If you need another cheap phone I can heartily recommend the Nokia 6.1 at 199.99 it was an absolute bargain.
I know HMD isn't the original Nokia (though it has a lot of the management) but it's an excellent phone and with AndroidOne you get security updates immediately which was a big thing I wanted after Moto-G's
(I would kill for another silver Nokia E61, but with modern CPU, running mainline Linux, with an unlocked bootloader, and isolated baseband, preferably with open device firmware.)
I highly recommend Desire. Sort of a no-glitch phone. And it comes with the same class of 1ghz processors that most of the recent phones have come with. If you don't mind the delays in getting the newer versions of Android unlike nexus one, then go for the Desire.
I would insist of getting a phone with 1ghz (or faster if available) processors and around 512mb (N1) or 576mb (Desire) ram. That way you could be sure that these phones would get an upgrade to newer versions of Android and would be able to run them properly.
And going by manufacturer's commitment to offering upgrades to newer versions of Android, I would rank Google on top, HTC next and the others follow.
Maybe HTC delayed the Hero update for close to 1yr, but they did release an update.
P.S: HTC's site isn't cluttered like the other manufacturer sites. Easy navigation to support and updates pages on their site is a must for me (which is why i hate Nokia's site).
I would only buy a device running Android One, because they receive monthly security patches and new Android versions for up to 3 years.
The current options include all Nokia smartphones, Motorola One line, and Xiaomi Mi A line.
For the best hardware and 5G support, I would look at Nokia 9.2 (Snapdragon 8--) and Nokia 8.2 (Snapdragon 7--) releases this year.
The best deal is to buy 6 months after the release, when most Android devices become heavily (30-40%) discounted, but are still quite new.
I prefer Android over iOS because of the freedom to install open-source OS-level ad-blockers, such as Blokada[1], which greatly improve privacy and battery life.
I really like my Android One Nokia 6.1. It was a little rough for the first 6 months with random slowdowns and stuttering after being on for more than a few days (fixed with a reboot) but since then it has been great.
Admittedly it has a rubbish camera but I don't really take pictures so that's fine with me. For a £200 phone it has been just as good for my needs as every flagship nexus/pixel I've owned asside from the crap camera.
It's got to the point that it'll be out of support soon and I'm having a hard time finding a decent replacement for anything near a comparable price.
I bought a Nokia 3.4 released late last year. Cheap and Android One. Really great phone for the price point. I absolutely hate any manufacturer version of Android. Pixel is great, but only occasionally is a cheaper model available. I break and lose phones so I buy functional but cheaper (buying second hand is risky). https://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_3_4-10404.php
I previously had a different Android One Nokia Phone which was great and well supported.
There are very few choices for a cheapish phone that gets security updates and isn't drowning in crapware and "telemetry". It looks like Nokia is the last brand releasing Android One mobiles: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_One#2021
Currently I am using a Nokia 3.4 and it has been great value IMHO.
The Nokia 1 I'm typing this on runs Android (Go edition) (shipped with 8; upgraded to 9 then 10) and cost $75 in the US a year ago, with free shipping from Amazon, so seems doable.
Got my mother a Nokia 7.3 - it's a very good phone priced competitively, with a nearly pure Android experience and on time updates with Android one. Peace of mind!
It is still a perfectly usable device but gets no love or updates. Apps decay as new versions don't support it. I keep it in my room as an alarm clock with an incoming only Sim in it.
This is an intriguing choice that I have kept an eye on for a while. However, the source is mostly open-source with some partner bits closed source [1]. Still a great choice, particularly since it has tethering available.
¹ really HMD
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