Looking for a new mobile phone... suggestions? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 12, 2015, 07:08:47 am
content: In a previous thread somewhere, I talked about how I loved my Sony Xperia Z3 Compact... not so much anymore. Hardware-wise, it's actually a great handset, the battery life is up there among the best I've seen and it manages to hold on to usable network reception in fringe areas. However this is now my second Z3 to be sent back under warranty and I'm hesitant about accepting a third one.The first one had some "bright" pixels on the LCD. Minor but noticeable and annoying. Telstra swapped it over on the spot for another new one. Most recently, I noticed that the top edge of the glass covering the LCD was starting to lift in one corner and this is a handset that is 6 months old, hasn't been dropped and is usually kept in my pocket or in its charging dock. Not only does this completely destroy any water resistant properties the handset had, but it played havoc with the infrared proximity sensor and earpiece. This time Telstra are returning it under Australia's Consumer Laws (arguing that it's a major fault and the product is not of reasonable quality/durability).It's likely that my contract with Telstra will be voided allowing me to start again and pick a new handset without any penalties or receive a reimbursement for the cost of the phone. It's likely I'll just call the contract quits and re-contract with a new phone... the question is, which handset should I get?I won't consider an Apple iPhone (as in my opinion they are pretty rubbish) but I'm open to other OS's other than Android. I don't want a huge phone/phablet. Leaning towards a HTC this time around or an LG G4 maybe.

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2015, 08:10:11 am
content: I am considering one of these,http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00KFA5E6U?colid=ZIZX9HQTH1NL&coliid=I7RVHH2B8JII9&psc=1&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttlnot the most powerfull I know but looks tough, it is to replace the Samsung b2100 I have now had since 2009, still a very good phone and the battery lasts a week but the port seals are now beginning to get looser. I could just replace it with another b2100 as they are still available.http://www.amazon.co.uk/SAMSUNG-FACTORY-UNLOCKED-RUGGED-SIMFREE/dp/B00C6CZVNQ/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1444637158&sr=1-5&keywords=samsung+B2100

author: Balaur
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 12, 2015, 08:20:52 am
content: Moto G all the way.

author: pickle9000
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2015, 08:26:41 am
content: Black or grey.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 12, 2015, 08:26:46 am
content: Quote from: G7PSK on October 12, 2015, 08:10:11 amCheap and cheerful from China? They can't even spell "Certified" correctly on the back of the case!

author: HackedFridgeMagnet
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2015, 09:38:49 am
content: If you want to get good reception out in the boonies then Telstra NextG is the network you need.this was my number one criteria. I ended up with a motorola xt535 which has been good, but you will want something newer.Choice did a review of NextG phones, though I didn't read it.Quote

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2015, 12:14:50 pm
content: Not sure how it is elsewhere but since the Galaxy S6 came out , the S5 is free from several companies under a 2 year contract.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2015, 01:14:57 pm
content: Galaxy S4 or S5... prefer the S4. You can get them used pretty cheap.I like the S4 myself a lot, I've had it for almost a year now. I like that the phone comes apart easily with small screws but all PCBs are replaceable, for example, you can replace the rear camera (incl lens & flash), USB port, headphone jack, home button, main board, memory/SIM card board and the battery (does not require complete disassembly for battery removal either.) These bits all available on eBay for very little.It has a MicroSD card slot so storage is upgradeable, you're not tied to onboard flash. Processor is pretty fast. Screen is gorgeous, 5" AMOLED and 1080p.I had to take mine apart after water damage occurred.S5 is water resistant, but not as easy to repair as it is glued rather than screwed together.

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2015, 02:20:17 pm
content: Quote from: Stonent on October 12, 2015, 12:14:50 pmSo, not free, unless they are charging the same as a SIM only contract.Edit: My vote currently goes for Moto-G BTW

author: Scrts
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2015, 02:37:13 pm
content: What about Xiaomi or One Plus Two? I've heard people are happy with Xiaomi.

