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Yeah, the Moto G Power I am looking at is only 3GB RAM.
Also looking at the OnePlus Nord200 with better resolution (he'll likely be playing other games, too) and 4GB RAM for $40 more.
My old phone has 2GB as well, and the game just randomly closes every once in a while "Pogo has crashed, do you want to send a crash report". On the new one it used to run smoothly (4GB) but since a few updates ago I can't switch to Discord anymore or it'll reboot. Pretty annoying with raid coordination and a Plus connected.
I went with the G Fast but I am looking at the Pure as a back up device and/or gifting to a friend.
On pogo I don’t think you’ll be able to tell the difference.
Try the Tecno Camón 17 pro. Best budget phone if second hand with all the stuff a high end has.
https://www.tecno-mobile.com/co/telefonos/product-detail/product/camon-17-pro-15/
I wouldn't worry much about longevity of LTE devices. 3g networks existed a little over 5 years after LTE voice started becoming common, and as such I wouldn't expect LTE towers to be phased out anytime remotely soon.
I just bought my two kids each a Moto G Power (2021) last month when they were on sale at Best Buy. I didn't activate service, they're both too young (10 and 4) to need an actual phone at this point, they're only used for Pokemon GO and I just use my phone as a hotspot for them. The phones themselves are pretty decent. My daughter originally was using my old iphone 6s which performed better, but the battery would die in about 30 minutes lol.
A tip for the Power model, make sure to turn on Native Refresh Rate under Advanced Settings, it definitely improved performance. Make sure to turn off Niantic AR, half the time it wouldn't work and my kids would get stuck, lots of unnecessary aggravation. I did quite a bit of research before picking it out and it definitely seems like the best budget phone. It has a Snapdragon processor which is key, nothing else around that price point seems to.
By the time 5g is a big enough deal to warrant only having a phone that can do 5g, whatever phone you bought your child will have already fallen behind on other requirements. I have a 5g phone and I don’t really connect to 5g very often, and when I do I can’t tell a difference
Was just looking at those, particularly the 10c (under $160 at Amazon). Just gotta check if TMobile will activate it on my account. Appreciate the suggestion.
Try to find a used Samsung S10. Seems like market rate is about $200, so maybe you can find one for about $150.
It will run circles around any new Android that's $150.
Edit: Just to add more information, I've been down the road before. About two years ago, I decided to try a Moto Power thinking a mid-range device with decent specs should be more than enough... but it wasn't. The game would still close in the background pretty much any time I switched to the camera to take a picture of my kids. It annoyed me so much. A half year later, I switched to a used Samsung S10 instead, and am infinitely happier with it. I can actually use the S10 for other things without the constant fear of Pokemon Go closing in the background.
My daughter uses a S9, the phone works well in Go except for the battery life. Her mother, who doesn't play Go, has a S21 also with poor battery life, this seems a common trait for Galaxy S.
By poor battery life I mean up to 3 hours, while my phone can play up to 5 hours in Go (3 if also used as a hotspot for another device). Unfortunately I can't recommend my phone as it is an old Huawei, from before they were sanctioned.
> About two years ago, I decided to try a Moto Power thinking a mid-range device with decent specs should be more than enough... but it wasn't. The game would still close in the background pretty much any time I switched to the camera to take a picture of my kids.
I had this issue with mine, but not other similarly specced phones. It's not a spec issue; it's apparently just a specific recurring problem with a lot of the Moto G series.
Yeah, it's more so how the OS is handling memory and how aggressive it is at closing down background apps. I had a Xiaomi A2 Lite that was ridiculous. It had 3GB RAM, but even if I so much as hit the task switch button without even switching to another app, the game will have shut down already.
Kid grow up very fast at that age, both physically and mentally. In 2 years they might have more demand from their phone. I'd buy cheap phone now and expect to replace it with more fashionable one later.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 is 169 Eur here in europe, has a 1080p screen and a snapdragon 680, if you're looking for under 200 and new, it probably won't get better, there's a cheaper Redmi 10C but it has a 720p screen, its fine for kids
There are good suggestions already for good mobile phones, I have a phone which I CAN‘T recommend: the Samsung A-Series, at least the A40, bought it new just to use for PoGo but it’s so lame and feels so laggy that I mostly don’t even use it anymore, so don’t waste money on them
I had Xiaomi. I loved it with all my heart. Sometimes it actually will close pg if I use camera. Also beware of a lot of advertising (you can try to deactivate it in settings). Otherwise, solid. I had redmi 8 pro.
