Phones Phone renewal time - opinions & experiences please

[babs]

That special time every couple of years is here again next month, when I get to renew my contract and get a new handset. But what to get??

Last time I went for the HTC One X, which has been brilliant. They may not be the fastest with updates, but it's a good phone.

This time I'm looking around and very undecided. My options so far:

Google Nexus 5 - I really really like the look of this one.

Sony - I know the Z2 is due any time, but from using my wife's Z1 I'm not overly struck on them. Camera is meant to be awesome though.

Samsung - S phones do nothing for me, and I really don't like touchwiz.

LG - been tempted by a huge phone, and the G Pro 2 looks like a good option.

HTC - I know the next One is due, but would want to see it first.

Apple - not a chance. I hate using them, always feels like a big step backwards.

So, anything else I should consider? Any particularly good or bad experiences of this lot? Ideally want something snappy, big screen and good battery. Probably Android too.

Cheers chums.

 

[Trem]

I love my Nexus 4 and I am pretty sure in future I will buy direct from Google and get a none (for the most part) bloatware phone. So, I would say the Nexus 5 or failing that the LG G2. One thing that concerns me on the Nexus 5 is the camera doesn't seem to of been upgraded much, still 8mp etc.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is meant to be getting revealed today, if they go with a better quality body (f'nar) rather than plastic that could be the winner.

Apple is riddled with AIDS, well, the hardware isn't but everything else is.

 

[babs]

I heard that too, the bad AIDS.

 

[Trem]

My razor just came you cow!

Will post pictures of my sliced up face later.

 

[Poag]

My renewal came up a week ago. I elected to keep my Nexus 4 and change from £38 pcm to £15, unlimited data, loads of minutes and SMS. Will put the extra £20 aside for something fun or a phone. Still save money in the long run doing it that way.

 

[Bigmac]

Nexus 5 is a good option at £240 at carphone warehouse.

 

[MYstIC G]

Nexus 5 is a good option at £240 at carphone warehouse.

Yeah, this. I'm still perfectly happy with the £350ish I paid for mine. The Moto G is now also circa £100 if you're on a budget. With Mobile World Congress on the horizon, now is the time to pick up a bargain handset.

 

[Raven]

Sony are generally piss poor compared to competition
Iphones are full of bad aids, as mentioned
Samsung S4 are nice phones but made of plastic, not the worst phone ever made but not as good as...
Nexus 5 - as good as the S4 but better made, was a 50/50 for me and wish I had gone for this.

 

[Krazeh]

Get a Lumia.

 

[Hawkwind]

My son has a lumina 720 he much prefers it to his old Apple 5, from what I have seen it is a nice phone. Fast and responsive, better than I thought a Win phone would be. Unfortunately I'm stuck with a BB Z10, company issue

 

[Trem]

But Windows phones, you know, see a video on Facebook. Click video on Facebook. Realise it won't play Flash. Launch at wall.

I loved my Windows phone for day to day use, texting, browsing, calling but the things it couldn't do drove me up the wall.

Nexus 5 all the way.........I may just buy one shortly.

 

[babs]

Annoying that I'll probably have to get it on contract to pay for it, especially when it's so cheap.

Still too rich for my poor, bumpkin blood

 

[Vae]

I'd second the Moto G if your phone demands aren't too great. If you want a bit more grunt and tech then the Nexus 5. Then switch to Giffgaff and pay £10 per month instead.

 

[Trem]

What Vae said is exactly what I am doing. Never again will I have a contract phone.

Buy it on credit babs you mincing great slag

 

[babs]

Only reason I have a contract at the moment is because my brother runs an O2 store, so I get a third off my contract, but he's got a new job now the selfish cow, so I might have to.

 

[Bodhi]

The Z2 looks to be a bit of a beast, so I'd probably go for that, although if I was paying for the phone upfront the Nexus 5 and Moto X would be worth a look too.

 

[Raven]

Score!

 

[Ch3tan]

Stick with your phone and get a bargain on your line rental.

 

[Krazeh]

But Windows phones, you know, see a video on Facebook. Click video on Facebook. Realise it won't play Flash. Launch at wall.

I loved my Windows phone for day to day use, texting, browsing, calling but the things it couldn't do drove me up the wall.

Have never had a problem watching videos from Facebook on my 925. Windows Phone 8.1 is due for release in the next few months as well which brings a fairly substantial number of improvements and new features.

 

[soze]

You are all retards the iPhone 5s is the best total package on the market!

