Smartphones

[westyfield]

Smartphones, eh? They seem nice.
What would you guys recommend? Ideally I'd like one with a half-decent camera, as my lack of a dedicated camera and the poor camera on my current phone (a Motorola SLVR, if you remember those) mean that I often end up in conversations like this:
Me: "... it was amazing."
Them: "Did you get a picture?"
Me: "No, I haven't got a camera."
Them: "What about on your phone?"
Me: *shows them my phone*
Them: *slowly backs away in disgust*

Suggestions would be most appreciated, thanks.

[CMaster]

Have you used (even briefly) anyone else's Android/iOS/Blackberry/Windows Phone based device? Which (if any) did you immediatley get along well with? How much moneyz do you have?

[airtekh]

The only smartphone that I know about is the one I own, a Samsung Galaxy Europa (Galaxy 5 in the US) running Android.

It's a decent enough phone for me, but unfortunately its camera is very average so I wouldn't recommend it if you want a good camera.

However, I hear that the Samsung Galaxy S (or Galaxy S2) is pretty good and has a very good camera. It's a bit pricey though.

[Kadayi]

I don't have a smart phone myself but I have been thinking of one and a tech friend of mine (it's his job) really rates the HTC Desire S, or Sensation. Pricy, but good all rounders apparently.

[westyfield]

Have you used (even briefly) anyone else's Android/iOS/Blackberry/Windows Phone based device? Which (if any) did you immediatley get along well with? How much moneyz do you have?

I've used an iPhone 4, 3GS and HTC Desire a few times, and they all felt good to me. I've also used a friend's Samsung (not sure which type - possibly a Wave), and the touchscreen was awful - I had to press very hard to get any response. I'm not very keen on iOS, I've heard that it can be quite limiting, but then Android may be exactly the same for all I know.

Money-wise, I'm not sure how much I can afford to spend - at the moment I'm still at the 'are there any smartphones that are worth my time' stage, rather than the 'I want to buy a smartphone now' stage.

[imirk]

Internets and google maps everywhere are deffinately worth my time, camera I couldn't care less about, you might think about buying used or factory refurbished if you can get a good deal.

[Rii]

Windows Phone 7 apparently allows one to do away with manufacturer/carrier/vendor-installed crud without rooting the phone as is required for Android-based phones. It's a factor I'll be considering for my next purchase a year or two down the track. The first Mango (7.5) phones should be hitting the streets shortly.

[Christian]

I've been using a Motorola Defy for a few months now and must say: great phone.
It's not too large (which most phones these days seem to be) and fits comfortably in a jeans pocket.
It's fairly quick and has a nice touchscreen.
It's waterproof (proven by putting it in a full glass of water and sinking it in a lake)
Battery is fine, with average usage (a bit surfing, a bit music, email push, some apps, some games, 20 sms, and about half an hour talking) it lasts about 30-something hours. Which is quite ok for a smartphone I guess.
Also, it's not that expensive, I paid about 230 € for it. And Motorola's support (at least here in Germany) is great and uncomplicated.

And the best thing: you can easily install CyanogenMod 7, which makes the phone a lot more enjoyable.
I've recommended this to two friends already, both are still happy.

[Jams O'Donnell]

I am interested in this thread too -- I'm thinking of getting a new phone, but because I so rarely use my current phone (maybe twice in the past year), I don't want to break the bank. I'd like to keep the contract price under £20/mo (and as close to £10/mo as possible). Also, since I use Virgin at home, it'd be nice to get a phone on a Virgin plan since that lets me phone home for free. I'd also like to use Android, so that limits me to:

HTC Desire S
HTC Wildfire S
Samsung Galaxy ACE (which is about to be banned in parts of the EU because of a patent dispute anyway)

Of the three, the Desire is the best, but also the most expensive. The Wildfire is totally in the right price range, but a bit on the pants side. I do not know what to do!

[Doodier]

Jams O'Donnell: I am owner of Galaxy ACE and I would NOT reccomend it to anyone. Its battery capacity is rather low (max 2 days if you use it), it is slow, sometimes it freezes (this may be problem of the Android version - it has 2.2 in my region) and the storage capacity is only 150 MB in the phone (you can upgrade via SD cards, but some applications require installation into phone).

