I'm looking to purchase a new phone, any recommendations?

Forums › Mobile handsets › I'm looking to purchase a new phone, any recommendations?

Finch

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#279662 30-Oct-2020 19:53

Hi there, I'm looking to purchase a new phone and looking for suggestions. I'm upgrading from a OnePlus 3T. I don't mind if my new phone is Apple or Android, however would prefer to stay with Android. I mainly use my phone for Pokemon Go (So battery is super important), as well as light gaming (Nothing hardcore like Pubg/Fortnite etc). Camera is also important to me, OP3T doesn't hit the mark.

What's important to me...

- Battery Life

- Camera

- Speakers (Not as important as the other two though)

What's not important to me...

- 120Hz screen

- Wireless Charging

- 5G

With all that said and done... I don't want a Samsung Galaxy S20 (Or Note etc), reason for that is I don't want Exynos Chip. I'm also a bit iffy on the OnePlus Nord, simply because the speakers are trash, bad battery and camera. Just adding to that, it seems all OnePlus cameras aren't that great sadly. Really like the OnePlus software, just the hardware lets me down.

Right now I'm actually tempted by iPhone 11, but comparing the camera to iPhone 12 is putting me off.

Thanks, look forward to hearing your suggestions!

sdavisnz

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#2594116 30-Oct-2020 20:11

apple, super locked down, not repairable, $$$$+$$$ for charger and accessories, and lightning cable, yuck.

huawei - trump buggered them, but they had great cameras in their day.

oneplus - essentials at a good price, camera a bit flakey, some missing wireless charging and the oled screens are not as good as competition.

samsung - best all round, its the little things that you always get with a samsung, netflix hdr support, wireless dex, android pay, reverse wireless charging, software updates are always getting faster and better.

asus, good hardware specs, bad software update support. average camera.

pixel, midrange hardware, flagship software experience, good camera, but need to parallel import. second best all round.

thats my 2c, if you are unsure, get a s20e or s20, or a pixel 4a xl or pixel 5.

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jonathan18

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#2595175 30-Oct-2020 23:18

What’s the word on the Nord’s ‘bad battery’? Based on a significant sample size of one, I wish I got anything like the battery life from my S10+ as my wife does from her Nord, so wonder if are you meaning ‘bad’ in a different sense?

michaelmurfy

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#2595181 31-Oct-2020 00:06

sdavisnz:

apple, super locked down, not repairable, $$$$+$$$ for charger and accessories, and lightning cable, yuck.

I was once in this boat and actually disagree. Apple devices are not as locked down as they once were (you can set a default browser and mail client now) but with these restrictions comes excellent battery life and great quality apps compared to Android. Plus you get software updates for years to come. Locked down means secure in most cases and this has been also proven with iOS. Lightning cable, while not USB-C is at-least reversible and can charge the phone quickly provided you've got a compatible charger to do so. $$$ for chargers and accessories? False, if you wanted a better charger for any Android device it is much the same - you pay this money for a phone, a $30 charger isn't going to break the bank if you don't have one. And there are plenty of accessories such as cases for iPhones too due to their popularity.

But seriously to the OP - if price isn't an issue and you're wanting a phone that has an excellent camera, great battery life and will receive software updates for years to come then take a look at the Apple camp. Due to the better CPU's in these devices (my 2 year old XS Max still can beat many of the latest phones in the Android camp with raw CPU performance) it means better battery life from experience also. I can make my phone last 2 full days with heavier use in many cases.

There is an excellent deal on an iPhone 11 Pro Max in offers and wanted currently too: https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=77&topicid=279648
I'll also be selling my XS Max soon (with accessories) once I get the 12 Pro Max in my hands - this is still an excellent device.

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KiwiSurfer

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#2595294 31-Oct-2020 11:01

Another vote for Apple. I switched to Android because of an app that is not avaliable on iOS, and I have to admit the experience on Apple/iOS is so much better. Even older iOS devices perform much better than many Android devices released this year. There are heaps of little things that just works more sensibly on iOS. E.g. indepedent password managers (e.g. Bitwarden) works really well on iOS, whereas on Android it's obviously an after thought. The default Android keyboard is really dreadful at working out what I meant to type, whereas the iOS default keyboard is really good (and actually does seem to learn what words I frequently use, which Android doesn't seem to do very well). I generally find the built-in apps on iOS to be so good there is no need to download many other apps--wheras on Android I've replaced pretty much all the stock apps for better ones so I have two apps for many basic function.

