Originally Posted by ZZman
The Moto X 4 is on sale now for about $149.00. For a new phone is an an awesome deal. Check out the reviews online.
Don't get this one. It is VERY difficult to repair.
If your budget is around $200. I would recommend Pixel (We just got 2 pre-owned Pixel XL phones, great camera, one google and one Verizon, recommend Google phone). Google is still providing updates every month until (Oct' 19), no clutter whatsoever on the phone and if you are a little techie (like me) who can do the stuff and write a couple of commands by watching videos, you can root the phone and continue to use for another 3-4 years. You will get updates at XDA Developers.
I refuse to give more than $200 for any smartphone. The Chinese can make a good hardware phone for less than $100. I would pay $100 more for R & D of these companies but thats about it. Google provides software for free.
LG G5, great camera, removable battery but its dead. LG doesn't allow rooting, nor does it provide updates. I personally do not like using a phone that is not updated in a while (that is LG G5 and G6). The hackers are hacking stuff left and right and those of us who are not really geeks are vulnerable.
Galaxy S series, rather tricky to root and update, esp the US versions due to the locked bootloaders. Some have managed to root it but if you are not a geek, you don't want to go that way. Again, no updates as the providers control it, not Samsung.
My brother works for Apple but I will never go to iPhones. The planned obsolescence irritates the heck out me, esp after paying $600 upwards.
Moto phones, everything OK, it works but nothing stands out.
If you are like me, who keeps the phone till they die or too slow to use, I would consider Pixel series or One Plus 5 (or 5T). A lot of following for these phones so I am expecting these phones to get updated long after Google or One Plus stops providing updates.
Galaxy S4 is/was like that. It still works really well (running Android 8) but I just got tired of it after 4 years. I read a lot on the phone and the small screen with eyesight getting worse, I needed a larger screen. Pixel XL fits the bill perfectly. Very happy with the purchase.