In May this year my current contract with O2 finished and rather than going out to get a new phone straight away and start a new one I thought I would wait for the Iphone 5 to be released and then make a decision. I am currently using the old Iphone 3 and to be honest it has done everything I have wanted from a phone to do and have loved some of the games on it which has been a major sticking point for me over the last 24 months.
There are some things I hate about it like the camera is rubbish, the disk space can hold very few films or parts in a series for when away from home and the battery life is a joke.
I will be honest and say I know very little about mobile phones and it is an area of technology that really does not make me excited about it which is probably why I have enjoyed the phone I currently have. This having been said I am also open to change and am aware of how greedy money loving Apple is but then this could be said for all tech companies.
I wold like some advice on what I should look into as a replacement and if the new Iphone is worth getting or switching to a new brand.
Constructive advice rather than just saying Apple is evil would be helpful plus any useful links to see a review or vid etc...
Cheers all and thanks in advance.
I have recently purchased a Samsung Galaxy 3. I thought long and hard before purchasing it as i could just have easily waited for a iPhone 5 or gone for a iPhone 4s.
I am glad i went for the Samsung due to the fact it has expandable data storage, its standard built in memory stores 16gb and can take a additional 64gb micro sd giving 80gb in total (which i think is insane for a phone). I have 4 full HD box-set's & 20+ HD films currently on there with loads of space remaining. And you can easily remove the back and replace the battery!!
The market place for Android devices are expanding greatly and has a huge selection of games & applications. The only draw back i have had with the phone is connecting it to my mac it isn't as easy as connecting it to a pc. And the battery gets drained, but you can turn on its power saving mode which helps a lot, but get ready to charge it every night or get a spare battery (which i have).
But if you already have everything on iTunes and don't want to work on having to start again this may not be a logical decision.
Remember to go through topcashback.com as you can usually get £100+ back on specific contacts, i got £130!
I'd consider a move to Android if I were you.
1. Android contracts are generally much cheaper, especially if you haggle with your provider ("I'm going to leave" etc etc).
2. The scope for customisation is almost limitless on Android - you can get more out of your phone.
3. You get to escape from iTunes. No more 'syncing'.
4. Upgradeable storage via memory card.
There are plenty of other reasons, but they're the main ones in my head.
Not all android phones got expandable storage or removable batteries tho, but thats the only thing that bugs me about my HTC One X, and its not even that big of a problem to me atleast.
But if you want a new phone with all that and willing to wait the Samsung Galaxy S4 is coming out early 2013.
S3 for the win mate I have told you this a million times:)
Quote from: Tanales;358515Not all android phones got expandable storage or removable batteries tho, but thats the only thing that bugs me about my HTC One X, and its not even that big of a problem to me atleast.
But if you want a new phone with all that and willing to wait the Samsung Galaxy S4 is coming out early 2013.
The reason I went with the S3 was the removable battery and expandable memory. Neither of which are available on the One X. My past 3 phones were HTC so I was sad to part ways, but I'm not so loyal I'd put up with a fixed battery.
If I go away on a train etc there aren't always places for me to charge the phone, and with my old phone if I played games or watched videos solidly (on a train there's little else to do) I could be running out of battery by the end of the day. I have to say I only changed out the battery about 4 times in the 18 months I owned my old phone, but when I did it was a lifesaver, I tried portable chargers etc and having something plugged in for a couple of hours made the phone awkward so that is a big plus for me (although I can see why it wouldn't be for others).
Having made the switch from HTC to Samsung I have to say I've both impressed and disappointed. Going backwards in a number of ways such as having a hardware home button and going from Sense UI (which was excellent) to Touchwiz (which is shocking) have been the biggest disappointments. Countering those are the screen, having extra screen real estate is fantastic, I use my phone far more than before, even watching videos is worthwhile, and as with my jump from 3.6->4" I can't see myself having a screen much smaller. As well as that the performance is great, everything is smooth and fast, something that was not always the case with my old phone, and jelly bean is due next month promising to bring more performance gains and retake the top spot in benchmarks (which appears to have been taken by the iPhone 5 if leaked benchmarks are to be believed in both cases).
The volume of sound when playing music is great (though I rarely play music without headphones it's nice to know I can). The camera quality is great and with built in features like panorama it beats the current iPhone (though apparently the new one will have something similar). Other important things, it easily fits in my pocket, it could be about 20% bigger before it got hard to handle. It's futureproof with features like wireless charging (official versions coming next month) and NFC for sharing with friends or changing setting (I think the ultimate aim is to put your phone on your wireless charging pad and having it know by NFC what mode to switch to, but it's not mainstream yet).
I'd recommend the phone over anything that's out currently, but if you can hold off I'd check out the new range of Windows 8 phones on the horizon as I think they'll be a game changer, killer touchscreen on the Lumia 920 paired with a game changing camera and wireless charger it could be the most revolutionary phone since the iPhone 3G (I don't count the original iPhone since it lacked so many essential features).
