In need of help with phone choice (LG G3 or Sony Xperia Z3)
Both phones are really great to begin with, same process and such, the 32gb version of the G3 has 3gb of RAM like the Z3 does (but with only 16gb on the Z3), both can be considered great upgrades from my current Samsung Galaxy S3. I strongly prefer the Z3 over the G3 (it feels more like an actual premium phone in hand, the waterproofing and FM radio are also nice things to have). The G3's screen feels a bit too big for me (I've held and tested out both phones briefly), whereas the Z3's screen feels closer to just right.
My dilemma here is the price difference I would be facing. I'm planning on getting a silver plan with Virgin Mobile, regardless of the phone I choose. If I go with the G3, it'll only be $280 plus tax for the phone on a 2-year contract. Unfortunately, Virgin doesn't sell the Z3, only Bell does (grrrr). This means I would have to buy the phone outright from Bell to use with Virgin (not going to go with a Bell plan), which would be $700 plus tax for the phone.
For 2.5x the price, I can get a phone that feels much more solid and usable in hand, but the cheaper alternative is also very viable and powerful itself. Would it be worthwhile to spend so much more for the Z3 my case? :x
My two cents... I have a G3 and my brother owns a Z3, yeah, sure that has a more solid feeling when compared... but I would go again for my G3, expecially considering the difference in price, only partly justified by the less cheap materials...
Money aside, why else would you go for the G3 over the Z3? Just wondering because it sounds like the price isn't the sole factor (obviously) affecting your decision.
Related
Looks like the Xperia X1a is dropping in the U.s. at at least Best Buy for now. I have read good reviews on both devices. Has anyone seen a good head to head comparison of these two devices? It looks like they are in the same league. Thanks
I think it comes down to $299 (+2yr contract) for the Fuze, or $799 (+service you were going to pay for anyway) for a WVGA screen and headphone jack. All other pros/cons seem to vary from one reviewer to another.
The Xperia is metal construction. The Fuze is mostly plastic and high gloss black ( print magnet) The keys are spread out nice on the Xperia, bunched up on the Fuze due to the smaller size. There is a slight tilt on the Xperia and the slide is straight out on the Fuze. I know there are a lot of software differences but just wanted to state the obvious physical differences I compared.
If the Xperia sold for $600 it would be the best deal for a PDA Phone in a long while. $865 from a Sony Style store is just a lot of jack in this economy. ( tax inc )
I have looked at the FUZE and the Touch Pro at Sprint. Something has kept me from buyin either one of them. Yeah I sold the X1a a day later for about the same as what I paid for it. Sonystyle wants 15% restock fee ( ouch )
fhsieh said:
I think it comes down to $299 (+2yr contract) for the Fuze, or $799 (+service you were going to pay for anyway) for a WVGA screen and headphone jack. All other pros/cons seem to vary from one reviewer to another.
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not necessarily , because you can get the fuze for $299 on 2 year contract, unlock it for free, sell it for ~$500 and then use that money to buy the xperia, making it only 2-300 more expensive. still more than it should be, but not as bad as people are making it seem..
omaralt said:
not necessarily , because you can get the fuze for $299 on 2 year contract, unlock it for free, sell it for ~$500 and then use that money to buy the xperia, making it only 2-300 more expensive. still more than it should be, but not as bad as people are making it seem..
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Okay you two are on par, but compare it this way.
No-commitment price = $500
RETAIL PRICE = $849.99
Xprea X1a RETAIL PRICE = $800
It's a hell of a deal. Notice why I put two prices. Because you can only get the $500 deal if you're a customer of AT&T. If you're comparing the retail prices, I suggest you compare the retail prices. Not retail vs no-commitment. The $500 price is retail for AT&T customers only.
i mean, come on, anybody can get a brand new fuze for $500 + tax. If your not an at&t customer, i'm sure you know somebody whos an at&t customer, ask him/her to go buy one for you, no committment. the people who get screwed are our nice neighbors to the north (canadians). none of their gsm carriers have picked up this phone, and i hear the fuze is selling for north of $600 up there..
omaralt said:
i mean, come on, anybody can get a brand new fuze for $500 + tax. If your not an at&t customer, i'm sure you know somebody whos an at&t customer, ask him/her to go buy one for you, no committment. the people who get screwed are our nice neighbors to the north (canadians). none of their gsm carriers have picked up this phone, and i hear the fuze is selling for north of $600 up there..
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True. But I was comparing the real retail price. Not how cheap you can get it for. I mean I bet someone could get it for free if they stole it. Or $100 if they worked for Sony or whatever. You know what I meant.
