Got my very first Android device abou 18 months ago.
At the time went for the Xperia Sola for its sensible size and decent specs (though I came to find 512MB of RAM a bit too shy for all the bloat Sony put in it).
The device hw suffered a partial hw malfunction (lost phone signal and screen was barely useable) but I kept as is for about 6 months because I needed for GPS navigation. Got back to my old WinMo 6.1 as my main device (and was amazed it could muster so much with its 600MHz CPU and less than 128MB of RAM) but recently decided it was time to finally get it repaired - just got it back this friday (and underwent the necessary root and bloat removal to actually make it usable).
Haven't been following tha Android scene as closely as I used to but it's hard to miss that devices are getting huge... things seem to be evolving in the direction of the phablet - a phone to big to carry in the pocket (or that will completellt fill it / stick out) or properly hold but still too small to properly replace a tablet (at least with a 5' screen).
My phones (both WinMo and Droid) perfectly fit my car's dashbord which has a rectangular inlet of less than 125x65mm and in the foresseable future I'd prefer aquiring a device that can sit there during trips... Thing is that currently one can only find feeble entry phones around this size (with specs worse than my current device).
Are small phones destined to die (or be extremelly underpowered?). Can anyone currently point a device about the size of the sola (116 x 59 x 9.9 mm), with better specs (CPU, RAM), and screen above 3.5'?
Regards
Related
Back in July I bought the Augen Gentouch 7/8 from K-Mart and while I could see the promise of the Android tablet, the overall device was really nothing more than a toy. A fun toy to be sure, but I could tell there was nothing serious about it. On top of poor build quality (I have gone through 2 of these), the touch screen was awful, there is no factory/vendor support, and the lack of hardware features made it not much more than a very basic e-reader. My cell phone is also an Android, I got my HTC Incredible the first week they were out and have flashed and reflashed it.
So, this past weekend I picked up the Cruz e-Reader ($199 @ Best Buy), the Cruz Tablet ($299 @ Best Buy and the Huawei S7 ($299 @ Best Buy). Out of the box the Velocity Micro Devices seemed to have a very strong product, form, fit and design was solid and sexy, although I found them to be a little on the heavy side (The Cruz both weigh in at 1 lb, and the Huawei is 1.1 lbs.).
The eReader was just horrible. The Touch Screen was unresponsive and inaccurate, the software was way too much for the processor, and there was no market capability. Add to that the lack of a planned upgrade path for the OS and this device is dead on arrival. Buy a Nook or Kindle for $20 less and you will be much happier.
The Cruz Tablet is a much better device, the capacitive screen is responsive and light, and the device seemed pretty snappy. I was nervous at first because the two devices on the floor at Best Buy both seemed to have a glitch that made their unlock screens non-responsive, but mine seemed ok (at first). The lack of the Android Market was only slightly mitigated by Cruz Market, but this is going to be a big hole for people as more apps are released. Also, after much exploring I found a post by Blazing Wolf that finally identified the processor. Turns out it is a MIPS processor, which means Android is a port, something that is sure to make ROMs and other mods scarce. Again, in the end I was disappointed in the device. Yes, it has a capacitive screen, but no camera, no Bluetooth, no phone capability. And oh yeah, 3rd morning I had it when I turned it on the capacitive screen stopped responding completely, same as the two I saw in the store.
So that brings me to the Huawei S7-104. The resistive touch screen is the most responsive one I have ever used. No, it is not as nice as my HTC Incredible, but it is very easy and quick. TWO 2 Mp cameras, one front and one rear, again, not great cams, but that is what the 8 Mp in my phone is for, right? Bluetooth, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, 3G wCDMA and GSM capable and GPS. Fully working Android Market via WiFi without activating the phone. All this for $299? Are you even kidding me? Right now it comes with Éclair 2.1 update 1, but since it has the 768 Snapdragon Processor I know it is only a short matter of time before a snappy Froyo ROM is cooked up for it. Finally, all of this for $200 less than the 3G version of the Samsung and $300 less than the Wifi version. Oh yeah, this little device rocks!
Hi all!
first - I know, there is one similar thread, but slightly different and w no answer which I am wondering for
I am advanced IT user, currently owning and IPAQ 114 PDA and Xperia X10i phone.
I bought X10 because WM6 went unsupported and a lot of software was abandoned. What a pity...
When I started using X10 I thought that my PDA will be completely out of my live, and i will sold it fast.
But, many problems / unexpectations i found after short usage of X10:
- really bad display accuracy (I used ipaq for drawing schemes)
- senses only hands (we are having now here about -22 degrees of Celsius )
- bluetooth limitatons (160s ???)
- software main ecosystem is I think not so good
- many other details, but screen makes me angry often after 1 yr and is main problem for mw
So, thats why I am looking for device, which can supply my old Ipaq. I`d much rather use some basic phone (using only phone + SMS) and some kind of portable mobile assistant like PDA.
After stupid I***** boom, manufacturing and developing stylus based devices almost stopped I see.
