Topic: What mobile phone?

["21C or 70F?" SchizoidWeatherMan!]

The thing with Samsung is I agree at full price they aren't super attractive, but you normally get good offers pretty quickly, either enhanced trade in prices, cashback, google credit etc. I got a S21 Ultra with a pretty significant reduction in price within a couple of months of launch last year.

Yeah, the top model in the 'S' line is usually the only one worth buying these days.

I used to be a Samsung proponent till the S10, but they started dropping features after that. Now they do not even have proper proximity sensors in some of their S line phones. My S20 FE is horrendous when it comes to taking calls as the virtual proximity sensor doesn't work properly. The screen turns on automatically during calls, leading to the call getting muted accidentally. Turns on in my pocket too, leading to accidental calls.

I also have on old S9, which is waterproof, has a 2k screen, sd card slot, headphone jack and the works. I got it for around 600 at the time, fantastic value for money. Since then, their prices have gradually hiked up to iphone levels for some reason. Samsung, for some reason, are emulating the worst practices from Apple.

[shayne66]

how's O2 service these days ? Been with EE/Orange for years and me and the misses phones are starting to die out (Galaxy s9 and Sony Xperia xz1 compact) so looking at upgrading to Galaxy S21fe and Sony Xperia 5iii.

EE seem's miles of price wise to what can order through mobilephonesdirect (part of AO) on a O2 contract.

[Skeeve]

how's O2 service these days ? Been with EE/Orange for years and me and the misses phones are starting to die out (Galaxy s9 and Sony Xperia xz1 compact) so looking at upgrading to Galaxy S21fe and Sony Xperia 5iii.

EE seem's miles of price wise to what can order through mobilephonesdirect (part of AO) on a O2 contract.

I switched from 3 to O2 when I got my latest contract and have had no real coverage issues of note (mostly Southport to Liverpool areas) as far as 4G, no idea about 5G though as I am sticking with my S10+ until it dies due to the newer flagships removing features I use. The peak speeds have been lower than I saw while on 3, but the typical speeds and coverage have been much better.

[PhilV]

I am now on the S22+ and I have to say it is really good, some minor but welcomed changes over my S20+, way better design and as usual, cameras are excellent.

[Hedley Lamarr]

I am now on the S22+ and I have to say it is really good, some minor but welcomed changes over my S20+, way better design and as usual, cameras are excellent.

Personally this is what I do (although on iPhone rather than android).  Always skip a model, the updates are so incremental, people who do it every year are nuts. You could probably do it every three years and not miss anything.

[swoopy]

I am now on the S22+ and I have to say it is really good, some minor but welcomed changes over my S20+, way better design and as usual, cameras are excellent.

Also done this. Feeling the same as you
Really nice phone.

[owens_2k]

My daughter uses an android phone for medical reasons and as a result only ever uses one app (app only available to android)

The Google pixel that she is using is old, and the battery goes from 100 to 0 fast!

Can anyone recommend a decent android phone which has basic functions and not all the bells and whistles? The app manufacturers have said that compatibility is mostly related to the quality of the Bluetooth drivers. So I need something which has good bluetooth and decent battery life really.

Any help appreciated

Thanks

[WhereAngelsPlay]

Samsungs all have great bluetooth and you can pick an A12 up for just over £100

[MBL?]

A newer pixel? I have the six and it’s good, there’s a 6a coming out soon that will be cheaper.

[Jake]

I've had the S22 Ultra for a week or so now.

Its no different to the S9 I had save for it being bigger and having a better battery life.

["21C or 70F?" SchizoidWeatherMan!]

I've had the S22 Ultra for a week or so now.

Its no different to the S9 I had save for it being bigger and having a better battery life.

No headphone jack as well. 

Seriously, anyone buying a flagship phone right now should go for Asus Rog 5s. Headphone jack, awesome display, SD card slot, physical gaming buttons, cool looking LED at the back and a great processor.

What a waste of money these Samsung phones are.