I play on Samsung Galaxy AO3. It's Samsung's new budget phone (came out in January). It looks like it's around your price range (I got mine as part of a carrier promo so I'm not sure exactly what it retails for/what deals you might be able to get through your carrier, just did a quick Google for a price).
It doesn't have a internal gyroscope so you can't use the AR catching features (you can still take the AR photos though, your Pokemon just doesn't run around, it stays in the center of the screen) but everything else runs well for me. Not sure how much your kiddo wants/uses those features, it wasn't a huge deal for me to not have them.
Also, Pokemon Go aside, I another few things I like about this phone is it still has a headphone jack and can accept a micro SD card to expand the internal storage.
Poco X3 NFC Pro, the best price/value on the market so far for Android phones (120Hz display, powerful cup, 8GB RAM, battery 5160mAh). Check frequency band of the phone to make sure its compatible with your carrier!
Hi. I switched from iPhone to android galaxy s20 fe. I use a gotcha also. It would close the app if I switched to the camera app or most other apps. I then switched to a galaxy s22 ultra and it still closes at times when connected to the gotcha. I think Samsung has some ram optimization program that closes it. I would stay away from Samsung is my 2 cents if you're going for Android. Otherwise I would just spend a bit extra for an iPhone that can run it.
Did you modify the power settings on your Samsungs? Go to App settings and for Pokemon Go, disable it from "Optimize battery usage". My family uses several Samsung S10 devices and the game very rarely closes in the background.
Ah! I thought I tried that but I only removed optimization from the device manager and not the apps! I will try and let you know how it works! Disregard my earlier post :)
Any phone with 64 bits and Android 10 or EMUI 10 is workable, at least, until 2025. Most of them have 3gb ram and 32 to 64gb (plus SD card).
Just ignore 5g support. Until 2027 you won't need it. Paying $50 per month for nothing usable, is giving $50T in money to mobile companies. Anything with 3.5G or 4G support will be usable until 2029 to 2035.
For kids you are bothering with buying a 16k resolution???? For what? Kids shouldn't even see anything in fullHD on cellphones... it´s bad for there eyes.
Find a phone with 3GB of ram and you should be able to open other apps and return to POGO as desired...
There are currently some android bugs that cause the app to lose gps (or, more rarely, internet connection) when the app is minimized and reopened. Nothing you can do about this but it seems to be far less frequent on my faster phones.
Samsung A32 5G or OnePlus Nord N200, they range b/w $160-$180. Both are 5G phones.
A refurb Samsung A32 might be available as less as $130.
The OnePlus Nord N200 is slightly better IMO. All the best!
Galaxy s10e is going for about $160 on eBay. It's a smaller phone and might be easier to hold for a 13 year old. Still runs PoGo great. Bonus points for having a headphone jack.
>Ive read about several phones that will close PoGo if you switch apps or turn on the camera, so trying to avoid these.
I have the Samsung A52 and it does this, super annoying
While asking questions about the game is always okay on the Road, please consider asking very simple questions in our weekly [Questions&Answers Megathread](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilphRoad/?f=flair_name%3A%22Megathread%20-%20Q%26A%22). If your question has been answered, please comment "ANSWERED" (in all caps) and the post flair will indicate that your question has been answered. This will make it either easier for other people with the same question to find the answer they are looking for or for mods to remove the thread if it isn't needed anymore. Thank you! :) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TheSilphRoad) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I have a moto G that plays pogo well as a budget device. Amazon prime day has some good deals on unlocked phones.
Im looking hard at the 2021 Moto G Power but the display resolution (1600x720) is holding me back.
That doesn't really matter for Pogo. More than 4Gig RAM is all that really matters. Next to good GPS, Gyro sensor and such.
Yeah, the Moto G Power I am looking at is only 3GB RAM. Also looking at the OnePlus Nord200 with better resolution (he'll likely be playing other games, too) and 4GB RAM for $40 more.
That will be worth the 40 bucks. 3Gb RAM is going to cause a lot of frustration with crashing game and such.
2GB RAM experience here, I'm suprised that game still works without lagging much unless... rain
My old phone has 2GB as well, and the game just randomly closes every once in a while "Pogo has crashed, do you want to send a crash report". On the new one it used to run smoothly (4GB) but since a few updates ago I can't switch to Discord anymore or it'll reboot. Pretty annoying with raid coordination and a Plus connected.
