happy happy new phone time...maybe!

[TdC]

'sup brahs. I'm finally in the market for a new mobile phone as my contract with the shitpail that is vodaphone is finally up. I know I've posted in some phone threads but please refresh me in the mean time on what is out there re new things, cos I am clueless with smartphones on a par with @Trem playing with powertools pretending to do DIY.

reqs: MUST do 4G properly. MUST NOT be an Apple product. I don't call a lot, or even at all, I just use it for mobile data. Also, I live in the NL if that means anything in phoneland.
To compare: I currently have an HTC One and am basically happy with it, other than the battery being empty within a day if actually used.

me thinkies that September is the month for new phonage releases, so clue me in please chums!

 

[Syri]

The Sony Z3 is looking pretty good for battery life, and has a decent (20mp compact camera size sensor) camera too. The HTC One M8 is pretty much more of the same, spec bumped HTC One with the same camera but some depth perception trick. Samsung just introduced the Note 4 if you want something absolutely massive, but the s-pen system is great for scribbling, if a bit of a gimmick. And there's the LG G3, which has a QHD screen, like the Note 4, but in a slightly smaller body.
That's pretty much the major flagship ones. Personally I like the look of the Z3, mostly as I've been happy with my Z1 and that looks to have fixed pretty much every downside of the Z1 apart from the possibility of scratches. I also get decent battery life (1-2 days) and the camera is good for a phone cam. All of them have their merits though, depending what you want out of it.

 

[Ch3tan]

New nexus coming soon, wait for that then compare.

 

[Trem]

Yep what @Ch3tan says or the LG G3, I am a massive LG phone fan after having the Nexus 4 then 5. Not missed a beat. Samsung and HTC can fuck right off

(who is making the new Nexus?)

 

[PLightstar]

Have had my One M8 for about 2 months now and loving it. In certain lights the camera isn't best on auto and you have to adjust it. Battery life is around 2 days with moderate use. Like the fact HTC have put a Mirco SD Card slot in. I missed having one in my One X.

 

[Trem]

'cos I am clueless with smartphones on a par with @Trem playing with powertools pretending to do DIY.

Oh and FO

Samm needs to do another thread on here to say just how awesome I really am at DIY, dozy bag has ruined my reputation with that thread she did all those years ago, I am basically borderline Handy Andy, yes there may be many injuries and most DIY I do gets covered in blood but apart from that it is all good. I damage myself in everything I do

 

[gmloki]

I got two new phones recently Samsung Galaxy S5 for a contract upgrade (personal) and Sony Xperia Z1 Compact (for work). Being honest the S5 is not a massive step up from the S2 and I wish I would have gone for the Note now. Battery life is still wank and its blighted with a lot of Samsung bloat ware so be prepared to root if you want better battery life. Z1 Compact on the other hand, cannot praise enough. Although it's small, it's snappy, camera is very high quality and the battery life is outstanding. I tethered via wireless while I was away last weekend for a 90 minute footy match. Prob used 5% battery. Having had the S5, its nothing that you think WOW, on the other hand the Z1 Compact, I was more than satisfied with

Maybe a few to consider outside the standard brands are Xiamoi Mi 3 If you have not heard of Xiamoi, search for redrice. Cracking phone, my boss has one. I had some colleagues over from Taipei a few weeks back and they had the Asus Zenfone 5 Now that was a tidy piece of kit

 

[caLLous]

 

[TdC]

pretty! what am I looking at?

 

[caLLous]

The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge. It's very new (as in, just announced) so there's likely going to be improvements down the line but it looks great imo. Especially with the more metally construction of the new Note. It's also interesting that they've dropped USB 3.0 on the newer models.

 

[TdC]

how do you hold it without pressing the buttons on the side?

 

[caLLous]

I... I... Be right handed and hold it with your left hand.

 

[caLLous]

It's certainly the most novel use of a curved display I've seen so far though. It will take them time to make proper use of the side bit but I likes it I do.

 

[DaGaffer]

I... I... Be right handed and hold it with your left hand.

Rightist bastards. To the Leftorium!

 

[TdC]

it would have been *really* cool if the phone would have no top/bottom bias, and would switch sides/handedness entirely if you flipped it over.


oooh oooh *patents idea*

 

[caLLous]

Well that would involve two home buttons, 2 sets of soft buttons (menu and back), AND a mic and speaker at each end. It's much cheaper to eradicate sinister lefties. There, I said it.

