Suggestions on buying a new phone under $600

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enfield

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Master Geek

#87971 11-Aug-2011 18:21

Hey guys

What would you guys suggest for something under $600, I am an android noob this is a gift for my bro in law.Had a quick search on pricespy and galaxy s and htc desire hd look promising.

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#505136 11-Aug-2011 18:29

enfield: Hey guys

What would you guys suggest for something under $600, I am an android noob this is a gift for my bro in law.Had a quick search on pricespy and galaxy s and htc desire hd look promising.

That's about right. Both are good.

Ideos X5 is good, too, but they are better.

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nakedmolerat

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#505139 11-Aug-2011 18:41

or get HTC sensation for $700 (save up another $100!)

NZtechfreak

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#505150 11-Aug-2011 19:02

Or see if he wants to go on contract, and get a Galaxy SII !

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kiwijunglist

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#505168 11-Aug-2011 19:52

i9001 Galaxy S Plus - 4" Super amyloid / 1.4Ghz CPU / Android 2.3 / 5MP Camera - $639 @ Mobicity.co.nz

If you're gonna buy a Galaxy S1 there are about 10 different versions, they are all similar price so best to get "Galaxy S Plus i9001" version. It's the best because it still includes super amyloid screen (Galxy S i9003 SL doesn't) and has a faster processer than all the other versions (1.4Ghz vs 1.0Ghz).

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enfield

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Master Geek

#505176 11-Aug-2011 20:07

^^ thanks for that.

I talked him into spending a bit more and he is happy to do so :P What would be your pick between S2 and Sensation ? HTC Sensation doesnt seem as bulky as the S2 and is cheaper at about 720ish from expert infotech.Saw some videos of the new 3.0 sense UI looks quite appealing.From the little researching i have done online it seems samsung is slow on updates for galaxy s (dont know if its the same for s2) and that kies is full of bugs.

lokhor

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#505181 11-Aug-2011 20:21

I'm loving the HTC Sensation. Would highly recommend.

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

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#505186 11-Aug-2011 20:24

If you are with vodafone or 2degrees then you should get the Galaxy S2 because is quadband 3G, so it can operate at 900Mhz 3G. The Sensation that is currently available operates on 850Mhz 3G which is telecom only.

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enfield

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Master Geek

#505197 11-Aug-2011 20:45

HTC Sensation
General 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 900 / 1700 / 2100

This is from the expert-infotech website im guessing it would work on vodafone ?

lokhor

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#505203 11-Aug-2011 20:54

enfield: HTC Sensation
General 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 900 / 1700 / 2100

This is from the expert-infotech website im guessing it would work on vodafone ?

That is correct the parallel import version of the HTC Sensation is the Z710e which is 900/1700/2100 HSDPA
The Telecom XT model is the Z710a which is 850/1700/2100 HSDPA

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

nakedmolerat

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#505204 11-Aug-2011 20:54

enfield: HTC Sensation
General 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 900 / 1700 / 2100

This is from the expert-infotech website im guessing it would work on vodafone ?

correct! this one works perfect for vodafone/2degrees but will *NOT* work well on Telecom.

NZtechfreak

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#505225 11-Aug-2011 21:27

I have both the Sensation and the SII, the Samsung is the better phone by a reasonable margin.

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lokhor

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#505228 11-Aug-2011 21:28

NZtechfreak: I have both the Sensation and the SII, the Samsung is the better phone by a reasonable margin.

I think that depends what you intend to use it for. I quite like the higher resolution display on the Sensation. I don't play 1080p video on my phone, so not really missing out on anything there.

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

NZtechfreak

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#505239 11-Aug-2011 21:48

There's a lot more to it than that Lokhor.

The Galaxy SII is better built, sure its materials aren't as nice, but if you want the phone that will physically last its the Galaxy SII, not the Sensation. If you want the phone with the most future-proofed specs its the Galaxy SII (WiFi direct, USB OTG, better CPU and GPU, 1GB of RAM, more internal storage, more storage for app installation - I know several others who have more app storage used in their SGSII's than the Sensation has in total). If you want the phone with the best browser, its the Galaxy SII. Best speed in general use? SGSII. Best battery life? SGSII. Best camera? SGSII (front and back cameras). Best screen characteristics overall? SGSII (blacks, contrast, viewing angles). Best loudspeaker? SGSII. Best video playback? SGSII. Best flash playback? SGSII.

The Sensation betters the SGSII in these respects: Better materials, a benefit completely negated by the poorly executed sleeve design and lots of build quality issues IMO. Better GPS - lock speed and strength are better BUT for navigation there is no difference (so only relevant if you're a geocacher or something, and in fact navigation is probably better on the SGSII because it re-routes faster). Better screen resolution (the only screen characteristic where it beats the SGSII on objective terms, colour balance is a personal preference thing, but certainly some will like the more accurate tones on the Sensation). Better stock UI.

If you can afford both then the Sensation is likely the wrong decision, unless you feel you absolutely must have the screen resolution or Sense.

