Ian McGurren examines whether out of date means out of use
Mobile technology is moving at a frightening pace. What many currently perceive as 'the world of mobile technology' is the world that uses the announcement of Apple's first iPhone as year zero. There are many who argue with this, but there's a clear divide between what was being released before and what was released after the iPhone was first unveiled to the world. Now, that moment seems a distant starting grid in the marathon that the industry is still running, but in reality, it was only just over eight years ago. That same year, The Simpsons Movie was released. The Big Bang Theory started, David Tennant was a hyperactive Doctor, and Leon Jackson won X Factor - and what a career he went on to have... In the intervening time, we have gone from the iPhone to the creation of the App Store, full-touch screen phones, mobile data, HD video recording and playback, tablets. Android and the explosion of apps that have changed our social landscape. Even if you don't buy into mobile technology, it's not an exaggeration to view it as one of the most fundamental changes to how we live that we will see in our lifetimes.
Such is the pace, however, that in the name of progress, profit and a little one-upmanship, there is year-on-year growth in specifications. Naturally the manufacturers will have you believe that the instant their new generation model is released, your current generation model is hopelessly outdated. The most touted spec at present is '2K screen', meaning the device has a 1440 x 2560 pixel display, higher than any non-4K television, and all other displays pale in comparison.
But is your device unusable with a mere 1080p or even 720p screen? Can it still work with only four or even two cores in its processor? Yes, of course it does. In fact, most devices released in the last two or so years should still be able to perform perfectly well the tasks most of us need them for.
The spec race has one useful side effect, however, and that's on the prices of second-hand devices. Other than Apple, most mobile technology plummets in price as soon as it is superseded. Bad news if you shelled out for it when it was new, but a goldmine of technology bargains for those of us who don't mind not having the latest and greatest.
Let's put it to the test. We've set an arbitrary limit of around £60 each for a phone and a tablet to see how well they perform. This includes the everyday functions expected of one of these devices, how the hardware itself holds up physically, if it’s able to still run modern operating systems and applications, whether it still represents value for money, and its comparable experience with a current-generation device.
What To Look For In A Phone
There are many cheap second-hand phones these days, but how do you decipher which of them are worth your time and money? Firstly, pay attention to the condition; it'll give an indication if the phone has been cared for. Then check if it's on your network or is unlocked (if not see below). Next, any phone needs to be able to keep up with the modern devices, which mostly means can it run a modern OS. This should be at least Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, iOS 7 or Windows Phone 8.1 - a quick Wikipedia search should tell you what it can do, even including unofficial updates. For Android, at least 1GB of system RAM is needed, and any device needs storage of 8GB or more. Finally, where possible buy from a shop or online store that offers a warranty, in case of problems. If buying from an individual, you should also check the phone's IMEI number on swappa.com for blacklisting (i.e. reported lost/stolen).
Mobile Phone
Device details and cost: LG Nexus 4 16GB, from eBay for £50 (additional £10 on a replacement rear).
The Hardware: The LG Nexus 4 was Google's flagship Nexus handset in 2012 and has a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU, 2GB RAM and came with Android Jelly Bean 4.2. The original Nexus 4 had a Quadrant benchmark score of around 5,000, highly competitive at the time, though unremarkable now. The Nexus 4’s camera was / is reasonable, and the device is not expandable. Like all Nexus phones, ours was unlocked to all carriers.
Changes Made: The Nexus 4 has a price range from around £90 for a grade-A unit to around £60 for a working but lower-grade unit. Our device was in good condition other than a shattered rear glass panel. The process for replacing the rear on a Nexus 4 is straightforward, and a replacement rear was very cheap, meaning this was a good way to get a decent device cheaply. Devices with minor damage can be worth taking a chance on, but if it's a broken screen or worse, it could become too much time and effort.
In addition, we took the opportunity to update the OS before we began to use the device. In the case of the Nexus 4, it's a Google device, so it gets the latest version of Android, though at this point it wasn't available over-the-air. This meant flashing the image from Google's site to the phone - a fairly straightforward operation but not as easy.
Performing General Functions: In use, our bargain was perfectly adept at being a phone, calls were handled without any problems, and it held a good signal. Messaging was also fine, whether via SMS, email or even apps like WhatsApp. Using Chrome browser, pages loaded quickly and looked exactly as they should. Scrolling was fluid, and zooming did not cause the Nexus 4 to stutter.
On the social front, Twitter and Instagram had no trouble either, both running perfectly fine and without any crashes. 2D games had no problem running, and even older and well optimised 3D games, such as Dead Trigger 2, performed admirably and without problems, albeit with the quality knocked down a little.
Running A Current OS: Running a current operating system on a device from a few generations ago can always be hit and miss. With the recent iOS 8 update, for example, many users reported their older iPhones had become substantially less responsive. In many cases, there are no 'official' updates to many older devices, but if the user learns how to flash a new image to a phone or tablet, they have a way of extending the life of the device beyond that of manufacturer support.