But seeing as you are all scared of admitting you want one. The Nexus in terms of bang for buck is very hard to look past and Nexus really is the best way to enjoy Android. The build quality does feel a bit sub-par compared to the One which feels excellent and the Sony Z is a close second, but it feels better than the Samsungs which don't feel like they are worth the premium price tag. Figure out the cheapest contract you can afford see how much it will save you and see if buying the Nexus on an Interest Free Credit card leaves you better or worse off.

 

[Bodhi]

Score!

You are quite a sad and pathetic little man really aren't you, especially as I was suggesting some non-Xperia handsets as well. D'you think maybe, if you sort of, had some sex, you wouldn't be such an insufferable odious little turd?

Got to be worth a try.

 

[PLightstar]

My Contract is almost up on my One X as well. Loved the phone, apart from the battery drain when using google maps as a sat nav. Hopefully newer ones aren't as bad. Even with the Car Charger plugged in, it uses up more battery than is being charged. Anyone else had a good experience with Battery Life and Sat Nav apps?

 

[Scouse]

You are quite a sad and pathetic little man really aren't you, especially as I was suggesting some non-Xperia handsets as well. D'you think maybe, if you sort of, had some sex, you wouldn't be such an insufferable odious little turd?

Chill old bean. If you didn't react like this to every little sony diss then he wouldn't do it.

But it is funny tho

 

[Bodhi]

Chill old bean. If you didn't react like this to every little sony diss then he wouldn't do it.

But it is funny tho

If you'll notice I didn't react initially, I just said I'd have a Z2, and if not, here are a couple of other options. Not sure how that's a reaction.

The reaction was to his later comment, which was a bit crass, and in all honesty, just demonstrates why I hardly post here any more.

 

[Bodhi]

My Contract is almost up on my One X as well. Loved the phone, apart from the battery drain when using google maps as a sat nav. Hopefully newer ones aren't as bad. Even with the Car Charger plugged in, it uses up more battery than is being charged. Anyone else had a good experience with Battery Life and Sat Nav apps?

No problem with Google Nav and my Z, but then I did buy an industrial strength car charger from Brodit, which actually seems to charge it slightly quicker than a wall charger. No idea how it does it - witchcraft or something I expect, bloody impressive though

 

[Scouse]

The reaction was to his later comment, which was a bit crass, and in all honesty, just demonstrates why I hardly post here any more.

Come on Bodhi. It's just a bit of gentle ribbing.

You've a rep for being a bit of a sony fanboi, and people are teasing you about it (hence the score! comment). It doesn't mean they don't like you. If you didn't bite, they wouldn't fish.

Could be worse. People are openly hostile towards Job...

 

[leggy]

Odious little turd

Love you bodes

 

[Bodhi]

Come on Bodhi. It's just a bit of gentle ribbing.

You've a rep for being a bit of a sony fanboi, and people are teasing you about it (hence the score! comment). It doesn't mean they don't like you. If you didn't bite, they wouldn't fish.

Could be worse. People are openly hostile towards Job...

Aye totally agree, it just gets a bit monotonous from certain people with avian nicknames Just as monotonous as I'm sure you find the Sony love spewing from my keyboard.

Hugs and wubs to all. Even Raven. Although don't hug too tight, as you smell. Of wee. And AIDS.

 

[Embattle]

I bought the Nexus 5 when it came out even though I was only two thirds the way through my current contract., it has been my best phone so far and knowing it'll get upgrades a lot faster than my previous two HTC handsets is nice.

My renewal is next month but I've already told T Mobile I won't be renewing, I dealt with a nice lady but explained I had a number of reasons which included paying £20 extra for calling an 0871 number for an hour during one month, annoying marketing calls, call/texting issues in my home town for over a year which they now believe is someone using a reapter but still not found it, not providing the update to my mothers Sony phone, etc. She asked if I was interested in 4g and I stated not really since I don't do much than download emails etc when out plus the fact 4g is pointless due to data caps.

So next month I'll get my PAC code and use giffgaff to enable some flexibility in terms of what I need month by month and I'll buy phones outright for the time being if I feel the need to upgrade.

 

[Lamp]

Been looking for a while to replace my SGS2, still not seen anything I really like.

The LG G2 seems to me to be pretty impressive. If only it had the sound quality and design build of the HTC One, it would be perfect.

They pack so much power and features into phones these days and stick them in a plastic cheap case. Disappointing.