Buying a new smartphone

[Gummybr]

18 minutes ago, matroska said:

It seems there will always be some compromise - I'm just thinking I'd be disappointed just when I was when I had to downgrade from a Note3 to a Nokia 6 a few years back. My uncle bought a Redmi Note 10S on Monday - so waiting to have a look at it. I'm also considering the numerous Samsung midrangers too : Wife uses a Samsung M32 for over an year it's an Ok phone for the price. 

Well the dealers could start jacking up the prices in the coming days. I was considering the Poco F3 which is slightly more expensive. The Samsung phones seem alright but for me I dont like the look of those camera placement it looks very cheap. According to GSM Arena the best flagship killer is the Poco F3, still going through the specs on that and biggest issue on those is the software and if you are looking for a cam the wide angle camera.

[kush]

I have a POCO X3 NFC. Bit of a heavy and bulky phone over my previous Galaxy M30S

Did not see much of a difference over AMOLED of the M30S on colour accuracy. 120 Hz on the POCO is better if you are into games.

POCO is a faster phone and has better chip set and does not lag when gaming like the M30S

Bit concern on data speeds as there were few issues reported. Do not know whether it is the phone or our service providers.

[Pericles]

On 9/14/2021 at 11:32 AM, matroska said:

Pulling up this old thread as I've been out of touch with the latest trends in mobile phones. What would be a 'graceful' downgrade to a mid-ranger from a Samsung Galaxy Note 9? Currently do not have the budget for a flagship.  A mid-ranger with around 6-8 Gigs of RAM and at least 128 GB of storage. The bigger the screen the better. Has anyone been using the Xiaomi's and Pocos - which on paper seem bang for the buck. How good are they in real life? 

I'll agree on the Xiaomi/Redmi stuff. Used a Note 4, liked to enough that when I got a new one I went to the Note 7, and seeing how they are priced I'm likely to stick with the range. tho the Note 7 is still good enough for me. Still plays Real Racing 3 very smoothly, battery is still generally good enough to last the day, so unless there is a drastic upset with the company policy, I will stay with this range. (Or I win the lottery, which means I will promptly go for a Pixel.)

 

For history reference, I've had an LG (can't remember the model, Android Slider keyboard), Xperia Pro (have a thing for physical keyboard phones. just comforting), Google Nexus 4, One+1. and the Redmi Note 4 (Which I only replaced coz I dropped it, it was a decent phone even when I got the replacement)

[matroska]

On 9/17/2021 at 6:54 PM, Pericles said:

I'll agree on the Xiaomi/Redmi stuff.

 

On 9/16/2021 at 5:52 PM, kush said:

I have a POCO X3 NFC

Well I did get to play around with a Redmi Note 10 s- and i have to say overall it was impressive : the build quality was great for the price ... the only initial downer was maaaybe the camera but I cannot say for sure. The Poco X3 seems quite tempting too. 

[matroska]

So, While I'm still pondering what I'm going to buy next (and since the display issue on my Note 9 is giving me headaches) I was able to temporarily switch to an almost brand new Samsung Galaxy M02S. Just summarizing my impressions for the benefit of a potential buyer. Not going to list out the specs as they're readily found on GSM Arena. 

I am using the 4GB Ram/64GB Storage version (the other is 3GB with 32 Gigs storage)Frugal phone. Frugal Package - has a fast charger and cables (along with the booklets and sim ejector) and nothing else..no headset - not even a cheap one. Plasticky back -has a texture and some kind of pattern: not bad. Not a fingerprint magnet, nor is it slippery. There is no protection for the screen so I got a screen protector straightaway. Cliched Camera module with 3 apparent lenses and no fingerprint sensor. There is supposed to be face unlock but can't be bothered - just swipe like we used to a few years back. Phone comes with a low spec'd chipset - but it's not too bad to be honest. (Despite some really humble results when I ran geek bench) There is so far no lag. App switching is quite smooth. I watched a review on the Poco M3 where they show considerable lag between app switching - I don't see that with the M02S. And I did play RR3 on it - no major issues there either. Android 11 with One UI - standard Samsung fare. Coming from a Note 9 the lack of AMOLED and the low PPI is pretty obvious but then again it's not an eyesore. Sunlight visibility while not stellar is again Ok - usable outdoors. The screen is large enough for videos. Speakers are nothing to write home about but again functional. Battery is 5000mAH and that with the low res screen means the phone can run for a long time without charging. Camera is 13 MP - produces pics that look like they were taken back in 2014. Survives in good light, messes up indoors. 

