I often say to myself, that there must be more makes and models of mobile devices out there than the variety of vehicles these days. If that turns out true, it's no wonder. This industry is the fastest growing market right now. With such a selection, features, brands, and prices, it's hard to choose which device will be the best for you. Hopefully this guide will give you an idea on what to look for in your next device.
FIRST OFF:
GSMArena is your friend. They provide detailed specifications of many devices out there. The ones they don't show, well, a good rule of thumb is that the device is probably not popular enough to warrant your attention, if you want to do some of the things this site is known for (more on that later).
A cool feature of GSMArena is the ability to be able to compare two (or more) devices side-by-side, so once you have a small handful of possibilities, you can compare features easily.
One thing you do need to be careful of, is that GSMArena does not feature every variation a carrier may instill. So the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini you may see at the Bell Aliant store really has 16GB of storage space, but Bell may be the only carrier that uses that variant.
NETWORK:
Those looking for a Wi-Fi only tablet can skip this section...but a must-read for everyone else.
If you have a handful of devices in mind, right off the bat you should rule them in by checking their network status. I cannot tell you which one will work for your network, but your provider will tell you what technology (or technologies) they use (CDMA vs GSM/HSPA/HSPA+/LTE), and at what frequencies. My provider runs HSPA+ and LTE at 1700 and 2100 mHz only (no 2G), so that narrows my options for phones. As an example, last years Moto G LTE would work, but not this year's version due to mismatched frequencies.
Network technology is quite important, especially if you use CDMA. This means you would have no SIM (a tiny device that contains your subscriber information that you get from your provider) card (unless it has world phone capability, and even then, the bands probably won't work for your region) and are stuck with the carrier you buy the phone from. There are some CDMA-based network phone's, like the Motorola Photon Q (released for Sprint), that have their SIM card non-removable (a CDMA/GSM hybrid) where people have modified by soldering in a proper SIM slot. However, the GSM bands used for this device no not work for North America providers.
REFUSALS:
Think of a list of what you don't want. Want to avoid a phablet? Check! No to an Android OS older than Kitkat? Got it! No Samsung devices? You are on fire!
Maybe you can even think of some of the basic internals we take for granted. Usable space is one of them. It's hard to tell, but there is a big disconnect between the ROM size and what you have available to use. Heck, the system data's gotta take up space too! But the big question, what does this leave me? My recent phone, an LG Optimus F3Q, came with a JellyBean ROM, on a 4GB device. I had 1.3GB to play with. Not a lot, in light of the F3Q's predecessor for T-Mobile, the Samsung Galaxy S Relay 4G had a 8GB ROM (Ice Cream Sandwich) and 5GB to play with. Why the downgrade, I never understood.
Seems as though a couple years ago, 16GB or more was reserved for high-end phones, 8GB for mid-range, and 4GB for budget phones. I am still seeing phones set up this way, such as the LG G3 S (aka Beat). This is a phone that was released with a 8GB ROM (the smaller cousin to the LG G3, much like the relationship between the Samsung Galaxy S4 and S4 Mini) and KitKat as an OS, upgradeable to Lollipop. This phone is in preparation of space-hungry Lollipop, and it shows when you look at this device's usable stoage space. For a 8GB ROM, you get around 2.4GB available to you. Since Lollipop's new runtime doubles the space of applications (un-compiled version, and compiled version of everything) compared to previous Android versions, the situation is just as bad with this phone as I have previously complained about with the F3Q. Thus, my refusal is no less than 8GB for Jellybean-age devices, or no less than 16GB for Lollipop or newer.
FEATURES:
Okay, so now you know what you don't want. What about what you want? Time to start a second list. Be reasonable, as in don't add features that won't be in phones for the next several years (like 1TB storage). This could be a quad-core processor (which seems to be the bare minimum for decent devices these days, or maybe 2GB of memory/RAM).
GIMMICKS:
In your feature list, did you add dual-SIM support, QWERTY keyboard, or some other gimmick? Be careful with that - a lot of manufacturers don't handle gimmicks too well, and only put them on lower-specced devices (Samsung Duos line comes to mind). These devices are not meant to push a lot of units, so the prices of them usually are quite higher. Keep in mind that dual-sim is not quite a gimmick, but it strays from the norm enough that you would be confused if it wasn't.
