I'm currently using a Nexus 5, on stock android 5.1. I'm starting to have a few problems with it, the GPS is slow at best, battery life just gets me through the day, and i'm running low on space at 16Gb.
In my job I have been given a Windows phone for work, What i'd like to do is buy a Dual-Sim device so I can go back to carrying 1 device. I've been looking around and been quite impressed with the chinese offerings. The top phone on my list are the -
Ulefone Touch Be 2
Elephone P8000 (unable to post links)
So far, The features i'm looking for are dual sim (obviously) good camera, expandable storage & good GPS.
There are so many phones to choose from these days im just not sure what to choose.
Thanks In advance.
What model Huawei?
You can try one plus two 64gb.
Its the best. 25,000 rs. Better than nexus
Sent from my WT19i using XDA Free mobile app
I would really like that but its out of my budget.
Try one plus one. Nw u can buy for 15000-18000 rs range.
Sent from my WT19i using XDA Free mobile app
it has to be optimized!
Spardha said:
I'm currently using a Nexus 5, on stock android 5.1. I'm starting to have a few problems with it, the GPS is slow at best, battery life just gets me through the day, and i'm running low on space at 16Gb.
In my job I have been given a Windows phone for work, What i'd like to do is buy a Dual-Sim device so I can go back to carrying 1 device. I've been looking around and been quite impressed with the chinese offerings. The top phone on my list are the -
Ulefone Touch Be 2
Elephone P8000 (unable to post links)
So far, The features i'm looking for are dual sim (obviously) good camera, expandable storage & good GPS.
There are so many phones to choose from these days im just not sure what to choose.
Thanks In advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before you buy a Ulefone, Elephone, Umi ... or any of these cheap Chinese brands. Please be aware that they do not optimize their Android OS!
This means, you may get worse performance as you had on your Nexus 5. I would say before you buy one of these brands, stick to your old Nexus 5.
If you want a good quality phone with optimized Android Rom on it, that offers good performance with a pretty good camera.
Get one of the following barnds only!
Oppo
Huawei
Xiaomi
Meizu
What is your budged btw? If a good camera is important to you, really stay away of not optimized Anrdoid!
All other small Chinese brands, put truly crappy not optimized Android on their devices!
TheUltrametricSpace said:
Before you buy a Ulefone, Elephone, Umi ... or any of these cheap Chinese brands. Please be aware that they do not optimize their Android OS!
This means, you may get worse performance as you had on your Nexus 5. I would say before you buy one of these brands, stick to your old Nexus 5.
If you want a good quality phone with optimized Android Rom on it, that offers good performance with a pretty good camera.
Get one of the following barnds only!
Oppo
Huawei
Xiaomi
Meizu
What is your budged btw? If a good camera is important to you, really stay away of not optimized Anrdoid!
All other small Chinese brands, put truly crappy not optimized Android on their devices!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info, I'm looking at about $200 - $250 Max.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Spardha said:
Thanks for the info, I'm looking at about $200 - $250 Max.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a good price range, to start from.
You could check out the best prices if you want to at: kimovil . com
within this price range you could get, all of the following are dual sim:
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 (only oppomart has it in stock right now) ~150$
Xaomi Mi4i ~220$
Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML ~200$
Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML ~260$
Meizu M2 Note 16GB ~150$
Huawei P8 Lite ~250$
I didn't list the following brand, but it's still a decent device:
Jiayu S3 (3GB version) ~180$
ZTE Nubia Z9 mini ~250$
The listed phones are just examples. All of them have their own downs and ups.
Meizu and Xiaomi are heavy skinned Android phones, they might remind you to iOS. I love my Xiaomi Mi4i, but it´s not for everyone.
I do assume that after using the true stock Android of your Nexus 5, you might want to stick to a phone that gets at least to close to stock Android.
So if you want the normal Android, you would have to go for the Asus Zenfone or the Huawei P8 Lite.
The Asus is more powerful but might not get an update, because it features an Intel SoC. The Huawei on the other hand has a weak SoC compared to the ASUS Zenfone 2.
