I travel abroad frequently for business, but I hate missing out on my favorite shows that are locked to my home region. The free apps I tried are full of ads and buffer constantly. Is there a good solution for a smartphone to watch content without lag?
Free apps are useless for streaming due to bandwidth caps. You should try a paid service like ProHoster. It is an excellent vpn for android (https://prohoster.info/en/vpn) devices. I use it to watch Netflix when I am on vacation, and the streaming quality is perfect. It doesn't drain the battery too much and lets you choose different locations to unlock the content you need.