TO MicroSD OR NOT MicroSD?:
This is increasingly becoming a gimmick sadly. I like spending less on a device and then supplementing it with cheap memory. But this cannot be the case for many. Some manufacturers are bringing them back, others, are abolishing them from their devices. It's hard to see what the weather will be like there.
It comes down to personal choice, if it's a worthy feature or something you can live without.
BATTERY:
Battery life holds a big importance. Typically you want to look at the number of mAh the battery holds (as a comparison to like devices), but for say, different screen sizes, a smaller battery will work just as well on a smaller screen. So you need to look at screen-on-time metrics to know how long you can use your device, and how long you can go before a recharge. The challenge is that manufacturers usually advertise battery life by idle time, which is a perfect-world scenario (all sensors and radios turned off, no screen-on-time - basically the device is hibernating more aggressively than you will ever let it).
Another consideration is whether the battery should be removable. I used to be a strong supporter of removable batteries, since I would replace a faulty battery from time to time, but these days, I'm ambivalent to that idea. With external battery packs, you should never have to pop the back cover because the battery went dead. With the fact you can turn off a bootlooped phone after pressing power for many seconds, you never need to pull the battery either. Although, the big reason for a removable battery is for longevity of the phone, as the battery is usually the first to fail (after-market batteries are tested to function well for 300 charges). With a user-replaceable battery, you can easily buy and insert a replacement, be it from the OEM or third party (which often provides a little more juice). Once again, it comes down to personal choice.
DEVELOPMENT:
Okay, by now, you must have some decent candidates. But how do they stack up to this site? If the device does not have a forum yet, there is no guarantee it will ever get one. Even if it has a fourm, there is no guarantee it will get any amount of development. This becomes a judgement call whether your phone will be rootable, and have the ability to install custom ROMs (if that's your thing). If you are not concerned about that kind of support, no loss has been made, but if custom ROMs are your thing, don't buy and then "hope and wait" for something that may never come because you got a device noone cares about.
FINALLY:
Sometimes you cannot have everything you are looking for and not looking for. So this becomes time to prioritize and find the best match of features and refusals. It is not necessarily settling, but if we could all have our "Homer", the cost of phones would be astronomical (and some people place certain price points as refusals).
If you still get stuck, there is the device suggestion thread where others suggest the best device out there for your needs.
Hope this helps someone on their next purchase.
Related
Hello!
Maybe someone have some arguments or idea which option is better.
One option is PDA with Phone module like HTC products. I don't mean Smartphones
Other one is to have separate Mobile Phone with Bluetooth and PDA where each device have related features.
There are advantages and disadvantages for each of options.
For example if you have "all in 1" device. It (at least my) sometimes hangs and software phone doesn't start but it dosen't mean that radio part doesn't work. At end you can totally loose some incoming call or SMS but caller/sender will think that you have received it. I can't say that I have lost many calls but it happens. Other disadvantage is that usually for "all in 1" devices features is low to average.
Other option is with 2 devices. There is some disadvantages too. First of all you have to carry two devices, you have to take care for both devices, follow battery charge. You have to find where to put both of them in some pocket or on belt. Other thing is that Bluetooth have to be switched on in both devices for all the time or much longer time. Probably it is not good idea.
I'll be happy to read some comments
Well as one who has both regular PDA and Phone PDA (see my sig) I can say this:
Depending on your use of the PDA part you may not loose any calls, but you have to be careful what you run on it. I do agree though that the phone part is less stable then on regular cell phone.
As for "low to average features" here I have to disagree. My Jamin is not and never was "top of the line" device yet it has WIFI G, BT 2.0 and 2MP camera. Granted the processor is a bit slow but it does the job without guzzling down the battery. Plus the device is very compact overall (an important feature for cell phone replacement in my opinion)
If you look at newer devices HTC has finally got the point with HERMES and put in a 400MHz processor. O2 now has some non HTC phones with 520 MHz processor and new generation of ARM base CPU that go as high as 1.2 GHz is just around the corner.
All in all if you need the functionality of the PDA for your business affairs or online stuff (not just navigation, music and games) I think a combine device beats having a regular phone plus PDA almost in every respect.