My reasons: PHAIL = bad; WIN = good
NO G-SENSOR! PHAIL!
Embedded screen! PHAIL!
Screen res. WIN!/PHAIL! (depending on pov. To install apps - fail; beauty - win)
TF3D and Panels! WIN!
No tv-out! PHAIL!
Metal casing. WIN!
Roomy buttons. WIN!
Price. UBER PHAIL! (I ain't paying that much for a device. IDK if you people like buying every phone for $1000+ as some of you have.)
Sony camera. WIN!
Kraize said:
True. But I was comparing the real retail price. Not how cheap you can get it for. I mean I bet someone could get it for free if they stole it. Or $100 if they worked for Sony or whatever. You know what I meant.
My reasons: PHAIL = bad; WIN = good
NO G-SENSOR! PHAIL!
Embedded screen! PHAIL!
Screen res. WIN!/PHAIL! (depending on pov. To install apps - fail; beauty - win)
TF3D and Panels! WIN!
No tv-out! PHAIL!
Metal casing. WIN!
Roomy buttons. WIN!
Price. UBER PHAIL! (I ain't paying that much for a device. IDK if you people like buying every phone for $1000+ as some of you have.)
Sony camera. WIN!
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But I'd guess most in the US eying on an xperia are already with att, or at least considering it. After all, xperia has the att 3g band, not tmo.
As a side note, I think x1 wins in terms of form factor and battery life as well. But even if the two were the same price, I would have gotten a touch pro. I am very, VERY happy with its keyboard.
What's with this "No commitment price"? I went to Fry's Electronics (big box store like Best Buy), and bought the phone for $475+tax (This was Saturday). While my wife drove, I called up AT&T and asked them for the unlock code. They asked for the IMEA number, I gave them that... and they gave me the unlock code. Phone was up and working on the T-Mobile system before we got home 10 minutes later.
Sure, I don't have 3G... but I like my $15/month unlimited data plan with tethering and free Hotspot calling. AT&T wants $60 for that plan. At 156K/s vs 500k/s... that's just not worth it! (And no, I don't think most people could get the plan I have with T-Mobile... had an account with them since they were called VoiceStream...)
All that being said - I owned an X1i for 5 days. It was hands down the faster phone (all that AT&T garbage probably slows the Fuze down... I'll flash it after I figure out what I really want to do with it). But the screen just didn't do it for me. The Fuze screen is flush with the face of the phone and I think that is a clear win over the X1 (think about how beat up that screen is going to look after a few months). The keyboards are 6 of 1, 1/2 dozen of the other in use. I could use both keyboards just fine. The X1i seemed to have this issue, however, where the software keyboard would launch any time input was required ... even if the keyboard was out. Very annoying. The Fuze let's me choose.
The X1 never locked up on me, and I did a ton of installs and had lots of apps open. The Fuze has locked up almost daily for me. Again, I think it is the AT&T bloatware, but I'm not sure.
So my review is also a little mixed. In the end I made a deal with my wife that if I didn't like the Fuze after a month or so, I'd give it to her and get the X1a (since I figure the price will have dropped by then).
Right now, at a price of $475 vs $799.99 it isn't a contest. When neither phone is a clear winner in any category I would say let value decide - and the Fuze is clearly the better value right now.
@Ghallo
Really I have no idea. Yes, it's true that you can get it for $500 anywhere. But if you call AT&T cs. They'll tell you that retail pricing is for those that don't have Aee Tee & Tee and no-commitment (retail for customers) is the no-contract price for Aee Tee & Tee customers.
I know all the tech sites and forums and whatnot always rave about the newest flagship device and seem to ignore even well specced budget phones, especially region or carrier specific ones. I am on T-mobile but am constantly checking out the new phones available on AT&T since T-mobile phones suck in general. There are some amazing budget phones that are almost as well specced and even better built, costing half the price, with 1/100 the publicity. Earlier in the year I bought a Pantech burst for one of my relatives. It only cost $200 on eBay. It was super smooth and fast, and the AMOLED screen made it pop. I was always playing with it and comparing it to my $450 HTC One X. The One X was actually slower, and the screen didn't feel as resilient. The camera was much better, but besides that, I couldn't really find any reason to justify the 2x++ cost.
