Best alternative to G4: Meizu Note 3, Nexus 5X, Huawei P8 or other?

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jonathan18

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Topic # 198373 6-Jul-2016 14:09

I planned on getting my wife a G4 H815 from Expert InfoTech, but noted today it has disappeared off its website - I rang them and apparently it's been removed due to the boot loop issue this phone apparently commonly suffers from; first I knew of the issue, but this may be a good reason to avoid this phone as it's a widely reported problem.

Anyway, it's now back to the drawing board as to which phone to buy. Looking at the price point below $600, and I've narrowed it down to the following:

* Meizu M3 Note @ $359 (amazing value for money; fingerprint reader; SD; 2 year warranty, 5.5"; similar to the Redmi Note 2 she currently has, but hopefully not the same problems!)

* Nexus 5X @ $499 (fingerprint reader; Android updates assured, but smaller screen and not expandable)

* Huawei P8 @$549 (only 16GB but SD; smaller screen )

* G4 - ie, take the risk!

The phone is for her business as well as personal use, so will be used for Spotify (including offline storage) and as her main method of taking photos so it needs to have a decent camera. Would prefer a device that operates on all frequencies for the three telcos, including Spark's "regional" 4G frequencies.

Would appreciate any advice re the relative merits of these (or other phones).

Thanks!

freitasm

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Reply # 1587134 6-Jul-2016 14:14

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I have been using a Meizu Note 3 and it's a really good option - just remember it doesn't have NFC. Other than this, great value.

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hairy1

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Reply # 1587135 6-Jul-2016 14:14

I have the G4 and I have been very impressed with the camera. It takes some stunning photos. No sign of boot loops here.

Sorry, I can't offer much in the way of advice for the other phones. Noel Leeming had the Nexus 6P for $849 the other day which would have been my pick but might be out of your price range.

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hairy1

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Reply # 1587136 6-Jul-2016 14:15

freitasm:

I have been using a Meizu Note 3 and it's a really good option - just remember it doesn't have NFC. Other than this, great value.

How's the Note 3 Camera?

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freitasm

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Reply # 1587137 6-Jul-2016 14:16

Not bad - but not at the P9 or Samsung 7 level either.

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hairy1

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Reply # 1587139 6-Jul-2016 14:22

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Really the camera seems to be the main difference between the low end Android's and high end. Screens are good enough on all these devices now, CPU's keep up with everything... It mostly seems to come down to the camera (and in some cases software polish). My kids have Vodafone Smart Ultra's and I would happily use one of those if not for the camera.

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jonathan18

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Reply # 1587151 6-Jul-2016 14:27

Good to read good experience in using the Note 3 - I doubt my wife would know what NFC is if she tripped over it, so that shouldn't be an issue!

The chances are very high that the camera in the G4 will be superior to the Note 3, which is a big point in favour of sticking with the original idea of the G4. (Edit: as you point out in your post above!)

Expert InfoTech still sell some of the other versions of the G4, as they indicated it was only the H815 model which has this issue - @hairy1- do you know which version you've got? The problem I see is that, should it occur outside of warranty period (likely to be only 1 year) one is probably stuck with it... The Note 3 is about 40% cheaper, comes with a two year warranty, fingerprint scanner... hence my confusion!

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Reply # 1587153 6-Jul-2016 14:32

I have an LG-H815T. I bought it from Harvey Norman on Boxing day for $688 incl. GST.

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Reply # 1587156 6-Jul-2016 14:36

Yes. That is the issue with going with a Parallel importer hence I guess why they decided to stop stocking them as they would have to wear the cost of replacing the device. Hmmm. Problems, problems.

If she can live with the camera not being stellar then discard the G4 as an option.

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jonathan18

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Reply # 1587157 6-Jul-2016 14:36

Ah, I read now that the Meizu Note 3 doesn't do band 28, which is annoying given where we live (Palmerston North). While my wife's first going to try with 2 Degrees so this won't be an issue, should the reception prove to be dodgy in any critical areas (which is common in this area, in my experience) she may need to switch back to Spark, and 4G could well be useful if she needs to tether her laptop to her mobile. Then again, how often this will be necessary (and how critical the speed of 4G versus 3G is) is up for debate...

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Reply # 1587166 6-Jul-2016 14:57

They shipped my Mum an LG G4 yesterday!

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jonathan18

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Reply # 1587167 6-Jul-2016 15:01

timmmay:

They shipped my Mum an LG G4 yesterday!

Doh! And it was me that mentioned this as an option to you in your other thread. Do you know which model she ordered? It could well be that the H815 only disappeared off Expert InfoTech's site today... My wife didn't want the leather back, and there aren't many sellers of it in this form. Also very few options of getting it from a non-parallel import place (HN's have it, but considerably more expensive).

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Reply # 1587169 6-Jul-2016 15:08

jonathan18:

Doh! And it was me that mentioned this as an option to you in your other thread. Do you know which model she ordered? It could well be that the H815 only disappeared off Expert InfoTech's site today... My wife didn't want the leather back, and there aren't many sellers of it in this form. Also very few options of getting it from a non-parallel import place (HN's have it, but considerably more expensive).

Not entirely sure. I ordered it but send the notification to her email. We got her the black leather backed version because it was going into a case anyway, so the back style was irrelevant. From memory it was around $515 or $520. it arrived today so I'll ask her later how it is. All she's said so far is "light".

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jonathan18

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Reply # 1590864 13-Jul-2016 10:58

In the end she's bought a Huawei P8, which is a bit of a compromise in some ways but a lot of phone for the money ($349).

All the main options seem to have some issue - I was keen on the Meizu Note 3, but as mentioned earlier that doesn't do band 28; then we'd decided on the Nexus 5X, but reading its thread here on GZ found it didn't support band 28 for all providers. The Nexus 6P was too expensive, the G4 a risk given comments re boot issues...

So, I took at look last week at the P8 and thought it looked pretty decent (if you can cope with its interface - my wife like's her current Redmi Note 2's interface, so she'll be happy with that on the P8 I think). Also, given it's my wife's main camera, I thought the presence of OIS would be an advantage. I just wasn't sure whether, given the budget, we should go for the old "flagship" (P8) or the new dumbed-down (P9 Lite).

I have a vague recollection reading there was some compromise regarding all bands supported by the P8, but couldn't find reference to this; in a call to the NL call centre they said it would work fully on all bands with all NZ providers - I did this more as insurance, as they'll have a record of the call if it turns out not to be the case so I'll have right of return.