What phone should I go for?

[Cristatus]

The mobile marketplace sure is a weird place: when you're looking for a phone, there's none out, and when you finally settle with a phone, there's a whole barrage of phones coming out.

Currently, I'm look at the following:

Nokia N97
Nokia 5800
Nokia E71
Blackberry Bold
LG Renoir
LG Cookie
Sony XPERIA X1
HTC Touch HD
Samsung Omnia

I also had the Storm on that list, but I've heard that it's not that great.

The N97 I've fallen in love with ever since it was announced, but that's a couple of months away, so I'll have to wait for it. I could just as easily get a Nokia 5800 since it's pretty much the same thing except lacking a physical keyboard, and a slightly crappier (in terms of megapixels) camera.

There's the E71, which some people call a Blackberry clone, except it's a Nokia. I'm not sure whether the phone is worth it though. I guess I should mention right now that I've never use a Blackberry at this point.

Then there's the Bold, of which I've also heard of having problems, so I'm kind of iffy on that one, but unless there's some great reviews, I may not really consider it that much.

The LG Renoir I just found out about that today: it's a nice phone, but I'm not sure what the reviews are on it. If there's anything available about it, let me know. There's also the Cookie, which seems like a cheaper version of the Renoir.

The Sony XPERIA X1 is also another phone that I've been wanting since it was announced, but I'm wondering what's not to like about this phone, as well as any other phone.

I just saw a picture of an HTC Touch HD, and it looks, physically, like a really interesting device, and but I'm not sure how it compares to the other handsets above.

Thanks to Semidevil reminding me, I'm also considering the Samsuny Omnia. I had considered this phone when I saw some advertisements of it in Belgium, and when I looked up the reviews, the only thing I could nitpick about was the screen resolution, but that's something major for me.

Currently I'm using the Sony Ericsson P990i, it's a great phone overall, but it's getting overbearing with it's size, and sometimes even downright uncomfortable (even though I've had it since it was released in England)

I've used Nokia's and WinMo phones before, and I've really liked the interaces. The only thing I'm not sure about is the new WinMo skins that everyone is coming out with, and with the custom OSes of the LGs and the Blackberry OS in itself.

At the moment, I'm mainly looking at what the major drawbacks are of each phone, rather than the advantages.

So, what would you guys recommend?

TIA

(C)

edit 1: I can't believe I forgot the HTC Touch HD. That is also another phone that I'm eyeing, but not sure whether or not to get.

edit 2: Thanks to Semidevil reminding me, I've also added the Samsung Omnia.

 

[corkyg]

My view on this question is not so much the phone/gadget, but rather, the service provider. That would be my first decision. Which provider gives me the best coverage and signal strength consideraing my normal usage? Not all are equal in all areas.

Then, having made that decision, I would look at the phones provided by that service and thus have a shorter list.

Then, I would focus on what features are most important to me and refine the list.

 

[Cristatus]

I guess I should've mentioned that I don't live in the US, and therefore am not bound to any provider. Over here, I just buy a phone that I like, and I just use it with my GSM provider.

(C)

 

[corkyg]

OK1 That makes sense. But, . . . who is your GSM provider> When I travel to Europe I usually find choices. But, you have to pay someone - it's not free. Anyway, my guess is that you are with Belgacom?

 

[abaez]

I cannot wait for the n97.

 

[Semidevil]

why not the samsung omnia?

 

[Cristatus]

Corkyg: When I'm in Belgium I'm actually with an MVNO, that provides me with a good roaming deal and uses Base's tower's IIRC. I don't understand what you mean about the paying someone.

.You'll notice that I said "when I'm in Belgium". That's because I'm usually travelling between Belgium and Gujarat, India, where I'm with Vodafone. Which brings me to the point of being able to switch SIM cards easily, because that was not really that easy with my previous phone.

Semidevil: I actually had considered the Samsung Omnia as well, and IIRC, the only thing that put me off was the low resolution screen. At least that what I read in a review. That's something that I like with my devices: a decent resolution of the screen, as well as good multimedia functionalities, which most of these phones have. FM is a bonus if it's there, too.

