Which phone for me?

[oynaz]

I can pick my new phone for free, and this is my choices:

Apple iPhone 6
HTC One Mini 2 4G
HTC One 4G
HTC One Max 4G
HTC One (M8) 4G
Huawei Ascend P7 4G
LG G2 4G
LG G3 16GB 4G
Nokia Lumia 930 4G
Samsung Galaxy Pocket Plus
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini 4G
Samsung Galaxy S4 4G
Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini 4G
Samsung Galaxy S5 4G
Samsung Galaxy Alpha 4G
Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2
Sony Xperia Z1 Compact 4G
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact 4G
Sony Xperia Z1 4G
Sony Xperia Z2 4G
Sony Xperia Z3 4G

I have used Samsung Galaxy 2 and 3 these past years, and they have been fine. Therefore, I lean towards an Android phone.
I also have the option of waiting for a year and pick then, but my Galaxy 3 is quite worn, and Idoubt it will last for that long.

Bonusinfo: I will be listening to music from the phone (through earbuds) quite a lot, if that makes any difference.
Opinions? I think the smartphone market is quite overwhelming.

 

[s44]

Wait a month and get the Note 4? It and the 6+ are the most notable omissions, and I'm not sure whether it's release date or size that are keeping them off.

The rest is your use/preference. Do you want bigger screen, smaller screen, a good camera, camera doesn't matter, massive battery, battery doesn't matter, 3D gaming, 2D/no gaming...

 

[oynaz]

My current Galaxy 3 is approaching the max size. I have tried the Galaxy 5, and I do not not want anything bigger than that.

No gaming. I need a good battery. LTE is a must. Camera must not suck, but not terribly important. And sound is important too.

 

[s44]

If you're OK with a somewhat smaller screen (4.7" and on-screen buttons vs 4.8" and separate buttons) than your S3, the Z3c may be the most appealing phone Sony has ever made: good screen, good camera, micro SD, and absolutely insane battery life.

Otherwise the S5 is a boring, familiar choice but has everything you want plus really good battery. Regular Z3 is similar, though battery tests from the top sources (AT, GSMarena) aren't out yet. Both are IMO a bit larger than ideal.

 

[oynaz]

I had not considered the Sony. Both Z3 and Z3c seems like nice choices.

 

[paperwastage]

For the mini android phone category(sub 5"), scratch off all of those phones except for the z3 compact(and the iPhone 6 of course

Go to a store and play with all of them? I know the z3 ( maybe z3c too?) Has an optional active noise canceling ear bud that is powered from the phone (instead of via external batteries), might be a useful niche option that you might not know

 

[oynaz]

Go to a store and play with all of them? I know the z3 ( maybe z3c too?) Has an optional active noise canceling ear bud that is powered from the phone (instead of via external batteries), might be a useful niche option that you might not know

Those earbuds actually sound very useful. I am on the phone all the time at work.

 

[paperwastage]

Those earbuds actually sound very useful. I am on the phone all the time at work.

small review below... not the best, but you use only what you have with you.. At an office, a decent over the ear with good noise isolation goes a long way too

http://www.digitalversus.com/headph...rphones-ever-come-with-smartphone-n33617.html

(Z2 supports the same earbuds as well)

some shops bundle the earbuds for free when you get the z3/compact... not sure if you can get it for free either

http://www.xperiablog.net/2014/09/0...s-pre-order-in-europe-arrives-late-september/

 

[s44]

I had not considered the Sony. Both Z3 and Z3c seems like nice choices.

Ack, wait...

I hadn't noticed this
http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_z3_compact-review-1135p7.php

Looks like the Z3c is pretty mediocre in headphone output, below the flagship standard in noise, dynamic range, and stereo crosstalk (the last of which was also an issue with the S3). The Z2 also had issues so I wouldn't expect the Z3 to be pristine. Just like Sony to underperform in an aspect that should be right in their corporate wheelhouse.

It's too bad because the only other smaller Android to consider is the Galaxy Alpha, which is really a nice toy but doesn't have the microSD card I assume you'd want for music storage (if 32gb total storage is OK, it could work). Guess I'm back to recommending the Galaxy S5, esp. since you don't seem to object to TouchWiz. Its screen and daylight camera really are pretty great.

 

[BoberFett]

N/M

 

[Crono]

Get the M8. One of the best (if not still the best) built-in headphone amps. I used both the M7 and M8 with a decent pair of headphones (Ultrasone DJ1) and it's really quite good.

The stock earbuds/IEM aren't bad, either. Perform as well as earbuds in the $30 to $80 earbuds, in my experience. You usually don't get ones of that quality from the other manufacturers - not bundled with device, anyway. They isolate well enough that you don't need noise canceling. And if you even occasionally listen to music without headphones, you'll love the speakers on the M8. The only phone I've used that was louder was the Lumia 1520, but it wasn't nearly as clear.

