Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

Reliability Concerns for Cheaper Andriod Phones

Sep 16, 2016 6:09PM PDT

I prefer Andriod smart phones and have wanted for a while to explore some of the cheaper alternatives to Samsung Galaxy S Series, but what have always been worrying me is the reliability concerns of the phones made by Motorola, Lenovo, etc.
I have a job that does not require high end graphic, camera, or other softwares/processors/gadgets, but does require me to have a basic smart phone that is extremely reliable so I can do messaging, write emails, use Google Map, and receive alerts at all times. I cannot be unreachable and therefore I cannot afford to have a phone that may break down and stay broken down for an extended period of time. This was why I first went for Apple phones and why I ended up getting the Samsung despite knowing there are better, cheaper alternatives without all the bloatware. At least for Apple and Samsung, the product is decently reliable, and they have a large chain of customer support that will fix my phone very quickly if anything does go wrong. For a long time what appealed me most about Apple Iphones are actually the Apple Stores.
So, are my concerns valid? What are some of the most reliable cheaper alternatives to Samsung and do they have just as good a customer support service?

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Answer
So it can't be a cell phone?
Sep 16, 2016 6:18PM PDT

The claim you can't be with message and such should force your employer to get into a satellite phone. Those are the only ones I've see that don't drop off 30 miles east of my home.

That said I have a Bluboo Picasso at the office. Seems fine and was 89 dollars to my mailbox. If it dies, well, I paid a fraction of what I see others pay.

- Collapse -
Quick, maybe this is your phone.
Sep 16, 2016 8:28PM PDT