Also, out of the box Vista compatibility is good, because my primary computer - and therefore my place to backup my contacts - is Vista.

Oh yeah, another neccessity is good contacts search functionality, since I have a lot (~350 and constantly being expanded). On the premise of contacts, adding custom fields would also be nice, but more important than would be vCard compatibility, which really annoyed me on the iPhone (sorry to bring that up again, but I actually got that as a replacement for me current phone - the Sony Ericsson P990i - and was grossly underwhelmed by it's capabilities therefore I switched back to my old phone)

One final thing: Bluetooth is a must.

Hopefully, when I have some time, I will try to draw up a good comparable table. I know they're available online, but it's just easier to read the details when you lay it out.

Also, you guys are welcome to suggest other phones.

(C)

P.s.: I'l add the Samsung Omnia when I get onto the WWW, right now I'm on a mobile connection with my P990i and can't edit the post because atforums.mobi doesn't have that capability.

 

[Cristatus]

Ok, here's what I have so far on the phones:

Nokia N97: supposed to be released around March/April, which means that I would have to wait.
Nokia 5800: I already saw the phone, and thought that the build quality felt cheap. Hopefully the N97 doesn't come off like that.
Nokia E71: I'm leaning towards this phone, but I know too many people that already have it, and I don't want something that a lot of people have.
Blackberry Bold: same as the E71, too many people have it
LG Renoir, and Cookie: I'm not so sure about these phones because of their OS (mainly, I'm not sure what OS it's running).
Sony X1: my dad is getting the phone in about a month, so let's see what he think's of it. If he doesn't like it, I'll keep it. The the whole search is off.
HTC Touch HD: I'd get this phone right now if I knew that it would run Windows Mobile 7 smoothly, so if anyone has any ideas, let me know.
Samsung Omnia: apparently it get's slow after some usage, so that's out of the question

So, basically, the list comes down to the following phones:
N97, HTC Touch HD, X1.

(C)

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I think you should count the HTC Touch Pro too. The X1 is actually insane, and I would take it over the Touch Pro. With that said, I'm looking at HTC as my next phone (N82 user). Even though I'm really frustrated about not having US 3G on my N82, I have never been able to sell my phone to get the N95-4 or the N96. The Xenon flash for the N82 is just TOO DAMN GOOD. How can I ever go back to LED flash? With that said, the N82/95/96 cameras are all great. In the right light they're neck and neck but once you move into the dark, the N82 wins.

S60 vs WinMo? WinMo is definitely slower. I don't know how the N97 will fare, but the N95 wasn't that fast tillt hey relesed the -2 and -4 versions. The N82 is rather speedy too. I hope the N97 won't be some underpowered beast.

Originally posted by: corkyg
My view on this question is not so much the phone/gadget, but rather, the service provider. That would be my first decision. Which provider gives me the best coverage and signal strength consideraing my normal usage? Not all are equal in all areas.

Then, having made that decision, I would look at the phones provided by that service and thus have a shorter list.

Then, I would focus on what features are most important to me and refine the list.

Most people in this world buy unlocked phones. This is why people who stick to branded provider given phones like those who visit "the AT&T store" (exception: iPhone 3G) are epic fail.

 

[msarp]

What about the MotorolaQ9H ?

 

[abaez]

I mentioned that I couldn't wait for the n97 but I went ahead and bought a brand new e71 for really cheap from some girl who won it on the Ellen show this weekend. I could not be happier.

Snapped in an 8meg microsd and loaded up GPS with Garmin Mobile (awesome), qwerty, wifi, great speed, decent camera and a great community with tons of free apps/themes (opera mini!!) and such and I am very satisfied. You mention that alot of people have the phone but to be honest living in downtown los angeles I have not seen very many at all. I'm not even sure Nokia makes any blackberry-like qwertys, maybe four or five models? Is it even offered by any U.S. provider?

Anyway, I highly recommend it.

