Which Phone? SIII or alt?

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RobDickinson

1524 posts

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#133832 4-Nov-2013 15:13

Looking for a new droid phone to replace my wretched LG p500.

Top of the list is a Galaxy S III - probably the 9305 version just because of the 2gb ram I guess, not bothered about 4G.

I do want a good 4.5-5 inch screen with 16gb + SD expansion or 32gb. Decent performance and battery life. All for around $500. (shame the Nexus 5 cant be had in NZ.. )

So what are the decent alts? Sony Xperia ZL, LG Optimus G PRO ? HTC One X is only 16gig and no SD.. Note II?

Are the new S III's (9305?) just as likely to randomly die as the old ones?

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20162 posts

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#927045 4-Nov-2013 15:17

Are the older ones likely to randomly die? I thought that was fixed via a firmware update. I think the s3 is good bang for your buck, but you maybe able to get a good deal on the s4.

RobDickinson

1524 posts

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#927047 4-Nov-2013 15:23

Yeah as far as I can tell they have a weak memory chip or something and just randomly die ( check the thread here or google galaxy sudden death syndrome).

S4's are $700 and I am not sure what I get for $200+ more money. Ok its quicker and has 4g but the S3 should be fast enough for me (hah he says..).

I dont game on my phones much - I do run a bunch of photography apps like The photographers ephemeris, I want a good star map app etc and possibly to be able to remote control my slr.

Krishant007

1403 posts

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#927115 4-Nov-2013 17:00

S3 - best bang for buck phone at the moment. however i should note, i know a few people with s3 that have random issues such as random restarts etc.

but note 2, also consider it.. it is a better phone - if you dont mind the size!

jeffnz

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#927129 4-Nov-2013 17:52

RobDickinson: Yeah as far as I can tell they have a weak memory chip or something and just randomly die ( check the thread here or google galaxy sudden death syndrome).

S4's are $700 and I am not sure what I get for $200+ more money. Ok its quicker and has 4g but the S3 should be fast enough for me (hah he says..).

I dont game on my phones much - I do run a bunch of photography apps like The photographers ephemeris, I want a good star map app etc and possibly to be able to remote control my slr.

as posted previously the S3 is fine now the memory thingie was fixed so woudn't worry about thatr and also the new ones weren't effected.

S3 is fine speed wise and I've hardly noticed differance with S4 but you get used to what you have and over LG its like tractor versus Ferrari .

If you can try them out as there is a lot out there. The new Nexus is available for $699 at 2D when they arrive but only 16gb and no ext SD card but very good price.

Galaxy S10

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Paulthagerous

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#927130 4-Nov-2013 17:53

Note 2 if the price is right, otherwise the S3. Love my Note 2 :)

RobDickinson

1524 posts

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#927141 4-Nov-2013 18:32

Thanks everyone, sounds like what I thought is right and a new s3 should be fine.

Hmm Note 2 is about $100 more than the s3 though...

nakedmolerat

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#927143 4-Nov-2013 18:36

Wait for Sony Z1f

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1eStar

1604 posts

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#927169 4-Nov-2013 19:24

+1 for Note 2. Check second hand on trademe, some on the better side of $500 now. I love mine, it's gotta last a few more years yet.

Batman

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#927196 4-Nov-2013 19:42

Just throwing spanner in the works ... nexus 5?

shk292

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#927229 4-Nov-2013 20:14

Xperia ZR? Meets your requirements and is waterproof.

RobDickinson

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#927264 4-Nov-2013 21:09

shk292: Xperia ZR? Meets your requirements and is waterproof.

Good suggestion, considering I'm out in often poor conditions & biking etc it may well be a great choice!

Only 8gb internal ram but then my current phone has 512kb or something..:D

Insanekiwi

592 posts

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#927281 4-Nov-2013 21:53

Private message sent you Rob!

RobDickinson

1524 posts

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#928511 7-Nov-2013 08:48

ok so pretty certain I will go for the sony then.. !

MikeB4

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#928516 7-Nov-2013 08:57

I have been mulling over this very subject myself over recent weeks. My 16GB S3 is no longer meeting my needs and I have been looking at the alternatives. I don't want to go back to Apple, I dislike IOS7. Samsung Product quality is slipping. And the rest of the pack are much the same.

I like the Sony Experia Z but past experience with Sony phones makes me nervous
I like the Nexus 5 but I think the final price here will be too high.

I am OK with Android in general but it's getting very fragmented.

Blackberry.......Just No.

So I am holding off now until the new year as I believe we will see some really nice kit coming out of Nokia and I like the Windows Phone 8 experience, I have been messing with a HTC unit I was given. I like its clean simple interface and ease of use
It does have some little frustrations but they are not game breakers

RobDickinson

1524 posts

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#928544 7-Nov-2013 09:49

I like the Nokia phones, a 620 or something would be fine. WP8 is a nice phone OS.

But its got such poor app support for what I would use it for.

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