Buying a new smartphone

[Sierra Charlie]

Think Android is moving towards a more uniform platform experience. IIRC, the new Android one phones come with a carrier independent OS. So their experience is uniform from now on for the most part. This is an advantage iOS had from the very beginning. If Google decides that it wants to stop people from tinkering with future Android versions, Cyanagenmod is going to have a bit of an issue. After all, Google owns quite a substantial stack of patents with Android and Motorola that they are in a position to dictate terms to quite a lot of people.

As for the price, check whether the prices are for Australia. I had to spend a bit more for an N4 I bought in Australia. In any case, waiting for a little longer till we see the N6 in flesh seems to be the sensible option.

[Davy]

It's on pre-order in the play store now (maybe not visible in Sri Lanka) $ 649 for 32 GB and $699 for 64GB.

Hmm, I'm pretty sure I saw 799 USD somewhere. Anyway I'm in Melbourne at the moment and not visible here yet either.

Yeap the price is tag is kinda ridiculous for a Nexus device.

and about the stereo speakers. OnePlusOne still keeps fixing there bugs firmware by firmware. so manybe that mono issue MIGHT be fixed later on.

Yeah. Unless they are physically designed as mono speakers.

[Davy]

Think Android is moving towards a more uniform platform experience. IIRC, the new Android one phones come with a carrier independent OS. So their experience is uniform from now on for the most part. This is an advantage iOS had from the very beginning. If Google decides that it wants to stop people from tinkering with future Android versions, Cyanagenmod is going to have a bit of an issue. After all, Google owns quite a substantial stack of patents with Android and Motorola that they are in a position to dictate terms to quite a lot of people.

As for the price, check whether the prices are for Australia. I had to spend a bit more for an N4 I bought in Australia. In any case, waiting for a little longer till we see the N6 in flesh seems to be the sensible option.

Checked. Still unavailable. Yeah, I'm gonna wait and see what happens before I make up my mind. I'm moving more and more towards the Nexus 6 though.

[kmeeg]

Checked. Still unavailable. Yeah, I'm gonna wait and see what happens before I make up my mind. I'm moving more and more towards the Nexus 6 though.

Looks like its going to be available soon and configs also looking good.. Price difference between 32GB and 64GB is quite small right? I guess many would go for the 64GB one..

Nexus 6 vs Iphone 6 Plus - http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=6604&idPhone2=6665

Updated -

Also it might be good to check Black Friday deals in US which is close by (Nov 28).

Edited October 22, 2014 by kmeeg

[Davy]

Looks like its going to be available soon and configs also looking good.. Price difference between 32GB and 64GB is quite small right? I guess many would go for the 64GB one..

Nexus 6 vs Iphone 6 Plus - http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=6604&idPhone2=6665

Updated -

Also it might be good to check Black Friday deals in US which is close by (Nov 28).

Thanks for the update kmeeg. If I'm going for this, I will most probably go for the 64 gig version (as you said, the price gap is small). The page on Google Play of which you've shared a screenshot is not yet available in Australia.

I'll be keeping an eye on this. Thanks again!

[sharky]

Hey guys,

Has anybody got down any cheapo phones off of ebay? Do they still get held up at customs? Anybody with any recent experiences please reply....

Thanks in advance

[sharky]

Hey guys,

Has anybody got down any cheapo phones off of ebay? Do they still get held up at customs? Anybody with any recent experiences please reply....

Thanks in advance

Bump?

[Watchman]

Hey guys,

Has anybody got down any cheapo phones off of ebay? Do they still get held up at customs? Anybody with any recent experiences please reply....

Thanks in advance

I presume you're thinking of a cheapo 'smart' phone?

Honestly I dont think you need to go the ebay-way especially considering we all know someone or the other going to Singapore or the UK or dubai and can hand-carry a decent branded phone for us.

It's not worth the risk if u ask me...

[Pericles]

I'm keeping my N4. I'm giving some thought to the Nexus 9 to augment my phone, but I don't need a 6. Since the 4 is getting lollipop, I'll stay with it.

Hey guys,

Has anybody got down any cheapo phones off of ebay? Do they still get held up at customs? Anybody with any recent experiences please reply....

Thanks in advance

Look up something called Android One.

[The Don]

I'm keeping my N4. I'm giving some thought to the Nexus 9 to augment my phone, but I don't need a 6. Since the 4 is getting lollipop, I'll stay with it.