In the case of the Nexus 4, running a fresh flash of Android 5.0 Lollipop transformed the phone from a competent device to the equal of many mid-range devices of the current-generation. Every facet of the new OS worked superbly and without stuttering or freezing, and it looked fantastic. Battery life, the Nexus 4's previous Achilles heel, was now lasting into a second day instead of barely finishing the first. There appeared to be no bugs either, in itself unusual when updating.
Running Current Applications: The Nexus 4 was able to run all the applications we threw at it almost flawlessly. Those that did perform slowly or unusually tended to have more of a problem with Lollipop's new ART runtime than they did the Nexus 4's hardware.
Not much phased our Nexus 4, but some heavier social media applications, such as Facebook did have some problems. While they worked as well on our handset as on any current generation device, there was some overall system slowdown, though this is more likely down to how unwieldy the application has become in general. Bigger games were noticeably slower, however, partly because of their reliance for more modern GPUs and partly due to the restricted storage on the device itself.
Compared: For around £60, the best new phone would probably be a Lumia 520 or a Motorola Moto E. The Nexus 4 runs rings around both of these devices in terms of power, speed and design. The devices it would be better compared to, such as the Moto G or Sony Xperia M4, cost at least £99 and don't have the premium design or larger RAM of the Nexus 4.
Value: For around £60-80, the Nexus 4 is staggering value for money. Were it released today for that price, even for £99, it would win plaudits the world over.
Verdict: As you can see, you can spend around £60 on a secondhand phone and come up trumps. The Nexus 4 acquitted itself superbly and would represent an excellent buy for a frugal smartphone user. There are other bargains to be had around that price too. The aforementioned Moto G comes up around £65 second-hand and is nearly as good, just not as refined.
At the same time, however, there are some to avoid, such as the ubiquitous Samsung Galaxy Ace. It's a serviceable phone but was behind the curve when released.
What To Look For In A Tablet
Much like phones, there are a plethora of cheap tablets littering pawn shops and the like up and down the country. In reality, however, many of them are not longer worth the PCBs they're printed on. But how do you know what to go for? Tablets, more than phones, live or die on their screens, with the cheaper models frequently having a low resolution and narrow viewing angle. Look for a nice IPS screen with a resolution of at least 1280 x 800 (preferably Retina models for iPad). For OS and storage, the same rules apply as for phones. So while that iPad 1 may be tempting, its old OS, limited storage and low-resolution screen mean it runs barely any apps these days, and those it does are slow or look suboptimal.
The £60 Tablet
Device details and cost: Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 Wi-Fi, from eBay for £62.50
The Hardware: The Galaxy Tab 7.7 was the device right in the middle of the Apple versus Samsung court case in 2012, and it was even banned from sale in some countries. This accounts for its relative rarity - something that plays into the sawy eBayer's hands. Hardware-wise, the Tab 7.7 is a beefed-up Galaxy S2, with a dual-core Exynos 4210 CPU and a then-healthy 1GB RAM. But the headline here isn't the insides, it's the screen, a 7.7" 1280 x 800 Super AMOLED Plus panel (that's right, no Pentile layout) that looked amazing then and still looks rich and vibrant today.
Any Changes Made: In terms of hardware, the device was in a decent condition, mostly due to Samsung using a full metal chassis. The operating system, however, was a different story. Originally the Tab 7.7 was loaded with Android 3.2 Honeycomb, an OS that's really not suitable for current-day use. Official OS updates took it to 4.1 Jelly Bean but, this time it's unofficial firmware to the rescue, in the shape of Cyanogenmod 12, based on Android 5.0 Lollipop.
Performing General Functions: Can the Galaxy Tab 7.7 do the basics? Yes it can, but the experience isn't as smooth as on the Nexus 4, for example. Using the built-in browser instead of notorious memory hog Chrome, the experience was fine, albeit not quite fluid or instantaneous. Heavier pages also took their toll on the Tab 7.7, with sites like the Daily Mail's front page really dragging it down (though some argue that may not be a loss). The Gmail app worked well, though, Twitter ran without problem and at a reasonable pace. We opted for Facebook via the web to preserve background processes, as the current app had problems. YouTube also faired better via the web.
Running A Current OS: As you can see, the Tab 7.7 does indeed run Lollipop, though we had to tailor it for the best experience. The version flashed had the bare minimum Google apps framework, enough to allow the Google Home app and applications such as the Play Store and Gmail to run, but without having the ton of other apps that will barely see any use taking up resources. We also made a few tweaks to speed up the Tab 7.7, such as removing all the transition animations, regularly clearing memory caches and keeping an eye on apps that wanted to auto start and drain resources.
Running Current Applications: A gorgeous screen can only get you so far, and running apps beyond the basics tested the Tab 7.7. Simple apps, such as Wunderlist, were fine, as they barely consumed resources. Games were less successful, with 3D gaming with modern titles out of the question, if only to conserve battery. The Tab 7.7 runs many apps to a usable standard, but it's likely this performance will slow as app updates and newer apps demand more of the already struggling CPU.
