BYOD: What device would you recommend?

[PublicMolang]

Looking to upgrade to a nicer phone. What would you recommend?

Features I'm looking for:

- Good camera (dual lenses)

- Good battery life (none of that < 3000 mAh capcity)

- 64gb internal storage + SD card slot

- Dual SIM

- Wireless charging (not totally necessary, but nice to have)

Things I'd like to avoid:

- MIUI

- Questionable reliablilty and/or privacy issues 

Obviously, I'd like to spend as little as possible, but my max budget is about $500. 

[bbdata]

I think your requirements and budget are a little unrealistic.

There are many good budget phones within your range, but to have all those features will be hard to come by.

I recommend that you narrow your features down to two that you consider the most important.

[kav2001c]

@PublicMolang

Apple will blow your budget right out of the water

Android is the ONLY viable choice for a budget device

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@PublicMolang wrote:

Thanks @kav2001c  and @will13am for the suggestions.

I understand that "true" dual SIM is hard to come by, so I can live with that.

I forgot to mention my preferred form factor. I'm not a huge fan of anything with over 5.3" screen size. It does depend on the model though. For instance, Samsung phones are sleek to hold with one hand, even if the size is technically > 5.8".

Regarding privacy, let's just say that I'd rather send my info to Apple instead of a Chinese (no offense) company.

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[Effort]

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@PublicMolang wrote:

Yeah, I thought $500 was wishful thinking (unless we count second-hand devices).

Would $650 get me anywhere?

Are new Nokias any good?

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Yeah, the Nokia 7 Plus meets your requirements.

https://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_7_plus-9058.php

[PublicMolang]

Yeah, I thought $500 was wishful thinking (unless we count second-hand devices).

Would $650 get me anywhere?

Are new Nokias any good?

[will13am]

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@PublicMolang wrote:

Thanks @kav2001c  and @will13am for the suggestions.

I understand that "true" dual SIM is hard to come by, so I can live with that.

I forgot to mention my preferred form factor. I'm not a huge fan of anything with over 5.3" screen size. It does depend on the model though. For instance, Samsung phones are sleek to hold with one hand, even if the size is technically > 5.8".

Regarding privacy, let's just say that I'd rather send my info to Apple instead of a Chinese (no offense) company.

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Well then, the solution is simple, get yourself an iPhone.  The next generation will have dual SIM option.  Problem solved, almost.  You are gonna need to jack up your budget.  In fact, there are not too many non Chinese brands for $500 or less.  

[PublicMolang]

Thanks @kav2001c  and @will13am for the suggestions.

I understand that "true" dual SIM is hard to come by, so I can live with that.

I forgot to mention my preferred form factor. I'm not a huge fan of anything with over 5.3" screen size. It does depend on the model though. For instance, Samsung phones are sleek to hold with one hand, even if the size is technically > 5.8".

Regarding privacy, let's just say that I'd rather send my info to Apple instead of a Chinese (no offense) company.

[kav2001c]

@PublicMolang

I suppose it depends on your definition of a "good camera"

In general though I would argue $500 is insufficient for a modern flagship phone with a good camera (and this is further compounded by the dual SIM request which many phones do not have)

OnePlus is a well known brand that meets most of your requests (just over asking price though)

[will13am]

@PublicMolang, I was going to recommend Xiaomi redmi note 5 as long as you are confortable with unlocking the bootloader and installing lineage OS.  Dual SIM with SD slot is very hard to find these days.  Usually the second SIM slot can hold a micro SD card or be used for a second SIM.  Privacy issues are unavoidable no matter what brand is chosen, unless the phone stays off.