Upgrading from my Nokia 5800XM

[azbokikr]

Hi Guys,

It's been almost 2 years with the brilliant 5800XM and i've enjoyed every moment with it. But now, it is time to move on to the world of Androids.

1. Budget?
20k. Can stretch if the phone is really worth it

2. Display type and size?
I'm ok with TFT or SLCD or AMOLED as long as the readability is good under sunlight and color reproduction is good indoors. Touchscreen size <3.7 inch. I don't want to lug around a 4.3 inch screen sized behemoth!

3. Form Factor? bar, slider, flip?
Bar or slider

4. Preferred choice of brand?
HTC, SE, Motorola, Samsung

5. Preferred input method (QWERTY, touchscreen, numpad, touch-n-type).
Touchscreen. (Open to slider QWERTY/touch-n-type but not a must)

6. What camera option you want? Please specify need for flash, autofocus, front facing camera.
5MP with autofocus and flash should suffice. (Not a primary constraint)

7. Preferred operating system? (Android, Symbian, iOS, Windows Phone etc).
Android

8. Preferred connectivity options (3G, Wifi etc)Please specify clearly.
Wi-fi necessary.

9. Preferred applications (Flash, Swype, GPS, etc)?
GPS needed.

10. Primary use of handset (multimedia, camera, mails, internet, gaming etc)?
Calls, texting, multimedia, internet and the occasional snaps.

11. Any specific mobile phones in consideration?
Really confused here! I am considering the SE Neo, HTC Desire S, Motorola Defy.

12. Any other info that you want to share?
Since the phone is going to be a replacement for my 5800XM, ideally i'd want all the features seen in it and more, to be present in the new phone as well.

I'm willing to wait for a 2-3 months if there are any phones worth waiting for in the horizon. (Neo will anyways only be available in July.)

Audio: Should sound natural over the loud speaker (5800XM comes with stereo speakers) and the earphones. Cowon D2+ functions as my primary music player.

Internal storage memory: I've faced a lot of issues with installing apps onto the external memory card of the 5800XM (thanks to the limited internal storage memory). So in my next phone, i would want a decent amount of internal storage memory.

Charging and Battery life:
USB charging will be a welcome relief. So that i can charge the phone via my work PC if i forget the charger at home.

Battery life that matches/exceeds the 5800's battery life (i manage to squeeze out 2.5-3 days from one full charge) is a must.

 

[ujjwal321]

if you can then don't go for anything else than any dual core phone... that is the future..
if you cannot extend your budget that much then go for samsung galaxy s (definetely best single core phone,,, ).. yes it is an year old but hardware wise there is no better single core phone than galaxy s.. with a huge development community and tens of great custom ROMs like MIUI it is the best.. and the super AMOLED screen is absolutely gorgeous.. you wouldn't want to look at anything else after you've seen it.. trust me..

 

[AndroidFan]

Since you are ready to wait for a couple of months, wait for Xperia Arc price to come down to 22k odd levels. It would be a steal at that price...

 

[desiibond]

Stretch your budget and get HTC Desire S. If you can wait, then as AndroidFan said, wait for price cuts on Xperia Arc.

 

[azbokikr]

Thanks for the response guys.
I'm not going to invest in a dual-core phone just yet. Maybe the next upgrade will be to a multi-core phone. For this upgrade i'd like to stick to single core phones.

My only crib with the Arc is the MASSIVE screen size. I don't think a 4.2 inch screen will be convenient to carry around. Anyhow will check the phone out in person before commenting further.

How would you rate the SE Xperia Neo? Between the Neo and the Desire S which would be a better buy?

Phones currently on my shortlist are (in the order of preference):
SE Xperia Neo
HTC Desire S
Samsung Galaxy S
SE Xperia Arc

Any other phone that i can consider?

 

[NainO]

How would you rate the SE Xperia Neo? Between the Neo and the Desire S which would be a better buy?

The only advantage Neo has over Desire S is its Camera. Sadly its camera performance is just average.
So, I'll place my bet on Desire S for being an over-all balanced phone.

 

[aroraanant]

My vote goes to Desire S...
As Samsung Galaxy S is quite an old one and also I personally don't like its looks and when we are already getting Desire S(which is much better than it) at a price lower(min 2K lower) than that then why go for it.
SE Neo is not going to come in market before a month and a half or should say atleast 2 months and is a very thick handset.
SE Arc is good much not much durable like HTC handsets and also lacks a front facing camera which I think is becoming necessary now a days and one big problem is that SE sucks in terms of service.
So don't think much and go for Desire S.

 

[PraKs]

Same here, Have used 5800,

Most Android phones are good, Shorlisted - Optimus One & Samsung Ace

Just miss Flash light of 5800, It can be used as torch in emergency,

Optimus One & Samsung Ace has flash in it ?