Look up something called Android One.

I think I have no option but to upgrade my N4 to the N6 peri because the battery life has faded to a point I now need to charge the phone while at office. Sometimes I wish I bought a Samsung simply for this reason but I appreciate the value proposition of the Nexus. Dunno if the prices would be reasonable still with the N6.

[kmeeg]

Sometimes I wish I bought a Samsung simply for this reason but I appreciate the value proposition of the Nexus.

I'm not sure if Samsung has much of a difference when you are using for years. I've used "Galaxy S2 Skyrocket" and "S3 Mini". But the battery was not good as it was brand new down the line. I think battery is much wasted when using the phone over cellular data or even worse as a hot spot.

Anyways as per my understanding Samsung, Sony is top of the line when it comes to battery life in benchmark testing. But since i'm a little bias to Samsung i would choose between S5 & Note 4. They also have the ultra battery saving mode when you need right? So it might come in handy when you are on low battery. Even the iphone 6 plus is no where near the battery life of Galaxy S5 or Note 4. Even Sony is a good choice right? When it comes to battery life check Sony Xperia Z3 in below benchmark test results.

Go to this link and check Battery life test resuls - http://www.phonearena.com/phones/benchmarks

[The Don]

I'm not sure if Samsung has much of a difference when you are using for years. I've used "Galaxy S2 Skyrocket" and "S3 Mini". But the battery was not good as it was brand new down the line. I think battery is much wasted when using the phone over cellular data or even worse as a hot spot.

Anyways as per my understanding Samsung, Sony is top of the line when it comes to battery life in benchmark testing. But since i'm a little bias to Samsung i would choose between S5 & Note 4. They also have the ultra battery saving mode when you need right? So it might come in handy when you are on low battery. Even the iphone 6 plus is no where near the battery life of Galaxy S5 or Note 4. Even Sony is a good choice right? When it comes to battery life check Sony Xperia Z3 in below benchmark test results.

Go to this link and check Battery life test resuls - http://www.phonearena.com/phones/benchmarks

I was refering to the fact if I'm not mistaken the Samsung's battery is user servicable while in the Nexus 4 it is not as the phone needs to be dismantled professionally to change the battery.

[Watchman]

I was refering to the fact if I'm not mistaken the Samsung's battery is user servicable while in the Nexus 4 it is not as the phone needs to be dismantled professionally to change the battery.

I'm not sure about 'servicable' but you can certainly buy a new/extra battery. When I was using a S3 and it was nearing 2 years I bought a battery off ebay and it solved the issue to a great extent.. I think over time the junk on your phone also cause the phone to drain more juice. It won't give you a day 1 phone, but if you flash your phone and replace the battery I think it helps a great extent.

[The Don]

I'm not sure about 'servicable' but you can certainly buy a new/extra battery. When I was using a S3 and it was nearing 2 years I bought a battery off ebay and it solved the issue to a great extent.. I think over time the junk on your phone also cause the phone to drain more juice. It won't give you a day 1 phone, but if you flash your phone and replace the battery I think it helps a great extent.

Yeah, in mine the battery is not unusable, but its not what it used to be. It can probably do another couple of years if the battery was changed because I'm not really a "need the latest phone" in my pocket type of guy and use things until they outlive their usefulness.

I'm on the verge of buying one of those emergency chargers now because it struggles to get through the day. I don't really use it for much other than the internet calls and texts. I do miss the Good ol' Sony Ericssons of the old which used to get through to the end of the week on one charge

[Davy]

Yeah, in mine the battery is not unusable, but its not what it used to be. It can probably do another couple of years if the battery was changed because I'm not really a "need the latest phone" in my pocket type of guy and use things until they outlive their usefulness.

I'm on the verge of buying one of those emergency chargers now because it struggles to get through the day. I don't really use it for much other than the internet calls and texts. I do miss the Good ol' Sony Ericssons of the old which used to get through to the end of the week on one charge

True. I got myself a Sony Ericsson P1i with my first salary in 2007 December. Believe it or not I am still using it as my secondary phone (which I use when I'm overseas on roaming) and it's still running with the original battery. I charge it once every five days or so and that's it.

As for having the "latest phone", I guess it all depends on what your requirements are. The current phone I have is a LG Optimus L5 which was gifted to me back in 2012. While it has most of the bells and whistles of a modern smartphone, I find it difficult to carry out my day to day tasks due to its slow performance.