I *guess* they could have all soft buttons so it would flip as you oriented it but you would still need to have a mic and speaker at each end which would doubltess add bulk and extra sensors and whatnot required to figure out which ones to turn on or off.

Cheaper to get rid of lefties.

 

[TdC]

a mate was going on on FB about how the NL travel pass gates in stations are rightie oriented. I typed "amazing that a leftie escaped the camps long enough to post on facebook, replace all the guards immediately!" but wussed out and didn't do it

 

[Ch3tan]

The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge. It's very new (as in, just announced) so there's likely going to be improvements down the line but it looks great imo. Especially with the more metally construction of the new Note. It's also interesting that they've dropped USB 3.0 on the newer models.

so they've dropped a standard format.... oh yay, apple 2.0

 

[caLLous]

Um, it's still a standard format (an even more standard format actually), it's just USB 2 instead of USB 3. They said that hardly anyone was using USB 3 for transferring files (it is a bit of a faff) so they could put the internal space to better use. They still reckon it charges as fast though.

 

[Trem]

It looks lovely that's for sure, unfortunately it is made by Samsung so will need to be rooted immediately to remove all of their installed AIDS.

 

[Syri]

Well that would involve two home buttons, 2 sets of soft buttons (menu and back), AND a mic and speaker at each end. It's much cheaper to eradicate sinister lefties. There, I said it.

I *guess* they could have all soft buttons so it would flip as you oriented it but you would still need to have a mic and speaker at each end which would doubltess add bulk and extra sensors and whatnot required to figure out which ones to turn on or off.

Cheaper to get rid of lefties.

Stereo speakers, and a mic top and bottom. whichever mic isn't being used for voice gets used for noise reduction. That way you have a speaker and mic both sides, without upsetting the balance. Of course, Samsung would need to let the home button go for that to happen, as that would really look a mess if duplicated, but the speaker and mic thing could work.

 

[caLLous]

It's funny that the biggest barrier to making it work is the mic and speaker(s). Y'know, just those bits that let you make phone calls with it.

 

[caLLous]

It looks lovely that's for sure, unfortunately it is made by Samsung so will need to be rooted immediately to remove all of their installed AIDS.

It's getting better, that's for sure. I think when Samsung and Google signed that alliance thing in January one of the conditions was that Samsung has to tone down all the TouchWiz shite and make it more in line with normal Android.

 

[Trem]

It's getting better, that's for sure. I think when Samsung and Google signed that alliance thing in January one of the conditions was that Samsung has to tone down all the TouchWiz shite and make it more in line with normal Android.

I had to use my old Galaxy S2 the other day while I was waiting for a number to port over and it was ghastly, really could not use it. So I decided to root it for old times sake and put CM 11 on it. Wow, I could use it as an everyday phone now. It is such a shame because Samsung stuff used to be really good but I think the success they had with the S2/S3 made them a little bit lazy. But if like you said Cally they are toning down their bloat AIDS things could be looking up for them.

I will only ever go for Nexus stuff from now on if possible, I have just rooted my Nexus 5 but only *just* and that was only because I couldn't get an led manager program to work consistently (and also because I was bored and because I got the bug after doing the S2).

 

[Ch3tan]

Um, it's still a standard format (an even more standard format actually), it's just USB 2 instead of USB 3. They said that hardly anyone was using USB 3 for transferring files (it is a bit of a faff) so they could put the internal space to better use. They still reckon it charges as fast though.

what a load of old crap, they've for cheaper option then.

 

[Ch3tan]

Oh dear callous, you've turned into bodhi for samsung.

 

[caLLous]

Don't be retarded. If people weren't using USB 3 for file transfers and Samsung could save space (and repurpose said space for something else) why would they persevere with it? They tried something that nobody else was trying, it didn't work, and they've fallen back to USB 2. I love the speed with which my Note 3 charges but I barely ever use USB 3 for file transfers because there's some issue with interference or something and you have to plug the phone in and then go into the menu and enable USB 3 otherwise it will go at USB 2 speeds anyway.

 

[gunner440]

IPHONE 6 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ECA]

 

[Lamp]

I am still using my Samsung Galaxy S2 (rooted) and asan ordinary phone it does pretty much everything I need. But I will be upgrading. Options:

1. Samsung Galaxy Note 4. A beast with a stylus.
2. Sony Xperia Z3. Looks nice. Amazing camera.
3. Google Nexus 6. Not much known yet.

If HTC can bring out a phone like the One but with a good camera (none of that ultrapixel technology crud), I'll get that.