Today I went to go play with more phones. AT&T has two new budget phones. The LG Escape and the Pantech Flex. They are both running a dual-core S4 and lightly skinned and super fast. Both have qHD displays at 4.3" with top tier IPS and AMOLED displays. At that screen size, 720p wouldn't have made much a difference for me or most people, and it's a perfect hand-holding size. I find it just as usable as the 4.8" S III, and even easier and faster than the cumbersome 5.3" Note I am currently rocking. The cameras are only marginally worse than top flagship phones, and they come with NFC and even big batteries. The LG Escape is a standout with 2150mah battery and a really great feeling curved and thin build that's grippy and rather seamess and unbroken. The petite size with very narrow bezels also makes it stand out. LTE is a given. Both devices are literally brand new just came out and you can easily find them on eBay for $250. I'm really digging the LG Escape and get more and more annoyed thinking about the $520 I dropped a couple months ago to get the international Galaxy Note in my pocket that is slow and clunky and big. And no it's not about price depreciation and tech obsolescence. The Note still costs $520 even today, and most flagship phones of yesteryear are still expensive on eBay.
Last year the difference between high-end and budget was more dramatic since the cameras were way better on the high-end side and you got dual-core instead of single core. The screens were also terrible with WVGA and poor viewing angles and colors. This year is very different. Budget phones have the same blazing S4 krait processor that the high-end has, with all the same NFC, GPS, bluetooth, and everything else under the sun. The cameras have not improved much at the high-end whereas the lower-end has caught up and is nipping at their heels. Build quality is even better on the low-end in many cases (cough S III cough), and they always have removable batteries and microSD slots to expand their pitiful 4GB of memory. In a month, the LG Escape and Pantech Flex will probably drop to $200. The S III and One X are both still super expensive. This year at least, the tortoise has caught up to the hare, and budget-conscious consumers should be aware how great the lower end offerings are this year, and not be afraid to save a ton of money. It's not every year the fastest processor available becomes commoditized for budget phones and carriers are forcing LTE and big batteries into everything from low to high.
This is true. Just look at the Droid RAZR M and Atrix HD and HTC One XL. All $100 on contract
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I noticed too, now it's making purchasing decisions harder.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
This is true. Just look at the Droid RAZR M and Atrix HD and HTC One XL. All $100 on contract
EDIT: I noticed you said the HTC One X is super expensive. This is not quite true, as I stated above, is priced at a budget level. It's also only $20 on contract through Amazon Wireless
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I work at at&t and no way the one x is slower benchmarks are wayyy faster on oneX but ya At&t doesbt have any bad phones out really they are all cool in their own way
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Kflan22 said:
I work at at&t and no way the one x is slower benchmarks are wayyy faster on oneX but ya At&t doesbt have any bad phones out really they are all cool in their own way
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
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NO WAY!
Well howdy Kflan22
I recently bought a brand dual core phone, with 4.3" ips screen, 1gb RAM ! 540x960 resolution and so on for 191 USD. And running so smooth.
It's a ZTE V970...not bad at all.
Yeah the Droid Razr M is a phone I'd buy! If it wasn't on Verizon...
Kflan22 said:
I work at at&t and no way the one x is slower benchmarks are wayyy faster on oneX but ya At&t doesbt have any bad phones out really they are all cool in their own way
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
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Wasn't really talking about benchmarks. Just general UI smoothness. The Burst felt a lot smoother, even within apps.
I'm basing these on eBay prices. Why would you want to lock yourself to a contract when you can save so much on monthly fees with a no-contract plan? I don't really pay attention to those Amazon Wireless or Best Buy or special sales because they all have a catch, and you usually have to be a new customer for the best deals.
The One X is still a good $350 for a new one on eBay.
I would not consider the Razr M a budget phone. It doesn't fall under $200. In fact, it's like over $450 on eBay. You could buy it on contract for $100, but the same goes for a lot of other flagship phones. The contract price usually doesn't correlate directly with the second-hand market price, so even if the Razr M dropped to free on contract, it would still be $400+. It only goes down over time. It's strange because if a phone is perceived as a budget phone like the Flex or the Escape, even if it has a $400+ MSRP, it will be a paltry $200 or less from the get go on eBay. It's all perception, even though the MSRP is probably right and the difference between the budget and flagship phone is really only $100-150 to buy retail as well as wholesale, people think they gotta price it way low since its budget.
It's kind of amazing how something like the Atrix HD, which is even faster/bigger/better than the original Razr on Verizon, is priced lower at around $300 new. The old Razr still commands $350+ for a new one. The Razr M still has qHD and the same internals as the Atrix HD but is a good $150 more. Yeah these are all eBay prices. Since the Atrix HD was launched as a budget $99 phone, even though the MSRP is probably only $100 difference at most from both old and new flagship phones, people will sell it much lower. Ditto for other budget phones that have an even bigger price disparity and sell for under $200.