As for smartphones (actual smartphones with win mobile but no touch screen) they are the compromise. They sacrifice some of the power of the PDA to give you a fully stable phone module just like a regular cellphone.
But in the end to each his own so the choice of Phone PDA / smartphone / PDA + regular phone is an individual thing.
I've been using the setup with one pda and one cell for a couple of years until I changed it when buying the wizard a couple of months ago. And today I wouldn't want to go back to carrying two devices. The pdaphones have come a long way and I don't feel that they're a compromise any longer. Sure, the wizard doesn't have the 3d acceleration etc like some of the pdaonly devices yet for me it's quite enough.
And they way companies through out phones today(half-done) they just as easily hang and you miss calls and text's.
I'm sticking with the pdaphone
OK Thanks guys
I assume from replies that it is better if in one device is all features and of course it sounds logical.
About features. I was looking around to find some PDA phone with not much features together. Or better say didn't find with features I have in "must" list. And I think it is nothing mega.
Ah yes currently I have wizard which seems starts to show up some I suppose aging "features".
I'm rather business user, main applications is e-mail, calendar and office applications. Of course not only business apps.
Main feature I really need in new device is VGA screen because with my current qVGA screen is tricky to look at spreadsheet or some word document.
Other is faster CPU than Wizard has, sometimes that slowness it is really annoying.
And at least a bit larger user available internal flash/ram.
If in it would be GPS module it would be ideal, but ir isn't required.
G - WiFi.
QWERTY - not required but good to have.
Currently in market there is no much devices with such features. All devices I like is with note "early 2007". I'm not sure my current device will last so long. And of course no info about prices
Actually, aside from GPS, HTC Universal answares to just about everything on that list. It's not a new device, but it is 3G and VGA plus it has the biggest screen of all phones to date 3.5'
Some upcoming VGA models will have a 2.8' screen which means true VGA (what you get when you cancel out pixel doubling with something like OzVGA) will be practically useless as you will need a microscope to read the text.
Check out the upcoming O2 Flame, I'm definitly saving myself for that one
OK my employer made decision without my assistance
After in some urgent situation I was unreachable due to my wizard hang I just got phone. As employer pays for my bills (lucky me) I have no choice.
Now I'm happy or "happy" Nokia 6230i owner.
Let's see after some time
Thanks for answers!
Well I've just ordered a new battery for my battered Wallaby, as the current one is failing fast. Critical battery warnings in less than 20hours from a full charge.
This is still just a stop-gap measure though. The poor thing just doesn't do what I want it to.
I'm a tinkerer, not a phone obsessive though, so I don't know what else is out there. I have a list of some essential and optional features I'd like in my next purchase, and if anyone knows a phone that fits the bill, I'd be very greatfull to know about it.
Essential:
Quad band
802.11b/g
No moving parts (solid unit, no hinges or sliding parts)
Skype capable
Removable storage
Decent run time
Optional:
Runs Linux
Waterproof/durable Belt-mountable housing
Standard USB type charging/link socket
Decent and fast stills camera function (2Mp+?)
Are there any phones that fit the bill? The HTC Prophet sounds ideal, but while the wiki says it's Quad band, adverts for 2nd hand ones (and even the opinion of a user I met on the street) seem mixed as to wether it's quad or tri-band.
maybe
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Trinity
or
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Artemis
You might also want to consider the HTC Touch -- it is quad-band, as seen by a number of users at HowardForums.
As a matter of fact every HTC phone here with wifi meets your expectations.
Wizard, Hermes, and whatever the Wing is don't
"Skype capable"
could give the lower cpu's a run for their money
Hi all,
Recently my trusty Galaxy S2 started to bug the crap out of me and I decided it is time to start looking out for a new device.
Some of the devices which have caught my eye: HTC one M8, Z1 xperia compact, Oppo first7, One Plus One (although this one seems to be to be more elusive than an albino unicorn) and Mi 3 (although I am not a big fan of Miui).
-note: even though this post is not to ask any recommendations regarding phones, if you would have any to share, please feel free to do so
As someone who spends time on this forum ever since my HTC Excalibur, breaking my phone and hoping to fix it (the kid who takes apart his alarm clock and doesn't know how to put it back together... that's basically me), the first thing I mostly do when getting a new phone is rooting it and installing a custom rom...
