New phone time

[time]

I realize that for many people here, their next phone will be a Galaxy S III or whatever rises up to challenge it.

And then there's the sad handful of iPhone acolytes, but I don't want to dwell on their delusion.

My Android phone is 2 years old and that means the contract is over and I am free to upgrade. Bear in mind that I have an eye for value, but I'm not remotely interested in anything that won't run 4.0 and up (Ice Cream Sandwich for anyone who's been living under a rock).

For $29-35 per month, I can get HTC Sensation XL, Motorola Razr, Samsung Galaxy S II or Galaxy Nexus.

I've pretty much discarded HTC Incredible S, Sony whatever, LG anything, etc, but am open to re-education if anyone has relevant info or opinions. The only new phone that sounds interesting is the HTC One S (we already have the quad-core HTC One X, but it's too expensive and battery life sucks - apparently).

By elimination, I seem to be left with a choice between Galaxy S II and Galaxy Nexus. I don't need expandable storage, so the lack of a Micro SD slot doesn't put me off the Nexus. People argue both ways as to which camera is better, so I'm not too troubled by the 5MP camera either. But some actual experience or insight would be much appreciated.

 

[MaxBurn]

Is that a typo or did you cross the S3 off your list in the last paragraph? If so why are you looking at the older S2? I was thinking the Nexus was the one to get until S3 three came along, but maybe cyanogen if you don't like the whizz.

 

[MaxBurn]

Wow, apparently there is a bit of a price difference. Nexus $399 us and S3 $799 preorder, both are for the 16gb unlocked version. Likely to come down after it is released?

If I am reading this right the S3 won't be able to do T-Mobile's 3G network, hope I have that wrong.

 

[Chewy509]

time, which carrier? Helstra, Optass, Like-a-Virgin or Voda-no-phone/3?

I have a friend who just got a HTC Sensation XL a week ago and loves it. (He upgraded from an iPhone 3GS).

 

[time]

Vodafail or Crazy Johns (which of course is the same thing with different pricing). Leaning towards Voda because I can customize the plan by adding data blocks and international calling discounts to suit.

I've been with Optarse for about 12 years now. I'm just fed up with the declining network performance - at least Vodafone is a) spending a cool billion upgrading their network and b) moving to 850MHz like Helstra. When I went into the Vodafone store, they were eager to show me their street-level coverage maps that are updated every day. It showed expected indoor and outdoor 3G reception for both 850 and 2100 MHz (as well as 2G). In contrast, the Optus shop just shrugged their shoulders.

Of course, Vodafone packages tend to be more attractive as well, although no longer as stunning as the $45 Infinite (unlimited texts and calls to anyone) plan that my daughter managed to buy her Galaxy S II on last year. She was previously with Virgin (Optus network) and has found Voda 3G to be much better. I'm pretty sure it's a congestion problem.

 

[time]

Is that a typo or did you cross the S3 off your list in the last paragraph? If so why are you looking at the older S2?

I expect the S3 to command premium pricing for the next 6 months. I don't pay premium pricing - if I did, I would probably go with a Samsung Note 'phablet' (starting price here is $59 per month).

At $29, the S2 (which now runs ICS 4.03) is hard to ignore. It has close to the best battery life and quite possibly the smoothest performance. The main advantage of the Nexus is the far higher display resolution and a bigger screen (0.9 vs 0.4 MP and 4.7 vs 4.3").

 

[MaxBurn]

As I understand it the Note is 2.3 and not getting an update to ICS, that puts it off my personal list but first off the screen IMO is actually too big. I have heard from older people and with bad vision that they saw it and fell in love with it. Have your held one?

You pay $29 a month for two years for the S2 or $35 a month for the nexus? At $696 for the S2 or $840 nexus total? Where you are do you get a lower monthly rate for bringing your own phone? I expect not but if not don't you think not having a contract might be a benefit so you can switch around if you don't like them especially if you are thinking about making a switch and aren't sure?

 

[time]

They're all the same cost; the variation is to do with which telco I choose.

You can always sell the phone and buy another one outright. You could look at it as about $15 a month for calls and $14 a month to actually buy the phone, which prices the phone at $336, interest free. I can't buy one for that, but even if I could, there's no incentive to lose the opportunity cost on $336. Also, buying it this way gives me legal leverage over the telco if I have problems with the phone and the manufacturer jerks me around.

 

[Chewy509]

Re: vodafail, are you aware of this: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/aus...to-share-network/story-fn4iyzsr-1226345747871

It's if your unhappy with Optus services, you probability want to know about the above agreement?

