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is an old-type phone more durable than a low price smartphone?

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bj097

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 27, 2013
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What is the best old-type non-smart mobile phone you'll recommend?
Is it more durable than a low price smartphone?
I found that a cheap smartphone could be about $50 only
but I'd like something DURABLE because it's a backup phone, for the simplest calling and receiving SMS only, NOT for getting online. Which brand makes the most durable non-smart phone?
 
The biggest structural fault of smartphones is that big ol chunk of glass / plastic covering 1/2 of the devices. You will not be able to avoid dealing with that design compromise.

I'd guess you'd be better off with an old style "Dumb" Phone providing you stay away of the flip-phone revival.

I remember my parents getting issued [https://www.nokia.com/phones/en_int/nokia-800-tough] as pagers from the hospital. Those things were tanks, even when we tested to knowingly break them (those things saw their faire share of three storey drops altough the concrete did end up winning in the end)
 
bj097 said:
What is the best old-type non-smart mobile phone you'll recommend?
Is it more durable than a low price smartphone?
I found that a cheap smartphone could be about $50 only
but I'd like something DURABLE because it's a backup phone, for the simplest calling and receiving SMS only, NOT for getting online. Which brand makes the most durable non-smart phone?
Click to expand...
www.amazon.co.uk

Nokia 3310 3G SIM-Free Feature Phone - Warm Red

Nokia 3310 3G SIM-Free Feature Phone - Warm Red
www.amazon.co.uk

I have one of these - great battery life; pretty much as indestructible as the original from back in the day... And the new Snake game is pretty addictive!
 
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MarkX said:
I'm not sure what you did with your Nokia's but the 3310 was a durability beast, I can only assume you are hard on your phones!
Click to expand...
Broke one of those as well.

Yeah I'm hard on phones. Ironically, iPhones have had the best durability for me. My iPhone 7 lasted like... 4 years, no case many drops.
 
stinkhorn9 said:
www.amazon.co.uk

Nokia 3310 3G SIM-Free Feature Phone - Warm Red

Nokia 3310 3G SIM-Free Feature Phone - Warm Red
www.amazon.co.uk

I have one of these - great battery life; pretty much as indestructible as the original from back in the day... And the new Snake game is pretty addictive!
Click to expand...
Looks great but now £79.00????
I certainly won't pay this money...probably because it's retired?
Any similar phone today at lower price??
 
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bj097 said:
Looks great but now £79.00????
I certainly won't pay this money...probably because it's retired?
Any similar phone today at lower price??
Click to expand...
Admittedly, I got it when it ‘first’ came out a few years ago and it was something like £40. Absolutely no idea why the price would have gone ~up~??
 
You might be able to find a used Kyocera DuraXV for pretty cheap. Make sure it is the LTE variant. Given the phone providers are all moving to require LTE capable phones. I also don't know if this phone is carrier unlocked or requires a specific carrier.

The Alcatel SMARTFLIP 4052R or Go Flip V look sturdy enough. Nothing like that Kyocera. But I see a number of those unlocked on eBay for around $50 too.

Kyocera makes a number of Dura(xx) variants. Just make sure whichever you get is LTE capable and unlocked or for your network.

Also when looking on ebay at unlocked phones. Look up whatever the exact variant is in detail. As you might be getting an international or regional model variant. You want to make sure it supports the radio bands of your carrier.
 
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Hi. Is any model of Nokia the most durable non-smart phone in general?? I am looking for a cheap and durable backup phone!
 
velocityg4 said:
You might be able to find a used Kyocera DuraXV for pretty cheap. Make sure it is the LTE variant. Given the phone providers are all moving to require LTE capable phones. I also don't know if this phone is carrier unlocked or requires a specific carrier.

The Alcatel SMARTFLIP 4052R or Go Flip V look sturdy enough. Nothing like that Kyocera. But I see a number of those unlocked on eBay for around $50 too.

Kyocera makes a number of Dura(xx) variants. Just make sure whichever you get is LTE capable and unlocked or for your network.

Also when looking on ebay at unlocked phones. Look up whatever the exact variant is in detail. As you might be getting an international or regional model variant. You want to make sure it supports the radio bands of your carrier.
Click to expand...

Hi. Where did you buy them? Amazon?
 
While it's a smartphone, I tend to buy old Samsungs from Amazon. I got a dazzling old Note II that works perfectly with my Straight Talk account for $30 on Amazon.

IMG_0157.jpeg

This was made during their plastic phase, when they'd survive drops. Yeah, the battery cover and battery pop out but the phone survives. It also does SMS and calls just fine. You have to cheat activation since it's not 'officially supported' (which means, buy a SIM Kit, activate it with a 'compatible' phone, then swap the SIM) but everything that matters works. SMS, phone, notes, music playback, camera...You can make Play Store work if that's your thing.

Also has the benefit of headphone jack, removable battery and expandable storage.

Also got a stack of more oldies, including a very indestructable HTC Thunderbolt, and a couple of Samsung Galaxy SIIs, one S5, and an S4 that was NOS sealed in box.
 
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nickdalzell1 said:
While it's a smartphone, I tend to buy old Samsungs from Amazon. I got a dazzling old Note II that works perfectly with my Straight Talk account for $30 on Amazon.

View attachment 1926843

This was made during their plastic phase, when they'd survive drops. Yeah, the battery cover and battery pop out but the phone survives. It also does SMS and calls just fine. You have to cheat activation since it's not 'officially supported' (which means, buy a SIM Kit, activate it with a 'compatible' phone, then swap the SIM) but everything that matters works. SMS, phone, notes, music playback, camera...You can make Play Store work if that's your thing.

Also has the benefit of headphone jack, removable battery and expandable storage.

