I'm trying to find a phone that suits my needs, but it's proved difficult.
Currently I have a Galaxy SIII GSM phone.
I'd like a newer phone that's of similar size, 4.7 - 5.1 in or so, nothing remotely close to a Note3 in size. Also 2gb+ of RAM is mandatory, 1gb phones have all been ridiculously slow regardless of CPU. And rootable so I can install CM11+ on it.
Any suggestions?
phazei said:
I'm trying to find a phone that suits my needs, but it's proved difficult.
Currently I have a Galaxy SIII GSM phone.
I'd like a newer phone that's of similar size, 4.7 - 5.1 in or so, nothing remotely close to a Note3 in size. Also 2gb+ of RAM is mandatory, 1gb phones have all been ridiculously slow regardless of CPU. And rootable so I can install CM11+ on it.
Any suggestions?
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All the current flagships "phones". are 5.0-5.2". I say "phones" because I'm not including phablets like the Note or One Plus One or LG G3, HTC One M8 is 5.0", but is a pretty large phone because of the front speakers, ditto the 5.2" Sony Z2. The G2 is small for its 5.2" screen, and the smallest flagship, without going too far down in specs, is the Nexus 5. Smaller than that, and you're going to be compromising on processors. The Moto X has a 4.7" screen, as does the HTC One M7, but the specs aren't the latest or even the second latest. 2GB of RAM on each though, and both do run smooth and snappy. The Moto X is very compact despite the 4.7" screen.
The one exception to this is the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. It has the same internals as the full size Z1 (Snapdragon 800 2.2GHz, 2GB RAM), but in a smaller size with a 4.3" screen. Personally though, I'd wait a month or two for the Z3 Compact (they skipped the Z2), which'll have the same height and width (but be a bit thinner) yet pack a bigger 4.6" screen. And front facing speakers and it's waterproof. One hell of a phone.
There are 3 threads already established that are devoted to discussions about devices, please read, and if necessary, repost your question in one of these threads: The what should I buy thread or the The Device Suggestion Thread or the The Device Comparison Thread.
There are also several other discussion threads that you probably should review to help you. They are What phone do you wish you had? or
The Worst Android Device That You've Ever Had & Why or even this place that talks about The best phone you ever owned.
Related
Is there an android phone with spec similar to iphone 5S?
- 4" screen (or max 4.3")
- lightweight: 130grams or less
- Slim 8.5mm or less, not too big
- FAST user interface. Fast photos. Fast opening apps.
Thanks
The closest thing to that is moto g. And it costs only 1/3 of an iPhone.
the closest that you will get is the Motorola Moto G, which is considered a low-end device in contrast to the iPhone. So the price for the Moto G is much lower, but I assume you won't get the same great performance as on iOS.
There's also the HTC One Mini or the Galaxy S4 mini. Both feature a mid-range processor and over 1GB RAM. Because Samsung and HTC use their own customizations and User Interfaces I'd recommend using a custom ROM, like cyanogenmod. There is currently no official CM support for either devices, but I'm sure there are many ports available. These would offer a smoother user experience compared to the stock ROMs.
The best choice is to wait for the devices releasing early 2014. The Sony Xperia Z1S is said to arrive 2014 and this one beats all the "Mini"-Versions of other manufacturers, at least spec wise. It is said to offer a Snapdragon 800, 2GB RAM and an outstanding 20.7 megapixel camera. If price doesn't matter, what I assume when you're searching an iPhone-alternative, I'd wait for that one. I will probably consider it myself.
error0x0000034 said:
There's also the HTC One Mini or the Galaxy S4 mini.
The Sony Xperia Z1S is said to arrive 2014, offer a Snapdragon 800, 2GB RAM and an outstanding 20.7 megapixel camera.