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lokhor

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#505251 11-Aug-2011 22:12

NZtechfreak: There's a lot more to it than that Lokhor.

The Galaxy SII is better built, sure its materials aren't as nice, but if you want the phone that will physically last its the Galaxy SII, not the Sensation. If you want the phone with the most future-proofed specs its the Galaxy SII (WiFi direct, USB OTG, better CPU and GPU, 1GB of RAM, more internal storage, more storage for app installation - I know several others who have more app storage used in their SGSII's than the Sensation has in total). If you want the phone with the best browser, its the Galaxy SII. Best speed in general use? SGSII. Best battery life? SGSII. Best camera? SGSII (front and back cameras). Best screen characteristics overall? SGSII (blacks, contrast, viewing angles). Best loudspeaker? SGSII. Best video playback? SGSII. Best flash playback? SGSII.

The Sensation betters the SGSII in these respects: Better materials, a benefit completely negated by the poorly executed sleeve design and lots of build quality issues IMO. Better GPS - lock speed and strength are better BUT for navigation there is no difference (so only relevant if you're a geocacher or something, and in fact navigation is probably better on the SGSII because it re-routes faster). Better screen resolution (the only screen characteristic where it beats the SGSII on objective terms, colour balance is a personal preference thing, but certainly some will like the more accurate tones on the Sensation). Better stock UI.

If you can afford both then the Sensation is likely the wrong decision, unless you feel you absolutely must have the screen resolution or Sense.

I don't think many geeks buy phones caring about whether they will physically last for a long time, we usually replace them before they are 2 years old. The Sensation definitely feels nice in the hand though.
No device is future proofed - quad core devices with 720p displays are already on the horizon
Better CPU is debatable, the Sensation's processor has independent voltage control per core which aids battery life. The GPU thing is even more debatable, the Mali 400 in the SGSII is not known to be any more or less powerful than the Adreno 220 in the Sensation; however the Sensation pushes 35% more pixels.
Regarding app storage, I have a ton of apps (over 100) and I have not used up the internal storage for apps on the Sensation. When I do, I will move some to SD. This is not a relevant argument.
The ram in the Sensation is a little low considering it is a high end device, however I have not really noticed any issues with it apart from when running bloatware like Firefox.
Best speed in general use is also very subjective here. The Sensation by default does not come with GPU UI Acceleration, however after rooting and using BladeBuddy this is easy to fix and makes the Sense experience far smoother.
I don't think the SGSII has battery life that is far superior to the HTC Sensation. ArtooDetoo has been getting 3 days out of his Sensation no sweat. You can also put in the Evo 3D 1730mah battery if you feel that you need more juice.
The Sensation's stock browser is a little disappointing when it comes to scrolling speed due to lack of GPU acceleration, however using Opera Mobile stops this from being an issue.
I think the camera on the Sensation is pretty darn good, and with other apps to remove the compression it's even better. I agree that the front camera is a little poor with only VGA resolution.
For video and flash playback I think the Sensation is fine. Why would you need to play 1080p flash video on your phone? the display is only 960x540 res. also DicePlayer means the Sensation plays HD videos almost as well as the SGSII - typically suffering only in the 1080p high bitrate videos.
I am not sure how prevalent any build issues are as I have not suffered any, although I do know that LinuxLuver's volume rocker fell off so this may be a concern if you do not have a warranty.
The Loudspeaker on the HTC Sensation has a very low volume, however once again software comes to the rescue with Volume+ which greatly increases the output.
I haven't directly compared the audio quality but the testing done by GSMArena pointed to the HTC Sensation having better quality, especially with headphones plugged in.
This is very objective but I've grown to really like Sense UI and find it a lot more usable than TouchWiz ever was.

Edit: Forgot to add that as of today the HTC Sensation is ~$720 on Pricespy and the SGSII is $850 so there's a $130 difference currently which can make a big difference to someone looking for the most bang for their buck.

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

NZtechfreak

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#505275 11-Aug-2011 22:57

lokhor:I don't think many geeks buy phones caring about whether they will physically last for a long time, we usually replace them before they are 2 years old. The Sensation definitely feels nice in the hand though.

Sure, but there are lots of build issues that people are having now - volume rockers falling into the body, dust trapping under the screen, creaking of the the two phone pieces, touch screen issues...

lokhor:No device is future proofed - quad core devices with 720p displays are already on the horizon

You'll note I said it has the most future-proofed specs of the two, this is a fact regardless of whether 720p displays/quadcores/whatever are around the corner.

lokhor:Better CPU is debatable, the Sensation's processor has independent voltage control per core which aids battery life. The GPU thing is even more debatable, the Mali 400 in the SGSII is not known to be any more or less powerful than the Adreno 220 in the Sensation; however the Sensation pushes 35% more pixels.

The voltage controls might add battery life, but that point is purely academic, since the Sensation has worse battery life in any case, so those savings don't translate to any kind of benefit to the user. Fair point about the extra pixels on the GPU.

lokhor:Regarding app storage, I have a ton of apps (over 100) and I have not used up the internal storage for apps on the Sensation. When I do, I will move some to SD. This is not a relevant argument.