 

[aroraanant]

^^^^
Optimus one dont have flash but ACE have

 

[azbokikr]

Desire S it is. Will pick it up in a couple of month's time. Hoping to see some price cuts post the launch of the Galaxy S2.

 

[aroraanant]

^^^
dnt wait for price cut,buy it from letsbuy and a get a discount of 2K with the help of coupon.
Galaxy S2 is expected to launch in a month but will surely be out of ur budget,it is going to cost 30K(as the sources say) or may be more

 

[azbokikr]

Hey guys,


Today, i went to check out the phones first hand. The following is my take on these phones.

Galaxy S/SL: UI felt great. But ruled out as it felt a little too big. This also rules out all the 4+ inch monsters.

Moto Defy: Felt perfectly sized but wasn't impressed with the UI. Feels inferior to the Samsung TouchWiz and the HTC Sense UI.

HTC Desire S: Wasn't very impressed with the multimedia on this phone. I read that the bootloader is locked. If i go the Android way, i would like to try custom ROMs.

Nokia N8: UI feels almost identical to my 5800. Multimedia though, was great! Thoroughly in love with the multimedia on this device.

Nokia N900: OK, i accidentally bumped into this phone. Checked it out for a while. I kinda liked it. It is not your typical phone! I don't know why, but i am considering this phone!


I have a few questions:

1.Nokia N8:

How much of a change will the Anna update bring to this phone? Is it worth the consideration? Is 256MB RAM sufficient for day-to-day usage?


2. HTC Desire S:

Not really convinced about this phone. The multimedia doesn't seem that great. Plus the locked bootloader is a bit of a worry.


3. Nokia N900:

I strangely like this phone. It feels very different to the other phones in the market currently. For what kind of users is this phone developed? Reasons to buy and not buy this phone?

Effectively my shortlist is: N900, N8, Moto Defy, Desire S.

It would be great if anyone could list the typical usage of the phones mentioned in the shortlist so that i'll be able to see if i fit into the usage category.

 

[PraKs]

Have you checked LG Optimus One & Samsung Ace

 

[kingpair]

The wildfire s seems to have serious wi-fi reception issues. Similar to the grip of death issue with the iphone 4. A simple google search will tell you more. I'd stay away. Also HTC phones come with terrible multimedia support, audio quality on them is usually iffy at best.
The nokia n8 is a good idea if youre ok with the screen size and resolution. The app market is better than android because apps only cost a maximum of 75 rupees including the newly released ones. Android apps can go upto 300 bucks. That camera itself is worth the price of admission. Nokia has said that they will support symbian till 2016 so no worries there. The anna update is going to improve the browser, the UI and the email client among other things. Early impressions of the update from reviewers are very good. Check out youtube for more. They havent started rolling out yet though, that might take a month, maybe more.
The defy will have the same issues as the HTC phones, multimedia wise (rockplayer might sort some of those issues out but not all).
The multimedia king however would be the samsung wave with the bada os. If youre not an app junkie and have no need to know of thirty five different ways to peel an orange then you should probaby get the wave. Its 15k on letsbuy without a coupon. Has a larger screen, better resolution and much better processor and gpu than the n8 not to mention a very fluid UI. Movies look fantastic. Unfortunately not many games and apps in the bada market to really take advantage of the hardware.
Dont know anything about the n900, sorry.
No android thus far with 3.7 inch or less screen does multimedia well. The neo might but it will invariably be overpriced just like the arc. The only android phone in the same price range that is comparable to the n8 or the wave is the galaxy S. But unofrtunately you have ruled it out due to screen size. So those are your options. Best of luck with your purchase.
For the record i have a galaxy S and love it.

 

[Sarath]

Well im here again promoting my review for xperia arc. Check it out if you want to know how is the end user experience. *www.thinkdigit.com/forum/reviews/140770-se-xperia-arc.html

I think you should take xperia neo as sony is unlocking the bootloader so you can install custom roms.

Also search for user reviews of the phone you are planning to buy.
And android will give you half the battery life as your 5800 does.
and not many apps can be (or none) can be installed on the memory card.

 

[Soumik]

What kind of issues are u facing exactly on the Desire S ?
The only issues are the locked bootloader and the wifi death grip issue. Both arent deal brakers. Even with locked bootloaders, there are custom roms available and will keep coming. Take Defy as a example for that. Wifi death grip issue... if u do heavy wifi usage with the particular hand position, yes, it will be a problem. But i doubt that would be the case. I keep my phone vertical during web browsing.

