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I've been thinking that I want to get a modern smartphone, and am looking at getting an unlocked phone, and am wondering what you would suggest.

Here is what I am looking for:
* Budget: $150 or so
* Works with all major US carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint; remember, since this is the US, not all carriers use GSM) (must also be usable, via Wi-Fi or offline, without a service)
* Bootloader unlocked or easily unlockable from a Linux machine
* Reasonably well supported; I want to be able to run newer versions of Android in some form (which may involve custom ROMs)
* Needs a headphone jack and a microSD card slot (it really seems silly that I have to specifically state the headphone jack as a requirement these days)
* I would like it to be able to comfortably emulate anything that a Raspberry Pi could. (I don't expect it to run anything truly demanding, at least not with this budget.)
* GPS
* Ability to act as a USB host would be nice, but not as important as other features.

So, any ideas?
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dtgreene: I've been thinking that I want to get a modern smartphone, and am looking at getting an unlocked phone, and am wondering what you would suggest.

Here is what I am looking for:
* Budget: $150 or so
* Works with all major US carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint; remember, since this is the US, not all carriers use GSM) (must also be usable, via Wi-Fi or offline, without a service)
* Bootloader unlocked or easily unlockable from a Linux machine
* Reasonably well supported; I want to be able to run newer versions of Android in some form (which may involve custom ROMs)
* Needs a headphone jack and a microSD card slot (it really seems silly that I have to specifically state the headphone jack as a requirement these days)
* I would like it to be able to comfortably emulate anything that a Raspberry Pi could. (I don't expect it to run anything truly demanding, at least not with this budget.)
* GPS
* Ability to act as a USB host would be nice, but not as important as other features.

So, any ideas?
This meets pretty much all your criteria at a 33% over your budget. Unfortunately, there isn't much in the $150 range these days that will give you any kind of reliable performance as a phone/retro gaming machine. But it's worth a look.

This LG phone may be more your choice though. Somewhat powerful, $150-ish, with the ability to be rooted easily. 3.5 mm jack and microSD expandable storage (up to 2TB).
Post edited May 16, 2019 by paladin181
Anyone else have any thoughts or suggestions?
Not that I have any suggestions, yet, but is 4G or 3G cellular connectivity a requirement ?.

Note: I'm not from the US, but can check/research the relevant bands if need be.
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Trooper1270:
You know, they already started shutting down and removing support for 3G in several countries.
I can only recommend you gsmarena as an excellent site to get info from.
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Trooper1270:
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Themken: You know, they already started shutting down and removing support for 3G in several countries.
They're likely doing it to push people to start using new devices/5G(which hasn't even been tested for human safety, sadly).
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dtgreene: I've been thinking that I want to get a modern smartphone, and am looking at getting an unlocked phone, and am wondering what you would suggest.

Here is what I am looking for:
* Budget: $150 or so
* Works with all major US carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint; remember, since this is the US, not all carriers use GSM) (must also be usable, via Wi-Fi or offline, without a service)
* Bootloader unlocked or easily unlockable from a Linux machine
* Reasonably well supported; I want to be able to run newer versions of Android in some form (which may involve custom ROMs)
* Needs a headphone jack and a microSD card slot (it really seems silly that I have to specifically state the headphone jack as a requirement these days)
* I would like it to be able to comfortably emulate anything that a Raspberry Pi could. (I don't expect it to run anything truly demanding, at least not with this budget.)
* GPS
* Ability to act as a USB host would be nice, but not as important as other features.

So, any ideas?
Be aware that Verizon, at least, is somewhat picky about what unlocked phones they will accept.

Quote from their website:
"2. How do I know if my device is compatible?
You can check the eligibility of your device on our Bring Your Own Device page.

To ensure voice and data work properly, only select BYOD devices with approved hardware and software are allowed for use on the Verizon Wireless network."
I suggest starting from the Android One program and working from there, saving things like BLU phones as a last resort.

I currently have a Nokia 6.1.
Post edited May 18, 2019 by Darvond