Earlier today, I read an article on The Verge, which made me wonder: do different phones still matter?
If you consider the choice of a phone depending on following elements:
screen size
battery life
Android version (and probably OEM added bulk)
price
specs (ie ram, processor speed etc)
design
"various features" (such as the double lens on the HTC one)
Screensize is mostly similar in phones nowadays (except for the z1 compact), the android version is mostly the latest version thanks to everyone on this forum (in phone list above the Mi3 is a a bit different) and design is subjective... so these three won't really make any difference.
From the article on The Verge, it seems that specs to be of less importance nowadays in modern phones (it's attractive to have a quadcore whatever processor with an unlimited amount of ram, but does anyone really use all this horsepower -if you don't game?).
And the thing which I called "various features"; I haven't seen a single feature that wow-ed me enough to consider this a musthave (again if someone knows about something I don't please let me know
Which leaves us to battery life and price.
These seem to be the only dealbreakers for me at the moment...
Anyone who can find him/herself in this opinion (or absolutely disagrees)?
Hello, if i'm posting this in the wrong place please migrate this message somewhere better. Also I could post separate topics but i'm trying to wrap them into one. (if it's better to separate let me know - another board I stepped on toes for having "too many separate posts" that were lightly linked)
I'm trying to buy a Tracfone. Specifically a Tracfone "with 1 year service/minutes" bundle, actually i'm looking for two of them (me and GF) because her phone seemed to just implode recently for no reason.
Two places I know of having "bundling deals" are QVC and HSN, if there are others please let me know? I'm aware of shopcelldeals but those arent bundles, just minute-less phones usually.
One of my TOP priorities is finding phones that can root, yet searching for nearly every Tracfone for sale on either site keeps showing the same things - others asking for root with no success, talk of locked bootloaders, and similar. I am wondering if this is something across the board, if some manufacturers are worse than others, if some tend to have root methods show up later, etc. I can live without it for now, I just can't put certain cool things on until then.
If finding a rootable Tracfone is hopeless i'm probably shopping for conventional phones for BYOD but then no minutes deals with either a free phone or barely more cost obviously.
Makes little difference to be if 3G or 4G (despite the impending 3g sunset), CDMA or GSM, other than really trying to find Verizon or ATT Tracfones because of superior coverage where I drive. Actually ideal might be one ATT and one Verizon due to complimentary coverage. (where one is out the other usually is present)
The above probably already is a pretty short list of phones (if any at all) so not even sure if more details is needed, other than preferring a larger screen to make Google Maps more usable. (5-5.5" is nicer than smaller) That's honestly the most demanding application we are likely to need. Something with a replaceable battery preferred - note i'm not afraid of "non user replaceable" batteries that just make it hard/involve disassembly, have tools for that long as it's possible and there's a guide.
The fallback worst case scenario is just buy a pair of used Samsung Galaxy S5's one VZ one ATT and do the bring own device tracfone SIMs, but i'd like to see if there is something competitively cheaper since money is sorta tight. Any advice on anything directly or indirectly mentioned in this thread would be appreciated as helpful.
Actually, strongly consider used (as in pre-owned) CDMA (and specifically ex-VZW) phones; they can be purchased from many Amazon sellers, Wirefly, etc. Also, not all VZW customers trade in their phones (and especially not since VZW has the hypercheap Samsung Galaxy J3 that they are pushing to non-unlimited customers - my Mom bought one to replace her Galaxy Nexus, which I now have).
Once you have your ex-VZW phone in hand, order a SIM Kit from Tracfone via their BYOD page - https://get.tracfone.com/bring-your-own-phone/
While you are waiting for your SIM Kit to show, select your replacement ROM of choice *and* remove the old SIM - you won't need it for any of the prep steps. (You will need a wireless router with at least 2.4 GHz N support, though.)
For Samsung-based ex-VZW phones (which I suggest and which I will use as an example), grab the Universal Android Toolkit (current version is 1.5.6). While it is a Windows application, it is a "character mode" Windows application that runs windowed - no mousing here. The UAT supports features that ODIN flat out lacks; even better, you don't need to use that unique-to-Samsung "download mode", either. It doesn't just support flashing community ROMs/firmware; it can also restore supported devices to bog-stock (REALLY useful for phones you "inherit" from others). It even includes a mix of rooting utilities, and supports custom recoveries (it includes two versions of TWRP for the Galaxy Nexus, for example - with alternatives from the old CWM and Carliv's/Philz Touch (should you not like TWRP).