Audio testing (outdated now since release of all the new phones, but still useful):
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8078/smartphone-audio-testing-htc-one-m8-and-samsung-galaxy-s5/2

If music didn't matter as much, I would get the Lumia 930 or the G3, in that order. I have the Lumia Icon (aka Lumia 929) and it's just a fantastic device overall, especially with latest updates to WP 8.1 via Developer Preview.

 

[s44]

OP said the S5 is the edge of "too big"... I omitted the three devices you mentioned because they're all bigger. (Well, the Lumia is smaller but significantly heavier.)

 

[Crono]

OP said the S5 is the edge of "too big"... I omitted the three devices you mentioned because they're all bigger. (Well, the Lumia is smaller but significantly heavier.)

Yeah, they are bigger and heavier than the S3. Not significantally so, in my opinion, but the OP can rule them out if he wants to. Based on his other requirements, though, they are good options to at least consider. For the M8 it's not even very much bigger all around, just taller, which shouldn't make it any less pocketable, if that's the concern. It has good weight distribution so even if it's heavier it doesn't feel heavy.

 

[MrSquished]

based upon your specs. HTC One M8.

good battery. best sound of any phone out now, both speaker wise and headphone output wise - by a decent margin.

 

[maxi007]

HTC M8 , it also has earbud earphones. and i think its coming with beats audio ? if right then go for it .

 

[s44]

and i think its coming with beats audio ? if right then go for it .

LOL, please leave this thread. Beats makes things worse rather than better. Fortunately it's no longer in HTC phones, and you can disable their similarly harmful "BoomSound".

The M8 does have a nice amp. The camera is awfully close to crap though.

 

[oynaz]

Hi guys,

thanks for all the replies. I have narrowed down the list:

Samsung Galaxy S5: Has it all, but rather boring.
Sony Z3: Ooo, shiny! And great battery life. Not as good sounding as the M8, apparently, but that review still gave it a "very good" rating.
Sony Z3 compact: More manageable size, perhaps?
HTC One M8: Nice looking, good screen, good sound. Not as great battery life as the Z3, though.
LG G3: No love for this one?

I will go to the store soon and do my fondling.

HTC M8 , it also has earbud earphones. and i think its coming with beats audio ? if right then go for it .

Beats Audio is just glorified Loudness. Useful, but hardly unique. And I will be using my own earbuds. I have both a nice pair of Samsungs and a nice pair of Denons.

 

[styrafoam]

food for thought

http://www.dailytech.com/Sony+Aband...Year+Old+Xperia+and+3+Others/article36547.htm

 

[oynaz]

Is that a bad decision? If the phones' hardware cannot run the new OS properly, it is best not to do the upgrade (are you reading this, Apple?).

I am not a Sony fanboy, far from it, but perhaps the decision is actually better for the users?
Or is it a genuine Fuck Our Customers moment?

 

[s44]

Is that a bad decision? If the phones' hardware cannot run the new OS properly, it is best not to do the upgrade (are you reading this, Apple?).

Naah, it's Sony deciding to cut bait on a market segment they realized wasn't profitable for them. L has lots of optimizations for lower-spec phones.

As far as the G3, there are three things. One, it's too big - it's an efficient package for 5.5", but it's still 5.5"... not much bigger than the M8, but that just means they're *both* probably too big for you. Two, it has worse battery than the G2 because they went to 25*14 before LCD tech could mature. Only Samsung's AMOLED in the Note 4 allows 25*14 with no battery life hit. Three, the screen actually makes the experience worse, because it's oversharpened, has poor brightness, and bogs down the processor.

 

[oynaz]

OK, G3 is out, then.

I will go by the store today an dfondle the phones, Hedonism Bot style.
Can I expect Andriod L on any of the other phones?

 

[paperwastage]

OK, G3 is out, then.

I will go by the store today an dfondle the phones, Hedonism Bot style.
Can I expect Andriod L on any of the other phones?

you can expect Android L on a custom ROM for all those phones...

but officially? Nothing is certain until it's actually out. You could try to extrapolate data from previous phones, but obviously it won't be accurate. see link below

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/08/the-state-of-android-updates-whos-fast-whos-slow-and-why/

 

[s44]

Can I expect Andriod L on any of the other phones?

Every 2014 flagship.

 

[oynaz]

I did my fondling yesterday. Unfortunately, the Z3 and Z3c was not in stock yet, but of the remaining, the HTC One M8 was the best. Getting very close to too big, though. If the Z3 feels smaller, it might seal the deal.

 

[QcGuy]

Just upgraded to a HTC One M8 from a Razr M. What a difference, this is my first HTC it’s a very nice phone. Everything about it is just polished and works like its intended. Yes the camera is average but it still takes good pictures you just can't crop and zoom in and keep any detail. Battery life for me is great, I leave it on my desk at work and use it occasionally thru the day and it only loses to 10% of its charge.

It gets my vote, I upgraded thru Amazon and got it for $50 vs $150 thru Verizon.
HTC One M8 gets my vote.