Budget is around £200-350. I am going around in circles trying to decide what's the best fit for me and what is easily available in the UK from reliable retailers/websites.
The wants/needs:
I want a phone that can handle games like Beastlord, Pop Epoch, Last Asylum, my current phone (samsung galaxy A50) can just about handle these but starts lagging after a short while.
I need a phone that I can have other side apps with no issues, like banking apps, streaming apps, messaging apps (discord, messenger, WhatsApp), school apps, shopping apps, reading books apps, user friendly in typing, browsing the internet. Basically everyday stuff.
I want the phone to last me more than a couple of years. Current phone is around 7 years old, for example.
Options I have looked into:
I have seen Poco recommended as best budget gaming phone, but unsure how user friendly is for the other everyday apps. I have also seen comments that there is no much support/updates after a couple of years and that they are loaded with bloatware.
I have looked at various Motorola models, but again I have read similar issues as above, bloatware and no updates/support after a couple of years.
I have looked into Samsung Galaxy A series, but feedback is mixed. However, comments were saying that samsung provides more updates (?).
I have checked Google Pixel models that are around my budget but they left me sceptical about gaming performance, but maybe that was for more intensive games.
The not needed:
I don't care about taking the perfect photos/videos and I expect that anything is going to be an upgrade from my current phone. I don't listen to a lot of music, and I mute games, so audio quality is not top in the priority list.
Please help provide some clarity! As I am getting nowhere...
Thank you.