As for the iPhone 5, I'd steer clear of that for a few reasons. Firstly the price, it's £100-200 more expensive on contract than the S3 from an overview on contracts I saw. Hardware wise it's reminiscent of the original iPhone missing a lot of features competing phones already have that will obviously turn up in 12 months time, that would annoy me if I'm locked into a 2 year contract.
TL:DR Version: Galaxy S3 is the best android phone, Lumia 920 looks to be the best phone on the horizon (despite not having removable battery) and now would be a good time to get a iPhone 4S second hand if you want a "cheap" alternative to the above.
Sorry for the double post. But I just found this:
http://conversations.nokia.com/2012/09/20/benchmarking-mobile-maps/
Obviously it's stacked in favour of Nokia because they made it, and having SatNav for a country can be very different to having GOOD SatNav for a country. But the thing that caught my eye is offline SatNav (implied by the text at the end although never explicitly stated). It's a feature that is lacking from other phones which annoyed me when I was driving in Paris, going back to having someone read a map (albeit pre-cached on my phone) is very different to turn by turn navigation.
I hope this feature comes to Android soon.
i have also just updated, i had a desire and i thought id get the HTC one x...big mistake, luckily skodafone do a 7 day no quibble return cause the screen has a white smudge in the middle on black pics and was easy to distort by holding the phone, so i got a 32gig s3.... 2 words just awesome
things i like
1 the screen is so much better than the one x and the iphone 4s that a friend has.
2. upgradeable to 96 gig total with micro sd
3. battery in power save mode has lasted 3 days with regular usage and with only using mobile internet when i wanted.
4. the flip case i bought is awesome, offical samsung part from ebay for £8 http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en&rlz=1C1CHFX_en-GBGB437GB437&q=samsung+flip+case+blue&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&biw=1680&bih=959&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=1712375569418680183&sa=X&ei=WURbUKWoKMTI0QWF8oCABg&ved=0CEYQ8wIwAg
5. so quick
ill post more after tea ;-)
Quote from: BrotherTobious;358527S3 for the win mate I have told you this a million times:)
I've looked at the S3 and it's as big as a brick.
apples ios6 bugs already... looked at my itouch and the town is a green smudge..looks good on my s3 though
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19659736
Quote from: Ninja_Freak;358693I've looked at the S3 and it's as big as a brick.
God your house is built on very thin bricks. And let's face it if it is built by apple it the same level a duplo
Quote from: BrotherTobious;358713God your house is built on very thin bricks. And let's face it if it is built by apple it the same level a duplo
Your momma.
why you bringing her in to this she doesn't have a iPhone
She has duplo? :blink:
Quote from: TeaLeaf;358738She has duplo? :blink:
:roflmao::roflmao: Thanks for that TL I really did laugh out loud.
Thanks for all the helpful tips and advice so far chaps and please try and keep this sensible rather than just an Iphone bashing.
Everyone seems to be suggesting GS3 as possibly the best thing out on the market at the moment but I do like and agree with Ninja's comment in that it is pretty big for a phone. It is one of the things that is making me think hard before rushing out and getting one. Also the size of it will in theory increase the weight of it and when at the office etc it wont be a problem but what if say at a weekend festival or day out in London etc does it become a bit of a pain having something as big and heavy in the pocket?
Also Tanales mentioned the S4 early next year, does this look likely to be a big increase in performance and worth waiting for release? I do want a new phone and been waiting 5 months for the new Iphone but waiting another 5-6 might be a challenge.
Having a big screen to watch films on is also not a high priority for me as would much rather use a normal tv or laptop or possibly in the future a pad / tablet. Having a big action film on a 4" screen seems a bit silly.
Your here is what they weight mate there is nothing in it as the s3 weight in at 133g Iphone 4s comes in at 137g.
Ya beat me to it, I was about to post they are practically identical from a weight perspective. According to those owners I have spoken to, the S3 size is something that relatively quickly feels natural and not over-sized. It also makes web or video viewing way easier and far more enjoyable.
Reagrds S4: the S5 will be out in 2014, so why not wait for that? :p
Seriously though, buy what you want now, anything will be bettered by something else in a a year's time, so don't worry about it. I'd also be surprised if the S4 was early 2013; summer or autumn is more likely in my opinion.
My colleague has an S3. It's big, but thin and very light.
Nobody knows when the S4 will be launched (if it even exists), it's all guesses and rumour at this point. I can't see Samsung launching anything better than the S3 for at least a year.
I'm starting to look in to the S3 a bit since my htc desire is sort of packing up and from what I've seen so far it seems like a very good phone (not getting ifonie5!)
As a very happy S2 user I will obviously be looking to the S3 when my renewal is due in a couple of months but I'm also keeping my eye on both the HTC One X+ and the newly announced LG Optimus G (http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/19/lg-optimus-g-hands-on-redux-video/).