author: Richard Crowley
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2015, 03:15:31 pm
content: I have an HTC one which seemed pretty cool at the time. But some combination of software/firmware/hardware has ruined both the camera and the display. The camera started going bad early on, and now the green drivers to the LCD screen are almost completely dead, so the display shows everything in shades of washed-out purple. I am REALLY disgusted with HTC and I will never buy anything from them again. I am not the only one who has experienced the "purple plague". I'm surprised there isn't a class-action against HTC about this.My current thinking is that I will get a cheap BLU as these things seem to be disposable toys no matter how expensive they are.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2015, 02:04:02 am
content: Quote from: grumpydoc on October 12, 2015, 02:20:17 pmQuote-UnQuote Free.Mine was $1 with a 2 year contract renewal with Verizon but they did have it for $14 a month for 18 months I think if you go the route of having the lower bill when your phone is fully paid for. And, a nice thing about a lot of the Verizon phones is they are not SIM locked. I can put my SIM from my work phone (AT&T iPhone 5s) in it and I just have to change the settings on the phone and turn on roaming and international features and it locks on AT&T on HSPA+ and even LTE on occasion.Big Clive just replaced his Moto-G with a Cubot H1. It looks to be a decent enough phone. 5.5" 720p IPS display, quad core MTK processor, Dual Sim. $120 US or thereabouts cash price, no contract. (Probably bigger than what you want, but appears to be a decent phone manufacturer that's inexpensive)Here's his video on it.

author: encryptededdy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2015, 04:17:11 am
content: I would say Moto X 2015 (Gen 3) (aka. Moto X Style or Moto X Pure depending on region).Moto G as suggested before is a good choice too but is a bit of a downgrade in terms of specs from your Z3 compact.Perhaps the new Nexus 5X is also worth considering.I wouldn't go HTC M9 because they've kinda just kept the same phone since the original M7 (and the camera is still just as shit relative to current flagships).

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2015, 04:24:33 am
content: That one is closer to $150 USD, but you can get smaller ones from the various Chinese manufacturers all with similar specs for less. Look up Doogee, Elephone, Goophone, Jiayu, Zopo, etc.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 13, 2015, 07:20:33 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on October 13, 2015, 04:36:36 amHaving returned two Xperia's within 6 months doesn't fill me with a lot of confidence in the Sony brand. I also have a professional Sony video camera (yes, I know, two totally different lines of product) which I now have to send away to be repaired as it has developed a weird, intermittent fault without a defined error code (and it's out of warranty). I think Sony just made my shit-list of brands to 'generally' avoid.Brands I have never had problems with include JVC (Cameras, Monitors), Dell (Professional Monitors), Canon (Cameras), Nokia and Supermicro (Servers/Motherboards).

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2015, 07:32:14 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on October 13, 2015, 04:36:36 amIf Meizu got their horrible software off their phones, and put plain old Nexus style Android on them, I think they would have terrific value for money products. As it is, they are really lacking.

author: Galenbo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2015, 08:00:30 am
content: I made a 90 euro bet yesterday: Doogee X5pro.Aspects for me were 2GB/16GB phone with flash (Torch).I would have liked it more if it was smaller, like 3.5" or 4"http://www.doogeemobile.com/doogee-x5-pro.html

author: encryptededdy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2015, 08:20:39 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on October 13, 2015, 07:20:33 amIf you're okay with mediocre app selection, then perhaps take a look at the new Lumia 950 and 950XL?

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 13, 2015, 09:13:28 am
content: Quote from: encryptededdy on October 13, 2015, 08:20:39 amI actually am surprisingly. The only applications I really use are Google Maps, Symantec VIP Access and Authy. Anything else I can live without or doesn't need to be on my phone.

author: Kostas
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2015, 11:20:53 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on October 13, 2015, 04:36:36 amCurious how you'd rate THL. Yet another meh mobile phone vendor?

author: VK5RC
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 13, 2015, 11:37:09 am
content: Happy HTC One M7 owner here, have dropped in twice (lives in a gel holder though) , I take in bike riding so it gets a bit sweaty, battery still holding OK. Have to a few times a day force close background programmes but it gets a lot of use for work dictation then email.

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 13, 2015, 05:36:16 pm
content: I was not very happy with the quality of the Samsung Galaxy S3 and started to look for other phones. I first tried a Kingzone and the quality was crap. I now have a Jiayu S3 which I am very happy with. $200, more or less, shipped.

