Phone suggestions - Android, $200 - $250, camera

[mundane]

Hi All,

My wife is in the market for a new phone, and her only requirement is 'better camera than current'. Current being Amazon Fire Phone. Now that you're done laughing, she pretty much browses the web and takes pictures of our son, so I understand where she's coming from.

I was hoping to pick up something new this holiday season in the posted price range ($200-$250 US). Her current network is Cricket MVNO, but we're not married to it if comparable price and coverage can be found.

I fully realize camera quality is subjective. We're not particularly looking for MP, but more responsiveness and indoor shot quality. We can't spend flagship $ (or rather, won't), so we are hoping to find something in this price range. My current naive guesses are Nexus 5x or Moto G Plus (4th Gen).

Thanks in advance.

 

[Crono]

I'd be leaning toward the Moto G4 Plus, but the Nexus 5X probably has the best overall camera performance (especially low light) in that price segment.

The Alcatel Idol 3 would be another phone to look at, as Cricket sells it directly and it has decent specs and performance for the price ($129.99). The Nexus 5X and G4 would probably be better supported down the road, though.

 

[cronos]

If you could add a little bit to your budget, HTC One A9 may be an option. It is $275 direct from HTC (unlocked, uh oh protection) for the next couple of days. This will work on Cricket straight up.

Based on my experience the camera is pretty good, you should be able to find reviews/comparison out there easily.

This phone gets security update every other month, and should get Nougat soon(ish?), although of course if you want Nexus-level update support the 5x as Crono mentioned above will obviously be better.

(btw, this is technically 'last year's phone' though, just like the 5x)

 

[Yuriman]

I don't own one but I've played with one, so take this with a grain of salt, putting in another vote for the 5X. I tend to like smaller phones but it's hard these days to find something under 5.0-5.2", and the 5X is arguably the best phone in a lot of metrics that you can find for ~$200. Plus, you can use it with Fi, which so far I find to be a fantastic service for the money. It's hard to beat $20 (15 for each additional line) for unlimited talk and text and $10 per GB, with a refund for data you don't use. I live near the Canadian border and my service is leagues better than it was with previous carriers.

 

[mundane]

Thank you all for the feedback. I'm personally using a 5x on Fi; it is my first 'decent' smartphone and I've been generally happy with the experience. I don't have many comparison points and many phone review camera references are reduced to a checkbox (or worse, they rate in terms of MP). Appreciate the suggestions.