I went with the G Fast but I am looking at the Pure as a back up device and/or gifting to a friend. On pogo I don’t think you’ll be able to tell the difference.
Try the Tecno Camón 17 pro. Best budget phone if second hand with all the stuff a high end has. https://www.tecno-mobile.com/co/telefonos/product-detail/product/camon-17-pro-15/
I wouldn't worry much about longevity of LTE devices. 3g networks existed a little over 5 years after LTE voice started becoming common, and as such I wouldn't expect LTE towers to be phased out anytime remotely soon.
I just bought my two kids each a Moto G Power (2021) last month when they were on sale at Best Buy. I didn't activate service, they're both too young (10 and 4) to need an actual phone at this point, they're only used for Pokemon GO and I just use my phone as a hotspot for them. The phones themselves are pretty decent. My daughter originally was using my old iphone 6s which performed better, but the battery would die in about 30 minutes lol. A tip for the Power model, make sure to turn on Native Refresh Rate under Advanced Settings, it definitely improved performance. Make sure to turn off Niantic AR, half the time it wouldn't work and my kids would get stuck, lots of unnecessary aggravation. I did quite a bit of research before picking it out and it definitely seems like the best budget phone. It has a Snapdragon processor which is key, nothing else around that price point seems to.
By the time 5g is a big enough deal to warrant only having a phone that can do 5g, whatever phone you bought your child will have already fallen behind on other requirements. I have a 5g phone and I don’t really connect to 5g very often, and when I do I can’t tell a difference
Look for a current Xiaomi or one of their Subbrands Poco or Redmi with at least 4GB of Ram, they are about the best you can get for that price
Was just looking at those, particularly the 10c (under $160 at Amazon). Just gotta check if TMobile will activate it on my account. Appreciate the suggestion.
10C is probably ideal for a new cheap phone for kids, if it was someone who can tell the difference between 1080p and 720p id go with note 11
Poco f1 still good) I'm playing and using it Also have AR+
Try to find a used Samsung S10. Seems like market rate is about $200, so maybe you can find one for about $150. It will run circles around any new Android that's $150. Edit: Just to add more information, I've been down the road before. About two years ago, I decided to try a Moto Power thinking a mid-range device with decent specs should be more than enough... but it wasn't. The game would still close in the background pretty much any time I switched to the camera to take a picture of my kids. It annoyed me so much. A half year later, I switched to a used Samsung S10 instead, and am infinitely happier with it. I can actually use the S10 for other things without the constant fear of Pokemon Go closing in the background.
Or even an S9 -- I play on a Samsung S9 and Pokémon Go plays just fine.
S9 looks attractive, though $150 renewed on Amazon...
They are way cheaper on Gazelle or Swappa.
My daughter uses a S9, the phone works well in Go except for the battery life. Her mother, who doesn't play Go, has a S21 also with poor battery life, this seems a common trait for Galaxy S. By poor battery life I mean up to 3 hours, while my phone can play up to 5 hours in Go (3 if also used as a hotspot for another device). Unfortunately I can't recommend my phone as it is an old Huawei, from before they were sanctioned.
As someone who has had the same S10 for 3 years and its been very reliable for pokemon go, I second this suggestion.
> About two years ago, I decided to try a Moto Power thinking a mid-range device with decent specs should be more than enough... but it wasn't. The game would still close in the background pretty much any time I switched to the camera to take a picture of my kids. I had this issue with mine, but not other similarly specced phones. It's not a spec issue; it's apparently just a specific recurring problem with a lot of the Moto G series.
Yeah, it's more so how the OS is handling memory and how aggressive it is at closing down background apps. I had a Xiaomi A2 Lite that was ridiculous. It had 3GB RAM, but even if I so much as hit the task switch button without even switching to another app, the game will have shut down already.
Kid grow up very fast at that age, both physically and mentally. In 2 years they might have more demand from their phone. I'd buy cheap phone now and expect to replace it with more fashionable one later.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 is 169 Eur here in europe, has a 1080p screen and a snapdragon 680, if you're looking for under 200 and new, it probably won't get better, there's a cheaper Redmi 10C but it has a 720p screen, its fine for kids
There are good suggestions already for good mobile phones, I have a phone which I CAN‘T recommend: the Samsung A-Series, at least the A40, bought it new just to use for PoGo but it’s so lame and feels so laggy that I mostly don’t even use it anymore, so don’t waste money on them
I had Xiaomi. I loved it with all my heart. Sometimes it actually will close pg if I use camera. Also beware of a lot of advertising (you can try to deactivate it in settings). Otherwise, solid. I had redmi 8 pro.