I am looking for something with resistive touch screen - phone or MID or tablet. But in portable packing - less than 6" inches screen (dont need X cores and X MB of RAM and storage). Stylus holder would be great, but I think that something like this really doesn`t exists
Ideally based on Android - only because of apps.
For example - I found a device which almost ideally fits my needs - Benq S6 UMID, but its`s x86 based (doesn`t matter so much) and main problem is OS - noone has ported Android for it... (love Linux, but need few commercial apps )
Does anything like this exists?
Thanks for any response or idea !
Samsung Galaxy Note!
Galaxy Note would make a great device.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
HeliumX10 said:
I am looking for something with resistive touch screen - phone or MID or tablet. But in portable packing - less than 6" inches screen (dont need X cores and X MB of RAM and storage). Stylus holder would be great, but I think that something like this really doesn`t exists
Ideally based on Android - only because of apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Galaxy Note. It doesn't have a resistive screen - but it's capacitive, which is easier to use with your hands, and features an EMR stylus - like a wacom tablet - which is bound to be a lot more accurate than resistive.
Also happens to be pretty much the fastest dual-core android out there.
Or HTC Flyer, a bit dated but it was the first Android tablet designed with stylus usage in mind
Early 2010 I bought a HTC HD2, and I've been looking to replace it for years, with only 1 requirement: the new phone should not be bigger. But EVERY other 4.3" phone that has been released since then, was bigger than my old HD2 (120mm x 67mm). It's the end of 2013 now, and there hasn't even been an announcement of anything smaller. Maybe the HD2 was more than 3 years ahead of its time, or maybe technology has come to a stand still, but I find this very weird. Ofcourse there is going to be a limit on how small a 4.3" phone can be, but it should be possible to release a phone that at least has the same size as a 3-year old phone. I'm even willing to sacrifice some screen size, and settle with a 4" display, but even those are not much smaller, and all of them are low-end models.
So did I overlook a certain model, or are there just no compact phones?
[introduction: I'm Ikmalhidayat, just joined the xda forum., although always visits here for infos. but still, im just joined so, hello~]
I have a small smartphone from 2011, Samsung Galaxy Mini GT-S5770.
I am pleased with its practicality and its simplicity~ Although this phone is now very obsolete and is even lower end then entry phones today, this phone leads my everyday life. I even compared to newer phones like Samsung Galaxy Mega 2, Oppo Neo 5, Lenovo S650, Lenovo A7-30 A3300-HV, etc. But, my phone, by far, is the most easiest to use (by my opinion and those phone owners)
Still in Froyo ver. avoiding Gingerbread upgrade because of ram usage i saw on Galaxy Young (1st gen)'s ram usage.
But, after its 3 years of leading my life, it starts to show its aging. Issues,
1. Home button needs to press harder (as hard as i can actually)
2. Short battery life
3. Proximity sensor not working
4. Broken pieces (USB cover lost, microSD cover breaks, scratches over the screen, back cover)
5. Twice incidents happen (the phone wont charge and wont detect. had to pull out the battery and charge with external universal charger and leaving the phone overnight)
6. Internal memory's getting full, even most of apps uninstalled
I dont planned to by a new phone for now. But i need phone in case my phone dies. Although i have a budget to actually buy 2 Asus Zenfone 4 (4" ver), I want to make use my phone till the end of its life.
In case, i need a new phone suits for me as well. I like my Galaxy Mini more than newer phones because of its simplicity and easy yet smart (for me)
I've been looking phones like Asus Zenfone 4, Oppo Neo 5, Samsung Galaxy Trend Plus, Galaxy S Advance (old, dual core), Galaxy SII, etc. I dont like phones bigger than 5" because is too big for my pocket. Since im a gamer, i would like a powerful phone as well (with OTG, i would rather connect to a controller than bigger screen). But since im in money issues, i cant buy too expensive phone.
Any phone models that you can recommend me? Requirements,
Dual core ARM cpu or Intel
At least 512MB ram
Adreno 302 and above, faster than Mali-400MP2 (was disappointed with MaliMP2, except if it is quad core like Mali-400MP4)
At least 4GB internal storage (i have 2gb and 8gb microSD, always swapping)
at least multitouch screen
Not more than 5" display
at least 5MP with [email protected] recording
Im interested with Asus Zenfone 4 but i dont really like ZenUI. since im using TouchWiz v3.0, i like the simplicity and of course, Task Manager! (long press Home key and task manager appear). like the ColorOS from OPPO Neo 5 but like TouchWiz more. If possible, i want to have a phone very similar to my Galaxy Mini
First of all welcome everyone, glad to be a part of this forum. I've been lurking XDA developers since long, long time ago back in the PDA era (HTC SPV M5000 anyone?).
