Suggestions on what Smartphone to buy?

wahidussc

Honorable
Sep 11, 2013
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10,510
Hey there guys,

I've never been much of a phone guy, I'm going to be 18 soon and so far I have used phones that can only text and call...

Recently I've decided to go broader, I've tried smartphones so I am not a complete alien to it - and whether I am an Apple or Android fan, well, I'm a bit more inclined to Google than Apple for such and such reasons.

Anyway, I would like a very good phone, is worth the money (Major thing! Wouldn't want to pay an extra £300 for something that gives the same thing as the next phone), and can handle intense apps (I'm starting a Computer Science course soon so I would like to be free in terms of my phone), have a good camera etc.

I read and watched a lot of reviews on phones, especially the recent ones and the OnePlus One caught my attention - size might be an off for me but I'm always ready to try new things. The thing is, that company goes through some slow and tedious process in handling phones as they do not have just a store to buy the phone in.

LG G3 next caught my attention, 2K display, like the software design, 5.5 but doesn't seem a big as the One but reading on current reviews, the battery seems to be a problem.

Concluding this wall of text (Sorry) My question is: What phones have you tried and/or recommend and why?

I'm going to have to chose one sooner or later but more phones keep cropping up (Like, should I wait for the Nexus 6?)

Thanks
 
Solution
I would prefer Samsung phone. My old onephone was a Samsung Galaxy Nexus. It greatly works for using the internet, whatsapp, has a great camera. I guess there is no much difference with iPhone but it is definitely more expensive of a device, especially if you are planning of purchasing without a plan.

DerekODwam

Honorable
Jan 1, 2014
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10,510
If you are more to the side or Google and want a "pure" android experience i would recommend the Nexus 5. Other android phones I would also recommend is the LG G3 and HTC M8.

And if your a apple fan.....well....you know what phone to pick. :D

Regards
 

shahbaz200

Honorable
Apr 20, 2012
287
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11,260
What is your budget range? If there isn't and money doesn't matters, my first suggestion is Galaxy S5. This phone have great 16MP cam with 4k video recording. It also comes in great colors and what I like is its finger print scanner. Just imagine you are in your computer class and you unlock phone with your finger like a boss! This phone is water proof up to one meter and 30 minutes. You can take underwater pictures, use in shower or showoff taking your self picture in water ^.^. Its quad core processor is intensive enough to handle any heavy apps, multi windows. GPU is also powerful that you can play all games on that phone. It is also installed with latest kitkat OS. Heart rate sensor is also a cool feature to have in phone. Beside it has many other sensors that include, proximity, accelerometer, gyro, compass, air pressure and others too I forgot. Not necessary but if you can afford galaxy gear 2 watch it would be a cool combination of smart watch + smartphone!
 
What do you mean by "Best" because all flagship phones can do everything you ask it to so here is what I think is the best phone for each category:
Pure andriod - Nexus 5, could wait for nexus 6 if you are a fan of it
Note taking - Galaxy Note 3
Multimedia - HTC M8
Apple - Iphone 5s, you could wait for the iphone 6 but I don't think its worth it
 
G

Guest

Guest
galaxy s4 would suit you (laggy interface though) but is now avialable at a cheaper price. if u want to enjoy google at its best don't look any further buy the " NEXUS 5". as far as battery is concerned android sucks in that department coz of its "background apps"
 

kelix09

Estimable
Jul 18, 2014
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4,610
I would prefer Samsung phone. My old onephone was a Samsung Galaxy Nexus. It greatly works for using the internet, whatsapp, has a great camera. I guess there is no much difference with iPhone but it is definitely more expensive of a device, especially if you are planning of purchasing without a plan.
 
Solution

Charles Alden

Estimable
Aug 4, 2014
2
0
4,510
Android; the Nexus 5, sure you could wait for the Nexus 6 but why, the Nexus 5 is plenty fast, very inexpensive, great display and you can install the L preview now, which adds like 30 percent mlre battery. I would stay away from the likes of Samsung unless you plan on installing a custom Rom. TouchWiz is a memory hog and frankly drags the system down way to much.

Windows Mobile; defiantly the Nokia 1020 or 930 depending on what your priorities are, camera then the 1020, 1080P display and new Qualcomm 801, 930. Both will serve you well especially now that 8.1 has been released. It's something different but you shouldn't have a problem picking up the UI and despite what you have heard about the lack of apps it's simply not true. You will find almost everything you are looking for.

