Best 4-4.3 inch smartphone?

[dagamer34]

iOS - iPhone 5S (September)
Android - HTC One mini (August)
Windows Phone - HTC 8X

Again, that's if size is your primary concern.

 

[kaerflog]

Not impressed with the One Mini.
HTC needed to make the Mini the size of the HD2.
That would definitely get me to buy one.

 

[shortylickens]

Not impressed with the One Mini.
HTC needed to make the Mini the size of the HD2.
That would definitely get me to buy one.

The HD2 is still considered medium I think.
They have smaller and larger phones, on multiple platforms.

 

[Deeko]

Not impressed with the One Mini.
HTC needed to make the Mini the size of the HD2.
That would definitely get me to buy one.

They are almost the same size...the HD2 is shorter and wider. Personally, I would rather the phone be less wide...easier one handed holding and typing.

 

[kaerflog]

They are almost the same size...the HD2 is shorter and wider. Personally, I would rather the phone be less wide...easier one handed holding and typing.

Where did you find the specs for the Mini ??
I still have a HD2 and side by side, its 4.3" is bigger(and preferred) than the One S 4.3" screen. The HD2 is more like 4.4"
The One S is noticeably taller and just a bit narrower.
Of course the One S is much thinner.
I can't imagine the Mini the same size as the One S.

 

[MD90]

-iPhone 5S (excellent all around, iOS)
-HTC One S (excellent camera and hardware, mediocre/poor screen, Android 4.1 and Sense 4)
-HTC First (excellent hardware, poor camera, pretty good screen, stock Android 4.1 if FB Home disabled)
-Samsung Galaxy S2 (okay hardware, pretty decent camera, Touchwiz Android 4.1)
-HTC 8X (excellent all around, Windows Phone 8)
-HTC Incredible 4G LTE (okay hardware, okay camera, Sense Android 4.0)

I'd personally go with the First.

 

[pcsavvy]

If you want to go the no contract route, T-Mobile has the Lumia 521 which can be purchased as low as $129. For $129 you own a midrange Windows 8 phone that is getting good reviews for the price point it is at.

 

[Deeko]

Where did you find the specs for the Mini ??
I still have a HD2 and side by side, its 4.3" is bigger(and preferred) than the One S 4.3" screen. The HD2 is more like 4.4"
The One S is noticeably taller and just a bit narrower.
Of course the One S is much thinner.
I can't imagine the Mini the same size as the One S.

Bing. And you have to take into account screen ratio. At 800x480 the HD2 was 15x9, which is not so common in Android anymore - they're all 16x9, hence despite them both being 4.3", the HD2 is wider and shorter. The Obe mini will also be 16x9.

 

[It's Not Lupus]

How's the app selection for windows phones?

 

[pcsavvy]

App selection for the Windows 8 phone is not as extensive as ios and android but it gets better everyday. It also depends which brand of Windows phone you get. Nokia has its own special apps like a streaming music, turn by turn traffic maps, etc.
Here is a link of a personalized review of the HTC Windows phone:
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/sm...ltimate-charge-it-and-get-to-work-device/6745

The internal hardware is the same no matter which phone you look at, the main difference is the camera capabilities, display, extras added to the high end phones vs midrange phones, support offered by the brand and specialized apps by the brand. Also the pricing, right now, the Microsoft Store is offering the Lumia 920 for $49 on AT&T contract. If you check other third party sites you can save money on the purchase of a subsidized phone.

Edit: One other difference is the amount of memory and whether or not the battery is removable along with the ability of adding more memory storage.

 

[pcsavvy]

oops sorry I forgot to include this in my previous post.
Here is a link to a review about the Lumia 521 that you may find interesting
http://www.wpcentral.com/t-mobile-nokia-lumia-521-windows-phone-budget

 

[Crono]

How's the app selection for windows phones?

Good if you are looking for apps that get the job done, but still some catching up to do if you are looking for the same apps that are on iPhone and Android. Notably absent is the entire Google suite, though Microsoft has pressured Google with the whole unofficial YouTube app debacle.