It may not be a relevant argument for you personally Lokhor, but it is an issue for many (myself amongst them). For example Lokhor, I have no SD card space to move apps to, so your solution is by no means one size fits all.

lokhor:The ram in the Sensation is a little low considering it is a high end device, however I have not really noticed any issues with it apart from when running bloatware like Firefox.

You can probably mostly get away with it, but multiple tabs (particularly if flash is running), multitasking, and high end games will often cause the same issues as Firefox. Sense UI restarting and your phone being useless for however long that takes is quite irritating. As games and softwares get more demanding this is increasingly likely to be an issue.

...and besides, I'm using an expensive flagship handset, why shouldn't I be able run the software I want, even if it is bloatware?

lokhor:Best speed in general use is also very subjective here. The Sensation by default does not come with GPU UI Acceleration, however after rooting and using BladeBuddy this is easy to fix and makes the Sense experience far smoother.

Yep, both phones will benefit with Root and mods etc.

lokhor:I don't think the SGSII has battery life that is far superior to the HTC Sensation. ArtooDetoo has been getting 3 days out of his Sensation no sweat. You can also put in the Evo 3D 1730mah battery if you feel that you need more juice.

Its not far superior by any means, but better is better. Only way I can see to get three days out of the Sensation is to do next to nothing with it, would be interested to know what his use was during that time. FWIW on light use guys are getting 5 days or more out of the SGSII.

lokhor:The Sensation's stock browser is a little disappointing when it comes to scrolling speed due to lack of GPU acceleration, however using Opera Mobile stops this from being an issue.

I use Opera as my main browser because I like how it handles tabs and dynamic reflow better, but that said I do use stock a lot too (it is a much smoother experience than any other browser on the SGSII). In Opera on the SGSII flash playback is still better than on the Sensation.

lokhor:I think the camera on the Sensation is pretty darn good, and with other apps to remove the compression it's even better. I agree that the front camera is a little poor with only VGA resolution.

Don't get me wrong, the Sensation camera is really very decent, certainly HTCs best ever by quite a margin. There are camera mods for the SGSII camera app too that increase audio quality and video bitrate, I'd expect it still maintains its advantage overall even with those entering the equation on each side.

lokhor:For video and flash playback I think the Sensation is fine. Why would you need to play 1080p flash video on your phone? the display is only 960x540 res. also DicePlayer means the Sensation plays HD videos almost as well as the SGSII - typically suffering only in the 1080p high bitrate videos.

Its not only the HD flash video, lots of non-Youtube flash content at lower resolutions struggles a bit on the Sensation in comparison to the SGSII. I do think the Sensation is pretty good for video playback, but only once you add Dice Player.

lokhor:I am not sure how prevalent any build issues are as I have not suffered any, although I do know that LinuxLuver's volume rocker fell off so this may be a concern if you do not have a warranty.

I've seen a few reports of the volume rocker issue, and many of dust trapping under the screen, I think both are from the design of the phone (I really wish they had been able to work out the unibody design they had initially announced!). Because of the design I really expect these to become more prevalent as time goes on.

lokhor:The Loudspeaker on the HTC Sensation has a very low volume, however once again software comes to the rescue with Volume+ which greatly increases the output.

That's true, I'm not sure how big the difference is with Volume+, I have trouble believing it brings it even close to parity because the difference pre-Volume+ is quite extreme.

lokhor:I haven't directly compared the audio quality but the testing done by GSMArena pointed to the HTC Sensation having better quality, especially with headphones plugged in.

GSMarena's testing methods are flawed according to Supercurio, and I'll take his word over theirs any day on a technical matter, so I'm not really sure how big the difference in sound quality is (he says its particularly the "with headphones" tests that are problems). I really like most parts of the Sensations sound quality, but how it handles the low end is a really problem (if you listen to music that is predominantly mids and highs you'll likely find it fine). In the end the lows issue was bad enough for me that despite having lots of other better attributes in sound quality I'd much rather listen to music on the SGSII, the only audiophile I know with both handsets found the same thing.

lokhor:This is very objective but I've grown to really like Sense UI and find it a lot more usable than TouchWiz ever was.

I think most would agree that Sense is better overall where the stock UI's are concerned, but this is Android, so the UI is what you make of it.

lokhor:Edit: Forgot to add that as of today the HTC Sensation is ~$720 on Pricespy and the SGSII is $850 so there's a $130 difference currently which can make a big difference to someone looking for the most bang for their buck.

That's why I was clear about if you can afford both, if cost is an issue then I definitely think the Sensation is a great option.

It's a very good phone, I'm not saying for second it isn't, but if I'm recommending a phone to someone with the means to buy either (and I'm not sure if that applies to the OP or not, so I put it out there in case), then as someone who has used both phones extensively I feel strongly enough about the difference between them to be quite unequivocal about recommending the SGSII. I've seen other users of both phones say the same thing, but I can't recall any users of both phones saying the reverse.

Twitter: @nztechfreak
Blogs: HeadphoNZ.org

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