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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 28, 2019 17:24:47 GMT
The Pixel is a cracking phone, Mike, but beware the condition - Good Condition : The unit is showing considerable signs of handling, with scuffs and scratches along its back casing and/or screen in patches. The one on Amazon only comes with a USB lead but not a charger, the eBay item has neither. When buying used (books mostly) on Amazon I've never dipped lower than VG, and on eBay, I'll never buy used unless they include pics of the actual item they're selling, rather than just stock shots. One thing you certainly did get right, which I forgot to mention, was that if you want to choose your own network then you'll need an "unlocked" phone. Thanks Paul - and for typing slowly  I need this spelled out. Won't a USB be ok without a charger ? We have so many different things to plug USB into Is 'Refurbished condition' whatever they want it to be ? |
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 28, 2019 17:45:31 GMT
The Pixel is a cracking phone, Mike, but beware the condition - Good Condition : The unit is showing considerable signs of handling, with scuffs and scratches along its back casing and/or screen in patches. The one on Amazon only comes with a USB lead but not a charger, the eBay item has neither. When buying used (books mostly) on Amazon I've never dipped lower than VG, and on eBay, I'll never buy used unless they include pics of the actual item they're selling, rather than just stock shots. One thing you certainly did get right, which I forgot to mention, was that if you want to choose your own network then you'll need an "unlocked" phone. Thanks Paul - and for typing slowly I need this spelled out. Won't a USB be ok without a charger ? We have so many different things to plug USB into Is 'Refurbished condition' whatever they want it to be ? Will never be a fast charger then. Will take ages.. depends on your use. Go for one with all accessories and mint if you can.. |
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Post by Slinger on Mar 28, 2019 17:49:33 GMT
Refurbished goods "should" be graded, with an explanation of the grading system somewhere in the listing. If it's not there, don't buy from them would be my advice.
This is how Music Magpie grade their phones...
Pristine - This is an exceptional product showing no signs of use, it has been fully tested and is in excellent working order.
Very Good - This product is in very good cosmetic condition and although there may be some light signs of use, the item has been fully tested and is in excellent working order.
Good – This product will show moderate signs of wear and tear, the item has been fully tested, restored to factory settings and is in excellent working order.
These are another company's grades...
Brand New - Sealed
Supplied in the original box, these will be brand new, sealed units containing all original accessories.
Grade A - Excellent
Can have approx. 1 – 3 very light scratches/marks on the front and back, which will be barely visible at arm’s length. Handset will also include a USB Charger Plug.
Grade B - Very Good
Can have approx. 4 – 5 light scratches or 1 – 2 small marks on the front that cannot be felt by finger nail, with slightly heavier scratches on the frame or back.
Grade C - Used
Can have many light scratches to the front and/or 3 deeper scratches that can be felt by finger nail, with heavier scratches/marks to the back. Will show heavy signs of use and may have areas of discolouration.
Grade D - Defect
Can have multiple deep scratches and small cracks to the front, with dents and heavy scratches/marks to the back. Will be in poor cosmetic condition but will be fully-functioning as stated above.
Some companies don't grade, but they tell you what sort of condition they believe the phone to be in, and show photos of the actual phone you're buying.
As long as you've got USB outlets you should be fine for (possibly quite slowly) charging the phone. The main advantage of a charger, other than speed, is that most places you stay will have mains sockets, but not all will have USB sources for you to charge things from, so you'll need an adapter of some sort if you're away from home. Very few phones that I know of have proprietary charging ports.
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 28, 2019 18:09:40 GMT
Forgot to say the Pixel is the best display in bright sunlight I've ever had too. Only found that out recently |
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 28, 2019 18:21:35 GMT
Bear in mind all Pixels have USB C sockets. So your old Nokia, Winphone, Moto, Haewei etc etc will not work.. without a cheap (from ebay,) adapter. None of them will fast charge.
I use an adapter in the car with a standard usb to Micro usb.
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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 28, 2019 19:23:57 GMT
Recap for the hard of thinking
Android good
Google Pixel good
How about Samsung, HTC, Motorola ?
32GB ok for me ?
Go for excellent or similar condition
Get all accessories
Unlocked or might I be better with it locked to a supplier ?
Assume I can convert from PAYG to a monthly fee ok
What did I miss ?
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Post by MartinT on Mar 28, 2019 21:04:54 GMT
Add LG and Lenovo into the mix for good midrange phones.
Buy a SIM-only contract or PAYG and make sure you have data.
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Post by speedysteve on Mar 29, 2019 0:01:01 GMT
I think talkmobile (vfe network) at £5 / month SIM only, with more talk mins / txts then I can use and 1.5GB of data is great value.
I am mostly on WiFi so when not at home i just use whatever I need
and always have enough, and they roll over any data you don't use in a month, so I often have 3GB of data waiting for me..
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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 29, 2019 9:41:34 GMT
Add LG and Lenovo into the mix for good midrange phones. Buy a SIM-only contract or PAYG and make sure you have data. More options, bum ! Phone first then the contract. Which I will have to take a punt on as I have no idea how much I'll use it. Took the boss's old dumb mobile some years ago. Religiously took it to work on the bike for months. Charged it every so often. Never used it. Gave up, spurred on by her not answering the phone all day long one day or maybe it was the PAYG card expiring as I hadn't used it |
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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 29, 2019 9:43:59 GMT
I think talkmobile (vfe network) at £5 / month SIM only, with more talk mins / txts then I can use and 1.5GB of data is great value. I am mostly on WiFi so when not at home i just use whatever I need and always have enough, and they roll over any data you don't use in a month, so I often have 3GB of data waiting for me.. Thanks Steve. Phone first and that contract looks a favourite. Dumb question : Do you access the wifi with your mobile ? |
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Post by MartinT on Mar 29, 2019 9:56:54 GMT
Mike, what's your budget? It may be better to buy a new midrange phone than a top end used one. I say that because there's a reason flagship models get onto the used market and it's usually because they have an undeclared fault. My LG Q6 only cost £200 and Ruth's Blackview less than £100 and they're excellent, more than enough for what you propose to use it for.
