What phone to get?

By +Nik Louch
in Hardware Hangout

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Grand Master

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I am currently a happy user of a Samsung Galaxy S2. I've applied Roms, rooted it, customised it to suit my needs - but even out of the box, was more than happy with it. I have now come to a point in my contract where I am due an upgrade, and see myself with a few choices...

1) Get an iPhone. While I am happy with Android, the whole world is still leaning towards iOS as a platform. Apps come out first or sometimes exclusively. Hardware is built with dock connectors (car stereos for example)...

2) Stay with Android and get either a Galaxy S3 or HTC One. Which is better? I genuinely have no idea :(

3) WAIT! See what Apple do next, see if they keep playing catch-up with their hardware, or see if they have another of those "killer" moments that shakes the industry up.

Any suggestions either way?

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Grand Master

+Nik Louch Subscriber²

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Wait for WP8 or go with SGS3. As far as apple, it's going to be same crap different day and it will be magical. Not bashing apple, it's just lately that company has been real stupid.

WP8 was deliberately not listed as an option. Not that I dislike it - far from it and quite the contrary. However, the app support just isn't there! And that IS apple bashing, seeing as we don't yet know what their next iteration will be.

Proficient

UseLess

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I think its worth waiting for WP8/W8 (solid choice) and personally (call me a fanboy =P) I'm really looking forward to a complete, flexible, ecosystem =) (that's not overpriced).

Even if you dont like the Windows ecosystem when comes out, then you've only waited a few months =) (if your current phone is ok, no reason to replace it straight up is there? I'm from aust...so maybe you have to in the UK =p)

Grand Master

Lingwo

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Wait and see what Apple do with the next iPhone. Then if it doesn't appear to be that revolutionary, then go for the Galaxy S3. I swapped from an iPhone 4 to the S3 and i'm really enjoying it. It is super fast and the screen is brilliant, while it may seem big to begin with, after an hour or so you forget all about it. Plus you get all the Android settings for customization which really put IOS to shame.

I've played around with the HTC One and while it is a power house of a phone like the s3. I just found the s3 to be that bit nicer. Plus the HTC One i played around with had terrible battery life. He could barely get through a day without it needing a charge.

When i was upgrading my phone i was torn between the HTC One and S3. What made my mind up was the fact you could replace the battery and it supports MicroSD.

Mentor

StrikedOut

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Got to agree with +Lingwo.

Regarding theAndroid devices, I have been using HTC for a few years and realy enjoy them but the battery life in the One is know to be very poor. Unfortunately it means I will probably go for the S3 unless something else comes along. Good thing is, 12 months left until my next upgrade.

Grand Master

Noir Angel

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I'd go with the SGSIII personally. There's little innovation coming out of Apple at the moment, just rehashed copying of Android and WP's features, along with Siri which is at best a gimmick.

Grand Master

Ambroos

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Around the next iPhone introduction Sony will be bringing their new phones to the market, including new models with LTE, Snapdragon S4's and a killer camera. It'll be the phone that mr. Bond will use in his next movie ^^

Grand Master

+Nik Louch Subscriber²

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Lingwo / StrikedOut / Javik: Agreed - I think I prefer the S3 over the HTC.

With reference to apple - I won't give them a hard time. They play catch up for a while, then drop something awesome, then play catch up for a few releases again. We are due something awesome soon, else they will become nothing more than "another player".

Ambroos: I wrote off Sony and that was foolish of me. My wife's Xperia Arc S is an astoundingly good phone for the money, and so yes, their next flagship device will be worth a look...

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Paul Ferson Veteran

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Around the next iPhone introduction Sony will be bringing their new phones to the market, including new models with LTE, Snapdragon S4's and a killer camera. It'll be the phone that mr. Bond will use in his next movie ^^

I actually really like the Xperia S as it is, but if they're going to be doing better I'm all for seeing it.

As for the original question, I'm inclined to say wait. You haven't said you need an upgrade for your SII urgently, so you could stick with it for a while longer. With the large development community still around it you probably could have a good bit of fun with the phone, even if it is no longer the most powerful. If nothing else, waiting means you'll be able to survey the market before you buy anything. If you want an iOS device you can definitely go down that route but it's worth waiting for Apple's latest and greatest.

Even if you decided you didn't like it after taking it as your upgrade you could sell it on eBay within the first month or so for an inflated price, as people will clamor for them. From that you could buy an Android device of your choice. By the time the next iPhone is out you might have your heart set on one of the Android phones on the market. I've used an SIII but only for a short period of time. The body doesn't feel as cheap and nasty as I expected. It definitely feels plastic-y, but not horrid. I imagine it would be okay really. I haven't been able to get any time with a One X unfortunately, so my opinions on it are nonexistent. I like the sound of the polycarbonate body, but that's not much to go on.

Waiting does seem like the best option. Specs-wise, the SIII is better in some regards and the One X is better in others. The SIII is faster, but in real-world terms both phones are that fast that the differences would be fairly minor. The One X has the better screen and probably a better feeling body, but as someone said above the battery life is meant to be pretty terrible. I suppose it depends on which phone you like the look of better. They're quite equally matched I guess, so choosing one over the other would be a challenge without having held both of them and simply chosen on the spur of the moment. I suppose since you've flashed ROMs to your phone and stuff you might like the one with the bigger development community. I haven't checked which one that is but my guess would be that the SIII has the bigger community. It's just a guess however, based on the SII's development community. From what I've heard the SIII's screen is a challenge to see in bright daylight, but when I used one I was in Northern Ireland, which is dull 364 days of the year, and I could see it just fine.

