Best Android phone options <$700?

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#1530933 12-Apr-2016 16:53

Theclaytons:

Hi,

I live in Kirwee and get 1 bar with 3g on a Nexus 5x. The coverage is pretty patchy and I was wondering, is the reach of the 700mhz frequency better than the 3G Extended or am I stuck with poor coverage? i.e. will i get more reliable signal with 700mhz ponce it gets rolled out (later this month apparently).

Chris.

Potentially a bit better, but not a huge difference. I'd suggest getting a Sure Signal if you're with Voda (But I'd imagine you're with Spark, else 700MHz on the Nexus 5X is not going to work).

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Theclaytons

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#1531133 12-Apr-2016 21:47

Disappointing given the talk of 700mhz being the saviour for rural areas. I'm not that far from the towers and i figured 700mhz had a really good range, not marginally better than 3g extended.

I'm with Spark (CallPLus to be precise).

grant_k

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#1531138 12-Apr-2016 21:52

Theclaytons:

Disappointing given the talk of 700mhz being the saviour for rural areas. I'm not that far from the towers and i figured 700mhz had a really good range, not marginally better than 3g extended.

I'm with Spark (CallPLus to be precise).

As I understand it, Spark and Vodafone have reduced the power of the 4G 700MHz signals so the coverage footprint pretty much matches that of 3G 900MHz. This is necessary because voice calls cannot currently be transmitted over 4G. When a call comes through, the 3G connection needs to be used, however in future this will no longer be necessary after VoLTE is rolled out. When that might happen is anybody's guess though.

Theclaytons

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#1531145 12-Apr-2016 22:00

Now this makes sense. I hope Volte is on thge cards, but i imagine it is months or years away....

http://www.speedtest.net/result/6594768645.png

Jase2985

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#1615098 21-Aug-2016 13:59

So im in the look out of a phone with the same sort of budget as the OP

For my wife and I they are just everyday phones so calling, texting, emails and web browsing mostly. We do watch a bit of media on them streamed via our DLNA server, and also a bit of music.

Wife plays a few games on hers, an i run the Remote Desktop, and network monitoring apps.

Of the ones mentioned so far, or any that have come out recently, is there any to lookout for or consider?

Our last phones (Sony Xperia SP's) have lasted us coming up 3 years now so having a phone that lasts and wont be outdated too quickly is also a bonus.

Sam91

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#1615106 21-Aug-2016 14:23

Huawei P9's price has plummeted to $699 at JB Hi-Fi.

Jase2985

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#1615116 21-Aug-2016 14:46

Sam91:

Huawei P9's price has plummeted to $699 at JB Hi-Fi.

but does that make it a good phone to get? is it the best phone in that price group?

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Sam91

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#1615144 21-Aug-2016 16:28

Jase2985:

Sam91:

Huawei P9's price has plummeted to $699 at JB Hi-Fi.

but does that make it a good phone to get? is it the best phone in that price group?

True, I wouldn't have a clue. Just thought I'd mention it for anyone tossing up between the P9 and another phone.

Theclaytons

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#1615151 21-Aug-2016 16:53

Forhalf the money the Nexus 5x is a great phone.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/6594768645.png

Jase2985

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#1615200 21-Aug-2016 18:10

Theclaytons: Forhalf the money the Nexus 5x is a great phone.

only thing that puts me off that is no card slot

MurrayM

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#1622947 5-Sep-2016 11:01

I'm in the market for a new Android phone too. I've come to the conclusion that my Vodafone Smart Prime 6 just isn't cut out for playing Pokemon Go. I'm on my second one (first one got replaced after the earpiece stopped working) and both phones (and my partner's Smart Prime) have all had the same problems of apps just quitting and returning to the home screen, massive slow downs when switching between apps (e.g. tap the recent apps button and wait 20 seconds for the list to appear), GPS stopping and reporting that there aren't any satellites, phone rebooting itself for no apparent reason, etc. These problems seem to be magnified when playing Pokemon Go, and like I said I've seen this happen on 3 different Smart Primes so I don't think I've got a dud phone.

I think Pokemon Go requires 2GB of RAM, and the Smart Prime only has 1GB, so I guess I'm lucky that Pokemon Go runs at all, but I'm now looking for a cheapish phone (preferably under $500) that has at least 2GB of RAM (preferably 3GB) and a fast processor. Good GPS is important as I play another geolocation game (Munzee) and use Google Maps quite a bit. Would prefer not to have too much bloatware and standard Android (Lollipop, but if it could upgrade to Marshmellow then that would be a bonus).

I'm on Vodafone so need it to work well on the Vodafone network. I'd prefer to buy it here in NZ rather than order it from overseas, simply so I can get CGA protection.

Any suggestions?

What about the Huawei Honor 6 or is that getting too old now?

Jase2985

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#1624112 5-Sep-2016 16:25

anyone else with opinions for this price range?

Krishant007

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#1624135 5-Sep-2016 16:58

I would have thought this is a no brainer:

Nexus 6P at 663 from Expert Infotech

OnePlus 3 at 695 from Expert Infotech

Or if you want something to play Pokemon Go:

Meizu M3 Note 32GB at 350 from PB Tech

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#1624184 5-Sep-2016 18:01

@Krishant007 its a no brainer if you know what your looking at

MurrayM

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#1624191 5-Sep-2016 18:23

Krishant007:

I would have thought this is a no brainer:

Nexus 6P at 663 from Expert Infotech

OnePlus 3 at 695 from Expert Infotech

Or if you want something to play Pokemon Go:

Meizu M3 Note 32GB at 350 from PB Tech

Thanks for the pointers.

The Meizu M3 Note looked very promising, but the first two reviews I read said that it's very hard to read the screen outdoors, so it might not be so good for Pokemon Go.

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