If u are waiting anyways for a couple of months, extend your budget and get LG Optimus 2X, and put a custom ROM on it. Its the only phone rite now which can play 1080p videos. I am totally lost when u are saying that N8 multimedia capabilities are better than Desire S! The only department where N8 is the best.. is the camera. Everything else... far below par. And plz... Ovi store doesnt even come within 10 miles to Android App store. I even think Samsung App store is more useful that Nokia's. (I felt so.. obviously stats dont).

If 4" screens are too much for you, want good multimedia playback, dont care abt Apps, want the best camera on a phone, want to show off to friends... Get N8.
If N8 screen is slightly below size, want good multimedia playback, dont care abt Apps, want a very good camera... Get Samsung Wave II
Want the best smartphone package with a fantastic UI in a screen less than 4", dont care much abt camera... Get HTC Desire S.

 

[azbokikr]

@PraKs: Yes i did get a chance to check the O1 and the Ace. Both are good phones in their respective price ranges. Personally, i found the Ace's UI to be a lot more intuitive than the O1. OTOH, O1 felt very zippy.

@kingpair: Thanks for the inputs. My only qualm with the N8 is that the UI looks almost identical to that of my 5800. No major changes. Will wait and see how much change the Anna update will bring to the UI experience. Hoping that the update will be out by end of this June.

I briefly checked out the Wave II and i do agree, the UI is fluid and from what i read, the SQ is great on this phone. Will consider it. I'm no app junkie, but i do use a few apps which are essential for me. Will check the Bada app store and see if it has the apps i use.

I also checked out the Galaxy S, the SAMOLED version. Apart from the feeble loudspeaker and the lack of LED flash, this phone is great. I might ease up on the size and other constraints and get this phone.

@Sarath: Thanks for the review link. I'll check it out. In the meanwhile i got to see the Arc and i like it very much. Even though it has a HUGE screen, it fits well in the hand and the UI is great. Since the Neo and the Arc share the same UI, I'll definitely wait for the launch of the Neo before making my purchase.

@Soumik: By multimedia, what i meant was audio quality. Based on what i've read, the Desire S has average audio quality. Although i don't listen to music on my phone often, when i do, i want it to sound great. i am a sucker for good sound. So audio quality is one of my top priorities. The wifi death grip issue doesn't bother me too much. And i do read that the custom ROMs will be available for the Desire S as well. So this phone is not completely ruled out yet.

And of the O2X, i really don't see the need for getting a dual core phone right now as I don't game at all. Dual-core phones, i'm guessing, will drain the battery pretty quickly.

Thanks for the inputs. I think i've got all the info i need to make my purchase decision. I'll let you guys know once i buy the phone.


Cheers.

P.S: I also checked out the WP7 based HD7, UI was simply mind blowing!

 

[desiibond]

Just stay away from sub-20k droids if you have the budget to get high end droids. btw, dual core is not just meant for gaming. It makes multitasking faster, UI slicker and reduces the load on processor as it executes more instructions at given point of time, there by reducing power consumption and this increases battery life.

If you want to get a droid at around 25k-26k, either get Optimus 2X or SGSII or wait for HTC Sensation. Period! SGSII is simply the best smartphone out there right now!

btw, the UI of WP7 makes you drool for, maybe a week or two, after which there will be nothing to explore. And HD7 has pathetic battery life, thanks to puny battery.

 

[kingpair]

@OP : The n8 UI will be refurbished to support multi touch and transitions with the anna update. If you cant wait for the update just use the spb shell which is available in the ovi store. There is a drastic improvement in speed with the shell on and it looks vastly different from the staid original UI design with room for customization. The low ram might be the only problem to an otherwise fluid UI. I have used my friend's c7 and with about 5 to 6 apps running in the background, the lag, if any is unnoticeable.

WP7 is a bad idea at present. For all its wonderful features you cant get any apps here in india.

The optimus 2x is a work in progress. It comes installed with froyo, and even though gingerbread is expected, it is odd that LG's flagship hasnt been given all the goodies. Even the froyo build is highly buggy with constant restarts (updates to fix all these are expected but arent here yet). The tegra 2 has some innate deficiencies (like its inability to play mov files) which even the sgx 530 can do with some ease. Even on synthetic benchmarks its only got about 10 percent more on the sgx540(galaxy S). Sure its a powerful gpu on paper but in the real world, much like the phone it sits inside, its rather underhelming. And since the OP doesnt game, its really a no brainer. As to future proofing, neither the tegra 2 nor the A9 are the best gpu and processors currently available. The tegra 2 has been out for more than a whole year now so its old tech. The battery life however on the 2X is much better than most single core phones, so that may be its only real advantage currently.

@OP I'm glad youre reconsidering the galaxy S. For all its deficiencies like you mentioned (lack of flash etc.) the SAMOLED screen is just breathtaking.

 

[azbokikr]

Just came across this piece of news: HTC Ends Locked Bootloader Policy