Please recommend sub $300 android phone with great camera. Verizon

August 7, 2016 3:49 PM

Need new phone as mine is shot. Android is a must. Under $300 total preferably cheaper. Android CDMA network. But most importantly, it needs to have a great camera--not one that you have to manually configure to get good shots-- I just want a point and click. I'm too old and dumb to adjust this and that forever.

No bigger than a 5" screen, preferably smaller. I don't give a crap about memory and specs and speed. I just want good camera phone (or as good as you can expect at that price point). Doesn't need to be latest models--any year, any model that works on verizon.

Thanks

posted by luvmywife to Technology (11 answers total)

I just bought a Nexus 5 off of Amazon for about $275 and I've been very happy with it. It's unlocked, so it will work on Verizon. It's got I think a 5.2" screen, but that was the smallest I could find that was still a smart phone and had decent specs. The camera is simple and good.
posted by tryniti at 4:26 PM on August 7, 2016

I have a Nexus 5 and the camera isn't very good. There are used Verizon Galaxy S6 devices on eBay for well under $300. They have a 5.1" screen, so slightly larger than you wanted, but you're going to have a tough time finding anything with a good camera that's smaller than 5". One other option is the Sony Z3 Compact with a good camera at 4.7", but that's unlikely to ever get another Android update.

Edit: The Nexus 5X has a good camera, but that's a pretty big device.
posted by cnc at 4:37 PM on August 7, 2016

I have a Nexus 5, and I have never liked the camera at all. It takes a long time to focus and then loses it easily. There have been other problems with it as well, like not being able to block numbers (I found this out while I was regularly getting calls at 3 am from someone in Xinjiang who did not speak English), although they might have fixed that by now. I have been looking forward to replacing it, and would not recommend it at all.
posted by dilettante at 4:44 PM on August 7, 2016

I really loved the camera on my LG G4, but I have a hard time recommending that phone because it has a well-documented manufacturing defect that causes it to be unable to boot unexpectedly. Just one day you'll go to turn on or reboot your phone and it just won't. LG says they fixed it, but people are still reporting it even on devices manufactured after the cutoff date. Still, it's within your price range and the camera is great. The screen is bigger than you want at 5.5", though.
posted by kindall at 5:12 PM on August 7, 2016

I have an Honor 5x that usually goes for around $200 (I got mine for $100 on Prime Day). It has a pretty great camera for the price, and it's unlocked so it'll work with whatever service (it also has two sim slots, in case you need two services?). It's slightly bigger than you want at 5.5" though.
posted by lovecrafty at 6:27 PM on August 7, 2016

For what it is worth, both the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact and the Huawei Honor 5x mentioned above are not available in models that support CDMA. I am not aware of any Android phone currently sold in the U.S. that meets your requirements of having a list price≤$300, screen≤5", CDMA support, and a well-reviewed camera.
posted by RichardP at 6:48 PM on August 7, 2016 [2 favorites]

I have an LG Stylo 1. Good camera, lots of good use out of it. I have dropped it, got it wet in the ocean this summer, typing on it now. They have come out with a two.
posted by Oyéah at 7:36 PM on August 7, 2016

Motorola Moto G is excellent value for money. not sure if it has cdma though.
posted by Sebmojo at 7:45 PM on August 7, 2016

I'd look into HTC. I miss the camera on my old HTC One X. I currently have a Samsung Galaxy 5 and the camera is noticeably slower to focus/click than with my last phone.
posted by TwoStride at 9:53 PM on August 7, 2016

I believe Samsung and Sony are considered to have the best cameras in Androidland.
posted by rhizome at 11:21 PM on August 7, 2016

I just purchased a Nexus 5X for $239. They are being discounted almost once a week to that level with the anticipation of Marlin and Sailfish coming out in September. I think the camera is really good. Screen size may be too big for your specs.
posted by AugustWest at 11:39 PM on August 7, 2016