There are 150,000 or so apps for Windows Phone now. Plenty of good games, photo and productivity apps, social apps, etc. But if you have a certain app or apps in mind if you are coming over from another platform, you should check the store first. I like the Hubs in Windows Phone, especially the Xbox/Games Hub. Google is working on something similar, but right now Microsoft has the best cross-platform experience. If you have an Xbox, Windows 8 computer (or Windows 8.1 in the fall), Windows 8/RT tablet, and/or Windows Phone, you start to appreciate the consistency. It's not perfect by any means yet, though.

If you have about 15 minutes to play with someone else's Windows Phone you can get a feel for it. You can play around with a WP8 emulator I think, too, on your desktop.

http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/overview

 

[Deeko]

App selection is definitely improving a lot - they've recently added a lot of the big name apps that they were missing. That said, they don't have everything. I'm happy with it, though, there aren't any apps I regularly use on my One that aren't available on my Lumia - and in a lot of cases, apps on Windows Phone are extremely well done. For example, I would say the Pandora and Foursquare apps on Windows Phone are much better than their Android equivalents.

 

[rcpratt]

I have the same question, so I figured I'd bump this instead of making a new thread. A lot can happen in three months.

My GF is looking for a 4.3" MAX android phone. She's making the switch. VZW only, 4G, preferably something that is more "top end" and not some stripped down model.

Whatcha got?

 

[poofyhairguy]

Moto X. It is a small 4.7.

 

[hans007]

App selection is definitely improving a lot - they've recently added a lot of the big name apps that they were missing. That said, they don't have everything. I'm happy with it, though, there aren't any apps I regularly use on my One that aren't available on my Lumia - and in a lot of cases, apps on Windows Phone are extremely well done. For example, I would say the Pandora and Foursquare apps on Windows Phone are much better than their Android equivalents.

on top of that a lot of those big name apps, are missing a lot of parts.

theres a lot of settings missing in facebook. the ebay app for example is mostly there, but it doesnt show tracking numbers for stuff you bought etc.

i for example trade stock. the app for ameritrade on windows phone for android is a full trading client with real time quotes. on windows phone 8 , its basically a shell for the mobile html site and is terrible.

i also noticed none of the music apps on the store for wp8 have scrubbing (i.e. seeking to a given time) . dont get that, im thinking its a limitation of the API as i've written an app that does that fine in android and its a basica part of the android sdk.

but yeah, its getting there eventually, i think microsoft knows this is the future and they are probalby in it for the duration or until they get overtaken by android and left for dead.

 

[hans007]

I have the same question, so I figured I'd bump this instead of making a new thread. A lot can happen in three months.

My GF is looking for a 4.3" MAX android phone. She's making the switch. VZW only, 4G, preferably something that is more "top end" and not some stripped down model.

Whatcha got?

i'd probably just get the droid razr mini if i was on verizon. i don't own it, but i had the razr m and it was a pretty good phone. i'd figure this would basically be a moto x, with a higher rest screen that is IPS (cheaper too). guess you have to get over the casing as its in my opinion not as nice as the razr M or moto x. but it is smaller.

 

[jpeyton]

Moto X. It is a small 4.7.

Indeed, Moto X is a good option.

 

[Crono]

EDIT: For Verizon, Moto X is the best option. I would have suggested the One Mini if it were available, but Verizon doesn't have it.

The Droid Mini doesn't look too bad at $99 on contract for a slightly smaller phone than the Moto X. Better value than the Moto X if price matters.

 

[hans007]

Moto X. It is a small 4.7.

it is a small 4.7.

i came from a droid razr m, and the moto x is still a little bigger than a razr m / iphone 5.

i think my ideal phone, would have the 4.5" amoled from the lumia 1020/925 in a slightly smaller moto x.


by the way, the moto x is almost exactly the same size as the 4" lumia 521. its actaully thinner, and the same dimensions. so it is pretty small for a 4.7

 

[desura]

I'm a fan of the Nokia Lumia 820.

