Replacement for Galaxy A12?

muffler

Hey guys, my wifes Samsung A12 has gone on the blink it seems and she is looking for a replacement. She uses it mostly for calls (obviously), texts, WhatsApp messages, emails and a couple of banking apps. She talks quite a lot so something with a decent battery is required. she has no interest in using the camera(s) so that doesnt matter. Budget is €100 - €200. Any recommendations please?

con747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058412168/replacement-for-galaxy-a12

Hard to beat the Pixel 9a offer. Around €200 after a trade in and unlocked. Read a couple of the last pages for full info.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058408614/pixel-9a

peckypiper

Pixel 9 is currently 350 on Amazon Ireland it's a great camera and gets latest android updates can't be beat for the price

muffler

Thanks guys. Panic over now as the daughter got her something on Amazon … think it was a Galaxy A14 which ticks all the boxes for her.

Appreciate the replies.

muffler

A follow-up question for those who are more familiar with these things. She got her Galaxy A14 yesterday but she couldn't install her banking app as the phone was rooted. I googled "unrooting phone" and got lots of results showing various apps and methods that can be used but has anyone ever done this and what would you recommend?

pizzahead77

Was the phone a secondhand/refurbished model as they don't come rooted by default. Honestly that phone model is already 2 years old and will only get One UI 7 soon and that will be the last OS update apparently but there will be 2 more years of security updates

I have used SuperSU before but it's been many years since I messed about with rooting.

muffler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123520560#Comment_123520560

Bought on Amazon and it's new …. at least it was advertised as being new. When trying to install a banking app a message appeared saying the app couldn't be installed as the device was rooted.

Gooser14

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123520849#Comment_123520849

Return it & get a refund.

muffler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123521095#Comment_123521095

Why would I do that?

wirelessdude01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123521346#Comment_123521346

If it is rooted then it isn't new.

Gooser14

If you need it for banking then it's of no use to as a rooted phone. Also, because it is rooted. I suspect it is not a new phone.

fritzelly

Did you buy from Amazon or 3rd party seller - if advertised as new send it back, don't know what is on the phone hence why things like banking apps won't install plus what else has been done to the phone

muffler

The phone was bought from a 3rd party seller and order fulfilled by Amazon.

Neither myself or the missus are up to speed with technology so Im not sure what the whole rooted thing is. As regards the banking app she can still use the one on her old phone. Here's a link to the phone.

fritzelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123521630#Comment_123521630

2 mins on the reviews tells you all you need to know - get on to Amazon and get a refund, if the seller refuses to refund do a chargeback

muffler

Yeah the more Im reading here and also the reviews on Amazon I think it should be returned. She is happy enough with the phone and has since sent an email to the seller asking if its new, why it was rooted and what warranty is with it. She looked through the box but no details of any warranty were included.

muffler

Just out of curiosity apart from the likes of a banking app not working what else could be wrong with a rooted phone or what should we be aware of?

Sorry, thats probably a silly question but when you dont know you have to ask.

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123521828#Comment_123521828

Agreed. A new device which arrives rooted = instant return. Firstly a new phone should not be rooted, but secondly you can't trust a rooted phone from an unknown/untrusted source.

machiavellianme

There may be other software running in the background that you aren't aware of. Phones don't get rooted for no reason. Usually it's to circumvent some restrictions or to install applications that aren't available from legitimate sources.

fritzelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123521835#Comment_123521835

Don't know what has been changed on the phone or installed (especially considering where it has come from), updates likely won't be available so more security risks. You could try unrooting it yourself and flashing it with a clean OS but could brick the phone - not that you should do that for what is supposedly a new phone.

You can check the origin of the phone from the IMEI

IMEI Check - Free IMEI Number Checker | IMEICheck.com

machiavellianme

Did you consider the pixel 9a described on Bargain Alerts?

Read the last page as it has someone trading an old a12 against it for 200.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058408614/pixel-9a

muffler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123521861#Comment_123521861

Thanks for that. Yes she's heading to vf store this morning.

Another little issue. The phone she got from Amazon is being returned today but last week she got our son to move her contacts from the old phone to the new one. The old phone will be used as a trade in so is there any way to back up her contacts before the trade in? When trying to delete contacts from one phone they disappear from both phones. Hope all that makes sense.

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123527670#Comment_123527670

Just factory reset that Amazon one, it needs to be wiped anyway and as long as the other phone has the remaining contacts, it won't delete them off the account.

Always a good idea to export contacts anyway, as a backup.

https://support.google.com/contacts/answer/7199294?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid