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Author Topic: The all purpose smartphone advice thread - regular folks welcome  (Read 15317 times)

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Maxvla

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Re: The all purpose smartphone advice thread - regular folks welcome
« Reply #150 on: June 30, 2015, 12:46:22 AM »
Still loving my Sony Z3V. For normal tasks, I think phones have reached where computers did about 10 years ago. Anything in the mid-range and up will perform similarly. There is less and less reason to get the highest spec performance. The Droid DNA I had previously I got in Dec 2012 and it performed like a snail compared to this Z3V on benchmarks, but in real life, the difference wasn't as drastic as the bench indicates. It absolutely is faster and more agile, but the differences are subtle, not glaring.

From this point forward, I'm prioritizing things like audio quality first (something this Sony does extremely well, for a phone), dust/water protection (work is messy), features (sdcard/memory/storage/etc), then finally speed of the chip. So in this way I don't find the Z3V to be outdated. My computer at home is the same system it has been since about 2009, an i7 860 based rig that still does just as well as anything I could buy these days for what I use it for (older games/web/music). In some ways, technology is no longer a rapidly obsolescent market segment.
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sfoclt

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Re: The all purpose smartphone advice thread - regular folks welcome
« Reply #151 on: July 01, 2015, 06:29:07 PM »
Thinking about one of:

Galaxy S6
iPhone 6 plus
Note 5 (would require waiting...)

Been using Galaxy variations for the last 4-5 years it seems so that's familiar.  But I want a giant phone.  I rarely hold phone to my ear, so that's irrelevant and for my use the bigger phone is a benefit.  And since the 6 plus is the same size as the Note 4 more or less, it's on my radar.  I won't get the Note 4 simply because my work plan gives me the latest for free, so it's in my interest to get whatever is the best likely resale value 2 years out.

Also don't care about storage since I'm not loading much on it.  Will probably stick with streaming on it so maybe the Apple nuances will be less annoying to me with just that method of audio?

Given my familiarity with Samsung, I'd probably grab a Note 5 right now if they were out, but wondering if the iPhone 6 plus would satisfy me.  I'm not drawn to Apple generally. 
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Maxvla

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Re: The all purpose smartphone advice thread - regular folks welcome
« Reply #152 on: July 01, 2015, 09:40:32 PM »
What about the Nexus 6? Very solid phone that gets the updates before anyone else.
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sfoclt

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Re: The all purpose smartphone advice thread - regular folks welcome
« Reply #153 on: July 01, 2015, 09:49:47 PM »
Thanks for pointing that phone out.  It wasn't really on my radar but it's in the same niche so I'll make sure to compare it.
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DaveBSC

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Re: The all purpose smartphone advice thread - regular folks welcome
« Reply #154 on: July 01, 2015, 11:32:25 PM »
Nexus 6 is a good option. Otherwise the big Android phones currently available are either from lesser known Chinese companies like Huawei and Xiaomi or are outdated like the Z Ultra and Asus Zenphone 6.

iOS is a little bit less locked down than it used to be, for example you can now use your preferred keyboard instead of the shitty Apple keyboard, but if you like to tinker, you may still find it too confining. I for one use huge widgets on my home screens, and so iOS is an immediate no go.
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sfoclt

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Re: The all purpose smartphone advice thread - regular folks welcome
« Reply #155 on: July 01, 2015, 11:45:05 PM »
Same here.  The widgets are a nice draw.  I've been reading about Nexus 6 the last hour or so, and was almost settled on it since running stock Android would be nice.  But I just looked and it's not clear this phone gets the same subsidy I get on the apple/samsung ones under my work plan.  Have to check into that.  If not, maybe I'll ditch Samsung for Apple as an experiment.  Two really divergent choices though, haha.
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zerodeefex

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Re: The all purpose smartphone advice thread - regular folks welcome
« Reply #156 on: July 02, 2015, 05:00:31 AM »
Nexus 6 has shit battery life. I can't recommend it as an only device unless you're pretty modest with your usage. I use mine side by side with a Z3 Compact and it's not even close. The Compact literally lasts twice as long. With my usage, the Nexus 6 is pretty much empty by the early afternoon even WITH the significant improvements I saw with the Lollipop MR (5.1). I'd avoid the S6 for the same reason. The battery life is okay, but nothing spectacular. Moderately better than the N6, but not best in class.

The other consideration is that the Nexus 6 is anecdotally fragile (based off my experience). I have NEVER broken a smartphone and I've used hundreds over the past decade. I broke two Nexus 6 screens, both within a week of obtaining each device.

Honestly, CEE TEE uses the iPhone 6 plus and I'd recommend it if you weren't already bought into the Samsung line. An S6 or Note 4 would probably make you happy given your past with Samsung devices.
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uncola

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Re: The all purpose smartphone advice thread - regular folks welcome
« Reply #157 on: July 02, 2015, 08:31:15 AM »
my nexus 4 8gb is feeling a little old now despite my custom 5.1.1r6 rom and kernel.  I need to upgrade but I don't want to pay flagship prices.  I'd like a bigger screen..  the oneplus two coming out next month seems like it might be good.. except you need an invite.. I was looking at the asus zenfone 2 4gb 64gb at $299 on amazon but it doesn't have lte with t-mobile usa for some reason.. otherwise seems like a great budget device.. battery life probably isn't great since it's an intel cpu..  if anyone has a oneplus TWO invite next month please bequeathe it to me!
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sfoclt

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Re: The all purpose smartphone advice thread - regular folks welcome
« Reply #158 on: July 09, 2015, 12:55:59 AM »
Although I think I might have been more philosophically drawn to the Nexus 6, it ended up not being subsidized on my plan so went with the iPhone 6 plus.

Just about to unwrap and begin swearing at Apple as I discover absurd repurcussions to this decision.  Tethering?  Music?  I have no idea what I'm doing on iPhone.

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DaveBSC

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Re: The all purpose smartphone advice thread - regular folks welcome
« Reply #159 on: July 09, 2015, 01:12:38 AM »
Quote from: uncola on July 02, 2015, 08:31:15 AM
my nexus 4 8gb is feeling a little old now despite my custom 5.1.1r6 rom and kernel.  I need to upgrade but I don't want to pay flagship prices.  I'd like a bigger screen..  the oneplus two coming out next month seems like it might be good.. except you need an invite.. I was looking at the asus zenfone 2 4gb 64gb at $299 on amazon but it doesn't have lte with t-mobile usa for some reason.. otherwise seems like a great budget device.. battery life probably isn't great since it's an intel cpu..  if anyone has a oneplus TWO invite next month please bequeathe it to me!

At this point, I think the original OnePlus One is a better phone than the Asus. From what I've seen, the Asus is extremely fragile, and the back scratches if you so much as look at it wrong. The screen is not well designed, and it chews through the phone's battery as a result. The OnePlus has like double the battery life of the Asus. Performance wise you're unlikely to notice the difference between the Snapdragon 801 and the Atom in the Zenphone.
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