Which Mobile?

[Shortfall]

Hi. I have been a loyal OnePlus customer for around 10 years but sadly they've decided to pull out of the European and American market. Their parent company OPPO will remain active here but I don't know much about their handsets. My current phone is the OnePlus 12 which does everything I need. Almost 2 day battery life (of my type of use) rapid wireless and wired charging (zero to full in under an hour) decent camera set up, simple and uncluttered user interface, good screen and great hardware etc etc. I might hang onto it for a while yet as we are promised a commitment to security updates and so on by OPPO but I might also flog it whilst it still.retains some value. So I'm looking for a potential replacement for similar money (sub £1000) The Realme GT8 Pro ticks a lot of boxes and I've also looked at the Nothing Phone 4a Pro which looks ok on paper and is cheap at just over £500. I've also consider a Galaxy s26 Ultra but I'm tight so £1250 seems a lot to spend on something as disposable and breakable as a phone. There are some available on Amazon for a smidge under £900 which I'm tempted by and they appear to be UK spec with no catches but I'm sceptical about why they're significantly less than the official UK price. Anyways, if anybody's got any useful advice In all ears.

Ta

 

[si_c]

Pixel 10 Pro is currently heavily discounted on the Google store - very good phone, I have the 8 Pro, Mrs C has the 9 Pro.

 

[Shortfall]

Pixel 10 Pro is currently heavily discounted on the Google store - very good phone, I have the 8 Pro, Mrs C has the 9 Pro.

Have considered them, battery life and charging don't seem particularly stellar compared to alternatives but otherwise they look a good shout. Thanks

 

[wafter]

HTH

 

[si_c]

Have considered them, battery life and charging don't seem particularly stellar compared to alternatives but otherwise they look a good shout. Thanks

Battery life is a little below Samsung, but not egregiously so - and it depends on whether you have the Qualcomm or Samsung CPU. Charging is generally slower than some of the major Chinese brands but still OK - 45W on the Pro XL, 30W otherwise - I'm happy with that as fast charging generally degrades the battery much quicker over time.

I usually get at least a full day of use out of my 8 Pro and then just slow charge overnight anyway.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

There are some available on Amazon for a smidge under £900 which I'm tempted by and they appear to be UK spec with no catches but I'm sceptical about why they're significantly less than the official UK price.

I've twice bought a new Samsung via Amazon at about 80% of the High Street price.

Each time the phone arrived in sealed, apparently original, packaging. It was only when contacting Samsung to add the first one to my Samsung account and register it that I learned it was 18 months old and had been previously registered. That went straight back for a refund.

I tried a different seller and received another phone with all the Samsung seals present. Without opening it, I called Samsung to register it via its IMEI number and found the warranty had already expired months before.
Another instant refund.

Lesson learned and I now only buy from official Samsung outlets.

 

[Shortfall]

I've twice bought a new Samsung via Amazon at about 80% of the High Street price.

Each time the phone arrived in sealed, apparently original, packaging. It was only when contacting Samsung to add the first one to my Samsung account and register it that I learned it was 18 months old and had been previously registered. That went straight back for a refund.

I tried a different seller and received another phone with all the Samsung seals present. Without opening it, I called Samsung to register it via its IMEI number and found the warranty had already expired months before.
Another instant refund.

Lesson learned and I now only buy from official Samsung outlets.

Thanks, sounds like you've saved me making an expensive mistake.

 

[Shortfall]

View attachment 816578

HTH

I literally have one in my drawer still from around 20 years ago. It's probably still got some charge left in the battery too I reckon😁

 

[wafter]

I literally have one in my drawer still from around 20 years ago. It's probably still got some charge left in the battery too I reckon😁

Yeah, that'll see you right - mine's served me well and on off since it was acquired in IIRC 2007

 

[vickster]

Argos, Tesco and Currys often have discounted mobiles on their eBay stores, will say whether new/used etc.
I always have iPhones which doesn't help you but the last few have been bought as unwanted unregistered discounted upgrades from very established members on AVForums classifieds. Worth a look

 

[presta]

I've twice bought a new Samsung via Amazon at about 80% of the High Street price.

Each time the phone arrived in sealed, apparently original, packaging. It was only when contacting Samsung to add the first one to my Samsung account and register it that I learned it was 18 months old and had been previously registered. That went straight back for a refund.

I tried a different seller and received another phone with all the Samsung seals present. Without opening it, I called Samsung to register it via its IMEI number and found the warranty had already expired months before.
Another instant refund.

Lesson learned and I now only buy from official Samsung outlets.

That sounds like the Chromebook I bought last year that arrived with the seals on the box broken, and when I checked, the sellers reviews were full of people complaining that they'd be given used products. When I checked the companies register, the sole director was a guy in his twenties with a history of serially registering and dissolving one company after another. The return address was just a semi-detached house in a residential area of Glasgow.

 

[fossyant]

Music Magpie or CEX are often a good option for almost new phones with 2 year guarantees.

 

[vickster]

Music Magpie or CEX are often a good option for almost new phones with 2 year guarantees.

I've had to return to both due to poor battery health