<5" Android Phone Recommendation

[TwiceOver]

My dad is finally giving up his HTC Hero on Sprint and joining the civilized world. He's extremely hesitant to jump to a "big ass" phone. The hero is what, 3.7" or something like that. So he's looking for something pocketable.

Me comfortably carrying around a Mega, small phones aren't really in my wheelhouse so to speak and it's just not technology I keep up on. I think he should wait for the OPO, but that'll probably be "too big" for him. He's not a small guy either at 6'4" or so, but whatever.

What I know for sure he needs:

Better Battery
AT&T GSM LTE (Going to AIO Wireless)
Android 4.2+ ish
Front pocket compatible
Reasonable price, $300 or under probably safe though I don't think cost is really a concern.

Any suggestions welcome.

 

[vshah]

moto G LTE is $219, for a budget option, and is not too large.

 

[TwiceOver]

Yeah I was looking into the Moto-{letter} but got so confused. There's the L, G, X, E Eventually I was just "Eff this". I'll check that out.

 

[dawheat]

Moto X

 

[TwiceOver]

X looks nice. I think he'll be a little worried about no SD storage, never a problem for me and I don't think it would be for him either.

 

[dlock13]

If you head over to swappa.com or celltraderonline.com, you'll find a lot of phones your dad can use on Cricket (formerly known as Aio). Also, if you're on Cricket, make sure you send your dad a referral so you both can get $25 off your plans (if not, I can send him a referral).

If you're looking for a brand new phone, then yeah, the Moto X is a great choice. I had it, and I loved it. If you want something that is expandable, you're pretty much strictly looking at Samsung (until recently and those phones are too much).

 

[TwiceOver]

Ahh, so they finally changed the name. I'm not on AIO yet but we have a co-worker that is so we'll use his referral.

$300 isn't his top end, that's just what I figure is a good price for a phone. We're talking about a guy that has made a Hero last this long, crazy.

 

[paperwastage]

If moto g LTE didn't come out, then I would be recommending xperia z compact.

Its roughy more expensive ($450?), but its almost flagship specs in a smaller body and did I mention it was water resistant? Should be able to last a while

Need to check if the LTE bands work with att though

 

[s44]

X is actually smaller than the G, despite the larger screen. No reason not to get that unless he needs big media storage.

OTOH after a few weeks with a normal sized phone he'll probably be interested in phablets, so maybe the cheaper G LTE is a good bet... Btw last year's original G Pro for $200-250 is one of the best deals going on Swappa.

 

[dawheat]

http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/0...pair-of-sol-republic-buds-and-free-moto-skip/

 

[TwiceOver]

Sweet. Thanks.

Didn't know the X was smaller than the G. I don't think he'll budge on size though.

 

[thedosbox]

Sweet. Thanks.

Didn't know the X was smaller than the G. I don't think he'll budge on size though.

FWIW, I own a X, and while I'd prefer it if it was a little smaller, it easily fits into jeans or a shirt pocket.

 

[Crono]

From what I've heard the HTC One Mini 2 fits really well in the hand, even better than the Moto X. 4.5" display is the perfect size, I think, for a pocketable phone without losing too much display real estate.

It's a little "taller" than the Moto X, but a little thinner and lighter as well. Battery life should be really good.

EDIT: Correction, the Moto X is 7 grams lighter

 

[s44]

The "One Mini 2" is not only the worst named device ever, but not competitive. It's significantly taller, a touch thicker, and a bit heavier than the X (it's also heavier than the Nexus 5, which is a size category up). The width difference is 65.3 vs 65 - that is, only nominal. And it has quad A7 vs the Krait cores of the Moto, along with half the RAM.

It's a competitor to the G LTE, not the X.

 

[TwiceOver]

I sent him the list so far and he's leaning toward the moto g. I didn't take my dad for such a spend thrift, but whatever.

 

[s44]

You think it was coincidence that he kept his junky phone for five years!?

 

[TwiceOver]

I kinda figure he buys high and makes it last.

 

[Crono]

The "One Mini 2" is not only the worst named device ever, but not competitive. It's significantly taller, a touch thicker, and a bit heavier than the X (it's also heavier than the Nexus 5, which is a size category up). The width difference is 65.3 vs 65 - that is, only nominal. And it has quad A7 vs the Krait cores of the Moto, along with half the RAM.

It's a competitor to the G LTE, not the X.

I sent him the list so far and he's leaning toward the moto g. I didn't take my dad for such a spend thrift, but whatever.

It's a good phone for the price. I only suggested the HTC One Mini 2 (terrible phone name, I know ) in case he has a preference for HTC, and it has a bit of the premium look/feel of its ancestor, but the Moto G is much better value. The size of the G isn't too bad; it's for all intents and purposes the same size as the X, but a definite upgrade from the Hero.

 

[jpeyton]

Screen-size is a poor metric for choosing something that fits your hand ergonomically.

You need to look at the phone's actual dimensions. Some phone have larger screens and smaller bezels, some have smaller screens and larger bezels.

 

[TwiceOver]

But aspect ratio aside, all 5" phones are going to be at least A"xB"