Compared: For around £60, there's an awful lot of no-name rubbish, most of which will perform worse than the Tab 7.7. There are some exceptions, such as a refurbished Tesco Hudl, Google Nexus 7 2012, even some Windows 8.1 Tablets. But there are none that have that Super AMOLED Plus screen.
Value: For £60 you get a mostly serviceable tablet with a very good screen but limited future use. If you're not bothered about that screen, however, or if you're not confident in flashing it past Android Honeycomb, it's fair to say that it's probably worth saving up a bit more for a newer, more powerful device.
Verdict: While it's not quite the home run that the Nexus 4 was, the Tab 7.7 has a lot to offer, including the best screen you'll see on a cheap device for some time yet. But if you're not aware of its shortcomings, then you'll likely find it a bit of a bind to use, especially if you're used to something more responsive. Proof of the pudding came in us often choosing another tablet over the Tab 7.7 to check something if there was one available. This isn't to say that £60 second-hand tablets are useless, though - far from it. But useful ones are only just starting to appear, and the Tab 7.7 is actually one of the better ones. The market is changing, though, and in the next year or so we’ll begin to see far more powerful devices, like the Nexus 7 2013, begin to fall to this kind of price. For now, though, the Tab 7.7 is a gorgeous but underpowered device, and it's not one for the future.
The £60 Tech Challenge - The Verdict
How does older tech stack up, then, and can you really spend what many people pay for a tank of petrol and get something good in return? Yes, most definitely, there are bargains and savings to be had. The oldest a device should be is around two to two-and-a-half years old, because beyond that, there have often been large enough changes in the mobile world to give older hardware a tough time. Around 18 months is the sweet spot for value and power, with cracking devices like the Nokia Lumia 1020 starting to head towards £125, and even the still-capable iPad 4 also springing up well under £200.
As for £60, it's still hit and miss - for every Nexus 4 or HTC One X, there will be ten underpowered wastes of time. Surprisingly, the Microsoft factor is starting to weigh in here, though, with very capable tablets and phones launching for under £100, meaning they'll be in the £60 bracket after less than a year, and with that they may bring down other prices.
There's a lot of old technology about, and right now, an awful lot of it is useless and better off recycled. But we are just entering the age where more and more of the old technology is still very capable and is becoming very cheap. But in order to feast on this ever growing banquet of bargains, you still need to do some research and not just jump at the first shiny handset you see in Cash Converters. With time, though, you can get an awful lot of technology for barely any money - and who wouldn't like that?
New And Cheap
Previously, the old adage of ’pay cheap, pay twice' could be applied to bargain phones and tablets. Some are not worth their outlay, such as no-name 'bargains' from TV shopping and voucher sites -avoid these as a general rule. But there are genuine bargains to be had at the bottom end of the market. For phones, Motorola's Moto E and Microsoft's Lumia 530 are great value for around £60 or less. In terms of tablets, Tesco's first-generation HUDL can be found in-store for £69, and Windows 8.1 tablets, like the Linx 7 frequently dip down to around £50. Also worth keeping an eye on are the Argos and Currys refurbished stores on eBay, with bargains to be had and a warranty too.
Warranty And Repair
Most older devices will have outlived their initial warranty periods, usually one or occasionally two years. In addition, there are some manufacturers, such as LG, who only offer the warranty to the original purchaser, prohibiting warranty transfer. Apple, on the other hand, offer a warranty on the device itself, regardless of owner, including any extended Apple Care too. If you have the device's serial, you can check the state of this using their online warranty checker. If you’re buying from an individual, there's a good chance there's no warranty. Buy from a store, however, and you can get 30 days up to a year. This comes at a premium, with shops costing more than individuals, but sometimes that warranty is worth the extra. Of course, if you flash custom firmware on it and cannot reverse it, consider your warranty void too.
Fixer Upper
As we showed with the Nexus 4. there are bargains to be had if you're one to get your hands dirty. Grubby phones can sometimes easily have their shells replaced, some even have screens that aren't too tough to fix. You might also be a dab-hand with flashing, bringing something left behind by its manufacturer into the modern age. Don't overreach, though: check ifixit.com first and see what you might be letting yourself in for.
Unlocking
A common problem is that phones can often be locked to a network carrier. This is a double-edged sword, as locked phones are often cheaper than unlocked but may also be difficult to get unlocked. Thankfully, most phones can be unlocked by purchasing a code on eBay, often for only a few pounds - HTC, Samsung, LG are often like this. However some are not so straightforward, with iPhones only unlockable via the service provider, some of which will only unlock for the first owner. Others, such as Lumia phones, are just as expensive and can take over a week. The smart idea is to check eBay for prices before committing.
Quadrant
Benchmarking as a tool to measure the power of one device against another has been around now for ages, and Android has a fair few benchmarking apps to do just this. Top of the tree is Quadrant, an app that tests the usual features (2D draw, 3D draw, maths, 10 speed, etc.) to give an overall score at the end. In and of itself, it means little, but it's a good way of judging the power of a phone or tablet against others, such as older ones against newer ones. Even if you're unable to run it on the device itself, a quick Google for the Quadrant score will give a good indication of its power.