It sucks if you have a budget phone and want to sell it used and get the most out of what the claimed MSRP is, but find out it sells for less than half that new and even less used. The on-contract price you paid is not a good measure of the phone's wholesale value the carrier paid since whether free or up to $200, the expensive contract plans make up for the difference and then some. That's how they can afford to drop everything to a penny on sale days, although they would of course love you to get the crappiest cheapest smartphone anyway. If you plan on buying these budget phones of course from eBay, and their perceived value drops them like a stone, it's a steal.
This minor difference between budget and high-end is gonna get much worse with Windows 8. They are all literally 1.5Ghz S4 Krait with 1GB RAM. Will a slightly better camera and a slightly bigger size/resolution screen really justify the over 2x price premium for a flagship?
we'll see
itsalexaye90 said:
Yeah the Droid Razr M is a phone I'd buy! If it wasn't on Verizon...
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dang them verison, built in sims...
You get what you pay for.
I think a good budget phone with good specs as far as i search, sony experia tipo. Try to check it out in the web.
Definitely better if "budget" phones are simply last gen flagships. It would make for much better compatibility down the road.
That LG looks nice but I have a couple of friends LG phones and they have a lot of little issues so I'm a little gun shy of them right now.
I think we're starting to hit a sweet spot for phone tech. Jelly Bean runs great on a dual core phone with 1 gig so you don't need new tech for a nice phone.
I totally agree, just seeing the Galaxy S III on MetroPCS is pretty amazing. I know its kind of off topic, but it still surprises me.
i think a phone with s4 cpu and 1 gb of ram do the job for a year or two ...
mohammad13 said:
i think a phone with s4 cpu and 1 gb of ram do the job for a year or two ...
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It depends on the user. Not everyone would afford or even like to change phone after a year or two..
I have been looking at some of the Pantech phones as well. I havent pulled the trigger because I havent found much information on durability and reliability.
well for me i always prefer budget phones in general .. i don't like to spend much money on a phone that i could whack or loss any moment...
I'm on the fence between these three phones and have found good prices for each of them. Since they're at a similar price range I'm torn between the 3 as they each have their strengths. Looking for a phone that would last. Help on a decision would be appreciated.
What are the traits you are looking for? I haven't seen the Pure and G4 as low as $250 but spending extra to get the right phone is a better deal than saving $50-100 on a device used all day long. I'm a huge fan of the Flex 2, had the G3 prior, have not owned the Pure or G4. The 810 processor can get VERY HOT at times but also runs faster than what the Pure and G4 run.
I want something like a future proof phone so that I don't really need to upgrade in a year or two. Is the 810 still worth it with the drawbacks compared to the 808? I'll be using the phone for mobile gaming and media consumption.
jettoku said:
I'm on the fence between these three phones and have found good prices for each of them. Since they're at a similar price range I'm torn between the 3 as they each have their strengths. Looking for a phone that would last. Help on a decision would be appreciated.
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If it was 6 months ago I'd be tempted by the pure as Moto were very good with the updates. Now they've been taken over by Lenovo, I don't think they can be trusted. (Look at what they did to the Moto E.)
As the G4 is newer, it will get M sooner and has a better camera. I suspect you can get the Flex 2 much cheaper than the G4, so I'd go for the Flex 2 (H950 3GB version.) It really depends on your priorities and how much you want to spend. If you want everything, why not go for the Nexus 6P?
I guess the Flex is the most bang for my buck. I like the 6P but the sd card is a deal breaker for me. From the prices I found the 3 were a hundred dollars apart.
I am jumping ship with AT&T because they really ****ed me on with the Samsung Galaxy S5, I found out that any phone released beyond the S4 has been pretty locked down in terms of being able to root, unlock, or customize beyond basic themes, which I greatly dislike. I found out when I got home the other day and looked up a root method only to find out that the S5 community on XDA has pretty much accepted that there isn't much that can be done with the phone. While T-Mobile on the other hand has unlockable/rootable phones.
Here is the list to the phones available on their site I was thinking of just getting another S5, which I am fine with. I'd get the S6 if it didn't lack features (Changable batteries, microSD slot), I was wondering if any of the other phones listed are worth looking at though? Opinions, Input, and Information are all greatly appreciated.
Do you have to purchase off the payment plan, or can you buy outright? If you have to use the payment plan, your options kinda suck. The Nexus 6 and LG G3 probably have the most development of the available options, but you can find brand new ones for cheaper if you can purchase outright (plus they only have the 32gb Nexus 6). The S5 is alright, but I'd rather have the G3. Remember that, like AT&T, T-Mobile is a GSM network and unlocked devices will work on their network. This includes phones like the Asus Zenfones, OnePlus, etc. For a couple hundred bucks or so you can get a G3 or OnePlus One 64gb and not get stuck on a payment plan for 2 years (not a contract, but not all that different).