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thanks error,
kind of disturbing how superior the iphone 5s is to the S4 mini...
http://versus.com/en/apple-iphone-5-vs-samsung-galaxy-s4-mini
How can there not be a superior android phone with the same compact form factor???
edit: the huawei ascend p6 is slimmer, but taller. higher resolution i think.
fatjoez said:
thanks error,
kind of disturbing how superior the iphone 5s is to the S4 mini...
http://versus.com/en/apple-iphone-5-vs-samsung-galaxy-s4-mini
How can there not be a superior android phone with the same compact form factor???
edit: the huawei ascend p6 is slimmer, but taller. higher resolution i think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The mini versions have always been inferior to their flagship counterparts. Sony will release the Xperia Z1 mini next year though, same procesor and camera as its big brother but with a 4.3" screen.
Z1 mini has good specs,
But is bigger and bulkier
Not really a true competitor
I have been looking at new phones. The flagship phones are sexy and, at least for a few months until the next must have comes out, have a lot of bling factor. However, there seem to be a lot of decent budget/midrange phones available (<$300). Additionally, it seems phones have a short life (durability and obsolescence) to justify dropping $500-$700 every 2-3 years. I'm wondering if it still makes sense or when it makes sense to go with the flagship products.
Questions:
1) Have we reached a point, like PC's, where the even budget units perform just about all tasks pretty well?
2) What uses would a flagship phone (e.g LG G3, Samsung S5, HTC One M8, Moto X) be better for than a typical budget/midrange phone (e.g. Moto G, Moto E, LG Optimus L90)?
3) Are there any critical features missing in the budget phones?
mrstop said:
I have been looking at new phones. The flagship phones are sexy and, at least for a few months until the next must have comes out, have a lot of bling factor. However, there seem to be a lot of decent budget/midrange phones available (<$300). Additionally, it seems phones have a short life (durability and obsolescence) to justify dropping $500-$700 every 2-3 years. I'm wondering if it still makes sense or when it makes sense to go with the flagship products.
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"Makes sense" is pretty subjective. It depends on what you can afford, are willing to spend, want and/or need. I pursue the various "what phone should you buy" threads regularly, and I also regularly recommend phones like the Nexus 4, Moto G, Sony Xperia SP, and the like. I'm also a big fan of "obsolete" or discontinue phones that you can pick up on eBay or Amazon. For example, you can get the Nexus 4 off eBay, brand new, for $240. And it's a way better phone than a Moto G, for only a bit more. IMO people need to remember options like these. It doesn't have to be a new phone (newly released, as opposed to new vs used). A flagship for a year or 2 ago can be had for far less than its original cost, and can outstrip a "budget" phone that just came out. Another example: A co-worker of mine needs a cheap smartphone after switching to T-Mobile. He was looking at the LG L9 that just came out, which can be purchased outright for a mere $100. The main disadvantage is that it only has HSPA 21.1Mb/s download capability. I told him to get a new LG F6 off eBay for $109. Slightly smaller screen, but same resolution, better processor, and has LTE. He didn't know about it, because it's discontinued and not on T-Mo's website anymore.
Questions:
1) Have we reached a point, like PC's, where the even budget units perform just about all tasks pretty well?
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If we're not there yet, we're close. The Moto G really sent a shockwave out, and other manufacturers are clamoring to compete (and mostly failing). A "budget" phone, as long as you pick the right one, should be able to do nearly, if not everything you want it to. And as I said above, "budget" doesn't necessarily mean a newly released phone; flagships from a couple years ago are still capable devices and can be had for very reasonable costs.
2) What uses would a flagship phone (e.g LG G3, Samsung S5, HTC One M8, Moto X) be better for than a typical budget/midrange phone (e.g. Moto G, Moto E, LG Optimus L90)?
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One obvious reason to have a flagship is the superior screen. Do you need a HD screen? No, you really don't. Anything above 200ppi is usable, to be frank. But of course everybody wants a better screen, since most of what we do with smartphones involves looking at them. Screen size is a subjective preference, but everybody wants the screen to be clearer, brighter, and more vibrant.
If you like to play games, flagships are obviously better. Better resolution, higher framerates,
3) Are there any critical features missing in the budget phones?