The competition in the phone market is a great thing, since each flagship device is really nicely polished. Apple's iPhone, HTC's One X and the Galaxy SIII all have their specific merits. I'd wait and see if anyone can change it up a little more. The sII is still a good phone, so good luck with your decision. :)

Grand Master

Noir Angel

Posted
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I'd tend to agree on that front. Hardware wise there isn't much between the S3 and HTC One X but at this juncture Samsung seem to be a bit more friendly to the Android modding community, and they tend to have better upgrade paths for their hardware, they don't tend to abandon support quite so quickly.

Grand Master

Charisma Veteran

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Wait and see what Apple do with the next iPhone. Then if it doesn't appear to be that revolutionary, then go for the Galaxy S3. I swapped from an iPhone 4 to the S3 and i'm really enjoying it. It is super fast and the screen is brilliant, while it may seem big to begin with, after an hour or so you forget all about it. Plus you get all the Android settings for customization which really put IOS to shame.

I've played around with the HTC One and while it is a power house of a phone like the s3. I just found the s3 to be that bit nicer. Plus the HTC One i played around with had terrible battery life. He could barely get through a day without it needing a charge.

When i was upgrading my phone i was torn between the HTC One and S3. What made my mind up was the fact you could replace the battery and it supports MicroSD.

+1 to this, definitely.

I will say this, my best friend recently got an S3 and absolutely loves it. I've heard good things about the One, but haven't any personal experience with it so I can't say for sure if it's better or worse than the S3. However, in general, If you like the freedom and flexibility of Android, you'll get bored quickly with an iPhone. I know I would.

Grand Master

Sulphy

Posted
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S3 is very good, but personally i would go for the OneX ... thats my next phone at the moment, played with one at work for a week, then an S3.. which i found brilliant, but didnt feel like a powerhouse mean machine in my hand like the X... and yes, i do miss being able to remove the battery.. but i found the OneX a better phone... i have few months to go before i can upgrade, and i guess by then, there will be something better .... i didnt enjoy the 4S .. after the S3 and OneX, the tiny screen just felt odd.... again personal choice... but if i had to make a choice now.. OneX it would be :)

Grand Master

+Nik Louch Subscriber²

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The 4s was great for its day, but recent android devices are leaving it standing with respect to customisation, voice recognition and so on.

The OneX my mate has, had to go back due to GPS issues, not inspiring.

I've had an iPhone before, and HAD to JB it to get it do act as I wanted, and I think I'd miss my widgets if I went iOS again. Hence me wanting to wait and see if they EVER get widgets properly on iOS.

Grand Master

Ambroos

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Posted

If you're going to wait, I promise you you won't be disappointed with what Sony's got to offer! Full on-screen buttons (Galaxy Nexus style). LTE (in some markets). Snapdragon S4. 13MP camera (sample). 4,3" and 4.6". Android 4.0 out of the box, possibly even 4.1.

Probably this one: http://www.xperiablog.net/2012/07/30/sony-lt29i-hayabusa-prototype-hands-on-pictures-and-video/

For the US there might be an additional slightly different (and slightly larger) model, this one: http://www.xperiablog.net/2012/07/26/sony-lt30p-mint-fully-unveiled-and-previewed/

Details will probably be announced at IFA in Berlin, later this month. I'll be going as a reporter for both XperiaBlog and Neowin, so you'll probably hear all about it right here from me :p

Grand Master

Hardcore Til I Die

Posted
Posted

If you're going to wait, I promise you you won't be disappointed with what Sony's got to offer! Full on-screen buttons (Galaxy Nexus style). LTE (in some markets). Snapdragon S4. 13MP camera (sample). 4,3" and 4.6". Android 4.0 out of the box, possibly even 4.1.

Probably this one: http://www.xperiablog.net/2012/07/30/sony-lt29i-hayabusa-prototype-hands-on-pictures-and-video/

For the US there might be an additional slightly different (and slightly larger) model, this one: http://www.xperiablog.net/2012/07/26/sony-lt30p-mint-fully-unveiled-and-previewed/

Details will probably be announced at IFA in Berlin, later this month. I'll be going as a reporter for both XperiaBlog and Neowin, so you'll probably hear all about it right here from me :p

Sounds mediocre :p

  • 1 month later...
Mentor

UKDarkJedi

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Posted

I'm a very happy S3 user, and would highly recommend it if you were picking a phone up today. My gf reecntly swapped her One X for the S3 after getting frustrated with it's lack of removable storage and battery, and she also had charging issues (which have been heavily documented on XDA forums and elsewhere) where the phone wouldn't gain charge even overnight and in some cases would lose charge, even with the fixes.

If you're waiting a couple of months it will be an interesting time in the mobile industry. Obviously you've got apple releasing their next iteration, you've got WP8 on the horizon as well, more jellybean devices coming out and probably even more stuff we don't know about yet, but you'll be playing the waiting game as there is also something more advanced coming out in the next few months.

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