Planterz said:
Do you have to purchase off the payment plan, or can you buy outright? If you have to use the payment plan, your options kinda suck. The Nexus 6 and LG G3 probably have the most development of the available options, but you can find brand new ones for cheaper if you can purchase outright (plus they only have the 32gb Nexus 6). The S5 is alright, but I'd rather have the G3. Remember that, like AT&T, T-Mobile is a GSM network and unlocked devices will work on their network. This includes phones like the Asus Zenfones, OnePlus, etc. For a couple hundred bucks or so you can get a G3 or OnePlus One 64gb and not get stuck on a payment plan for 2 years (not a contract, but not all that different).
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I am picking through their payment plan phones this time around. Next time, I'll get one of the oneplus phones. Doesn't the Nexus 6 have the same issue that the Galaxy S6 have? In the way that it has no expandable storage? And does it have a replacable battery? Those two things are dealbreakers for me. The latter being the more important though. I can live with fixed storage as long as it is sufficient, and the phone is worth it. Can you tell me anything about the LG G3? I've not looked into it at all.
Numerics said:
I am picking through their payment plan phones this time around. Next time, I'll get one of the oneplus phones. Doesn't the Nexus 6 have the same issue that the Galaxy S6 have? In the way that it has no expandable storage? And does it have a replacable battery? Those two things are dealbreakers for me. The latter being the
more important though. I can live with fixed storage as long as it is sufficient, and the phone is worth it.
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Yeah, the Nexus 6 (all Nexuses except the first in fact) doesn't have a microSD card slot. It came in 32 and 64gb versions, and unfortunately T-Mobile only offers the 32gb version (refurb), and they want too much for it, which is why I recommended buying elsewhere outright if it's within your means., because you can get a new/mint 64gb one for less than T-Mobile charges for the refurb'd 32gb. The battery isn't removable, although it's not impossible to tear down and replace like many sealed-battery phones.
Can you tell me anything about the LG G3? I've not looked into it at all.
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Sure. It has the same Snapdragon 801 quad core 2.5GHz processor as the Galaxy S5, but has 3gb RAM whereas the S5 only has 2gb. 5.5" QHD 2560x1440 screen. It has an excellent camera, IR blaster, and most importantly (for you), both a microSD slot and removable battery. I just checked again though, and T-Mobile doesn't list the G3 anymore (I think they did a week ago, but no longer). There's lots of custom development for the G3 though, if you can buy one outright.
The G4 is very much the same as the G3, just improved. It's rootable, but there's practically zero custom development going on (I don't know why). But if you plan on using it for the next couple years, this might be the best choice. The Note 4 would be a good option too. Amazing screen, great camera, and it'll be familiar to you coming from the Galaxy S5. Rootable, and there's custom development, including customized Samsung ROMs (modified stock) and AOSP (stock Android) based. Right now the Note 4 is $150 off.
@MOD Posting here specifically instead of the OnePlus X forum, as I am looking for unbiased advice from the community - please do not move this thread to a forum for a specific handset.
My OnePlus X was stolen by a taxi driver about 5 weeks ago, and I have exhausted every avenue of recovering it, Android Device history, the Police, etc. I know this is not a flagship device, but is probably the best handset I have owned, and absolutely adored it, not least because of the build quality, premium feel, and responsiveness.
I looked through the completed listings on eBay using a third party website, and from those set myself a maximum price I was prepared to pay, that I would feel I had gotten a good deal from after sniping. It would take a bit longer than replacing the OPX outright, but paying less would at least take some of the sting out of paying for the phone twice!
The main appeal of the OPX to was that although it was not quite as good as a flagship, in my eyes it almost was, and for much, much less expense. 'Best bang for buck' if you will'. I like hardware that falls into this category.
Since then, I have discovered the Moto G4 Plus. It seems to beat the OPX on every front, apart from having an IPS display rather than AMOLED, and what I have read is a slightly less powerful processor - but with the added benefits of 4 cores and fast charging.
GSM Arena comparison of both handsets
Is the Moto G4 Plus the way to go here, and if so any particular version to make sure I order?
Amazon UK have it here:
Motorola Moto G4 Plus 16GB SIM-Free Smartphone - Black (Single SIM) - (Exclusive to Amazon)
Dual SIM would be handy for my work number, but it seems they only have it for that price dual sim in white? Handy, but not at the price of a white phone which I hate, like my work iPhone!
Again, please do not move this thread to Moto G4 or OPX forum, as I would like independent advice - perhaps there is another handset I should be considering?
Anyone on this?