Upgrading from the Pixel 3a - recommendations needed

[cptwhite_uk]

Yeah I realise that. Got an option on a Pixel 5 in mint condition locally for £220, that might be what I end up with short term, although I've heard rumours of a smaller Pixel 6A which might be released later this year, which sounds very interesting.

I also like the natural materials / minimalist design of the Pixel 5, and the light weight, something which I think is overlooked. I remember my Nexus 5 was about 135g, feather light, most modern phones tip the scales at 190-200g as a baseline, due to the bigger overall design and glass back. I prefer something that is less lightly to crack, something that feels comfortable in the hand, and reduced weight, which seem low of reviewers' priority list these days.

From

According to the source, the Google Pixel 6a has a glass back and comes in at 152.2 x 71.8 x 8.7mm (or 10.4mm including the rear camera bump). That would make it slightly smaller than the Pixel 6, which makes sense as this phone also apparently has a smaller 6.2-inch OLED screen.

71.8mm, probably about as wide as I'm willing to go!

[Jonj1611]

Not sure if its within your range but one of the best phones I ever had was the Oneplus 8 Pro

[jimborae]

Having owned a Pixel 5 I can definitely confirm that it feels great in the hand & the textured back means it’s non slippy which is always a bonus. Battery life is awesome too considering the size of the battery.

[jimborae]

Not sure if its within your range but one of the best phones I ever had was the Oneplus 8 Pro

While it was a great phone (better than the Nine series), I would have thought it's too big.

[ik9000]

Any one got any opinions on the One Plus Nord CE/ Samsung A32 as alternatives to a pixel 4a/5a as those don't seem to be available in the UK at the moment?

[jimborae]

I have an A52s 5G and for the money it’s truly excellent. Cameras not as good as a Pixel but certainly not poor plus guaranteed long term software support. Now that it’s got OneUI 4 I don’t even feel the need to use a 3rd party launcher. I’d say this is a closer rival to the Nord than the A32.

[cptwhite_uk]

I remember when the Nord launched, what, 2/3 years ago? I looked on GSMArena and there's so many entries now I've no idea what the latest model is, as someone who follows tech, it was very confusing given it's a sub-brand of their lineup!

OnePlus Nord 2 5G
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G
OnePlus Nord CE 5G
OnePlus Nord N10 5G
OnePlus Nord
OnePlus Nord N200 5G
OnePlus Nord 2 CE
OnePlus Nord N100
OnePlus Nord N20 5G

...urgh!

[jimborae]

Nord 2 5G is the top Nord, but personally I think it’s a bit meh and Oxygen OS is not the same anymore & is being merged with colorOS plus I don’t think OS support will be as good as Pixel or Samsung. If it were a bit cheaper then it would be great buy.

[Jonj1611]

You may see some Samsungs drop in price in the next few days, the S22 is about to launch

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The issue with the One Plus phones is lack of longterm software support for anything but the latest ones,and the locked bootloader so you can't even install your own Android distro once support ends.The OnePlus Nord 12GB/256GB could be had for well under £300 brand new last year. Fantastic value for money!