[nik736]

You should look into Xiaomi. They produce high quality phones that receive regular updates, even older phones on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. They update security patches very fast and even offer the A1, which is stock Android, for around 200 bucks.

I myself own a Mi5 Pro for 1-2 years now and I still love it and I am not even thinking about upgrading, this thing is perfect even nearly 2 years in.

Also, compared to iPhones these things are simply perfect looking, no camera bump and MIUI is a mix of Android and iOS, which I learned to love coming from iOS.

[madmax108]

I second a recommendation for Xiaomi. Happy owner of a Redmi Note 3 for about a year and a half now. No lag, very little junk apps by default, and a UI that is actually useful (instead of good looking, but impractical UIs). Even my mom, who's very non-technical loves the straightforward nature of the UI (I ended up getting a Redmi 4 for her recently).

Plus, the developer forums are very very active, so even if you run into any issues (rooting, flashing , etc if that's yout thing), then you know you have a very supportive group of devs. Also doesn't hurt that the phones are cheaper, so the whole "what if I lose my warranty?" or "What if I drop/lose my phone?" concerns are much lesser.

It's not got the most stunning camera in the world, but having ZERO lag and a easy 1.5-2 days of charge besides all the other pros more than makes up for it!

[jamesmp98]

Just bought an Honor 6X for only like $200. great phone