I've owned my Galaxy Note 2 for over 2.5 years now and I'm tired of constantly running out of internal storage and the now-supar camera. I'm looking to buy a new smartphone that will check off many boxes, but if I could describe what I need in 2 sentences, it would go something like: a large-screened productivity workhorse with loads of storage and battery, and a good camera. And if it's future-proof, that's even better! I want a device that will last me for at least 2+ years.
Here's what I'm looking for:
- Screen size between 5,5" and 6"
- Internal storage min. 32 GB, needs to have a microSD card slot (unless it has 128G internal storage)
- Decent camera with OIS (camera should handle low-light shooting well)
- Decent UI (unlike the majority of community here, I don't really want to be flashing my phone with new ROMs or any of that, I just want something that works well right out of the box and is user-customizeable through custom home launchers etc)
- Great battery life (this is big for me, I'm often on the road, I listen to tons of podcasts, use mobile data, bluetooth, sometimes wifi tethering etc. I need a phone that can get me through a looong day)
- Fingerprint scanner
- Won't put a huge hole in my wallet (I wouldn't mind paying more for the perfect and FUTURE-PROOF phone but seems like there isn't one that checks off all the boxes. At the same time I'm trying to keep it below $500)
- A physical home button is a plus (and capacitive buttons! Just like in Samsung Galaxy series)
- Screen res. above 1080p is a plus (better for VR and I will probably try some VR in near future)
- Replaceable battery is a plus (plus extended phone cases, yay!)
- OTG support is a plus
- USB-C is a plus
- Dual SIM is definitely a plus
- No curved screens like on the Samsung Edge series
I looked at:
- Huawei Mate 8 - checks off most boxes, nice big battery but crappy, buggy, and not very customizable UI.
- Huawei Mate P9 Plus - very interesting camera-wise, the rest just like above
- LG G5 - also very interesting camera-wise, a bit smaller screen, and a battery that's way too small. Although replacable, I cannot imagine remembering to bring a spare battery with me everywhere.
- Nexus 6P - great reviews and everything, great software BUT I'm mostly based in China where ALL Google services are blocked, so it would probably be a big pain to have to rely on VPN the whole time. Also camera has no OIS, although I did read it's great. Another con: a bit expensive and not easily available in the 128G version
- Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro - the top contender for me so far. The 5000mAh battery is nuts and just what I need. Dual SIM and dedicated microSD slot. Affordable. But the big bummer: sub-par camera. Also a bit low on the DPI if I ever want to use VR. And no notification light (how am I supposed to know if I got notifications?)
- Samsung Galaxy Note 4 - a bit slower than the A9 Pro, smaller battery, but better camera. And the stylus - I could definitely use the stylus for more productivity. Just really not sure about investing in the aging technology. I want to get at least 2 years out of the new smartphone. Also I've read there's some issues with GPS that are hard to solve. Added benefit of possibility of extended battery case.
- Samsung Galaxy Note 5 - nice and seems like a significant upgrade from Note 4 but no card slot, and expensive at 128G. Still only microUSB v2.0 even at the high price point.
- LG V10 and LG G4 - very interesting propositions, reportedly good cameras, very mediocre batteries (and not too good power management it seems) at 3000mAh but both could be extended with a bigger battery. Pretty sure I would be fine with a little bulkier phone with a case that accommodates a 4000-6000mAh battery, but I would still need to keep it as slim as possible, I don't mind if it's not the slimmest phone but I certainly don't want a thick and heavy brick in my pocket. I've also read reviews of some of the extended battery cases and it seems like the battery quality can be a real lottery. The batteries lose their capacity quickly, and I think none of them can be charged using the Quick Charge 2.0
- ZTE Avon 7 - veeery interesting proposition, not the biggest battery but almost everything else knocks me out of my socks. 6GB RAM possible, 128G storage that can be expanded by another 128G (!), capacitive buttons in the higher version, an added benefit of insane speakers. The camera is reportedly not too impressive though, although I'm pretty sure it's better than the one in Galaxy A9 Pro. The main concerns: it's a very fresh phone, the UI is reportedly not very optimized, I can imagine there will be plenty of issues that ZTE will need to fix through software before this phone runs as smoothly as the Galaxy A9 Pro or LG G4 would. And I hate waiting in hopes. Also, being in China, I think it's a bit tricky to purchase the phone in International/European version that has a broader range of bands and doesn't block Google services. I've read through the entire 35 page thread on XDA about this phone and yes, it seems like you can get the Google services to work without problems but who knows what the next ZTE updates will do to that. The way I generally see it is Chinese UI = potential problems.
For the Galaxy A9 Pro or LG G4 I would just go to Hong Kong to buy them and enjoy a phone that doesn't have the Google services blocked. I couldn't find the ZTE Avon 7 anywhere in HK on the internet.
All in all if I had to go to the store tomorrow I'd probably need to choose between a Galaxy A9 Pro, the well-proven LG G4 with a great camera (but a need to buy a good extended battery case and ultimately ending up with a rather bulky phone), the Galaxy Note 4, and the ZTE Avon 7.
Any suggestions, thoughts, recommendations?