Overall after a few days it's an Ok device at the range. 'Gets the job done' is how I'd describe it. Not as fancifully spec'd as something Xiaomi or BBK would make but I haven't experienced any hiccups similar to the ones the SinoPhone users regularly complain about. 

Edited September 27, 2021 by matroska

[Gummybr]

Ok am sorry I couldnt keep an update on this. I finally settled for a OnePlus 8T (yes another OnePlus), so far loving it to bits, its got a nice cam, 256GB and 12GB RAM. Its got the premium look with the glass back. I managed to source a Luna Grey somehow so it doesnt stand out much.

Price wise I paid Rs. 114,000/- (yes I over spent my budget, but this is after 3 years and I plan to use it for 3 years), which I think is ok considering the fact that the Nord's go for that price.

Only downside is that OnePlus cannot be registered with TRCSL.😔.

[matroska]

Since this thread got bumped up realized I hadn't updated on my end either - so as I said i temporarily switched to the Galaxy M02s - but it was really hard to get used to it after living with a Note 9. I managed to live with it for about a month. Then one of the retail sites (the one that starts with d) had some sale and I ended up buying something from BBK :an Oppo F19. It cost less than 45K with all offers combined. Overall It's a decent phone for the budget. It's by no means anything to write home about in 2021  but it has specs on par with a 2018 flagship that was the note 9.  In a nutshell the Oppo had 6 gigs of RAM, 128 Gigs of storage, a snapdragon 662 - and this combination works out OK - performance is smooth. Color OS unlike MIUI is  less bloated :look and feel is almost stock. Average Games run without a lag. The Camera is Okay - though  the rear cam pics tend to look a bit unnatural occasionally. The screen is Amoled at 410 ppi - so the display is easy on the eye and sunlight visibility is pretty good. Always on display is supported since it's amoled. Small things that make the smartphone experience better like USB OTG is there, the phone is a bit compact, very light and best of all the battery lasts for ages. I do miss the S-pen and all the bells and whistles that came with the note 9 but at 45 K I'm certainly not complaining. 

Edited January 19, 2022 by matroska

[matroska]

On 1/18/2022 at 3:01 PM, Gummybr said:

Only downside is that OnePlus cannot be registered with TRCSL.

That's news -is there a reason for that? is One Plus not officially 'registered' by a dealer here?

Edited January 19, 2022 by matroska

[Gummybr]

14 hours ago, matroska said:

That's news -is there a reason for that? is One Plus not officially 'registered' by a dealer here?

Apparently OnePlus doesnt have a dealer in Sri Lanka (business opportunity for someone?) hence it cannot be registered, which is idiotic. Then again Oppo is registered (same company).

[iRage]

1 hour ago, Gummybr said:

Apparently OnePlus doesnt have a dealer in Sri Lanka (business opportunity for someone?) hence it cannot be registered, which is idiotic. Then again Oppo is registered (same company).

I am pretty sure Oppo is he parent company and OnePlus is a subsidiary. In which case it does make sense that although Oppo (products) are licensed to be sold in SL OnePlus isn't as it technically is a different company. 

Licensing regulations such that even if the same product with a different badge on it would also require a different license (granted if the original product is already licensed the paper work and testing required for licensing maybe less).

[matroska]

Oppo vivo and OnePlus are all subsidiaries of BBK - and oppo and vivo both have TRCSL approval here