It comes down to what you prefer, what would you use the phone for?
Do you want stock Android, do you want a phone that is at least as good as your Nexus 5 is, or are you willing to compromise just to have dual sim phone?
Within the price range of 200$ to 250$ there is a lot of good stuff to choose from.
That's some great info, thanks for taking the time to help me out. I was hoping someone in the know would be able to shed some light on this for me. I've been looking for a few weeks.
The idea is to replace my current personnel Nexus 5 and works Windows Lumia 635 (Rubbish), so thats what the Dual Sim is needed for. Then I like to use it to take photos on when I'm out with family and travelling for work, Im reasonably satisfied with the Nexus's camera so I'm not looking for a DSLR replacement but something competent. Then when I travel I use it for GPS to get around in Europe and the US. Next is to play music in the car so expandable storage for music and apps. 4G connectivity. Then for work emails etc. i think thats it really.
regarding good GPS signal you would have to stay to Qualcomm or Intel SoC's, those devices paired with a good brand are a save call.
For what you do the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 16GB chinese Version with dual sim and micro SD Card should be good enough. It's a big 5.5 inch phone.
It has the MIUI7 on it, it will be a completely different Android experience. There are no reviews about the GPS quality and the phone uses a fast MTK SoC, it is hard to say how good it is, usually Xiaomi places really good antennas in their phone, but as of now there is no review of it.
The battery is average ~3000mhA thing, paired with the Octa Core it will last for a day and maybe a bit more, should be better than the Nexus 5.
Advantage: it's cheap, it's Xiaomi so great quality with great support.
Downside: it has MIUI7 on it a very heavy Android modification.
You could get it for about 150$ from many different pages or straight from oppomart a bit more expensive.
The Asus Zenfone both version the 2GB/4GB is really good specification wise. The 4GB Ram version is just overkill, in my opinion.
The build quality is good, the performance is great. The only downside would be the battery life and the camera, neither is horrible bad.
GPS should be fine.
You could get the 2GB Version from pandawill for 210$ and the 4GB is at gerabest for 240$
Worth mentioning, not all dual sim phones support the full speed on both slots, as of now only the Xiaomi Mi4i has 4G net on both sim card slots!
The Redmi Note 2 and the Asus Zenfone 2 are 5.5" devices
If you want a pretty nice powerful device without a micro SD card extension, at 5" you could consider to get the Xiaomi Mi4i, the only downside of it is that a optical camera stabilization is missing. I don't see this as a problem, as I do make loads of pictures and it rarely bothers me, but it is worth to be mentioned.
I'm pretty sure i looked at the Redmi Note 2 previously, but didn't think it support expandable storage so dismissed it.
I understand most only support 4G on 1 sim this is fine. Also the size of 5.5 although is a little bigger than the Nexus I'm fine with it but would be the limit.
I also looked at the Zenphone but the camera put me off.
Spardha said:
I'm pretty sure i looked at the Redmi Note 2 previously, but didn't think it support expandable storage so dismissed it.
I understand most only support 4G on 1 sim this is fine. Also the size of 5.5 although is a little bigger than the Nexus I'm fine with it but would be the limit.
I also looked at the Zenphone but the camera put me off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Chinese 16GB Version has a microSD extension slot you just have to find one. I read on gearbest that they sell this version with 16GB and microSD slot, but it's hard to say if they provide the right information.
If you don't need the extra performance, the Zenfone might be the wrong phone.
You could also consider the Jiayu S3 3GB Version (or Jiayu S3 Advanced), some people like the phone! It is available for about 180$
It's a really good all-rounder with amazing GPS and a pretty good camera
Search on youtube for a review of the Jiayu S3 by ITXtutor, it should cover all you want to know about the phone.
If i could push the budget to $300 what could you recommend? Im from the UK too.
Meizu MX5? Just found out no SD and the 32gb is closer to $400..
Spardha said:
If i could push the budget to $300 what could you recommend? Im from the UK too.