I'd really only consider Android if there was a very compelling feature/app that you really wanted that iOS doesn't have. Otherwise Apple is a safe bet.

timmmay

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#2595425 31-Oct-2020 14:44

Other than an iPod touch 10 years ago (which still works btw) I've always been Android. Apple has better hardware at the moment. Their CPUs are faster, or doing the same workload much more efficient, which gives better battery life. I almost moved from Android to the iPhone SE 2020 but I don't want to have to bother changing all my apps. If you don't mind going to Apple I'd seriously consider it.

I got the Pixel 4a as I wanted a more compact phone, which is a great phone for me, but while the battery life is fine it might not be what you want for gaming. If you can recharge on the go it'd be fine as it charges quickly, using a cord, very quickly from the US supplied power adapter from Amazon.

GV27

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#2595428 31-Oct-2020 14:47

The S20 FE from Samsung at $900 represents pretty good value, but yea, Exynos. At least at that price point you're being asked a piss-taking sum for a vastly inferior product compared to the rest of the world. It does make the iPhone 12 at 2x the price look like a tall order in terms of value, but it's so close that unless the money thing is a deal-breaker, you're just better off going with which one feels better. Most mainstream apps and functions (e.g. Netflix, Chromecasting, etc) all work on both platforms equally well.

Finch

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#2595837 1-Nov-2020 10:36

Thanks for the replies everyone, certainly don't want to turn this into an Apple V Android debate, those never end well!

I'd love to get either a S20 or S20FE, but I don't want the Exynos chip. There are just far to many complaints about it. I don't want a phone that heats up after a few minutes of use.

It seems from my quick 5 minutes of research, the best camera on a OnePlus phone right now is the 8 Pro, however that would be too big for my small hands. So that cuts OnePlus out of the equation as well (Sadly) . Any other OnePlus device is just going to have a "bad" camera, and for me, camera is one of the most important features.

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timmmay

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#2595848 1-Nov-2020 11:01

@Finch I think the Google family of phones might suit you quite well. There's a spec comparison here. The Pixels 4a is the smallest, good camera, battery is ok (mine rates 3175mah), costs about NZ$600 shipped from memory. The Pixel 5 is newest, best, next size up, biggest battery, and most expensive at I guess around NZ$1000 or so shipped - guessing though. 4a 5G is largest but still not huge, moderate battery, faster processor.

The Pixel camera hardware is a bit dated but still not bad, but the software running makes up for it and does a great job - best camera I've had in a phone by a mile. It does things like multiple exposures and I think they have optical image stabilisation. The Pixel 5 has more cameras than the 4a, which only has one front / rear.

iPhone SE 2020 is similar size to Pixel 4a, faster, better battery life, camera similar maybe a bit better, and longer support, price a tough more than the Pixel 4a but not as much as 4a 5G.

GSManiac

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#2620341 11-Dec-2020 22:30

The Asus Zenfone 7 won first place in MKBHD’s camera wars. Something out of the box to consider.

But in all honesty get an IPhone. No one ever regrets an iPhone.

Finch

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#2635617 14-Jan-2021 15:56

Hi everyone, New Year, same problem. I still haven't purchased a new phone yet. I read over all the replies again just a few days ago.

I think I've nailed it down to iPhone 11, or iPhone 12, I just can't decide which one. The 12 is certainly better, but is it $300 better? I have even seen some battery test videos where the 11 lasts longer than the 12.

Of course if there is anything new in the market now compared to a couple months ago please let me know as well.

Thanks!

muppet

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#2635627 14-Jan-2021 16:25

Pixel 4a.

Good pricepoint, amazing photos.

JaseNZ

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#2635630 14-Jan-2021 16:28

I have the 11 pro max and could not find any reason to upgrade to 12. It has everything I want and a bloody hell of a good camera to go along with it.

Just my 2c but I would save your money and get the 11 and if you have the spare money get the bigger capacity 11.

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timmmay

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#2635638 14-Jan-2021 16:47

muppet:

Pixel 4a.

Good pricepoint, amazing photos.

Great phone, compact, very good photos considering the slightly older sensors but the great Google software largely makes up for it. Good battery life considering small phones have small batteries. If something happened to mine I'd go buy another the same.

Apple is also a good bet, but no idea about models.