Yes, you set them to use wi-fi when at home, in restaurants, at venues etc. That way you will save data for when you really need it.
Have you also considered the wonderfulness of Waze for sat-nav? I know you love getting lost and it's a better app than any dedicated sat-nav I know. It's free, too. You just need a £5 dashboard bracket.
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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 29, 2019 10:25:41 GMT
Mike, what's your budget? It may be better to buy a new midrange phone than a top end used one. I say that because there's a reason flagship models get onto the used market and it's usually because they have an undeclared fault. My LG Q6 only cost £200 and Ruth's Blackview less than £100 and they're excellent, more than enough for what you propose to use it for. Yes, you set them to use wi-fi when at home, in restaurants, at venues etc. That way you will save data for when you really need it. Have you also considered the wonderfulness of Waze for sat-nav? I know you love getting lost and it's a better app than any dedicated sat-nav I know. It's free, too. You just need a £5 dashboard bracket. Thanks Martin. Cheapest I can get away with to give me what I need. A lot more for very little is also good. As long as I don't have to pay more on contract. Must also be easy to use. NO faffing. Free use with wifi is great. Assumed I had that wrong from Steve's post. I need a leg up for the mobile phone knowledge like the camera julesd68 kindly pointed me at. It's great. Helped he knew what he was talking about and I didn't Never heard of Waze. Free and just needs a dash bracket ? Plus a phone ? How is it better than Google maps giving your phone directions ? Hate being lost. Happens too often with the not so clever Google instructions I print on paper. Looking at Ebay there is way too much choice. You have LG. Steve has Google Pixel. Think Slinger has another make. Won't have Apple, Sony or a no name How much memory ? Assume the xGB quoted is memory. What else would someone from pre history need to know about buying a mobile ? |
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Post by MartinT on Mar 29, 2019 10:38:11 GMT
Waze is owned by Google and uses their maps. It gives you a moving map, voice directions, traffic issues, re-routes you if possible and warns you about all manner of obstacles ahead. It's community driven, so if people see a police car, for instance, they report it. That instantly goes onto the screen of all other Waze users. It's a superb app.
You don't need much memory or storage - you're never going to be a power user or gamer. Just buy a reliable brand and, as I say, new may be best and will give you a decent warranty.
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Post by Slinger on Mar 29, 2019 11:32:57 GMT
I've got an LG too, Mike, but I bought mine used. Get Martin's opinion too, as a fellow LG lover, but the LG K10 2017 looks like it might suit you. £121.98 new, on Amazon, and obviously less if you can find a decent used model. REVIEWI hate to recommend an individual model really, though, as there are so many of them on the market and no way for me to make a decent balanced comparison. |
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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 29, 2019 12:00:42 GMT
I've got an LG too, Mike, but I bought mine used. Get Martin's opinion too, as a fellow LG lover, but the LG K10 2017 looks like it might suit you. £121.98 new, on Amazon, and obviously less if you can find a decent used model. REVIEWI hate to recommend an individual model really, though, as there are so many of them on the market and no way for me to make a decent balanced comparison. Thanks Paul Pearls before swine I'll know what I want once I have had one for a while. A reason to go cheap is finding I barely use it. £100 and PAYG seems worth the risk. Will work out which phone and network with help here and instructions from Martin's money tips. If it was music or hifi I could muster enthusiasm |
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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 29, 2019 16:57:03 GMT
So many to look at. Not enough time. Paul seems to have a good one for me with this decent used modelBest PAYG provider ? All the PAYG ads are for monthly. How do I find a real PAYG ? |
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Post by Slinger on Mar 29, 2019 16:59:47 GMT
For what it's worth, I'm with "3" but I use the phone so infrequently I can't really judge how good, or bad, they actually are. I've never had a problem, but then again I never had a problem with Vodafone when I was with them, and they're supposed to be crap.  Apparently, EE has the best coverage nationally. |
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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 29, 2019 17:48:11 GMT
Thanks Paul
Do you have PAYG or a monthly contract ?
Best I can find is PAYG but must be used in 30 days.
I will ask the posse what network is best around here
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Post by Slinger on Mar 29, 2019 18:02:12 GMT
Thanks Paul Do you have PAYG or a monthly contract ? Best I can find is PAYG but must be used in 30 days. I will ask the posse what network is best around here I'm on PAYG and my credit rolls over. I have to use the phone once every six months to keep my credit rolling over, that's the only "rule". The call/text/data costs are higher than a fixed-rate PAYG setup, but I might only use the phone once a month, so bugger paying a tenner a month, and up, for the privilege. It costs me 3p Minute / 2p Text / 1p MB Data (and I've got data turned off) www.three.co.uk/Store/SIM/Pay_As_You_Go |
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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 29, 2019 18:15:21 GMT
Thanks again Paul May be all I need. If not can always upgrade to the one speedysteve uses |
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