[owens_2k]

A newer pixel? I have the six and it’s good, there’s a 6a coming out soon that will be cheaper.

Would a second hand Samsung S9 be a decent upgrade considering what it will be used for? Just worked out what she has at the moment is a Pixel XL. Don't want to be shelling out too much for something that will literally only be carried round with her and not used for anything. She has an iPhone 13 for that!

[ScouserAtHeart]

Would a second hand Samsung S9 be a decent upgrade considering what it will be used for? Just worked out what she has at the moment is a Pixel XL. Don't want to be shelling out too much for something that will literally only be carried round with her and not used for anything. She has an iPhone 13 for that!

Battery might be an issue though, would've lost quite a bit of capacity by now. It's been 4 years since launch I think

[filopastry]

I've had the S22 Ultra for a week or so now.

Its no different to the S9 I had save for it being bigger and having a better battery life.

Well the cameras are significantly better as well, to be honest these days it feels like camera upgrades are the main reason people end up upgrading (beyond the battery dying on their old phone)

[Jake]

its too big to type texts one handed too (no dirty jokes ) so I don't really like it

[MBL?]

Would a second hand Samsung S9 be a decent upgrade considering what it will be used for? Just worked out what she has at the moment is a Pixel XL. Don't want to be shelling out too much for something that will literally only be carried round with her and not used for anything. She has an iPhone 13 for that!

I would say no. The battery probably won’t be great and it won’t be receiving updates as far as I know. There will be plenty of phones out there with good Bluetooth as long as it’s one of the newer versions of Bluetooth you should be alright.

All comes down to what you want to spend and what features she values.

[ToneLa]

On my third Xiaomi phone and I'm not looking back.

I mean don't import them from China like I do, but if you can get one legit, I think they're brilliant value

[owens_2k]

I would say no. The battery probably won’t be great and it won’t be receiving updates as far as I know. There will be plenty of phones out there with good Bluetooth as long as it’s one of the newer versions of Bluetooth you should be alright.

All comes down to what you want to spend and what features she values.

This is the thing, its literally just carried round with her. Not used for anything except an app that runs in the background. The main features required is decent bluetooth and a good battery life.

[Hedley Lamarr]

This is the thing, its literally just carried round with her. Not used for anything except an app that runs in the background. The main features required is decent bluetooth and a good battery life.

Any S9 you buy ( unless it has a new battery) will drain irrespective of what you’re doing with it, it came out four or five years ago and it only had a 3000 mah battery anyways.  You can pick up a Motorola with a huge battery and good Bluetooth for less tha  £170 brand new.

[MBL?]

This is the thing, its literally just carried round with her. Not used for anything except an app that runs in the background. The main features required is decent bluetooth and a good battery life.

Does she not use a phone for personal use also? I don’t know how old she is but most girls will want to have a phone they can use daily that takes good pictures and video. I don’t know the situation but knowing the budget would really help. Most likely the best suited will be realme or xiaomi. I wouldn’t really recommend going second hand.

["21C or 70F?" SchizoidWeatherMan!]

S9 is fine for casual use. I still use mine as a secondary phone. Battery is not great, but it takes good pictures, much better than budget phones of this gen.

Plus it has an sd card slot and 3.5 mm jack as well. Not to mention a QHD display.

Lovely phone to be honest. Its kind of old but perfectly workable imo.

[Hedley Lamarr]

It isn’t fine for his daughter’s requirements though, he’s already stated it needs to have good battery life.  The S9 didn’t have that on launch, let alone in 2022.  My understanding is his daughter already has a primary phone, the Android will just be for one particular app, not taking photos or social media and the like.

[ToneLa]

["21C or 70F?" SchizoidWeatherMan!]

It isn’t fine for his daughter’s requirements though, he’s already stated it needs to have good battery life.  The S9 didn’t have that on launch, let alone in 2022.  My understanding is his daughter already has a primary phone, the Android will just be for one particular app, not taking photos or social media and the like.

Agree, it doesn't have great battery life, but it will last a day with light social media use and camera use. Of course if you play games, it will burn out a lot quicker.