Meizu MX5? Just found out no SD and the 32gb is closer to $400..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha yeah I would have recommended the MX5, I had the MX4 Pro for a bit and that was an awesome phone! But yeah the 32GB Version retails for about 390$
The Lenovo Vibe Shot Z90, has only a SD 615, an awesome camera dual Sim and a SD Card Slot. the 32GB is around 300$.
At leats in my Xiaomi Mi4i I have no trouble with this SoC, in daily use it doesn't get hot or anything, I am not a gamer so it's a great SoC for my needs.
The Huawei P8 Lite ships with the same SoC for 240$, it's worth a thought too. I would probably go for this one. The only downside I know about is the screen brightness, it could be better and I am not sure if it has Android 5 by now.
TheUltrametricSpace said:
Haha yeah I would have recommended the MX5, I had the MX4 Pro for a bit and that was an awesome phone! But yeah the 32GB Version retails for about 390$
The Lenovo Vibe Shot Z90, has only a SD 615, an awesome camera dual Sim and a SD Card Slot. the 32GB is around 300$.
At leats in my Xiaomi Mi4i I have no trouble with this SoC, in daily use it doesn't get hot or anything, I am not a gamer so it's a great SoC for my needs.
The Huawei P8 Lite ships with the same SoC for 240$, it's worth a thought too. I would probably go for this one. The only downside I know about is the screen brightness, it could be better and I am not sure if it has Android 5 by now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you recommend where to purchase the Lenovo Vibe from? its not on oppomart.
Ive been looking at the one+two and i think that is the phone i really want.. the OS is more what I'm used to the hardware is up there, the only downside i can see would be the price for the 64gb model. Im going to see if I can purchase via my work and if need be pay some towards it.
Spardha said:
Ive been looking at the one+two and i think that is the phone i really want.. the OS is more what I'm used to the hardware is up there, the only downside i can see would be the price for the 64gb model. Im going to see if I can purchase via my work and if need be pay some towards it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes that is the best thing to do!
There are two version of the Vibe Shot the Z90-3 and Z90-7, the -7 is more expensive, but supports the right bands to be used outside of japan/china!
aliexpress would have the Z90-7 for 330$, but it's always a bit risky to buy from aliexpress
TheUltrametricSpace said:
regarding good GPS signal you would have to stay to Qualcomm or Intel SoC's, those devices paired with a good brand are a save call.
For what you do the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 16GB chinese Version with dual sim and micro SD Card should be good enough. It's a big 5.5 inch phone.
It has the MIUI7 on it, it will be a completely different Android experience. There are no reviews about the GPS quality and the phone uses a fast MTK SoC, it is hard to say how good it is, usually Xiaomi places really good antennas in their phone, but as of now there is no review of it.
The battery is average ~3000mhA thing, paired with the Octa Core it will last for a day and maybe a bit more, should be better than the Nexus 5.
Advantage: it's cheap, it's Xiaomi so great quality with great support.
Downside: it has MIUI7 on it a very heavy Android modification.
You could get it for about 150$ from many different pages or straight from oppomart a bit more expensive.
The Asus Zenfone both version the 2GB/4GB is really good specification wise. The 4GB Ram version is just overkill, in my opinion.
The build quality is good, the performance is great. The only downside would be the battery life and the camera, neither is horrible bad.
GPS should be fine.
You could get the 2GB Version from pandawill for 210$ and the 4GB is at gerabest for 240$
Worth mentioning, not all dual sim phones support the full speed on both slots, as of now only the Xiaomi Mi4i has 4G net on both sim card slots!
The Redmi Note 2 and the Asus Zenfone 2 are 5.5" devices
If you want a pretty nice powerful device without a micro SD card extension, at 5" you could consider to get the Xiaomi Mi4i, the only downside of it is that a optical camera stabilization is missing. I don't see this as a problem, as I do make loads of pictures and it rarely bothers me, but it is worth to be mentioned.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can I access google play/google services on this phone if I purchase and use it in China?
I know my GF's phone cannot install google play store app (Huawei Ascend Y511).