Apple iPhone yea, no thank you, I'm don't dislike Apple as I own a MacBook Air and like it well enough, even though that pretty much every Windows based laptop has a 1080P display now in that price range. The iPhone though is just an absolute insult to my intelligence. I mean I really dislike iOS, the speed of the OS is fantastic and frankly not much can touch it but it's a facade, multitasking is almost none existent as Apple only allows a handful of apps to run on the background. I'm sure they do this to prevent the system from becoming too saturated, thus possibly breaking this illusion of speed, that and they only have to offer 1GB of memory, in 2014, yea I can't believe it either, keeping their ridiculous margins high. You are not allowed to choose you own browser as a default and frankly is a complete mystery as to why the EU governing body that went after Microsoft Windows for not coming with an alternative browser hasn't gone after Apple. No file-manager, what, screw you Apple, I mean come on, at least show me my home directory, I know it exists even though Apple fans have repeatedly told me that the archaic ways of managing files no longer exists on iOS and I am better off for it. The system is based off of BSD and I have seen the directory tree with my own eyes when Jail-broken, guess what, theirs a documents folder, music folder, photos folder, etc. all their where it's supposed to be, new way of doing things my shiny white butt. I love ES File Explorer in Android, one app and I can log into all of my cloud storage, local and NAS server, copy files back and forth,all in the background, do automated backups and even start apps by clicking on any file, this app is so useful I actually start everything from it. You can't see your home directory when the device is plugged into a computer so side loading media is impossible without using a friggen MP3 player. I'm convinced Apple is politely forcing their users into using iTunes to purchase all of their media with them. HDMI out sucks, as resolution is app based almost nothing supports 1080p, also no DLNA which is a fantastic way to view videos. Apps don't really talk with each other, so opening up say a Word document from OneDrive under Pages is not possible, iCloud, no problem but see Apple charges 100 bucks a year for only 50GB, I pay 120 for 1TB with Google Drive, yeah I'm going to use iCloud. I mean why so costly, I have 50GB for free with Box, DropBox and OneDrive, not only that but iCloud's upload speed is so slow it reminds me of ISDN. Do they honestly think that their online apps are worth the extra expenditure, have you seen MS Office online under OneDrive, it's awesome and they offer 8 times the storage for the same price Apple charges for 50GB of iCloud space, plus I can upload a 2GB Divx file in 14 minutes, iCloud would take the entire day. Not only that but I can stream any movie directly from OneDrive, if it's in some funky codec, no problem, OneDrive will convert it automatically. Codecs, I can count how many the iPad supports on one hand, again it's Apple way of nudging people to iTunes. NFC, what NFC, SD card slot, none, imstead you have to pay an outrageous upgrade cost, even though it only costs Apple like 8 dollars to go from 16GB to 32GB. Aaaahh I can go on and on about how much the iPhone sucks but I will end it here.

BlackBerry; Z30, if you can wait though I would defiantly grab the new Passport. 1400 x 1400 resolution with a 1:1 aspect, 3GB RAM, 64GB storage, Qualcomm 801, BB 10.3, built in HDMI, SD card slot and all awesomeness. I have a Porsche-Design P'8892, love it, OS 10.3 is fantastic, makes iOS look like an OS for the mentally challenged. Multitasking is top notch, like unbelievably good, you can literately stream a movie from OneDrive to a DLNA source, listen to music with Spotify through a Bluetooth speaker and play Need For Speed at 1080P with the built in HDMI at the same time. BB Hub is great, Android apps work very well for those you that don't have a native version for. File-manager works just like ES File Explorer for for Android but it's built in. The gesture controlled UI is also very intuitive and cool. I highly recommend a new BB device, if you can't wait you will be very happy with the Z30.


I own a Nokia 1020, Nexus 5 and a Porsche-Design P'8892, so I am in a unique position to give you a brief overview of all of them. I used to own an iPhone 5s but ever so briefly. The platform drove me nuts to the point of medication, so I sold it and then but the Porsche. Out of three my favorite is the BB device, I mean I really dig it. It's the first BB device I've had in 8 years and I will defiantly be buying the Passport when it comes out in September. I hope this helps.
 

MsJazz

Distinguished
Jun 13, 2014
32
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18,590
If you want a device as close to a laptop on a smartphone and an uncluttered display to view your documents in paragraphs as you type, go with one that has a hardware keyboard. There are still a few available. I have an LG LS860, AKA "Mach" (Boost Mobile) or "Cayenne" (Ting). It's a good, sturdy midrange phone, has available 4G LTE and the usual ways to connect online and with other devices expected nowadays. It also has a removable battery and can accommodate those with extended range---a big plus. It also has 5 GB usable internal storage for plenty of apps and can accommodate up to 32 GB on a micro SD card. . There are many sites available for tech specs. The only drawback is its older 4.0.4 operating system. There's also the "Enact" (Verizon). Similar to the "Mach," but with Jellybean. Motorola also has a few offerings with the "Droid 4" (Verizon) and "Photon Q" (Sprint). Both are similar in specifications, have larger screens, better resolution and slightly faster CPUs. Their keyboard layouts are closer to those of laptop PCs. Their only drawback is that you cannot remove the batteries. Samsung and Pantech also offer qwerty phones, but their operating systems are older and are not as fast as the first 4 mentioned.