If battery life is a key consideration, i suggest the upcoming Motorola G52. Should be around 200 quid, with a big 5000 mah battery and water resistance (IP52). 

[I've been a good boy]

On my third Xiaomi phone and I'm not looking back.

I mean don't import them from China like I do, but if you can get one legit, I think they're brilliant value

Debating with myself whether to go for a Redmi Note 11 Pro or Samsung A53.. Both are pretty much identical, A53 just has a better IP rating but the Xiaomi has a headphone jack which I prefer. Leaning towards the A53 as it'll already remember all my passwords.

["21C or 70F?" SchizoidWeatherMan!]

Debating with myself whether to go for a Redmi Note 11 Pro or Samsung A53.. Both are pretty much identical, A53 just has a better IP rating but the Xiaomi has a headphone jack which I prefer. Leaning towards the A53 as it'll already remember all my passwords.

A52s is a better phone than both!.

Headphone jack, Camera with OIS, IP rating, SD card slot and great display. Not to mention great battery life.

A53 is a downgrade compared to the A52S.

I would not recommend the Note 11 pro if you do a lot of calling from your phone. It doesn't have a physical proximity sensor so you will be ending/muting calls with your face all the time while talking, as the screen does not turn off automatically as it should.

[I've been a good boy]

A52s is a better phone than both!.

Headphone jack, Camera with OIS, IP rating, SD card slot and great display. Not to mention great battery life.

A53 is a downgrade compared to the A52S.

I would not recommend the Note 11 pro if you do a lot of calling from your phone. It doesn't have a physical proximity sensor so you will be ending/muting calls with your face all the time while talking, as the screen does not turn off automatically as it should.

I hardly ever use my phone for calls so wouldn't be too much of an issue.

On the A53, doesn't it have a larger battery than the A52s?

[[new username under construction]]

The Poco phones are decent and cheap...M4 6.6" FHD+ Dot Display, 90Hz, 5000mAh, 33W Pro fast charging

https://www.mi.com/uk/buy/product/poco-m4-pro-5g?utm_channel=Awin&awc=23680_1650366247_7f8077e8f89f46a50c7ae755b6681a16

["21C or 70F?" SchizoidWeatherMan!]

I hardly ever use my phone for calls so wouldn't be too much of an issue.

On the A53, doesn't it have a larger battery than the A52s?

A52s is 4500mah and A53 is 500mah.

BUT, the A52s has a MUCH superior processor, the Snapdragon 778g. This is a bonafide high end processor which sits below the top end 800 series SOCs from Qualcom.  It has 4 big A78 cores, which is great.

The A53 has a shitty Exynos 1280 processor, which is used in much cheaper phones. It has only 2 big cores and a much weaker GPU. Its not even in the same league as the Snapdragon 778G.

Also, the A52s has a headphone jack and great audio output. Its easier to handle, given the fact that it is slightly smaller.

[I've been a good boy]

A52s is 4500mah and A53 is 500mah.

BUT, the A52s has a MUCH superior processor, the Snapdragon 778g. This is a bonafide high end processor which sits below the top end 800 series SOCs from Qualcom.  It has 4 big A78 cores, which is great.

The A53 has a shitty Exynos 1280 processor, which is used in much cheaper phones. It has only 2 big cores and a much weaker GPU. Its not even in the same league as the Snapdragon 778G.

Also, the A52s has a headphone jack and great audio output. Its easier to handle, given the fact that it is slightly smaller.

Appreciate that info, I'm not too clued up on processors so that is very helpful to know. A52s it is then. To be fair, it's what I've got currently but they sent me a faulty one but might as well stick with it, great phone.

["21C or 70F?" SchizoidWeatherMan!]

Appreciate that info, I'm not too clued up on processors so that is very helpful to know. A52s it is then. To be fair, it's what I've got currently but they sent me a faulty one but might as well stick with it, great phone.

to be honest the only upgrade from an A52s in terms of Samsung phones is an 'S' series phone. The A53 is a downgrade in many ways.