 

[Cristatus]

Originally posted by: DLeRium
I think you should count the HTC Touch Pro too. The X1 is actually insane, and I would take it over the Touch Pro. With that said, I'm looking at HTC as my next phone (N82 user). Even though I'm really frustrated about not having US 3G on my N82, I have never been able to sell my phone to get the N95-4 or the N96. The Xenon flash for the N82 is just TOO DAMN GOOD. How can I ever go back to LED flash? With that said, the N82/95/96 cameras are all great. In the right light they're neck and neck but once you move into the dark, the N82 wins.

S60 vs WinMo? WinMo is definitely slower. I don't know how the N97 will fare, but the N95 wasn't that fast tillt hey relesed the -2 and -4 versions. The N82 is rather speedy too. I hope the N97 won't be some underpowered beast.

Originally posted by: corkyg
My view on this question is not so much the phone/gadget, but rather, the service provider. That would be my first decision. Which provider gives me the best coverage and signal strength consideraing my normal usage? Not all are equal in all areas.

Then, having made that decision, I would look at the phones provided by that service and thus have a shorter list.

Then, I would focus on what features are most important to me and refine the list.

Most people in this world buy unlocked phones. This is why people who stick to branded provider given phones like those who visit "the AT&T store" (exception: iPhone 3G) are epic fail.

I don't actually like the HTC Touch Pro. I can't remember the reason right now, but I just don't like it.

Originally posted by: msarp
What about the MotorolaQ9H ?

Is that the BlackJack?

Originally posted by: abaez
I mentioned that I couldn't wait for the n97 but I went ahead and bought a brand new e71 for really cheap from some girl who won it on the Ellen show this weekend. I could not be happier.

Snapped in an 8meg microsd and loaded up GPS with Garmin Mobile (awesome), qwerty, wifi, great speed, decent camera and a great community with tons of free apps/themes (opera mini!!) and such and I am very satisfied. You mention that alot of people have the phone but to be honest living in downtown los angeles I have not seen very many at all. I'm not even sure Nokia makes any blackberry-like qwertys, maybe four or five models? Is it even offered by any U.S. provider?

Anyway, I highly recommend it.

Well, my cousin sister, my sister-in-law, and my friend, all three of which I meet regularly, have this phone.

(C)

 

[DivideBYZero]

I love the Bold. Great device.

 

[pookguy88]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
I love the Bold. Great device.

ditto

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: Cristatus
Ok, here's what I have so far on the phones:

Nokia N97: supposed to be released around March/April, which means that I would have to wait.
Nokia 5800: I already saw the phone, and thought that the build quality felt cheap. Hopefully the N97 doesn't come off like that.
Nokia E71: I'm leaning towards this phone, but I know too many people that already have it, and I don't want something that a lot of people have.
Blackberry Bold: same as the E71, too many people have it
LG Renoir, and Cookie: I'm not so sure about these phones because of their OS (mainly, I'm not sure what OS it's running).
Sony X1: my dad is getting the phone in about a month, so let's see what he think's of it. If he doesn't like it, I'll keep it. The the whole search is off.
HTC Touch HD: I'd get this phone right now if I knew that it would run Windows Mobile 7 smoothly, so if anyone has any ideas, let me know.
Samsung Omnia: apparently it get's slow after some usage, so that's out of the question

So, basically, the list comes down to the following phones:
N97, HTC Touch HD, X1.

(C)

I haven't seen a soul w/ the Bold. Maybe it's different over there, but it isn't a widespread phone over here. And besides, if lots of people have it maybe that's for a reason? It's a great phone.

 

[Cristatus]

Ok, I'm thinking about the Bold now. :roll:

I'm cosidering getting it because my mates are always talking about pinging, and I want in. What does a normally BlackBerry subscription include? Keep in mind, that I'm not in the US, so I don't want prices, I just want to know what a BlackBerry subscription includes.

(C)

 

[DivideBYZero]

BB sub includes email, data and BB IM. You will be able to use any data application you want, such as Google maps, Instant Messenger, etc. With BIS you can set up 11 email addresses to be sync'd up to you BB via the BB Push email system.