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There's always some things that have to be sacrificed to make a phone cheaper. Just look at the Moto E vs the Moto G. Screen resolution is lower and smaller, the processor is only a dual core, and the camera lacks flash (no front-facing camera either). And comparing the Moto G to the Moto X or other flagship phones, it's obviously not as powerful, doesn't have as much RAM, and the 5mp camera is constrained by the fact that it only has 5mp, where most flagships have at least double, and sometimes triple or quadruple that. Internal storage is an issue, especially if running KitKat and you're not able to move apps to SD, or the phone doesn't even have SD capability,
To conclude, let's compare to popular phones, the Moto G and the Galaxy S5. The Moto G runs smoothly, due to it's nearly-stock Android (completely stock if you get the GPE). The screen is very decent. But if you get the regular versions, you're limited to 8 or 16GB (less available to the user), 21.1Mb/s HSPA, and mediocre cameras. The LTE version is the better choice, since you also get a microSD slot, although it's only good for 32GB cards. Whereas with an S5 you get a higher resolution screen, more RAM, a far more capable processor, far better cameras, 32GB storage built-in, plus expandability to 128GB, etc, etc, etc. It also costs three times as much.
So yeah, it's great that we can buy a cheap smartphone that'll do everything we need. But that doesn't change the fact that there are phones that can do what we want.
Hi, I'm due for a new phone and need something high-functioning, - been on a N4mako for the past 2 years. It seems that the latest high end devices are all the size of nexus6 or Galaxy 5 which is huge. Is there anything around 4.5 inches diagonal that delivers?
Nexus5 is the obvious answer but i don't like switching devices often, and it's been around for a while. Will it hold for the next 2 years, or is there something better around that size?
Thx
PHP:
ctakah27 said:
Hi, I'm due for a new phone and need something high-functioning, - been on a N4mako for the past 2 years. It seems that the latest high end devices are all the size of nexus6 or Galaxy 5 which is huge. Is there anything around 4.5 inches diagonal that delivers?
Nexus5 is the obvious answer but i don't like switching devices often, and it's been around for a while. Will it hold for the next 2 years, or is there something better around that size?
Thx
PHP:
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Sony Xperia Z3 Compact. Or, the Z1 Compact if you want something cheaper. The Z3 Compact has a 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801, 2GB RAM, 4.6" 720p screen, 16GB ROM/128GB microSD slot, and front-facing speakers. It's also waterproof and has amongst the best battery life of any smartphone. The Z1 Compact is last year's model (they skipped making a Z2 Compact), but is still a very well-built and very capable phone.
The 2013 Moto X is also a very nice, smaller Android phone. Same size screen as your Nexus 4, but with smaller dimensions. Its specs on paper aren't really "flagship", but it has a unique processor combination that makes the phone run without any lag, and you won't find it lacking in performance.
That's exactly what I was thinking ^
As mentioned the Z3 compact...
Excited about the Z4 Compact, assuming it comes to market. But will there be any other such compact devices on the market with top-end specs?
Talking... fully-clocked CPU, 3GB RAM, 1080p, 3000 mAh battery, top camera with OIS, SD card
I wish OnePlus would make a compact version, but apparently the OnePlus Two will have a 5.5" screen.
The ~4.7" size seems like an abandoned market for Android if one seeks true flagship specs.
droydr said:
Excited about the Z4 Compact, assuming it comes to market. But will there be any other such compact devices on the market with top-end specs?
Talking... fully-clocked CPU, 3GB RAM, 1080p, 3000 mAh battery, top camera with OIS, SD card
I wish OnePlus would make a compact version, but apparently the OnePlus Two will have a 5.5" screen.
The ~4.7" size seems like an abandoned market for Android if one seeks true flagship specs.
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out of curiosity, what is a fully clocked CPU ??
Now for answering, well it depends, samsung may do another alpha(there are some that are high ends),and you can maybe call the one m9 a compact since its a 5'' screen (2015 seems 5.2'' + standard)
opssemnik said:
out of curiosity, what is a fully clocked CPU ??