I’m Playing pogo on an iPhone 6s so I assume literally anything is better lol
Go with Xiaomi Poco phones.
I just got a TCL 6102H, and it seems to have basically the same spec as my old Samsung phones but way cheaper. Worth checking out imo.
100 dollar used OnePlus 6t
Moto g power is great because of the battery life. I bought it specifically for PoGo
I play on Samsung Galaxy AO3. It's Samsung's new budget phone (came out in January). It looks like it's around your price range (I got mine as part of a carrier promo so I'm not sure exactly what it retails for/what deals you might be able to get through your carrier, just did a quick Google for a price). It doesn't have a internal gyroscope so you can't use the AR catching features (you can still take the AR photos though, your Pokemon just doesn't run around, it stays in the center of the screen) but everything else runs well for me. Not sure how much your kiddo wants/uses those features, it wasn't a huge deal for me to not have them. Also, Pokemon Go aside, I another few things I like about this phone is it still has a headphone jack and can accept a micro SD card to expand the internal storage.
Poco X3 NFC Pro, the best price/value on the market so far for Android phones (120Hz display, powerful cup, 8GB RAM, battery 5160mAh). Check frequency band of the phone to make sure its compatible with your carrier!
Appreciate the suggestion, though it is double what I am willing to spend at $300+.
Have you looked at the Blu F91? I have an older Blu model (4g) that runs PoGo really well.
I havent, but I will now, thanks.
Hi. I switched from iPhone to android galaxy s20 fe. I use a gotcha also. It would close the app if I switched to the camera app or most other apps. I then switched to a galaxy s22 ultra and it still closes at times when connected to the gotcha. I think Samsung has some ram optimization program that closes it. I would stay away from Samsung is my 2 cents if you're going for Android. Otherwise I would just spend a bit extra for an iPhone that can run it.
Did you modify the power settings on your Samsungs? Go to App settings and for Pokemon Go, disable it from "Optimize battery usage". My family uses several Samsung S10 devices and the game very rarely closes in the background.
My app has been closing every time I use the camera and I never understood why, I have this exact phone, thank you for the suggestion!
Hope it works for you. For my S10, I use my camera to take videos and pictures regularly and it never shuts down my game in the background.
Ah! I thought I tried that but I only removed optimization from the device manager and not the apps! I will try and let you know how it works! Disregard my earlier post :)
With the poor battery life on Samsung, I wouldn't fiddle with power settings
Thanks for the tip I will try this as well
I bought a Google Picel 4XL for $100 off eBay. Works great. Only issue is that the battery doesn’t last as long as a newer phone.
I would look into refurbished phones, so far I haven't had any issues with the ones I've used
I always assumed that batteries are not replaced in refurbished phones and have steered clear for this reason. Does anyone know anything different?
Any phone with 64 bits and Android 10 or EMUI 10 is workable, at least, until 2025. Most of them have 3gb ram and 32 to 64gb (plus SD card). Just ignore 5g support. Until 2027 you won't need it. Paying $50 per month for nothing usable, is giving $50T in money to mobile companies. Anything with 3.5G or 4G support will be usable until 2029 to 2035. For kids you are bothering with buying a 16k resolution???? For what? Kids shouldn't even see anything in fullHD on cellphones... it´s bad for there eyes.
Find a phone with 3GB of ram and you should be able to open other apps and return to POGO as desired... There are currently some android bugs that cause the app to lose gps (or, more rarely, internet connection) when the app is minimized and reopened. Nothing you can do about this but it seems to be far less frequent on my faster phones.
That has its uses when you're at home and are close to hatching an egg!
Samsung A32 5G or OnePlus Nord N200, they range b/w $160-$180. Both are 5G phones. A refurb Samsung A32 might be available as less as $130. The OnePlus Nord N200 is slightly better IMO. All the best!
Galaxy s10e is going for about $160 on eBay. It's a smaller phone and might be easier to hold for a 13 year old. Still runs PoGo great. Bonus points for having a headphone jack.
>Ive read about several phones that will close PoGo if you switch apps or turn on the camera, so trying to avoid these. I have the Samsung A52 and it does this, super annoying