Another new smart phone topic...

[kkerry]

Just a few general questions, apologies if they have been covered elsewhere before.

Need to buy a new phone to replace my old lost Nokia feature phone.

A little background that may help answering my questions further down.

Things I would like:

A good quality decent res. screen that is visible outdoors.

The ability to play .avi, .mp4 and maybe even .mkv

Some sort of mapping, GPS application.

Good browser, internet, e-mail and calendar (Google is what I use and like).

A reasonable camera would be nice but not essential.

A phone that runs smoothly i.e. can transition from one thing to the next quickly.

Micro SD expansion preferred.

Good standby battery life.

I travel frequently so need to be able to change SIMs easily so maybe a standard SIM is better for me than a micro SIM

I don't change phones often, only had 3 in twelve years.

Price range, 5000 baht but can go higher, however I am not a big phone user so don't need top of the range with features I will never use.

Things I don't want:

A super shiny fingerprint magnet.

A phone that scratches easily.

A very large phone.

A phone that needs recharging every single day, even with low use.

Facebook and social media don't interest me.

An iphone...

Android seems to be taking over the world so am I best off ignoring anything on the Windows platform?

I've always liked the look of HTC, not so keen on the newer Nokias.

Samsung seems to rule the world so seems I am looking at their range, or maybe Sony or LG.

Would you now only buy Android phones that come with jellybean, or considering my requirements, would older versions be good enough.

If so, how old, is gingerbread still viable or best avoided if I intend to keep the phone for at least a couple of years or more.

If anyone wants to suggest phones please do, but comments on what platform to go with are what I need the most help with.

[sumrit]

HTC is a good choice. I've had a (more basic) HTC Wildfire S since they first came out a few years ago and never had any problems and I've also got a (mid range) HTC Rhyme which I bought just over a year ago and I've been very pleased with it. It might be slightly over your budget but worth it.

I've also recently bought an i-mobile IQ X, mainly because of the two sim facility which means I now only have to carry one phone instead of two. Again an excellent phone for the money although it is nearly double your budget and could be slightly larger than you're looking for.

[RevStar Zen]

Just a few general questions, apologies if they have been covered elsewhere before.

 

Need to buy a new phone to replace my old lost Nokia feature phone.

 

A little background that may help answering my questions further down.

 

Things I would like:

A good quality decent res. screen that is visible outdoors.

The ability to play .avi, .mp4 and maybe even .mkv

Some sort of mapping, GPS application.

Good browser, internet, e-mail and calendar (Google is what I use and like).

 

A reasonable camera would be nice but not essential.

A phone that runs smoothly i.e. can transition from one thing to the next quickly.

Micro SD expansion preferred.

Good standby battery life.

I travel frequently so need to be able to change SIMs easily so maybe a standard SIM is better for me than a micro SIM

 

I don't change phones often, only had 3 in twelve years.

Price range, 5000 baht but can go higher, however I am not a big phone user so don't need top of the range with features I will never use. 

 

Things I don't want:

A super shiny fingerprint magnet.

A phone that scratches easily.

A very large phone.

A phone that needs recharging every single day, even with low use.

Facebook and social media don't interest me.

An iphone...

 

 

Android seems to be taking over the world so am I best off ignoring anything on the Windows platform?

I've always liked the look of HTC, not so keen on the newer Nokias.

 

Samsung seems to rule the world so seems I am looking at their range, or maybe Sony or LG.

 

Would you now only buy Android phones that come with jellybean, or considering my requirements, would older versions be good enough.

If so, how old, is gingerbread still viable or best avoided if I intend to keep the phone for at least a couple of years or more.

 

If anyone wants to suggest phones please do, but comments on what platform to go with are what I need the most help with.

 

 

U might wanna consider i-mobile IQ 1.1 for yr budget?

Sent from my i-mobile IQ XA using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[aussiebebe]

I bought my son a Samsung Galaxy Mini (GT-S5570) a few years ago and it's been okay. It was 5 or 6 thousand and ticks most of the OP's boxes. They probably don't sell it anymore, but whatever the successor is should be adequate. If you look on line you'll see reviews by some US and European users who had issues with battery life on these entry-level android smartphones but the one I bought hasn't had these issues - my son has given it daily use for two years and it's still fine.

Most of your requirements are met not through the phone but through the after-market options

1) A super shiny fingerprint magnet - you can choose the type of film you want to cover the screen with 100baht, you get super-clear, matt etc and one type is anti-fingerprint.

2) A phone that scratches easily - you have to buy a case - there's a huge array of high-quality after-market cases for the Mini - i got the dual type that have a soft silicone case and a hard plastic external case - this may have been why it's lasted so long vs a phone with no case.

[kkerry]

Thanks for the replies.

Went with the i-mobile IQ 1.1 as it checked most of the boxes for me.

Sells for 5990 baht but paid 5800.

Resolution 540 x 960 4.5" screen

Plays avi, mp4 and mkv

Video playback is smooth, nice screen, up to HD 720 is fine (MSM8225Q quad-core 1.2GHz)

Outdoors, with brightness on high... just... only display I've seen work really well in bright sunlight before is my Kindle.

Camera is ok.

Dual SIM

Micro SD up to 32GB supported

Came with an 8GB micro SD, gel type rear cover protector, a free SIM.

Battery life on standby is fair, but keep wifi on all day and like many phones, you need to charge daily.

Size: 134 x 66 x 10 mm... bigger than I would have liked but if you want to use the internet then anything smaller...

Never used a smartphone before but if you are computer literate then Android Jelly Bean isn't a big learning curve.

Google Play Store has all the free apps you could ever need.

Seller offered to install a heap of apps for me but I declined and didn't have any trouble working out how to find my own.

The apps that came factory installed were mostly ones that you would use, no bloatware to speak of.

No problem with rogue data charges as the settings to prevent this happening are simple to set.

Wi-Fi runs really well at home.

Added a 16GB SanDisk Ultra micro SD.

I saw plenty of app reviews where people would complain about certain apps freezing or crashing but only had that happen once so far. Most apps I wanted were compatible with the phone, the few that weren't were due to being in Thailand i.e. some apps only available to users in a specific country.

[SeaVisionBurma]

I am using the IQ1 - upgraded from an Alcatel OT-918D a couple of months ago.

Very happy with it so far.

Would be keen to upgrade to the IQ-X later, but I don't change phones often so will let this one run for a while.

Apart from the fact that it has local Thai TV (which I never use) - it is perfect for the price.

[kkerry]

Saw the IQ1 in Tesco the other day for only 4,590 baht, on clearance I think.

Most of the same features as the IQ 1.1, but a slightly slower CPU and ICS but if that can be upgraded to Jelly Bean then seems good value.