Now for answering, well it depends, samsung may do another alpha(there are some that are high ends),and you can maybe call the one m9 a compact since its a 5'' screen (2015 seems 5.2'' + standard)
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As in a CPU that is not underclocked, like most "compact" devices' (~4.7" screen size) CPU's normally are. For an example, compare the specs of the Z3 vs. the Z3 Compact - they're identical outside of the smaller screen size and more compact design of the Z3 C.
Samsung's Alpha had a totally different CPU, chipset, GPU, lower screen resolution, lower end camera, and smaller battery than the S5. So it didn't have flagship specs. This stripped-down device is similar to what most other OEMs have been doing recently when they release "mini" versions of their flagships. Problem is, these "mini" versions come with mini specs throughout.
M9 is not compact. True, its 5" screen isn't considered huge these days, but its design is still quite large. (5.7" tall vs. Z3 Compact 5.0" tall, big difference)
Right now, it looks like Sony is the only OEM who puts real flagship specs in a true compact device. I'd have no problem buying the Z4 Compact, but am just wondering whether it'll have any real competition this year.
I have been using this phone for 3 years now and think it is time to move on. I have been given a good deal on a moto g 4g and wondered if anyone can think of a reason not to move. It's a similar spec phone with quad core instead of dual. Has a smaller camera tho.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Cheers
razlack said:
I have been using this phone for 3 years now and think it is time to move on. I have been given a good deal on a moto g 4g and wondered if anyone can think of a reason not to move. It's a similar spec phone with quad core instead of dual. Has a smaller camera tho.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Cheers
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I have the One (M7) for a year now and I have to say for a 2 year old phone, it really holds it's build quality. The speakers are amazing, the screen is crystal clear and it has Lollipop + Sense 6. We won't get Sense 7 officially but I'm 100% sure we will get a very functional port of Sense 7. The only downside is the camera. If your not too concerned about that then I think you should go for it. If not, I would suggest the Moto G (2014) or the Sony Xperia Z1/Z3 Compact, you can't go wrong with any of them
If you really liked you One S, you can go to something similar like the M8, or if you can wait for a couple of days, get your hands on the new HTC One M9.
One good reason to wait: wait for a real new ARM64 phone. The Moto G 4G (2014) is still a SnapDragon 400 with Krait cores I believe, so nothing really new from our One S.
I would wait for a cheap Motorola with ARM64 cores for less than 200$.
razlack said:
I have been using this phone for 3 years now and think it is time to move on. I have been given a good deal on a moto g 4g and wondered if anyone can think of a reason not to move. It's a similar spec phone with quad core instead of dual. Has a smaller camera tho.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Cheers
Click to expand...
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http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2734554&page=19
We already have a thread talk about this.
Moto G 4G is real a very bad choice, only a 4.5" 720P, S400, 1G ram, 8GB rom(though with microSD slot). Nothing real better and camera is a downgrade to 5MP.
I'm still using One S as a spare phone and upgraded to Sony Z1 Compact since last year. If budget is a major concern, you should get Z1c because it is cheap now should only a bit expensive than Moto G 4G but with a hardware much much better(4.3" 720P, S800, 2G ram, 16GB, microSD, LTE, 20MP camera, IPX67, 2300mah). Lollipop got delayed but will arrive on this phone probably around May/June.
But since now I've two small phones, I think it's too many. I'm going to sell out Z1c and upgrade again in April/May sometimes and give Galaxy S6 a try because the phone is quite small and slim this time to the 5.1" size.
If you have more money then get Sony Z3 Compact with bigger screen(4.6" but still same size with Z1c and One S), battery life and camera is even more better. If you can wait for like half year, Z4c will probably out on Sep.
I have used one S for 3 years too.
It's my first android phone, and I have a good time with it.
A lot of great developers have worked on this phone, they become a story!
I think Oneplus ONE is a great phone.
HTC M9 is great too!
3 years here also
i want to move to the new phone too. thinkng about new nexus or wait for the new LG
I'm going to buy a new phone in my summer vacation......Probably OnePlus
Sent from villec2