5 ms·

I'm terrified: > One challenge for the future, and those seven years of updates, will be the 8GB of RAM. Google is already calling devices with 8GB of RAM "har

I'm terrified: > One challenge for the future, and those seven years of updates, will be the 8GB of RAM. Google is already calling devices with 8GB of RAM "hardware limited" when it comes to future AI features, so be prepared for that. It's a budget phone, though, so you have to make some trade-offs. 1) 8GB ram is hardware limited, 2) $499 is a budget phone??? I'm very happy with my recently acquired Moto G Stylus 5G 2023. It's $250 and has 256GB flash (vs 128GB for the 2x as expensive Pixel 8A), has an SD slot so I can put in another 1TB of flash (2TB soon), has a headphone jack (I still prefer wired headphones), actually has decent battery life, and the battery (per ifixit) is not all that hard to replace though I would still much prefer a swappable one. I don't think of $250 as a budget phone either. More like midrange. The budget version is the G Play 2024 which is $129 or $149 depending on Moto's whims.

rchaud 2y ago
$250 would have been a budget phone 5 years ago. If you're buying an unlocked phone from a brick and mortar store, $350-$500 is the minimum for a brand-name phone. If your are based in the US/EU, you may only have brand name phones available.
- throwaway81523 2y ago
  I thought Motorola and Samsung were both brand names here in the US. Here is Motorola's current budget line. All are below $300. Admittedly the best deals are the 2023 models but that is a regular thing with them. If I wanted a cheap phone today I'd probably get the 2023 G 5G at $149. https://www.motorola.com/us/smartphones-moto-g-family https://www.motorola.com/us/smartphones-moto-g-family You can get them brick and mortar at Best Buy at usually the same prices as on Motorola's site.
  - Grokker 2y ago
    I miss my Moto One Action... The gesture programming was great. If I needed a flashlight I would just shake it twice on, twice back off. So handy.
- yjftsjthsd-h 2y ago
  I don't know about brick and mortar stores, but I've purchased a brand new moto e for <$150 within the last 5 years, and I'd call Motorola "brand name".
Rinzler89 2y ago
Have you seen how much an iPhone Pro Max or Galaxy Ultra costs? Also factor in how many years of SW updates are you getting on those cheap Motorolas and also the quality of the software. Hardware bang for the buck ain't everything. If the software is full of ads on those cheap phones or is buggy(like it was on my OnePlus), then your $250 phone ain't worth shit in terms of frustration it's gonna cause you long term.
- pauby 2y ago
  My recent purchase of Samsung S23 Ultra at almost £800 is full of Samsung crud and spying that I can't remove. Cost is no guide on a crud-free experience.
  - tirant 2y ago
    Cost is no guide, but incentives are higher at the cheaper ranges.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - Rinzler89 2y ago
    Cute thinking Samsung's own apps are spyware crud. Is Apple's iCloud app also crud spyware? If you wanna see spyware crud Try buying Chinese phones with Candy Crush and third party Chines apps and games you can't uninstall and show you ads in the menus.
    - Gigachad 2y ago
      I don’t think it’s a controversial opinion to state that yes, Apple software is higher quality and more privacy respecting than Samsungs.
      - Rinzler89 2y ago
        Based on what impartial third party tests is this claim based?
bryanlarsen 2y ago
Most reviews are using the term "mid-range" rather than budget for this phone.
yjftsjthsd-h 2y ago
> 8GB ram is hardware limited The line is (emphasis mine) > Google is already calling devices with 8GB of RAM "hardware limited" when it comes to future AI features which... yeah, I think that's true? You can run smaller LLMs in 8GB, for example, but it's a tight fit and you're going to be limited to really really small models. Granted, I suspect this will result in the floor for "acceptable RAM" to go up considerably, which... we'll see if that's good or bad. > $499 is a budget phone??? Yeah no that's nonsense. You can get a moto g for $99 (!) on sale at https://www.motorola.com/us/specials https://www.motorola.com/us/specials right now and that's... I mean, that's an old model, but it's perfectly serviceable yet.
DreamFlasher 2y ago
500$/7y < 250$/2y So yeah, seen on the expected life time, it's a budget phone.

rchaud 2y ago

$250 would have been a budget phone 5 years ago. If you're buying an unlocked phone from a brick and mortar store, $350-$500 is the minimum for a brand-name phone. If your are based in the US/EU, you may only have brand name phones available.

throwaway81523 2y ago
I thought Motorola and Samsung were both brand names here in the US. Here is Motorola's current budget line. All are below $300. Admittedly the best deals are the 2023 models but that is a regular thing with them. If I wanted a cheap phone today I'd probably get the 2023 G 5G at $149. https://www.motorola.com/us/smartphones-moto-g-family https://www.motorola.com/us/smartphones-moto-g-family You can get them brick and mortar at Best Buy at usually the same prices as on Motorola's site.
- Grokker 2y ago
  I miss my Moto One Action... The gesture programming was great. If I needed a flashlight I would just shake it twice on, twice back off. So handy.
yjftsjthsd-h 2y ago
I don't know about brick and mortar stores, but I've purchased a brand new moto e for <$150 within the last 5 years, and I'd call Motorola "brand name".

Rinzler89 2y ago

Have you seen how much an iPhone Pro Max or Galaxy Ultra costs? Also factor in how many years of SW updates are you getting on those cheap Motorolas and also the quality of the software. Hardware bang for the buck ain't everything. If the software is full of ads on those cheap phones or is buggy(like it was on my OnePlus), then your $250 phone ain't worth shit in terms of frustration it's gonna cause you long term.

pauby 2y ago
My recent purchase of Samsung S23 Ultra at almost £800 is full of Samsung crud and spying that I can't remove. Cost is no guide on a crud-free experience.
- tirant 2y ago
  Cost is no guide, but incentives are higher at the cheaper ranges.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- Rinzler89 2y ago
  Cute thinking Samsung's own apps are spyware crud. Is Apple's iCloud app also crud spyware? If you wanna see spyware crud Try buying Chinese phones with Candy Crush and third party Chines apps and games you can't uninstall and show you ads in the menus.
  - Gigachad 2y ago
    I don’t think it’s a controversial opinion to state that yes, Apple software is higher quality and more privacy respecting than Samsungs.
    - Rinzler89 2y ago
      Based on what impartial third party tests is this claim based?

bryanlarsen 2y ago

Most reviews are using the term "mid-range" rather than budget for this phone.

yjftsjthsd-h 2y ago

> 8GB ram is hardware limited The line is (emphasis mine) > Google is already calling devices with 8GB of RAM "hardware limited" when it comes to future AI features which... yeah, I think that's true? You can run smaller LLMs in 8GB, for example, but it's a tight fit and you're going to be limited to really really small models. Granted, I suspect this will result in the floor for "acceptable RAM" to go up considerably, which... we'll see if that's good or bad. > $499 is a budget phone??? Yeah no that's nonsense. You can get a moto g for $99 (!) on sale at https://www.motorola.com/us/specials https://www.motorola.com/us/specials right now and that's... I mean, that's an old model, but it's perfectly serviceable yet.

DreamFlasher 2y ago

500$/7y < 250$/2y So yeah, seen on the expected life time, it's a budget phone.