Dick Montage Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 My missus and one of her mates are at a point where they need to upgrade their phones. A year and a half ago i got them both onto Android using the Orange SanFrancisco (ZTE Blade). They wanna stay with Android, but need new handsets - their needs are: Bluetooth Better camera (with a flash) Decent battery All the usuals... Their budget is ?200 each, and they have ne desire to sign up for contracts. I'm currently looking at the Sony Xperia Ray as this seems the best hardware out there at this price point. Does anyone have any experience with this handset or can recommend another? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbandonedTrolley Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Not used the Ray, but did have the Arc (not Arc S) so similar hardware other than HDMI out and the screen size http://www.gsmarena....9&idPhone2=3972 At sub ?200 I would say that it's a no brainer and would/should be a quality phone. Photos taken were great and also has the Exmor sensor for better shooting in low level light too. Loved it and it ran GB fine with no hiccups, as it's part of the 2011 range it should also see an ICS upgrade at some point this year too. Regarding battery life I used to manage 1 day easily with the Arc and i'm a pretty heavy user, Ray has the same batttery and smaller screen so should surpass my results too. Dick Montage 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted March 29, 2012 Author Share Posted March 29, 2012 Awesome, thank you. Did you ever root or rom it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbandonedTrolley Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Awesome, thank you. Did you ever root or rom it? I had it rooted via zergrush exploit, very simple process that then allowed the removal of a few junk apps. The bootloader was locked from Orange so would have cost about ?15 to unlock and never bothered. The standard ROM was fine for speed and stability. The girlfriend now has that phone and she certainly prefers it to her previous X10. I moved on to an Xperia S :) Also with the SE/Sony ROMS they already include a screenshot function when holding down the power button so there is no need to root for that reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot B. Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 The Orange San Francisco (ZTE Skate) upgrade is the Orange Monte Carlo (ZTE Blade). Whilst it's certainly a worthy upgrade within that price range (?100-?120), your range has upped (to ?200), so I wouldn't go with the Monte Carlo (which is ?120) in your case. Perhaps see if you could get an iPhone 4 for ?200 on eBay? I wouldn't go as low as the 3GS (because for ?200, you can get a better Android device than the 3GS offers). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted March 29, 2012 Author Share Posted March 29, 2012 Yeh the Monte Carlo is the logical step-up but it's crap by todays standards, and they have no desire for iOS devices. Cheers though :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliot B. Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Yeh the Monte Carlo is the logical step-up but it's crap by todays standards, and they have no desire for iOS devices. Cheers though :) Females only choose Android over iOS when geek males tell them it is better. What have you been saying to them...? ;) AbandonedTrolley 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted March 30, 2012 Author Share Posted March 30, 2012 LOL. I introduced them to Android, no they swear by it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbandonedTrolley Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 LOL. I introduced them to Android, no they swear by it. The fact is you can make android look a lot nicer than IOS with all the themes etc, so that does appeal to the female demographic especially if you can make things PINK!! The 'cool' phone is the iPhone, the phone for those that want to make it personal is Android. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted March 30, 2012 Author Share Posted March 30, 2012 So my mate has found Sony Ericcson Xperia Arc S at ?200 :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbandonedTrolley Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 So my mate has found Sony Ericcson Xperia Arc S at ?200 :) That's an absolute bargain, new? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted March 30, 2012 Author Share Posted March 30, 2012 Yup :) Sweet deal huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbandonedTrolley Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Yup :) Sweet deal huh? Certainly is as its a release generation ahead of the others. Great find there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 Just to follow up: What an astounding phone for the money! I personally run a Galaxy S2, and I don't see any major difference between this and the Sony Ericcson Xperia Arc S. The screen is astounding, the sound quality is great, the bundled apps are genuinely handy (albeit excpet a few crappy games). Even the default Sony Launcher is a joy to use! My only 2 niggles? 1) The micro USB socket is awkward, it feels strangely tight and connected (imho) back to front 2) The physical buttons are too close to the touchscreen. So if you have big sausage-fingers like me, you end up also touching the screen. It shipped with the most up to date firmware, .62 - for which none of the usual rooting tools work, so I had to drop back to .58 and then root, but no big deal :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c3ntury Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 If you weren't looking for a decent camera, I'd say hands down the Orange San Francisco, with a custom ICS ROM on it. Runs smooth, and it's been on sale in the past for ?80 or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 If you weren't looking for a decent camera, I'd say hands down the Orange San Francisco, with a custom ICS ROM on it. Runs smooth, and it's been on sale in the past for ?80 or so. Like I said in the first post, they are both running SanFrans, and while at the time they represented awesome value for money - they are both showing their age now. This is an upgrade, a huge upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToneKnee Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Just as a suggestion, Vodafone have the Nokia Luma 710 for ?150 on PAYG and you can unlock it for an extra ?25 (could be less). While not an Android phone, it's still a solid phone with WP7.5 and is pretty fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 I've already got a very good Sony Ericcson, but thanks :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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