Quote from: Gortex;358745Having a big screen to watch films on is also not a high priority for me as would much rather use a normal tv or laptop or possibly in the future a pad / tablet. Having a big action film on a 4" screen seems a bit silly.
I thought, why go bigger when I had a 3.6" phone a few years back. I had the HTC hero and thought, it's big enough. Then I got the HTC Incredible S with a 4" screen and it made such a difference. It's not about movies, or TV shows etc. It's nice to be able to and I sometimes use it in place of my 10" tablet, but it's more about general use. You can get more website, more text message, more keyboard and more facebook on the screen. Same reason people go for 30" monitors, I don't know anyone with a 15" anymore. 17" monitors to me are like the old 3.6" screens, they still work, but I wouldn't buy one anymore.
4.8" sounds unimaginably big, but once I realised it fit in my pocket and I barely noticed it was there then the size isn't much of an issue. Then it's about holding the thing, and that's easy enough one handed except the odd game where lunging a thumb from one corner to the other makes the grip feel less secure than I'd like. If I'm texting I'm generally using two hands which makes everything even easier and texting is as fast as ever (once I put the swiftkey keyboard on - it's the one I'm most used to).
Having dropped it on it's screen a few times I have to say it doesn't have a scratch on it. Not that the drops were deliberate but it's nice it can take a concrete floor or two because all my phones get tend to get dropped at least once a month. Not intentional, typically forget it's on my lap or trip over the charger (surprisingly not once broken a phone...).
I stand corrected. The Galaxy S4 is to be launched at the Mobile World Congress in February 2013. Allegedly.
http://hexus.net/mobile/news/android/45289-samsung-push-galaxy-s-iv-doors-february/
about to upgrade from iphone 4 either iphone 5 or s3?
Quote from: TeaLeaf;358776I stand corrected. The Galaxy S4 is to be launched at the Mobile World Congress in February 2013. Allegedly.
http://hexus.net/mobile/news/android/45289-samsung-push-galaxy-s-iv-doors-february/
As was the s3 but there was a few months before you could but one I seen to remember
my upgrade is due in a couple of weeks.
I currently have an iphone which, shock horror, I like. Part of the reason I have stuck with them as I have quite a lot of related infrastructure which would be costly to replace (apps, various chargers, in-car adapters, docks etc). Given the new iPhone has a new dock connector it's a good time to consider alternatives.
If someone was going to give a shortlist of three phones to compare what would you choose? I'm not particularly interested in hacking, rooting or modding it but want something off the shelf which I need to do little more to than update.
Any thoughts?
Thanks
edit: My main uses are phone, email, sat nav and audible
Samsung S3, nexus 4 the new motarolla razer, been getting good reviews.
And then the lumina windows phone but I never used one but a friend loves his. I
Agree with Toby. However think about a Nexus 4 and SIM only deal as it might be cheaper than a contract?
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Quote from: smilodon;362186Agree with Toby. However think about a Nexus 4 and SIM only deal as it might be cheaper than a contract?
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Yeah get the sim free one and then on to gif gaf
My next phone will be Sim Free. New features are mostly software these days. Even ones designed to set the phone apart like Siri, Panoramic photos or photo spheres are all software. If you can update your OS, which I did on my S3 almost trivially, then you can have the latest and greatest features on almost any phone. I got Google now (Essentially Siri for google*) by updating my phone OS. In principle the Nexus phones should always run the latest versions via OTA updates** so you should have all the latest gear without having to manually.
My suggestion would be just stick with the Iphone 4 for now and enjoy the lower contract fees. Something sim free will come out before too many months that'll be just what you were looking for. Now high quality phones*** are going to have to compete with a £240 competitor with the same specs I imagine they'll be plenty of options in the sub £300 market, and that's the point where contracts don't make much sense, well not since they've gone to a 18-24 month business model.
*Yes google did voice for phones years before Siri, but it was also almost entirely useless until google now came out.
** Earlier Nexus phones have already started to have their support dropped, looks like about 2 years is the limit, but I can see this lengthening because the CPUs and GPUs are far more capable these days than early phones.
***Ones which specification wise rival the leading phones
Thanks. So is giff gaff any good? I thought some people here (Oldie?) had moved away from it as they had problems?
Not sure if Oldie actually signed a deal with them. I have a Giff Gaff sim card in my spare phone but don't have much experience of using it.
They have a busy forum with plenty of chat about reliability etc. so that might be worth a visit.
The network is on O2 but they look after their own sales, web site, top up service etc which I have heard is a bit flakey and maybe not suitable for a work phone?
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I left GiffGaff about a year ago becuase I wanted to sign up to a better deal on Virgin mobile but never had any problems with GaffGaff, very realiable, good customer service (via forums) and more importantly very cheap.
I have moved to Giffgaff and, so far, I'm pretty much happy with what I've got.