's talk🎁..
is not your childhood favorite phone anymore... is owned by the COMMUNISTS !
It's a Chinese company now owned by Lenovo. Not the same company.
@@lilinfinite Who also now owns the Redhat Linux Enterprise platform too.
Lenovo is the brainchild of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) - the Chinese-government’s crown jewel institution of scientific research.
goddammit@@lilinfinite
Great video! I think you should do more of these: comparing the Nothing phone to a 400 dollar older flagship for example... Would be interested to see that
The second half of the video had me rolling 😂
This actually gives insight into how OEMs plan the obsolescence of devices. That 1+ 7 Pro could very well function for another 2 yrs, maybe need a battery replacement at max. But OEMs stop updates after a point due to fake reasons. @MKBHD I'd like you to talk about this.
There should be an OEM that makes 1 or max 2 devices, mid range, and provides updates for it for lets say 6-7 yrs. As such smartphones have plateaued, there isn't a compulsion to keep upgrading their basic production line, provide updates and to stay relevant in business, upgrade the chip once every 2 yrs. Seems like a profitable idea, with the brand USP being reliability. Could even skim down on a few feel good features if need to make good profit, like the telephoto cam, high refresh rate display, maybe even the wider angle lens. A single lens capturing good shots is more valuable than 2 or 3 average ones. This also functions as a market differentiator. Actually, this was *THE ESSENCE* of what made the Nexus line so popular.
I work in mobile phone retail and we’ve been getting excellent low tier Motorola phones like this one for quite a while now. The Moto G stylus and Moto 5G are the cream of the crop when it comes to performance and durability but I’m glad they brought the G play back , it was a really popular phone.
You really need to make a video about used phones! The main advantage is having a faster chip, and in my opinion, a better, faster chip will make the most difference, because it won't feel slow unlike budget phones. Also significantly better for the environment
So, where is a good/safe place to purchase older flagship phones?
I still have the very first 1+. Some issues with the case and I get that error now and then that pops up on the screen. I got rid of it once, but it came back. But still. This phone is really old and I only changed the battery once.
That's basically what I did. Got a pixel 3 a couple of years ago when it had just a year of OTA updates left, and I've still got it. Great phone, won't change until it gives up.
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Really love these videos about cheap new vs older premium. I also tend to prefer older premium
yup. same. a Pixel 5 is about the same price and blows this out of the water. I don't think I've bought a new phone since my first smartphone
The thing about software updates is that if you're at least a bit tech savvy, you can use LineageOS or a similar AOSP mod to prolong the life of an older flagship or even midranger. LineageOS got my Lenovo P2 way past its prime and it was definitely faster than new super-cheap phones. Unless your phone has some specific feature (such as Samsung Dex) I'd always consider switching to an AOSP mod rather than going for a new phone.
It really depends on the phone. The OnePlus 7 Pro Lineage is awful for daily use with really high idle drain and bad display support in my testing.
Congratulations, you are part of 0,0001% of population that cares. Now excuse me, I need to buy my new Samsung. :)
@@Henfredemars I'd imagine the 7 pro would have plenty of other ROMs to choose from
@@randomnickify true but I'm sell old Samsungs in my country and I'm selling them stock but rooted and greenified otherwise they'd be unusable. 😂
Nameless is great for OnePlus devices! I also love LOS tho.
I'm using the 8 Pro but I switched ROM even despite having a stock A13 update, since they merged OxygenOS with ColorOS and got horrendously bad.
Yeah i totally agree with the slow part and only 32gbs space outta the box is pretty lame too
But the main thing for me was the screen on mine went permanently haywire after i cleaned the phone with JUST A LITTLE rubbing alcohol
Only phone ive ever had that did that
The previous phone i bought for 100 bucks (back in 2020) was way better
A very honest review.
Love my used flagship phones. Could not agree with you more on that point. Along with that, I never feel like I'm missing out, just having the same experience 3+ years out of step ; ) My OnePlus 6 is finally starting to lag a little with my updated apps, but not so much that I feel like losing my headphone jack. Eventually I will, but I'm still holding out for a newer phone where they brought back the headphone jack (feel like Ford Dent trying to speak in future-past perfect tense...)
I switched from Oneplus to a s21 ultra (I had a 3t,5,5t,6 and 7t).
The camera is just insane, basically a wonderful phone.
i got a oneplus 7 pro in august 2021 for around $400 new from leftover Sprint 5G stock on Amazon, still runs a treat. Only issue is it's stuck on Android 10 but honestly doesn't feel that bad, plus I love the no-notch 1440p 90hz display. If you're looking for a phone with a headphone jack though, you can't go wrong with a Zenfone 9 IMO, as long as you can find one.
I can offer you Ford Prefect or Arthur Dent, but I can't offer you Ford Dent.
I'm sure MKBHD would happily recommend the ZenFone 9 to you!
I always buy the Pixel from 2 years ago. Have a Pixel 4 now, it's amazing. Besides the camera, I don't see any reason to upgrade.
