Lost GPS signal often on Cheap Handsets

[BuffaloRescue]

Ive tried

Zenfone Max

Zenfone Laser

Oppo (can't remember the model it was about 4000 baht)

AIS Lava 850

With all these handsets in chiang mai i get frequent "GPS Signal Lost" on google maps

Whats a good smartphone to get with decent GPS signal that works in the car? Phone with large battery would be good (over 2500 milliamps)

[casualbiker]

First check what screen film you have. On my car no problem BUT on my sister in law's car got the same thing (and poor battery life) on checking the net I found it could be the film.. I changed the front film and it fixed it.

[dddave]

Most of the current popular Chinese phones with the octo-core MediaTec 6753 processor have been getting strong reviews for GPS performance. Earlier MediaTec quad-core processors were known for weak GPS.

I kind of follow Zenphone on a number of tech sites and have seen a number of complaints about Z-2 GPS. I believe there are several threads about it on forum.xda-developers.com

[BuffaloRescue]

Most of the current popular Chinese phones with the octo-core MediaTec 6753 processor have been getting strong reviews for GPS performance. Earlier MediaTec quad-core processors were known for weak GPS.

I kind of follow Zenphone on a number of tech sites and have seen a number of complaints about Z-2 GPS. I believe there are several threads about it on forum.xda-developers.com

Zenfone max would be perfect for me if the GPS was better

[BuffaloRescue]

Can anyone recommend good handset under 10,000 baht in price which has good GPS and good battery life. With GPS working well inside a car (signal not blocked out by car roof)

I could get iPhone 5s for this price. Maybe ill go back to using iPhone again.

[casualbiker]

Most of the current popular Chinese phones with the octo-core MediaTec 6753 processor have been getting strong reviews for GPS performance. Earlier MediaTec quad-core processors were known for weak GPS.

I kind of follow Zenphone on a number of tech sites and have seen a number of complaints about Z-2 GPS. I believe there are several threads about it on forum.xda-developers.com

Zenfone max would be perfect for me if the GPS was better

Is the GPS OK outside the car? Do other phones GPS work in the car?

[Lannig]

As already mentioned in another thread, the Alcatel One Touch Idol 3 has a flawless GPS in my experience, even in adverse conditions (heavy clouds and city streets with limited sky view). It has a 2910 mAH battery.

Besides this, I think that it's a real bargain but that's just my opinion.

I got mine for 169 euros, don't how for how much it can be found in Thailand.

[dddave]

Most of the current popular Chinese phones with the octo-core MediaTec 6753 processor have been getting strong reviews for GPS performance. Earlier MediaTec quad-core processors were known for weak GPS.

I kind of follow Zenphone on a number of tech sites and have seen a number of complaints about Z-2 GPS. I believe there are several threads about it on forum.xda-developers.com

Zenfone max would be perfect for me if the GPS was better

If you buy a Zenphone Max from Lazada, you have 2 weeks to return it. That would give you enough time to fully check out the GPS.

Edited June 13, 2016 by dddave

[mtls2005]

Would a dedicated GPS system be out of the question?

Our phones are OK, and Google Maps is OK, but I still prefer my dedicated Garmin (old unit from the U.S., modded to work here) when driving (other than the ding-ding, and ka-ching).

[2008bangkok]

Xiamoi Note 3 PRO around 7k with a monster 4000 battery

[hyperdimension]

Most of the current popular Chinese phones with the octo-core MediaTec 6753 processor have been getting strong reviews for GPS performance. Earlier MediaTec quad-core processors were known for weak GPS.

Thank you. That's interesting to know. Are there any particular brands and models in the low-to-mid price range that have this processor that you would recommend?

Which of the following processors should I definitely avoid if I want good GPS connectivity?:

MTK6572

MTK6580

MTK6582

MTK6732

MTK6735

MTK6752

[dddave]

The 6572 is 512K ram max...very low end phones, 6580 can support a gig of ram but way out of date and poor GPS. The 6582 was also a quad core 1/4 gb.that allowed for IPS display..used for budget phones around 2013,14. The 6732 was considered to be one of the best processors MTK had made for budget phones. 2gb ram, advanced Mali T760 processor...GPS seemed to vary model to model..Check the Elephone P6000.

The 6735 is a 1/8gb 4g LTE used in a lot of current low end mobiles like VKWorld and some UMI's. GPS seems to be so-so

The 6572 has been getting a lot of good press...2 or 3gb Octocore and positive GPS reviews. Check out the Ecco EO4, Umi E-Max, Elephone P7000...many more.

[hyperdimension]

The 6572 is 512K ram max...very low end phones, 6580 can support a gig of ram but way out of date and poor GPS. The 6582 was also a quad core 1/4 gb.that allowed for IPS display..used for budget phones around 2013,14. The 6732 was considered to be one of the best processors MTK had made for budget phones. 2gb ram, advanced Mali T760 processor...GPS seemed to vary model to model..Check the Elephone P6000.

Thank you for the response. It's very useful to know for those of us who rely on the GPS function of smartphones.

It's funny that every smartphone these days has GPS connectivity but almost nobody I know in the real world uses it, and not just Thais either - even people I know from Singapore who use quite expensive brands.

I try to tell almost everyone I know about how useful GPS function is on their smartphones (e.g. knowing where a picture was taken, or knowing where you are when traveling instead of getting lost) in the hope that such increased general awareness will eventually lead to accelerated improvement of GPS connectivity in general (not just in the high end models).

The 6735 is a 1/8gb 4g LTE used in a lot of current low end mobiles like VKWorld and some UMI's. GPS seems to be so-so

I think I will get a Cubot Dinosaur which has the MTK 6735. It's good to know that the GPS connectivity at least is not as poor as with the older chips. My current phone is the old i-mobile IQ6A with a MTK 6577H, and GPS positioning was often inaccurate during cloud cover or inside a vehicle or between tall buildings.

The 6572 has been getting a lot of good press...2 or 3gb Octocore and positive GPS reviews. Check out the Ecco EO4, Umi E-Max, Elephone P7000...many more.

I assume you mean the 6752. The numbers all look so similar for some reason.

[cooked]

Silly question: do you have tinted a wind shield?

[hyperdimension]

Silly question: do you have tinted a wind shield?

I've used the i-mobile IQ6 in many different vehicles. It's almost impossible to get the initial connection whilst inside a moving vehicle. I need to get the "GPS fix" whilst standing outside first, and only when that is done enter the vehicle in order to get the tracking working. I have been on long-distance buses with tinted windows and tracking works fine after doing what I've just described.