Good mid-range (~$500) android phone?

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mastapenguin

71 posts

Master Geek

#102577 17-May-2012 13:35

After a new phone for the better half, she currently has an ideos u8150 and is looking for an upgrade. Ideally I'd like to get a phone that will be supported with custom roms/some probability of manufacturer updates, and one that can play most games/run most apps.

Phone we've looked at:

HTC One V (she thinks this is ugly with the weird curved bit at the bottom)
Sony Xperia Arc S (she kind of likes this one)
Galaxy Nexus (I suppose this pushes the budget a bit)
Samsung Galaxy Ace plus (she likes the size/shape of this)
Motorola Defy Plus
LG Optimus 2X (she quite likes this phone too, although I'm not sure about LG phones)
Lg Optimus P970
Plethora of Samsung Galaxy S remakes (S+, SL, etc etc)

Looking to buy a phone this week so any advice would be appreciated. Particularly if there is anything I've missed out from the above list that I should consider.

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#626807 17-May-2012 13:52

If you can stretch the budget a wee bit, Warehouse Stationary currently have the HTC One X for $799.

bener

272 posts

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#626817 17-May-2012 13:57

I have a Galaxy S and it's brilliant, but they are still fairly expensive considering they have been well superseded by newer models by now.

Altan

23 posts

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#626820 17-May-2012 13:58

I have had the Optimus 2x for about a year, (good phone) but let me say it is almost useless without flashing custom ROM's. So if you want something that just works.
Galaxy Nexus imo.

trig42

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#626821 17-May-2012 13:58

Pity you can't wait a bit more, I'd be thinking the Galaxy SII will come down in price. Maybe not that low, and not that quickly.

langers1972

1039 posts

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#626834 17-May-2012 14:04

I wouldn't recommend the Arc S, I have one for work and it's not great ergonomically and it's almost too thin and the back is slippery as an eel so it doesn't feel comfortable to hold at all.

My biggest gripe (apart from the mountains of Sony bloatware) is the power button which is a tiny circular one that sits on the top left corner of the phone but is recessed into the case making it really hard to press.

Sounds pedantic but when you have to use the power button to wake the phone it's a nightmare. I haven't got big hands but I find I can only push it using my finger nail, would recommend having a look before you buy as I hate it.

hairy1

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#626846 17-May-2012 14:27

langers1972: I wouldn't recommend the Arc S, I have one for work and it's not great ergonomically and it's almost too thin and the back is slippery as an eel so it doesn't feel comfortable to hold at all.

My biggest gripe (apart from the mountains of Sony bloatware) is the power button which is a tiny circular one that sits on the top left corner of the phone but is recessed into the case making it really hard to press.

Sounds pedantic but when you have to use the power button to wake the phone it's a nightmare. I haven't got big hands but I find I can only push it using my finger nail, would recommend having a look before you buy as I hate it.

I agree. The power button is pretty stiff. The same with the camera button. My wife has got one and I just use the home button on the bottom to wake it up. Widgetsoid is a great widget from the market for turning on and off all sorts of stuff. You could put a lock button on the home screen. Just a thought. She also has the Momax case from PB which keeps the thin and light but makes it more grippy...

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mastapenguin

71 posts

Master Geek

#626847 17-May-2012 14:29

Thanks for all the replies so far.

@bener The Galaxy S is a good phone, and lasted me about a year before I dropped it and broke the screen. My partner does quite like the Galaxy S, but it's still quite expensive considering it's 3 generations old now. Even the Nexus S is still quite expensive for what it is. The Galaxy Nexus is only marginally more expensive.

@LangersThe Arc S does seem like it wouldn't be the most comfortable to hold. Unfortunately it's hard to tell when all the stores have those big retractable cords stuck to the demo phones.

@dclegg, thanks I'll consider the One X. $799 is a great price for a top of the line phone, and it's not even parallel imported. Not sure if the Mrs will want such a pricey phone though. Maybe I'll consider it for me....

@Altan, what ROM are you currently running on the 2X. A friend has one, but on stock it's a bit of a pain. It's very snappy when it's recently been rebooted, but he says after a few days it gets really laggy. How have you found the build quality? The 2X is pretty cheap at the moment for a dual-core phone, albeit it's pretty old now.

Keep the suggestions coming.

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mastapenguin

71 posts

Master Geek

#626848 17-May-2012 14:30

hairy1:
langers1972: I wouldn't recommend the Arc S, I have one for work and it's not great ergonomically and it's almost too thin and the back is slippery as an eel so it doesn't feel comfortable to hold at all.

My biggest gripe (apart from the mountains of Sony bloatware) is the power button which is a tiny circular one that sits on the top left corner of the phone but is recessed into the case making it really hard to press.

Sounds pedantic but when you have to use the power button to wake the phone it's a nightmare. I haven't got big hands but I find I can only push it using my finger nail, would recommend having a look before you buy as I hate it.

I agree. The power button is pretty stiff. The same with the camera button. My wife has got one and I just use the home button on the bottom to wake it up. Widgetsoid is a great widget from the market for turning on and off all sorts of stuff. You could put a lock button on the home screen. Just a thought. She also has the Momax case from PB which keeps the thin and light but makes it more grippy...

What does your wife think? Would you still recommend it as a decent choice even with the issues with the lock/camera button?

langers1972

1039 posts

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#626850 17-May-2012 14:36

Another thing to note is that the Sony ICS update is pretty laggy on the Arc S too although there are whispers that 4.0.4 is coming which is better.

Paulthagerous

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#626852 17-May-2012 14:39

If you can stretch to the One X it really is an amazing phone!

What about the HTC Sensation? I still use one and really like it. Not as powerful as the SGSII, but can be found quite well priced given its solid specs.

http://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=868227

Altan

23 posts

Geek

#626854 17-May-2012 14:40

@mastapenguin, Currently running CM7 kang buy a guy on XDA (Link). Build quality wise, it does feel a bit thicker in the hand than S2 and others and after taking the back cover off many times, there is a bit of flex if you press directly on the battery. I have dropped it a few times without a protective case and the grey trim gets a dent but have had no other problems. The major let down to the 2X is the nvidia chip. they just wont release the source code, so its giving dev's a hard time. :/

All that said, i would definitely want to get a Nexus device (Galaxy Nexus) for my next phone.

hairy1

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#626855 17-May-2012 14:41

Hey Mastapenguin,

There is a good discussion here on midrange phones too:

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=97&topicid=100781&page_no=3#612911

I got Caroline the Arc S mainly for the camera as she likes having a decent camera with her at all times. I just asked her what she thought of it and she said she would recommend it if it had a pink case. So, there you go.... :-)

She is still on Gingerbread mainly because I had heard that ICS could be a bit laggy and it working great for her. I have an HTC Sensation and spend half my life flashing ROM's! ;-)

I love the lightness of the ARC.

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