Best Phone for Backpacking in Asia: something small with good battery life

[firewolfsm]

So, like the title says, I'm going backpacking for a couple months, I'm also due for a new phone as my S2 isn't working anymore. I am on ATT, but I'm willing to pick up the S5 and sell it to buy an unlocked phone.

Primarily I want very long battery life and a small phone, something not really much bigger than the S2 itself, hopefully even smaller. Camera quality, processor speed, etc, don't matter at all.

I've done a LOT of searching, and the Sony Z1 compact seems decent, but doesn't have great battery life, are there any others?

 

[zerogear]

iPhone 5S?

 

[paperwastage]

(switch over to t-mobile for their "unlimited" 2G international data/text... though i don't know if they would disagree you being overseas for more than 1 month)

xperia z1 compact has pretty good battery life (for a 2300mAh battery). maybe get more external batteries / solar chargers?

http://blog.gsmarena.com/sony-xperia-z1-compact-battery-test/

 

[crashtestdummy]

If you want a high-end phone, the Xperia Z2 with a combination of waterproofing and the Snapdragon 801 (and the better battery life that results) make it probably the best choice.

Personally, though, I would go for a really cheap phone for a long trip like that. For the price of a single Z1, you could burn through nearly a dozen Lumia 520s. Not that I'd suggest you do that, but it takes the sting away when the phone is stolen or gets rolled over by a truck.

 

[TuxDave]

How about a dumb phone?

 

[smitbret]

How about a dumb phone?

That's kind of what I was thinking. I have a little Nokia that I use as a spare. It gets 4 or 5 days of regular use between charges and will last who knows how long on standby.

Otherwise, if you are looking for a basic smartphone and don't need much, something like a BlackBerry 9700 or 9780 will give you 2 or 3 times the battery life of pretty much anything else.

 

[Necrolezbeast]

I'll agree with anything that has waterproofing and decent battery life. I'll assume you'll want to take some pictures with the phone? And use the internet when there's some downtime? And you may be caught out in some storms or have some accidents that could prove useful for the waterproofing..

But whatever you get, just keep it close, especially if it's a popular Samsung or Apple product

Where do you plan on going while in Asia?

 

[AViking]

I take a dumb phone. That way it last days without a charge. Odds are you're going to have a tablet or laptop and a real camera with you so the phone really is only going to be needed as a phone.

With that said if I was buying a phone today I might also consider the Lumia 520. It's super cheap and a smart phone. You might need GPS at some point if you're going to be renting bikes in Vietnam or something similar.

 

[paperwastage]

I take a dumb phone. That way it last days without a charge. Odds are you're going to have a tablet or laptop and a real camera with you so the phone really is only going to be needed as a phone.

With that said if I was buying a phone today I might also consider the Lumia 520. It's super cheap and a smart phone. You might need GPS at some point if you're going to be renting bikes in Vietnam or something similar.

well, modern day smartphones can last just as long with mobile data off/sync off / airplane mode / low brightness / underclocked CPU

 

[Oyeve]

iPhone 5S?

That phone's worth a billion dollars in Asia, they will kill him for it!

 

[desura]

if i were backpacking in asia...

i would bring along a nokia phone because here maps is very good and can operate without an internet connection. i have tested some offline android gps software and none are as good.

im finding bay trail tablets to be really awesome too. can do desktop level work and with awesome battery life.

 

[h9826790]

Some super cheap Nokia dumb phone are very reliable, and usually the battery can last for a week.

And it won't make you become a target.

 

[AViking]

These $60-$70 Lumia 520/521 phones on Microsoft's website...are they unlocked?

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/list/No-Contract-Windows-Phones/categoryID.63434300

No contract doesn't necessarily mean unlocked so how does that work? I want to pick one up but I don't plan on using it in the US.

 

[smitbret]

well, modern day smartphones can last just as long with mobile data off/sync off / airplane mode / low brightness / underclocked CPU

Well, once you've done all of that, it's really just a dumb phone with a dark display at that point and it still won't have near the battery life of a "phone"

 

[desura]

GPS navigation alone makes smartphones worth it. Plus a good backup camera and backup web browser.

Just get a good power bank. Some companies make solar cell systems for recharging personal electronics too.

