Phone with best GPS chip and wireless charging?

[fuzzybabybunny]

I'm looking for an Android phone with a really good GPS chip, good enough to stand on its own and have pinpoint accuracy without having to rely on cell phone tower triangulation and WiFi mumbo jumbo. I know that Samsung phones are basically worthless in this regard.

Also need it to support wireless charging mats.

It can be an old phone too as I guess the wireless charging might be able to be added later?

 

[Crono]

You can add wireless Qi charging to a number of phones with replaceable battery/removable back.

An external bluetooth GPS unit will give you better GPS than any internal radio/chip; I'm not sure if any Android smartphone has significantly better GPS performance than another.

 

[WelshBloke]

S3 has glonass support as well as GPS so it's as accurate as anything else is likely to get and you can add wireless charging pretty easily.

Not sure about your issue with modern Samsung GNSS is though.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

S3 has glonass support as well as GPS so it's as accurate as anything else is likely to get and you can add wireless charging pretty easily.

Not sure about your issue with modern Samsung GNSS is though.

Well, my only experiences has been with the captivate, epic 4g, and nexus.

All three, in areas with no cell phone service, get horrendous GPS fixes, if you can even call it that. There were entire hundred mile sections of Mexico where my Captivate just wouldn't find a lock. At all. My Nexus has serious problems to, and even downloading GPS data via the software doesn't help. In this day and age of traveling about, this unreliable GPS can be a huge inconvenience at best, and even deadly at worst.

I would like to use an external GPS, but for my uses, it must be built into the phone.

Most people have no problem with the current GPS situation though because they're never out in the boonies nor do they require an instant solid lock like I do (none of that "you're within this blue circle" crap.)

 

[notposting]

You have the oddest problems.

 

[WelshBloke]

...

Most people have no problem with the current GPS situation though because they're never out in the boonies nor do they require an instant solid lock like I do (none of that "you're within this blue circle" crap.)

I've used Samsung smartphones across many countries, up mountains, in cities and never had the problems you describe.
All I've noticed is that smartphone satellite navigation has got progressively better year on year with the newer chips. With the inclusion of glonass support they really are very good.
Singling out one manufacturer seems a bit weird as the hardware is common across manufacturers.

 

[Crono]

You have the oddest problems.

He's gotta be CIA or something. :hmm:

 

[Crono]

Well, my only experiences has been with the captivate, epic 4g, and nexus.

All three, in areas with no cell phone service, get horrendous GPS fixes, if you can even call it that. There were entire hundred mile sections of Mexico where my Captivate just wouldn't find a lock. At all. My Nexus has serious problems to, and even downloading GPS data via the software doesn't help. In this day and age of traveling about, this unreliable GPS can be a huge inconvenience at best, and even deadly at worst.

I would like to use an external GPS, but for my uses, it must be built into the phone.

Most people have no problem with the current GPS situation though because they're never out in the boonies nor do they require an instant solid lock like I do (none of that "you're within this blue circle" crap.)

Looking at the LG Optimus 4X HD, I think it might be good for your needs.
It has the SiRFstarV 5t chip and support for GLONASS satellites. The only question is whether a generic Qi adapter will work with it (ebay has them), which I think it should.

I say "think" because I have no personal experience with the phone or Qi.

 

[Crono]

Also read something about disabling A-GPS in the phone settings and relying on just GPS to get a faster/reliable fix in areas where there aren't cell towers.
Apparently your smartphone might still look for a cell signal even if there isn't a tower around to "help" location with GPS, preventing you from getting a fix in whatever navigation app you are using.

That might explain why you couldn't get a lock in an area without cell reception. Unless you are underground or surrounded by skyscrapers, or have a defective phone, you should get a fix almost anywhere.

EDIT: Oops, shouldn't have made 3 consecutive posts.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I've used Samsung smartphones across many countries, up mountains, in cities and never had the problems you describe.
All I've noticed is that smartphone satellite navigation has got progressively better year on year with the newer chips. With the inclusion of glonass support they really are very good.
Singling out one manufacturer seems a bit weird as the hardware is common across manufacturers.

I've done the exact same thing as well. Had zero GPS support in the deserts of Mexico. Had very bad support in parts of China. Had no GPS in parts of the US. And have had no GPS in the middle of populated areas with full bars, until I restarted the phone. I was downloading GPS data too using the GPS Status app. In fact, I have that app automatically open every time a location-base app is opened.

Same problems. Across 3 phone models, multiple different firmwares, and 4 Nexii.

Looking at the LG Optimus 4X HD, I think it might be good for your needs.
It has the SiRFstarV 5t chip and support for GLONASS satellites. The only question is whether a generic Qi adapter will work with it (ebay has them), which I think it should.

I say "think" because I have no personal experience with the phone or Qi.

Thanks. Someone mentioned that they all use the same GPS chip anyway?

 

[iahk]

The original Galaxy S generation phones as well as some of the Galaxy S II models had GPS issues. But the Galaxy S III and newer phones have no issues with GPS.