Reasons...

1. Win phone 8. Which is a departure from others.
2. Pretty darn cheap.
3. One of the better cameras I believe.
4. Offline GPS navigation is a pretty big deal. Seems to be better done than Sygic or other Android solutions
5. Expandable mSD. Pretty big deal for me.
6. AMOLED screen. Not the highest resolution though, and probably the weakest link of it
7. Really good headphones output. I've commented in another thread, but the headphones output here is really really good.
8. seems durable and ready to take a beating.
9. Full versions of MS office and OneNote on board with good skydrive syncing.

Now, the negatives are numerous also...

1. Win 8 Apps are terrible. I really miss having some iOS games like Tiny Wings. OTOH, I rarely play those games anymore. There is no good pocket/readitlater/instapaper client on the device. The closest to good is "pouch" and it is pretty buggy, losing articles all the time and coming up with errors

2. Kind of thick and bulky

3. screen not the highest resolution

4. no gapless audio playback

5. somehow the music player screws up album track order. I have no idea how, but it's pretty annoying

6. The desktop client for managing the device is pretty terrible. Especially compared to iTunes or even their older Zune music client (which was great, better than iTunes)

7. "find my phone" relies on the SIM card. No different from just calling your phone.

I'm basically using it as a basic phone with no data plan. Having the offline GPS pretty much makes up for not having mobile data. I'm satisfied with it, and will probably stick with Nokia phones for the future.

 

[shady28]

You have 2 viable options, Droid Mini, and Moto X

The Moto X is just barely larger than an iPhone 5 or Droid Mini yet rocks a 4.7in screen. IMO its the hands down winner between the 2, unless you just don't want to spring for the 199 on contract price.

The Droid Mini is 99, which is a decent deal in a small 4.3in phone, and is almost identical to the size of the iPhone 5 despite the larger screen.

 

[rcpratt]

I like the idea of the Moto X, but the lady is coming from an iPhone 4 and is very adverse to large phones. She thinks my SGS4 is a ridiculous size. I just don't know if I can get her that far.

Everything else (smaller) seems to mostly sound like it falls in the "mid-range" crap category.

 

[shady28]

I like the idea of the Moto X, but the lady is coming from an iPhone 4 and is very adverse to large phones. She thinks my SGS4 is a ridiculous size. I just don't know if I can get her that far.

Everything else (smaller) seems to mostly sound like it falls in the "mid-range" crap category.

The mini has the exact same hardware CPU / camera / voice recognition / active display that the MAXX and X have. It doesn't have the battery life or the large displays.

I would really push for the Moto X though. The size difference vs iPhone is almost unnoticeable. Its meant to be used with one hand. Frankly, it is far and away a more ergonomic phone than the iPhone, or any other phone I can think of for that matter.

 

[Crono]

I like the idea of the Moto X, but the lady is coming from an iPhone 4 and is very adverse to large phones. She thinks my SGS4 is a ridiculous size. I just don't know if I can get her that far.

Everything else (smaller) seems to mostly sound like it falls in the "mid-range" crap category.

There's nothing crap about the 720p 4.3" to 4.7" Android phones mentioned thus far. None of them are slower in actual use than the flagship 4.7"+ phones (I'm assuming your girlfriend isn't going to benchmark the phones, and even if she does, she probably would understand that benchmarks aren't everything ). The only major difference is screen size, which you specified should be relatively small, and there aren't any 4.3" phones with 1080p. Even the iPhone 5s is under 720p, and that's perfectly fine since you really don't need 1080p on a smartphone display of that size.

And if you want any of the flagships, there's only the Moto X at a smaller size. Here's the Droid Mini next to the iPhone 4, it's barely bigger:

Unless what you really want is to be talked out of going Android, in which case I can't help you there. All I can say is go into the store and play around with the phones, see what meets her needs.