Also got a stack of more oldies, including a very indestructable HTC Thunderbolt, and a couple of Samsung Galaxy SIIs, one S5, and an S4 that was NOS sealed in box.
Click to expand...
I actually really liked TouchWiz back in the day. I had a S1-4 before going all iPhone until the S10. I loved the capacitive buttons on the bottom.

The Nokia 830 was pretty tough and can do SMS and calls and had fantastic camera for the day. WP 8.1 will always hold a place in my heart.
 
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nickdalzell1 said:
While it's a smartphone, I tend to buy old Samsungs from Amazon. I got a dazzling old Note II that works perfectly with my Straight Talk account for $30 on Amazon.

View attachment 1926843

This was made during their plastic phase, when they'd survive drops. Yeah, the battery cover and battery pop out but the phone survives. It also does SMS and calls just fine. You have to cheat activation since it's not 'officially supported' (which means, buy a SIM Kit, activate it with a 'compatible' phone, then swap the SIM) but everything that matters works. SMS, phone, notes, music playback, camera...You can make Play Store work if that's your thing.

Also has the benefit of headphone jack, removable battery and expandable storage.

Also got a stack of more oldies, including a very indestructable HTC Thunderbolt, and a couple of Samsung Galaxy SIIs, one S5, and an S4 that was NOS sealed in box.
Click to expand...
Doesn't sound to be a good option. That battery pops out is dangerous, and cheating activation is also not easy for non expert user
 
I meant pops out as it comes out of the phone, not exploding! It's far better to put battery back in than to have an instantly shattered phone.

If your SIM is already active, though, you don't have to 'cheat' activation. I had to as I was setting up a new account. Just find a compatible or unlocked variant and pop your SIM card in, and you're set.

Jack Neill said:
actually really liked TouchWiz back in the day. I had a S1-4 before going all iPhone until the S10. I loved the capacitive buttons on the bottom.
Click to expand...
I thought I was the only person on the planet who loved TouchWiz Nature UX! Glad to see I'm not alone. When iOS 7 released and ruined the look of iOS, Samsung (a Galaxy SIII) was where I headed as they were the only ones with skeuomorphic UI remaining (HTC had already given up on it and Stock Android had their own iOS 7 with Android 5.0 "Lollipop")

TouchWiz appeals to me since I love nature, and do a lot of outdoor hiking during Spring and Summer. I'm also one of the last guys on the planet who has 1,000 songs in his pocket since all my music is stored locally (where I live, 90% of areas I walk or hike have no service so it's nice to know my music can still play, and I don't deal with the unexpected EOL of 'cloud' services or music that vanishes once the license deal with [streaming service here] runs out.) I buy music still.
 
nickdalzell1 said:
While it's a smartphone, I tend to buy old Samsungs from Amazon. I got a dazzling old Note II that works perfectly with my Straight Talk account for $30 on Amazon.

View attachment 1926843

This was made during their plastic phase, when they'd survive drops. Yeah, the battery cover and battery pop out but the phone survives. It also does SMS and calls just fine. You have to cheat activation since it's not 'officially supported' (which means, buy a SIM Kit, activate it with a 'compatible' phone, then swap the SIM) but everything that matters works. SMS, phone, notes, music playback, camera...You can make Play Store work if that's your thing.

Also has the benefit of headphone jack, removable battery and expandable storage.

Also got a stack of more oldies, including a very indestructable HTC Thunderbolt, and a couple of Samsung Galaxy SIIs, one S5, and an S4 that was NOS sealed in box.
Click to expand...


I still have that phone AT&T branded. The display is so outdated, I would cringe even using as a backup phone.

Also have the Galaxy S3 and Note 4. The Note 4 is the oldest Samsung smartphone I have, that I can still deal with the display.
 
Actually, and this is just my personal view, the display (Super Amoled Plus) on the Note II (And Galaxy SII, sadly the only two variants Samsung made with it) had the best, most realistic colour reproduction. Their other AMOLEDs were always oversaturated and had an entirely different matrix (Pentile, vs. Diamond) that tended to oversaturate the green, and reds. Blue was the weakest colour which was why they stuck with Gingerbread (Android 2.3) UX for so long, focusing a lot on greens and yellows in the UI. The Note II and Galaxy SII phones were unique in that they didn't do that type of oversaturation and were a little easier to look at. Now, if you want a bad AMOLED try the PS Vita. The PWM on that thing was so atrocious that you get a migraine if you look at it (say, when watching video, or myself playing a tad too much Pinball Arcade) for over an hour.
 
stinkhorn9 said:
Admittedly, I got it when it ‘first’ came out a few years ago and it was something like £40. Absolutely no idea why the price would have gone ~up~??
Click to expand...
I can't say for certain why the price has gone up, but I think the old schools flip phones are seeing a revival again due to privacy concerns from apps being able to track your location, etc, and a return to doing things more simply again. I bought a used Nokia V-Flip phone last year for exactly that reason.
 
Sonim brand dumb phones are incredibly durable.
I got an xp5700 on eBay for $20. It is heavy and clunky and built like a tank but has great reception and battery life.
My wife has the Sonim flip phone xp3 and it too is very solidly built.
 
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Currently on a ZTE Cymbal LTE (2017) since they killed my classic phones with the 3G shutdown. They wanted to force me to upgrade, I fought back by further downgrading! The UI is very Android 4.x (it runs a basic, bare bones AOSP build minus any Google crap) so it fits me perfectly well.

I've tried so many 'modern' smartphones only to be frustrated and unsatisfied that they prefer to target those with basketball player sized hands or sasquatch sized hands. Me have tiny little hands with horrible dexterity since I had early onset Arthritis in my 20s that's only getting worse.

You'd expect they'd want to make things more accessible vs. less?
 
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