[corbain]

I am interested in this thread too -- I'm thinking of getting a new phone, but because I so rarely use my current phone (maybe twice in the past year), I don't want to break the bank. I'd like to keep the contract price under £20/mo (and as close to £10/mo as possible). Also, since I use Virgin at home, it'd be nice to get a phone on a Virgin plan since that lets me phone home for free. I'd also like to use Android, so that limits me to:

HTC Desire S
HTC Wildfire S
Samsung Galaxy ACE (which is about to be banned in parts of the EU because of a patent dispute anyway)

Of the three, the Desire is the best, but also the most expensive. The Wildfire is totally in the right price range, but a bit on the pants side. I do not know what to do!

The Wildfire will be cheaper with any carrier then the Desire. If you're limiting yourself to Virgin, best bet would be to call them up and say you're leaving them unless they can do the wildfire for £10 a month. Make sure you speaking with a customer retention person. Be prepared to haggle. Be familiar with what other carriers are offering the Wildfire for, and be prepared to quote specific examples.

My mate recently managed to haggle Vodafone to give him a Desire S with 500mb data 600 anytime minutes and unlimited SMS for under £20/month, but only because he was a long term customer and threatened to leave. Told the person 02 were doing it for £20 with a cashback offer, and the person promptly said they would match it on an 18 month contract.

[GraveyardJimmy]

My mate recently managed to haggle Vodafone to give him a Desire S with 500mb data 600 anytime minutes and unlimited SMS for under £20/month, but only because he was a long term customer and threatened to leave. Told the person 02 were doing it for £20 with a cashback offer, and the person promptly said they would match it on an 18 month contract.

Yeah, best bet is to phone them up if you are a long term customer. I got a wildfire with 1000 minutes (plus 2000 minutes to any 3 phone), 3Gb mobile internet and 5000 texts for £13 on an 18 month contract. They knocked it down due to a long customer discount and changed the phone and length of the contract, so if you can get them to talk to their supervisor you can sometimes get a great deal.

As for the wildfire, like all smartphones it is a battery drain and the wildfire is a little sluggish at times due to having a slower processor.

[sonaul]

Smartphones really are the thing now and I would see that to be somewhat a norm in the coming years in the mobile industry.

Though I am not seeing that all manufacturers take that obvious route, they will still have their own market for those types of phones.

I am using an htc desire hd and I really am good with it. It really has a lot of power under it. And with that big screen, it's as if you have a good view at everything.

[DeathPig]

Thread hijack++

I'm thinking about getting a new phone, as I've been using an ancient Nokia 6300 for like 4-5 years now. While it's shiny on the outside, it's gotten to a point where all calls have network errors/connection errors/the like. Also, the phone supports 2 GB on microSD, and has awful battery life even after replacement.

I'm checking out the new Galaxy Ace+, HTC One V, and the Sony Xperia U.

I'm personally inclined to go for the HTC, but I'm all ears for opinions. I've been doing some google searches on these, but these don't throw up very satisfactory results, as the phones are new, and the professional reviews then to be overbearing, comparing the phones to the best in the series. I mean, what's the point in comparing the V to the One X, which is around double it's price?...

So, help me choose. Also I'm not really enthusiastic about going over these phones' budget, as I'm not enthusiastic about shelling out exuberant amounts of money for a phone. And please, no Nokias, too much experience with one.

Thanks.

[CuriousOrange]

Definitely check out Windows Phone 7 devices. Since owning one I could never go back to Android for my phone. Recently made the choice to buy an Android tablet actually, and it's pretty damned horrific because of the OS (Galaxy Tab 2 7.0), will certainly be ebaying it for a Windows 8 device once it's out. The Tab is far more powerful than my phone, has a really nice feel to it. But runs like shite, far worse than the phone does simply because of Android. Was very sad to hear you can't install Windows 8 on a tablet yourself over the top of Android.