NapoleonWilson said:
Can I access google play/google services on this phone if I purchase and use it in China?
I know my GF's phone cannot install google play store app (Huawei Ascend Y511).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes there are a lot of threads about this topic in the official Xiaomi MIUI Forum. Link: en.miui.com
Have a look there and you will find all you need to know
If they release the device globally or in India, it will get a ROM with google installed per default. Xiaomi makes no difference between their devices.
Rom download page: http://en.miui.com/download
Like I have the Indian/global version of the Xiaomi Mi4i and can install the official Chinese ROM or the global ROM, as I like.
Would you recommend any 5inch phones in the $150 dollar region?
5.5 is just a little too big for me.
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?
I don't really don't want to spend more than $400, ($600 if it can really deliver).
I need:
Headphone Jack
Micro SD slot (or it will have to have 512gb or 1Tb models available [probably more than $600])
6-8gb RAM
OLED
Decent battery
Android 9
A decent radio would nice, maybe a must, something with good reception, but, from what i can tell mid rang phones skimp on radio quality.
My OnePlusX has all of this minus the 6gb of RAM but, ever since updating to android 9 it's been acting like hardware failure or like there is moisture the main board, GPS not updating/working, No notifications when i get texts etc etc (all worked at first after initial upgrade) One plus sells nothing over 256gb.
You should try the Xiaomi Mi 9.
Somethings it has going for it:
6gb Ram
Snapdragon 855
Android 9
super AMOLED screen
3300 mAh battery.
seems to check all of your requirements. I think B&H photo has it at $419. It's even dual sim. I currently have around 4-5 android phones because of work reasons. Xiaomi phones have always been my goto because of the build quality and it not slowing down after long term use.
cdoublejj said:
I don't really don't want to spend more than $400, ($600 if it can really deliver).
I need:
Headphone Jack
Micro SD slot (or it will have to have 512gb or 1Tb models available [probably more than $600])
6-8gb RAM
OLED
Decent battery
Android 9
A decent radio would nice, maybe a must, something with good reception, but, from what i can tell mid rang phones skimp on radio quality.
My OnePlusX has all of this minus the 6gb of RAM but, ever since updating to android 9 it's been acting like hardware failure or like there is moisture the main board, GPS not updating/working, No notifications when i get texts etc etc (all worked at first after initial upgrade) One plus sells nothing over 256gb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
colew said:
You should try the Xiaomi Mi 9.
Somethings it has going for it:
6gb Ram
Snapdragon 855
Android 9
super AMOLED screen
3300 mAh battery.
seems to check all of your requirements. I think B&H photo has it at $419. It's even dual sim. I currently have around 4-5 android phones because of work reasons. Xiaomi phones have always been my goto because of the build quality and it not slowing down after long term use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1620179
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1846277
WHello colleagues I am thinking of changing my phone I want to buy a note 20 ultra or S21 Ultra I do not know which one to choose on the one hand as a note appeals to me by the SD card reader S21 Ultra Unfortunately there is no Sd reader But it has a newer processor than Note I don't know which one to choose Maybe you can help me
The process speeds will have minimal difference that you'll notice. It's more about how and what you want to use your phone. If you use the SD card, that could be important. The Note 20 Ultra is the last phone to have the MST (magnetic secure transmission) which allows one to use the phone with card readers that do not NFC. It simulates the magnetic swipe. It works pretty well. Obviously, the S21 will have an extra year of updates. The MST isn't talked about much because most people are either using NFC--phone or smartwatch--or the actual cards.
The new chips could be considered since in theory, they should be more power-efficient. Then again, they also have displays with high refresh rates.
Personally, I'm holding off on upgrading. I don't like the removal of the SD card. I want the MST back. The camera and software upgrades are not enough. The Note 20 Ultra does more than I need it to. I wish I had the version with the larger storage. I wish I could transfer more apps to the SD card, but Google screw that when they changed the Andriod structure changed about five or so years ago. It would be nice to bring back the IR blaster, but that was probably very limited in use. The few things the newer phones have is very minimal and not a must-have for me.