is it a trustworthy site?

[auntarie]

Hello, beautiful people of Tom's, how are you this fine day?

So I stumbled upon this site in my search for a smartphone. The site is phone-debate.com. Have you used it? Are the articles any good? I'm a real noob when it comes to phones so I'd really appreciate it if you could give some feedback.

Just so it's clear- I have no affiliation with phone-debate and I'm not trying to spam, just looking for an honest opinion.

Thanks in advance.

 

[k1114]

Gsm arena, phone arena and phone scoop are more well known. No sense in using a questionable site when there are other reputable ones.

 

[auntarie]

Hmm yes, I will try those. Thanks for the reply!

 

[Recycled]

Not trustworthy! They hired a scumbag called "auntarie" to spam Tom's Hardware with links to their web site.

 

[auntarie]

Wow, thanks for the kind words. I think I said I have no affiliation with them? And this is the only thread I've posted, which was already dead, until you replied...

 

[Apanzee]

Don't worry about him, he's on a short vacation from the forums for his comment.

As was said above though, GSM Arena is a good one. Wikipedia can even be a good resource for specs. What kind of info are you trying to find exactly? Are you just looking for recommendations on a good phone?

 

[auntarie]

Thanks. The situation is this- I'm going to college soon and a relative of mine is getting me some money to spend on whatever electronic device I want. So yes, I'm looking for a good smartphone, but nothing too fancy like a Galaxy or an iPhone. So far GSM Arena is proving to be awesome and I've stumbled upon a brand named Xolo, which is looking very promising. I'm gonna read some reviews and time will tell, I guess.

 

[Apanzee]

If you're trying to save some cash, check out "Oppo" and "Xiaomi" - both are chinese OEMs who offer unlocked devices and ship internationally. Xiaomi is actually the company who made the MIUI Android ROM.

 

[auntarie]

Yes, those also look really good. I guess I'll see just how much money I'll have to spend and which phones are available in my country.
Wish I could select you as best answer, but I don't think I can pick 2 solutions...

 

[Apanzee]

I don't mind either way. Once you have the Moderator title under your avatar, acquiring badges doesn't really mean anything.

Either way I'm glad to have helped. If you need anything else I'll be here.

 

[HyNrgy]

@Apanzee loved your last response.

@auntarie you can also go to youtube and type in the phone(s) you are looking to get to see reviews on them, some buy phonedog, GSM arena, etc. If you do not need the phone today, you can do a google to see if release dates are out yet, some soon to be released are Galaxy S5, HTC 1Two Max, LG G Flex (AT&T might already have this one).....you just need to pick some features that are important and stick with that....if battery life ...say like the Motorola Razzor Maxx, if camera do you want ultrarez, OIS, 40mb lense, etc....oh yeah and size....if you want huge i think Asus makes a 7" phablet......;-)

 

[Apanzee]

@HyNrgy, That's what we're here for

@auntarie, going off what HyNrgy says about checking out some reviews - you could even head down to the mall and walk into a phone store. If the sales people bother you just say you're browsing. Pick up a few phones in your price range and play with them for a few minutes. Can't really go wrong if you combine all the above suggestions, anyway!

 

[HyNrgy]

@auntarie

i just reread one of your post. You said you are going to college and someone is giving you money for electronic device. Some things to think about

1) who's paying the monthly bill?
2) contract vs prepaid (and since I am assuming this may be your only phone for college check the coverage of the school area not where you are unless they are the same
3) don't forget a good/decent case
4) if you do not need fancy picture messaging, facebook and 24/7 to email and toms forums (had to)....how about looking at a basic flip and maybe a tablet (will you have access to wifi at school, housing/dorm, local places.

I mention all this because you can get some basic phones, smart or not with some of the top carriers and the monthly could be cheap

 

[auntarie]

@Apanzee thanks, I'll probably visit a few stores and see what they have to offer. By the way, I think I remember you from way back in early 2013. Anyway, congo on becoming a moderator

@HyNrgy I'll be paying my own bill, if you mean the calls and such. If you mean the device itself, I haven't really decided if I'll be getting it on lease. And I'll probably be getting the phone here, without a contract, and then signing with a local company in the other country. So coverage won't be a problem, I hope. As for using the phone, my hobbies and specialization will require me to browse a lot on the go, so I prefer a smartphone. I'm used to it too, my current phone is an ancient Nokia E71, but a smartphone nonetheless

 

[HyNrgy]

I will say this as a suggestion and a possible question.

If memory serves me right, just because some phones can take a SIM card doesn't mean you can take it to another country and put there SIM and it will work. You may want to verify that. As for phones that do not take a SIM card I do not think you could do that also.

You may have to look for an international phone than can work US and abroad.

 

[Apanzee]

To clarify - they do and they don't.

There are two international network standards - they are GSM, and CDMA. GSM uses SIM cards, while CDMA does not.

CDMA phones are 100% locked to the carrier it is purchased from, as the network settings used to access the radio channels used by said carrier are hard-coded at production. This means it is impossible to take a CDMA phone to another carrier, national or international without express permission of current carrier - because they would have to completely reprogram the phone.

GSM phones on the other hand, are soft-coded and can be unlocked by any tech savvy individual, though this is illegal in a lot of circumstances. Those circumstances are clarified in my sticky about unlocking at the top of this sub forum. IF however, your phone is unlocked, you can use any SIM card from any GSM network in the device.

In both America, and Canada, we have both types of networks (owned and operated by different carriers) - this is why you can't take a phone from AT&T to Verizon - they use different network standards.

In terms of other parts of the world, I do not know which countries have carriers utilizing which standard. So, if you were traveling, you might want to look into what carriers are available in the country you are going to, and what network standard they use to be sure it will work with your device.


All that aside though, if OP buys a phone from somewhere else in the world - so long as the device is unlocked, it can be used in North America.

 

[auntarie]

Well, that could have been a pretty big problem... Thank you very much, I'll have to choose more carefully, I guess.

 

[Apanzee]

What country do you live in, auntarie? You do have very good English, I assume either America/Canada or England?

 

[HyNrgy]

Thanks @Apanzee. My sugar was extremely high (had to take meds) and I couldn't focus enough to answer with the depth you did. Guess that is why you are a moderator....;-)

@auntarie sorry if I busted a plan or bubble but didn't want you to find that out when you got there and the phone you got were you are didn't work (it may work still)....returning would be a...well you know

 

[Apanzee]

@HyNrgy, I have a friend who's hypoglycemic - serious stuff. I understand. You did bring up a good point though, and as a general rule of thumb it's better to be safe than sorry, so OP is better off knowing than not.