Yeah, you can get an android phone that will take pictures, send messages, play, music, run Uber/maps, and take calls for under $50. Those phones aren’t great, but they are usable. They can do everything that you “need” a smart phone to do.
It’s been a bit since I was in the cheap android phone market, but those phones don’t work as well as you say. Calling texting probably work fine, but I doubt Uber or maps will work great or at all. Anything internet heavy like that and you’re gonna be crazy frustrated
I would rather buy a used iphone for slightly more then. Less need to manufacture shit that will barely make it a year, better support and better hardware.
An older, once premium model can be a good middle ground. I usually buy used and had a Note4 for several years, then my SO used it, then I used it again, then we resold it in working condition. It also had a swappable battery and card slot. Both likely helped extend its life.
How are they not usable? I use a Nokia 7.2 and I think it's a perfect phone. Good screen. Pure Android. Fast. Nice camera (though I really don't care about this). It has 64GB of internal storage, but adding an SD card was straightforward.