 

[paperwastage]

Well, once you've done all of that, it's really just a dumb phone with a dark display at that point and it still won't have near the battery life of a "phone"

but that's the whole point right? carry one device

you can save as much battery as you can... and you have the option of using Gmail/Google maps / browser when you are at a hotel with a power plug?

 

[crashtestdummy]

These $60-$70 Lumia 520/521 phones on Microsoft's website...are they unlocked?

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/list/No-Contract-Windows-Phones/categoryID.63434300

No contract doesn't necessarily mean unlocked so how does that work? I want to pick one up but I don't plan on using it in the US.

I believe they're locked. If you're an AT&T customer, you can request to have it unlocked after 6 months. There are supposedly unlocked phones on Amazon for $50 more, though some of the reviews seem to suggest it's a little sketchy.

 

[razel]

Buy any phone that fits your needs then buy a portable USB battery. Many of them have flashlights now.

As many smartphone owners know, it is all about screen brightness or how well the phone handles low signals. On my early 4G phone when the 4G signal is marginal, the radio will switch back and forth between 3G and 4G and battery life dips to 5 hours idle when it usually is 48 hours idle. Next up usage wise is screen brightness.

 

[firewolfsm]

There are some good tips here, and I know more people will read this because my google search didn't lead to much. To be honest I want a dumb phone, even for living back home, but I think that navigation and translating is too important. The Nokia 301 is a good dumb phone but I can't figure out what king of navigation it has. I might just go for the 520 actually.

 

[zerogear]

Yotaphone could also be an option. But I have no idea what those go for.

 

[desura]

Yeah, the 520 is a very good deal.

I personally have the 820 and I enjoy it. Though it's mainly a media player now.

I'm surprised that people recommend dumbphones for travel. I would rather forgo a laptop and just take a smartphone to travel.

Though I would probably personally get like the 925 or something. just for the sharper screen. Last I checked, prices for used models were somewhat decent, under $300. And you get a good camera which is important for travelling.

 

[abaez]

I've done a LOT of searching, and the Sony Z1 compact seems decent, but doesn't have great battery life, are there any others?

This is really wrong.

I recently used my Z1 Compact at Coachella for the weekend. Consisting of constant texting with friends to find them/meet up, lots of photos and some video, along with not so great reception so it was probably using a bit of juice to find a signal. Thing lasted for two days (Friday morning -> Saturday evening when it finally conked out). This was without even trying to use any of the different energy profiles like stamina mode. Add the waterproofing (no worries in the Do Lab!), sdcard support, decent photos even in not so great conditions (http://i.imgur.com/7DjJp0wh.jpg), and the perfect size, it's just an amazingly good phone imho.

 

[firewolfsm]

This is really wrong.

I recently used my Z1 Compact at Coachella for the weekend. Consisting of constant texting with friends to find them/meet up, lots of photos and some video, along with not so great reception so it was probably using a bit of juice to find a signal. Thing lasted for two days (Friday morning -> Saturday evening when it finally conked out). This was without even trying to use any of the different energy profiles like stamina mode. Add the waterproofing (no worries in the Do Lab!), sdcard support, decent photos even in not so great conditions (http://i.imgur.com/7DjJp0wh.jpg), and the perfect size, it's just an amazingly good phone imho.

I've just realized that really, it could probably get up to 3.5 days on 2G with undervolting and little usage. The only problem is that ATT doesn't offer it. I've preemptively posted a Galaxy S5 on craigslist, if I pick one up, flip, then I can get a Z1 compact for close to free.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

This is really wrong.

I recently used my Z1 Compact at Coachella for the weekend. Consisting of constant texting with friends to find them/meet up, lots of photos and some video, along with not so great reception so it was probably using a bit of juice to find a signal. Thing lasted for two days (Friday morning -> Saturday evening when it finally conked out). This was without even trying to use any of the different energy profiles like stamina mode. Add the waterproofing (no worries in the Do Lab!), sdcard support, decent photos even in not so great conditions (http://i.imgur.com/7DjJp0wh.jpg), and the perfect size, it's just an amazingly good phone imho.

I think it depends what you're doing right? I have a Nexus 5 and my phone lasted great. MY friend's Moto X was set to auto upload photos over Google+ on 3G/4G. Guess whose phone died by 7pm?

With that said I lasted with 40-50% battery at the end of Coachella each night, but that was only using my phone to do messaging. I used my iPhone to do all the photo taking