[Watchman]

I'm pretty much on Don'

Yeah, in mine the battery is not unusable, but its not what it used to be. It can probably do another couple of years if the battery was changed because I'm not really a "need the latest phone" in my pocket type of guy and use things until they outlive their usefulness.

I'm on the verge of buying one of those emergency chargers now because it struggles to get through the day. I don't really use it for much other than the internet calls and texts. I do miss the Good ol' Sony Ericssons of the old which used to get through to the end of the week on one charge

You're in my boat too. The only reason i upgrade is cos i'm entitled to a new phone when i re-contract with my telco.

Since I my first smartphone (also a nexus) to my S3 and now a S5, i noticed that My usage hasnt become as become as 'advanced' as the technology has. Besides whatsapp, 9gag, maps and the occasional googling, I've hardly done that demand's the phone's technology. But I do know people who really 'need' the latest phone because else 'they can't enjoy the what's out there'.

[terrabytetango]

Got me a Moto G dual sim. For 34K it's way better than I expected, coming from an Xperia Z2 (stop gap measure till the Nexus 6 becomes available).

[Sierra Charlie]

True. I got myself a Sony Ericsson P1i with my first salary in 2007 December. Believe it or not I am still using it as my secondary phone (which I use when I'm overseas on roaming) and it's still running with the original battery. I charge it once every five days or so and that's it.

As for having the "latest phone", I guess it all depends on what your requirements are. The current phone I have is a LG Optimus L5 which was gifted to me back in 2012. While it has most of the bells and whistles of a modern smartphone, I find it difficult to carry out my day to day tasks due to its slow performance.

Used to own a P1i during the same time. Quite the hardy phone that. Also, it's user serviceable. I replaced the screen twice and the outer shell once. Still have it around home somewhere.

[lkars]

Got me a Moto G dual sim. For 34K it's way better than I expected, coming from an Xperia Z2 (stop gap measure till the Nexus 6 becomes available).

Is this the 2nd Gen (2014) Model?

[terrabytetango]

Is this the 2nd Gen (2014) Model?

No 1st gen. The only difference between the two is an 8MP camera and 5 inch screen, all other hardware aspects are identical otherwise. Also, I get a proper 10 hour work day out of it, with both sims enabled, WiFi (and Edge while on the move) permanently enabled, and at least an hour of calls, apart from the miscellaneous stuff one does with a smart phone. With a sim disabled, the remaining juice doubles and one could easily go for two days by managing data usage alone.

Edited October 29, 2014 by terrabytetango

[lkars]

No 1st gen. The only difference between the two is an 8MP camera and 5 inch screen, all other hardware aspects are identical otherwise. Also, I get a proper 10 hour work day out of it, with both sims enabled, WiFi (and Edge while on the move) permanently enabled, and at least an hour of calls, apart from the miscellaneous stuff one does with a smart phone. With a sim disabled, the remaining juice doubles and one could easily go for two days by managing data usage alone.

Thanks. Being eyeing this myself for sometime. I like the fact that it will get Lolipop when it comes out.

[asrock]

One of my freind bought a Samsung Core 2 Duos for 22K, not a bad phone for that price. Lacks some feaures but overall seems like a good budget phone.

[Schiffer]

Cant believe i am saying this but Check out the new Micromax Fire 2 phone/ Thats some proper value for money.
it got the stock android Kitkat Which i love. and a quad core processor and all for 17k and the phone even looks great for a micromax

Also i checked out the new Samsung Galaxy Alpha. From quality wise it have the iphones beat. Amazing little device. proper size the os is smooth as silk real metal and hopefully wont bend. the only problem is the price.

[matroska]

Got me a Moto G dual sim. For 34K it's way better than I expected, coming from an Xperia Z2 (stop gap measure till the Nexus 6 becomes available).

Was looking for a Moto G a while back but wasnt avail in SL. Afaik even now only D***c**m have it rite?

Edited October 29, 2014 by matroska

[kmeeg]

I presume you're thinking of a cheapo 'smart' phone?

Honestly I dont think you need to go the ebay-way especially considering we all know someone or the other going to Singapore or the UK or dubai and can hand-carry a decent branded phone for us.

It's not worth the risk if u ask me...

I've been trying to send 5 "used" phones with boxes from USA with a friend of mine who came with business visa, so far as per him there will be problems with customs.. Anyone has any idea? Since these are used phones its not worth to pay right?