The Nokias have pretty good cameras, but you won't find one that matches an Android or iOS one. But the device itself is so much nicer to use, you may not be able to go back like me. While you say no Nokias, the Windows Phones are like no Nokia you've used before. If not, check out an HTC WP if you insist. Though personally I've found HTCs to have poor build quality and they have always underperformed for me.

[Ravelle]

I have the HTC Sensation and am still more than satisfied with it.

Also if you're looking for a provider contract/phone combo, browse around several websites that offer contract deals.

[Kamikaze-X]

the Galaxy S3 comes out tomorrow/wednesday.

do not buy anything until you have had a go with one. they are amazeballs.

[Wheelz]

I don't think having experience with Nokias should be a bad thing, they're very reliable which makes them a pretty good investment. I'm currently using a Nokia N9, which runs on its own open-source Linux OS called Meego. It's a pretty solid phone with a nice UI, the major drawbacks are that I don't think the OS is going to be supported by Nokia for too much longer, and due to the obscure nature of the OS their arn't too many apps for it (the main ones, facebook, twitter, maps etc come stock) which might be a problem.

[DeathPig]

Definitely check out Windows Phone 7 devices. Since owning one I could never go back to Android for my phone. Recently made the choice to buy an Android tablet actually, and it's pretty damned horrific because of the OS (Galaxy Tab 2 7.0), will certainly be ebaying it for a Windows 8 device once it's out. The Tab is far more powerful than my phone, has a really nice feel to it. But runs like shite, far worse than the phone does simply because of Android. Was very sad to hear you can't install Windows 8 on a tablet yourself over the top of Android.

The Nokias have pretty good cameras, but you won't find one that matches an Android or iOS one. But the device itself is so much nicer to use, you may not be able to go back like me. While you say no Nokias, the Windows Phones are like no Nokia you've used before. If not, check out an HTC WP if you insist. Though personally I've found HTCs to have poor build quality and they have always underperformed for me.

I see. What I checked out was the Nokia X6. It was not really breathtaking, and the design seemed clunky in my hands. Also, the touch was not really on par with other manufacturers. And what HTC phone did you use by the way, the Wildfire?

Is the Windows OS restricting like Apples'? I really don't like the direction Microsoft have moved towards with Windows 8. Somehow, the view of the Matrix UI gets my blood surging. Anyway, is the phone really restrictive, and all apps paid for. Is there a develeoper base for it, as I am not aware Windows released any kits for developers to start working on apps....

I have the HTC Sensation and am still more than satisfied with it.

Also if you're looking for a provider contract/phone combo, browse around several websites that offer contract deals.

Exactly the phone which made me go for HTC. My friend owns one, and it's just amazing. I just low the unibody design too, where nothing seems out of the place. And it's pocket friendly too, unlike some releases.

the Galaxy S3 comes out tomorrow/wednesday.

do not buy anything until you have had a go with one. they are amazeballs.

Too expensive. I need to get a phone, and a new video card, as both are running on their last vestiges of their life right now. So no, not the S3, which will cost like 2X the phones I've shortlisted. But I am aware the phone is pretty good. You can't miss those huge "designed for humans" hoardings all around town.

I don't think having experience with Nokias should be a bad thing, they're very reliable which makes them a pretty good investment. I'm currently using a Nokia N9, which runs on its own open-source Linux OS called Meego. It's a pretty solid phone with a nice UI, the major drawbacks are that I don't think the OS is going to be supported by Nokia for too much longer, and due to the obscure nature of the OS their arn't too many apps for it (the main ones, facebook, twitter, maps etc come stock) which might be a problem.

The lack of support for Nokia is disconcerting, at least over here. They are not really popular, and I haven't seen any Luminas either. How ever, I'll try the X9 a trial, seeing as it's Linux.

[westyfield]

I have the HTC Sensation and am still more than satisfied with it.

Exactly the phone which made me go for HTC. My friend owns one, and it's just amazing. I just low the unibody design too, where nothing seems out of the place. And it's pocket friendly too, unlike some releases.

I've got an HTC Sensation as well, it's a lovely phone. Not too huge, and it looks fantastic. Definitely recommended.