Some common misconceptions are about to get sliced and diced in this paragraph - so PAY ATTENTION.
First misconception - Tracfone requires a stock configuration. Not true of BYOP, and never has been. What firmware you run on your phone is YOUR business - Tracfone, in fact, could care less.
Second misconception - you have to start fresh (no porting). Patently false; you can port existing numbers to Tracfone BYOP just fine; I ported a lifeline number from Tracfone's Safelink Wireless division.
Third misconception - you can't port numbers from feature phones. See second misconception above; the number I ported was from a feature phone. (Safelink Wireless just started shipping Android phones itself; until Christmas of this year; the standard lifeline phone was a feature phone - typically from Alcatel, and connected to T-Mobile's 3G network.)
Last misconception - Tracfone uses a weak network backbone. While that was certainly the case with T-Mobile's network (which is still used by Safelink's feature phones), the LTE side of Tracfone (and Safelink's Android phones) is driven by Verizon Wireless - which is as solid as it gets in most of the US. As VZW predecessor company Bell Atlantic Mobile used to remind us in their video ads, a cell phone is only as good as the network it runs on.
Some surprises about the Galaxy Nexus in particular - first off, it doesn't support SD cards - at all; by that, I mean there is no way to physically mount them. (Therefore, don't even think about that option.) However, basic storage is capacious - out of the 29 GB of total storage, only 3 GB is used by my chosen firmware (PureNexus 7.1.1 for Galaxy Nexus) and GApps (Dynamic 7.1.1.) For that reason, I therefore have LOTS of room for files and apps (especially apps) - and without getting hamstrung by lack of basic storage space. (All too many devices compensate for that lack of basic storage by using SD cards; however, the tradeoff and hamstringing comes into major play with Lollipop and later, as they normally don't let you run apps from the SD card - that is why workarounds like APP2SD exist.) That capacious storage also covers why it's still supported - and especially why the Android community is still writing new ROMs for it, despite the dual-core TI OMAP CPU. (That's right; I did say dual-core.) In general use, there is surprisingly little bog in the GNex - even compared to a more modern phone such as the Samsung S7, let alone the J3.
I was surprised I couldn't find a thread discussing this phone. Is it taboo or something, or is everyone underwhelmed? What do you all think?
Being on Verizon and wanting a decent replacement for my Essential PH-1, I just found it. I can't seem to find anything else decent with an unlockable bootloader and microsd slot. Moto G Stylus 5G thoughts make me groan a bit.
LOLs, I just tried to find a Solana Saga phone forum too, only your post (& an old one of mine re old press release showed up). I'm also surprised there is no forum yet. They are on Discord, but not the same as XDA & phone geeks. Given their prelaunch press etc I'm surprised the actual launch seemed to fly under the radar.
If I was into crypto I'd have bought one already, but I'm not, though I'm sure the built-in chip for secure transactions is the future.
Like you I want a top notch phone without lots of bloatware, an unlockable bootloader, large storage, while having a dual SIM & SD slot is a great bonus. Storage is probably more than i need though with good camera I will likely use it more. I've only just started looking into actually buying a new phone & was expecting to have several choices, but seems not.
A few people have reported not being able to register phone on network (with what appear to be SIMs from 2nd level reseller companies, not actual network provides or in which countries isn't clear) but rebooting after setup AND allowing enough time for network to register new phone appears to fixe and they can join network. But no doubt if there really is an issue, it'll be fixed shortly by software update. You should be fine on major US network.
I also have an Essential phone that has performed flawlessly & is a quality build, so given it's largely the same team behind OSOM who designed & built the hardware for Solana I'm sure the phone will be a top quality design & build, and they still have good links to Google, I assume. So I'm probably going to buy one, even though I feel that as I won't be using crypto I'm paying a couple of hundred extra, but there really doesn't seem to be another phone at that price point (especially for 512gigs) that meets my main criteria ie vanilla Android, flagship, good storage, SD, good camera.