The S20 FE is available for relatively cheap (355 sim free on Amazon), which is an actual upgrade on the A52s. It is last gen flagship so it has all the bells and whistles.

[I've been a good boy]

to be honest the only upgrade from an A52s in terms of Samsung phones is an 'S' series phone. The A53 is a downgrade in many ways.

The S20 FE is available for relatively cheap (355 sim free on Amazon), which is an actual upgrade on the A52s. It is last gen flagship so it has all the bells and whistles.

That's the phone I had prior but I absolutely hated the back material, felt too dry if that even makes sense

Got a look at the Oppo X5 Pro the other day, absolutely gorgeous phone. Shame that Oppo phones, like Oneplus, are highly overpriced.

[ToneLa]

Debating with myself whether to go for a Redmi Note 11 Pro or Samsung A53.. Both are pretty much identical, A53 just has a better IP rating but the Xiaomi has a headphone jack which I prefer. Leaning towards the A53 as it'll already remember all my passwords.

Xiaomi phones usually (?) come with an adaptor for the charging port > headphones

[Crosby Nick]

Looking to buy a refurbished phone off giffgaff for my son. Presume you can put an existing sim in there? He’s on a cheap monthly deal already so just looking for a new handset.

[Hedley Lamarr]

Looking to buy a refurbished phone off giffgaff for my son. Presume you can put an existing sim in there? He’s on a cheap monthly deal already so just looking for a new handset.

Giff Gaff sell all their phones unlocked so you can pop any sim in there.

[Crosby Nick]

Giff Gaff sell all their phones unlocked so you can pop any sim in there.

Cheers mate. My son’s been saving up cash and I was about to order it then thought I’d better double check before we got something we couldn’t use!

[owens_2k]

Does she not use a phone for personal use also? I don’t know how old she is but most girls will want to have a phone they can use daily that takes good pictures and video. I don’t know the situation but knowing the budget would really help. Most likely the best suited will be realme or xiaomi. I wouldn’t really recommend going second hand.

She has an iPhone 13 for personal use and all that kind of stuff.

It isn’t fine for his daughter’s requirements though, he’s already stated it needs to have good battery life.  The S9 didn’t have that on launch, let alone in 2022.  My understanding is his daughter already has a primary phone, the Android will just be for one particular app, not taking photos or social media and the like.

Yes this is the situation currently.

I just begrudge shelling out for something with all the bells and whistles when its only battery life and bluetooth that we need.

[LOKKO]

How does the phone Insurance work nowadays?

I haven't used it through my bank before, my Huawei p30 pro is smashed to bits will they replace it with a new one or something of similar spec

[Hedley Lamarr]

How does the phone Insurance work nowadays?

I haven't used it through my bank before, my Huawei p30 pro is smashed to bits will they replace it with a new one or something of similar spec

I haven't had to do it for a while, but I have Natwest's insurance.  I had to fill out an online form and then the day after a courier dropped off a refurbished model and took the old one away.  The refurbished phone was as good as new but came in a plain box.

If they haven't got your handset, I think they send out a model of similar spec and price.  There was a £99 excess, but this was six or so years ago so the price is likely to have risen.

[Egyptian36]

I highly recommend the Moto G82 5G to anyone looking for a budget phone. I got sick of Samsung Ultra weight so wanted a secondary phone which I can use most of the time and found the Moto for 226$ and after 2 days of use I couldn't be happier. 5000mah battery yet very lightweight and thin, brilliant OLED screen, 5G, stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, very reliable and quick side mounted fingerprint scanner, 3.5 mm audio jack and the software is almost stock Android. You will hate the Chinese companies software after using stock Android.

The cons, you can feel the phone body vibrate when playing audio files because it's plastic and so lightweight.
The screen glass isn't Gorilla glass so you need a good case and screen protector.
Will only get Android 13.
Which is all good considering the price. A brilliant phone to use for 2 to 3 years or as a secondary phone.