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 15, 2015, 06:44:36 am
content: I just need it to be a phone, text, email and gps every now and then, so I have a 4-5 year old blackberry 9900 and I'm still happy with it.I actually just bought a new battery because the original one would only last half a day. With the new battery I still have 45% charge after 17 hours.Then again I have an Android tablet with keyboard (transformer prime) and a Nvidia Shield (the first one) so if I need any Android apps that need internet I can just put my BB as a hotspot and I'm good to go.FWIW, the new Lumia dock looks awesome for minimal desktop needs (office suite and all that jazz). And that 20 MPixel camera wow! but they are pricey (6 and 8 core models) and I'm a cheapskate, so I plan to keep my BB for another 4 years at least

author: PetrosA
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 16, 2015, 03:14:13 pm
content: I've been using a Lumia 635 for the last year or so and have been extremely happy with it as a phone, not so much with regards to the apps available. Voice quality is better than any other smartphone I've tried (this area is neglected by most manufacturers and they don't even publish any specs regarding voice quality). The only real downside to the Lumia's we have (wife has a 520) is the way the case fits on. I had to get a good quality protective case for mine with rubber that wraps around the front because any drop, even from 1 ft/30cm will cause the phone to come apart and eject the battery. I don't know if the newer Lumias have this issue, but I will definitely be sticking with Lumia when the time comes to replace the one I have. Nokia really does make a better phone than most other brands.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 17, 2015, 04:06:08 am
content: Ended up getting the LG G4. Had it for a day now. So far, love it.

author: Hypernova
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 17, 2015, 02:13:00 pm
content: Halcyon, a somewhat off topic question for you since you own a Z3C: What kind of standby time do you get? If your usage pattern is something like 10min of calls a days max. The rest of the time it stays in a pocket.The main reason I am yet to transition to smartphones is the poor battery life I have observed throughout the years watching people endlessly searching for charge ports, I want a phone that I can forget to charge for 5~6 days but can still live through a conversation at the end of that period. I got a feature phone with GPS, no internet to my account but I can still use it with J2ME map apps with offline database for 4 hours on a full charge. I spent sometime searching on the web last month to get an idea of how far the tech has progressed on this front but found little info on what the battery life would be like for someone like me. Since you happen to have the Z3C which was reportedly one of the better performers what was you longest standby time?

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2015, 03:37:32 pm
content: If you have Wifi access most of the time, a pay as you go plan would likely end up cheaper, even if that means paying retail price for the phone itself.

author: isaiahA
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2015, 10:08:02 pm
content: I have got a cheap flip phone and I am happy with it

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 17, 2015, 11:34:05 pm
content: Quote from: Hypernova on October 17, 2015, 02:13:00 pmThe Z3C had the best standby time of any smartphone I've used. I would use mine fairly often and would typically get about 3 days out of a charge. It does have an "Ultra Stamina" mode which restricts most of the phone's functions (you can make/receive calls, send SMS and use other basic phone functions) which promises an estimated standby time of over 20 days. Although I haven't tested that out.Compared with the LG G4, I've got about 2 days out of a charge.

author: Hypernova
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 18, 2015, 02:26:26 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on October 17, 2015, 11:34:05 pmThanks for the reply. Now that you aren't using it anymore, got any interest to test it with a spare SIM?Quote from: wilfred on October 17, 2015, 11:09:22 pmWhich is exactly what I want. Have you put that claim to the test yet?

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 18, 2015, 03:36:25 am
content: Quote from: Hypernova on October 18, 2015, 02:26:26 amIt's gone back to Sony under warranty not to be returned. Telstra have cancelled my existing contract at no cost and re-contracted with a different handset.

author: crispy_tofu
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2015, 06:39:25 am
content: Quote from: Scrts on October 12, 2015, 02:37:13 pmI hear the One Plus Two is a real pain to get with their 'invite' system...Quote from: Halcyon on October 17, 2015, 04:06:08 amOoh that's a nice phone! Looks like it's getting an update to Marshmallownext weeksoon:https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/216348-lg-g4-to-get-android-6-0-marshmallow-next-week

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2015, 12:34:07 am
content: Saving a link to this thread for next year, when phone network support for my old Nokia 3315 will be shut down, dammit. Bought in 2003, it still does all I want in a phone. Simplicity is a treasure. Definitely don't want to be carrying around any constant distraction techno-bling, but I guess I'll have to buy something to replace it. It's the phone at right in the pic. I'm expecting to have a difficult search for a replacement as robust and functionally minimal. Just a phone, no more. Also when it's off it's definitely off, and the battery can be easily removed to be even more certain.Separately, I'm looking for a variety of Android phones to use for Android App development and testing. So far have been given two free, and would like to find a few more different models for the same great price. Does anyone in Sydney have an old Android phone they don't want? I can pick up. Only needs the phone and charger, must have a USB port and bluetooth, and preferably a uSD slot. Don't care what condition it's in, so long as it's operable on a desk with the charger plugged in. Will never be connected to the GSM network. So I don't care about reception, battery life, etc.

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2015, 05:12:41 pm
content: This phone looks rather interesting, A mobile phone with built in two way radio.https://youtu.be/FKR5T8ylHX0