Question about Android

[rado84]

Some of you probably know that I have a Windows phone. Lately the app developers seem to be doing everything in their power to make all Windows phone users to switch to Android (not working and/or crashing apps) and I'm going in the general direction as well. However, before I got the Windows phone I had an Android phone (v2.3.7) and that version loved to consume every bit of free RAM which rendered the phone useless.
So, my question is: Did they fix that behavior in the newer versions of Android and if "yes", which version would you recommend me to look for? Also, I need a phone in the price range of $150 tops. Initially I chose a Huawei P5II but people keep telling me it's a crap.

[Cyberman]

All I can say is don't get a Samsung Galaxy S7, Edge or otherwise. The case, like the screen, is made from glass so fragile, a fart can smash it. Plus the screen on the Edge is so curved, there's no way of holding the phone without interacting with the screen in some way. The battery is inaccessible; and the charge port so connected to the screen that any damage to the latter can make the former unable to recognise a cable.

In short, unless you collect expensive paperweights, don't bother. The cons far outweigh the pros, good as they otherwise are.

[Aoi Magi]

just get a pixel

[Jackalope]

The only smartphones in the ~150 range I've used that were even remotely close to good were all from LG.

All of the less expensive phones suffer from too little RAM, too slow CPUs, etc. There's a reason they're cheap.

I bought a new unlocked old stock Nexus 5x for under $280 and I am pretty happy with it.

[rado84]

All I can say is don't get a Samsung Galaxy S7, Edge or otherwise. The case, like the screen, is made from glass so fragile, a fart can smash it. Plus the screen on the Edge is so curved, there's no way of holding the phone without interacting with the screen in some way. The battery is inaccessible; and the charge port so connected to the screen that any damage to the latter can make the former unable to recognise a cable.

In short, unless you collect expensive paperweights, don't bother. The cons far outweigh the pros, good as they otherwise are.

I know about Samsung, I've seen it personally what happens to the screen when you drop a chain of keys on a Samsung screen from half a meter height. And I don't like curved screens, so I won't buy a Samsung even if they pay me to do so.

Ctulhu, not all the smartphones suffer from that. My phone costed $40 when I bought it. Apart from the incompetent app developers (not Microsoft, I'm talking about the morons who upload apps on Windows market) the OS itself and the hardware are perfect.

[emjay]

Where Android RAM is concerned, I think it's just wise to reboot the phone frequently... that solves most RAM problems for me; ie I tend leave my phone on and charging for weeks at a times, and it degrades performance, but when I reboot I get that performance back. And I think that's because the nature of Android apps in the sense that once they have been opened, they don't really close, they just going into the background... but still occupying RAM. I used to think that they were eventually closed in that situation... after laying dormant for a certain time... but I'm starting to doubt that now... so I think rebooting is perhaps the only way to truly remove them from memory. But that's just my opinion, and it could be wrong.

[Cyberman]

Well, I'm back to using my S5 while my S7's in hospital. It's over two years old and practically in mint condition. It's only ever had to have the screen replaced once, after I got drunk and emotional and bounced it off the wall.

[rado84]

Where Android RAM is concerned, I think it's just wise to reboot the phone frequently... that solves most RAM problems for me; ie I tend leave my phone on and charging for weeks at a times, and it degrades performance, but when I reboot I get that performance back. And I think that's because the nature of Android apps in the sense that once they have been opened, they don't really close, they just going into the background... but still occupying RAM. I used to think that they were eventually closed in that situation... after laying dormant for a certain time... but I'm starting to doubt that now... so I think rebooting is perhaps the only way to truly remove them from memory. But that's just my opinion, and it could be wrong.

Android apps are closed when you drag their title bar down to the bottom of the screen. If you just tap the X button, they go into background.
That's how it works on my best friend's phone.

[emjay]

Where Android RAM is concerned, I think it's just wise to reboot the phone frequently... that solves most RAM problems for me; ie I tend leave my phone on and charging for weeks at a times, and it degrades performance, but when I reboot I get that performance back. And I think that's because the nature of Android apps in the sense that once they have been opened, they don't really close, they just going into the background... but still occupying RAM. I used to think that they were eventually closed in that situation... after laying dormant for a certain time... but I'm starting to doubt that now... so I think rebooting is perhaps the only way to truly remove them from memory. But that's just my opinion, and it could be wrong.

Android apps are closed when you drag their title bar down to the bottom of the screen. If you just tap the X button, they go into background.
That's how it works on my best friend's phone.

What I mean is, even when it's closed, as opposed to 'minimised' as it were, I still think it stays in memory... ie that Android phones aren't that good at 'Garbage Collection' in programming terms (or that some apps themselves don't cleanly shut down (ie have memory leaks) in that regard); ie releasing stuff from memory once there are no more references to it. That's just my theory though to explain why my general experience of Android is that regardless of how long I leave my phone on for, performance seems directly related to the number of apps I've opened since the boot of the phone, regardless of whether they have been properly closed (as opposed to minimised... put into the background) or not.

[SteelCurtain]

My recommendation would be something from Xiaomi Redmi line. They are in that $150 price range, and are well made for the price point. They have lots of RAM, a big battery, cool modern features like a fingerprint scanner, and up to date soft/firmware.

https://www.gearbest.com/xiaomi-_gear/

https://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp_...html?wid=4

Any Android smartphone will come with a recent version of Android (we're up to 7.x.x). Xiaomi has their own Android port called MIUI that is stable and works. I think you could install stock Android on the phone if you wanted. But if you were using a Windows phone and actually liked the OS, MIUI should be like heaven to you, I'd imagine.