I like that you keep it real, and even though you probably get these phones for free, you don't recommend everything. I respect that.
I've lived off second-hand two year old flagships since the Nexus 4
Performance is good enough, updates still happen & the price is reasonable
Only time I didn't update was to Pixel 5 when 7 came out - I'm still rocking my Pixel 4XL
I would go for the old phone and when the software support ends, I would switch to a alternative ROM such as LineageOS
1:49 - I love how you added the G behind the sim tray, hinting at the G in the phones name.
I knew there was some relevance to that intentional letter placement!
Hi, Mark. Greetings from Brazil. The reason for the camera didn't turn on when you twist it is that this particularly model (and other cheap ones from Motorola) doesn't have the gyroscopic sensor, just an acceleration sensor that makes the flashlight pop. Of course this is due to give it a cut on the price. Similar thing happens with the compass too. Some smartphone has it, others don't.
I've had a Oneplus 7pro since 2019 and it really does still hold up. The selfie camera is still impressive to people as well.
I would add that if you are willing to install a custom rom to a used flagship the lack of software updates would not be an issue. While not the flagship of its time, I am still using a xiaomi mi8 (a phone from 2018 with the best qualcomm chip of that time I think) with LineageOS 20 which is based on android 13, so I am still getting all the latest features and security updates with this somewhat old phone. LineageOS has in their website a fairly comprehensive list of the phones they support.
This brings me back my first smart phone was the 2nd gen moto g. That thing still works after it took and absolute beating from me and my brother in law after I gave it to him 😂. Now days phones feel like they’ll break if you look at them wrong.
*Dont_Read_My_Names!*
.........
Couldn't agree more 😂👍
I am commenting this from Moto G2 😂
@@spinx1483 wow it still works?
@@srirajdellxps121 It doesn't surprise me at all. Mine survived water once with me no problem. After I gave it to my brother in law he dropped it in water as well and for a bit it didn't turn on, but eventually it started working again. I know it's not connected to cellular anymore, but its being used as a youtube kids phone for my nephew in their car.
I found the sweet spot getting a used Galaxy A52s on ebay - I did have to hunt to get a good deal (for £175 it was a steal and in great cosmetic) but last year's midrangers can come in at this year's budget price and have most of what this does but just a little better. The panel is 120Hz (although no LTPO, so I leave it on 60 for battery), 1080p OLED with nowhere near as bad bezels, the processor is more than fast enough for my needs, in-screen fingerprint, 25W charging, an ultrawide camera as well as macro and depth, and Samsung's software support has been getting better for midrangers too - and I think this has little disadvantages over the Moto G play.
And it still has a headphone jack and microSD :)
I went from an S7 Edge to A52 5G to A54 5G and I have to say its been an interesting ride the 54 seems more premium than the 52 but was ~$100 less than the 52. no headphone jack sad, sticky in hand but slippery everywhere else glass back sad, metal feeling sides (idk if they are), slightly bigger bezel vs the 52, thicker/heavier than A52, bigger camera bump but only 3 vs 4 cameras, still has the SD card though good for if your phone just dies one day and you didn't back anything up, USB C to useless bee see cable like wtf do I plug the other end into since all wall chargers have usb A and the 54 didn't come with a brick? At least the 52 came with a cheaper looking charger and normal USB A to C cable. etc
I feel like user experience should be the priority over good hardware, that phone's slow processing speed would absolutely be a deal breaker for me regardless if it has the best specs everywhere else for its price, would definitely go for the older flagship the lower the price gets as well
Speaking of software updates it would be really cool to see a PSA Style video from you about them! Maybe in the style of a phone changing over a couple of years because of the software updates, and of course the security patches and their importance.
great vid. wish marques did more budget/mid ranger videos though
I really appreciate this review does the FM radio play back in stereo
Typing this on my Motorola g-play 2021. Had it for a year, works good. No issues, it even plays simple games extremely well.
Your intro and the whole production quality is just unmatched on UA-cam. You set a standard in quality.
Yea I can do that. Give me a Mac pro, red 8k cameras and a team. I think I got that.
@@bolokesari no you dont
@@bolokesari No, I CAN DO THAT!!
Another NPC.
@@BruceLeanDarts Hello traveler.
Man I wish more phones had the fingerprint sensor on the back. That was one of my favorite features of the Pixel 2. And using it to swipe down the notification bar was so useful. I miss that phone sometimes.
I agree my favorite place too have back one on my moto e30 k
I had the same thing in my oppo and loved it
What could be best vlue for money and best smartphone under 700-800 USD right now?
@@Samdevay I would say the Pixel 7 series. Best bang for your buck under $700. It competes with flagships that are nearly double that price. Check out Marques' review!
I find that annoying lol- everytime i hold the phone horizontally it just opens the notification, especially while gaming
The ONEPlus 6T was my favorite Phone. I almost bought an extra to have on hand when mine died but ATT switched to 4G only for calls so I had to upgrade. To an 8T and its OK but I miss my 6T
Thank you so much sir for addressing one of my biggest dilemmas as far as getting gadgets is concerned these days!