 

[time]

Timely info, thanks. It's paywalled, but thanks to the power of Google, you can read it here.

VHA today revealed that 1100 of the new 850MHz 3G sites had been turned on and a further 400 would be operational within "the next few months".

If approved the [future site] sharing agreement would commence from April 2013. The joint venture will help VHA to hit a target to expand its coverage by 1800 sites.

The decision to move rural roaming traffic from Telstra to Optus will reduce coverage, but makes sense financially because clearly Helstra is robbing them blind: customers will no longer need to pay roaming charges under the new arrangement.

 

[Will Rickards]

I'm in same boat, contract is up, considering new phones. Considering HTC One X equivalent on sprint. But I can't get over the non-removable battery. I mean after a year, you have to replace these batteries.

Is there a difference in display between the nexus and S2 that would help you decide?

 

[timwhit]

I think I will get the Galaxy SIII on Spront when it's released.

 

[time]

After giving it some thought, I realize that I'm not convinced that the Nexus is a completely clear cut step up from an S2. Although they are probably just software issues, I'm worried about the brightness of the display, the battery runtime and the lower-specced GPU. I'd guess the 16GB limitation is a concern for many people, given that the S2 can manage 48GB when you add its micro SD slot.

I was tempted by the HTC One X earlier, but as you say, the fixed battery is a big worry. It also has limited storage, but 32GB is much better than 16GB. It's shaping up to be a great buy though, especially if the price drops further once the Galaxy S III is available.

Samsung seems to have taken some pains to make sure the S3 outpoints everything else on the market, with the best camera, biggest screen, fastest GPU, longest battery runtime (for a big screen) and most storage: up to a whopping 128GB now and 192GB when someone gets around to releasing a 128GB micro SD card. Also the most expensive phone you can buy, at least initially. I must have one. Maybe next year ...

 

[MaxBurn]

To each their own but my phone is 64gb and I have 14gb free. It's really nice to not have to worry about disk space. Admittedly I have camera pictures, photo albums, most of my music and some big apps on it. Lots of areas I could cut down but the point is it is nice not having to. I wasn't really paying attention to the memory in the above phones, I think I made a grave assumption that all android phones had a microsd slot.

 

[CityK]

As I understand it the Note is 2.3 and not getting an update to ICS

Note that the Note is noted to being updated .... and that's the end of my anceNote

 

[MaxBurn]

Thats good, looked around and they appear to be actually delivering the note ICS update around nowish?

 

[ddrueding]

And it comes with Crayon Physics Deluxe...which is awesome.

 

[time]

I think I made a grave assumption that all android phones had a microsd slot.

Almost all do. I assume Samsung left it out of the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus to stop the Google phones cannibalizing sales from their own products. I imagine HTC had to leave it out of the One X because it's a super-thin phone; that and the non-removable battery might be acceptable to iPhone 4S owners looking for an upgrade.

I need to correct myself regarding maximum storage on the Galaxy S II: it can take the larger cards so you can already pack 80GB into it.

 

[LunarMist]

The SII handles micro SDXC cards? I thought it was only micro SDHC, which is limited to 32GB.

 

[time]

Sandisk 64GB Micro SDXC confirmation

 

[time]

The same guy did a terrific review of the HTC One X camera. It includes double blind samples at the end where you have to guess which are from a Lumix FZ-100 camera, a Galaxy Note, an iPhone 4S and the HTC One X. Great fun, everyone should take a look.

 

[Handruin]

I imagine HTC had to leave it out of the One X because it's a super-thin phone; that and the non-removable battery might be acceptable to iPhone 4S owners looking for an upgrade.

I know you like to continuously poke, prod, and beat a dead horse regarding your feelings on an 4S (or you're secretly baiting me in for a debate), but I see that HTC phone as a lateral move for hardware (though the screen does seem nice) and a downgrade for OS and software; not an upgrade? From a few basic reads, the battery life seems pretty lousy, so in comparison to the iPhone 4S, that is a downgrade that I would not accept having a non-removable battery. Also, one would hope that since this One X phone is just recently released, that it should be something newer, faster, better...but sadly almost eight months after the release of an iPhone 4S, it's still being compared to it like a benchmark. Why is that? Isn't eight months like four release-cycles/refreshes for Android phones (haha...exaggeration, I know)?

I've had the 4S now for a little over 6 months and honestly I've spent less time worrying about the hardware, apps, OS, performance, reliability, etc because the phone has just been working. It has been a solid phone with zero problems since the day I turned it on (unlike Santilli's roommate). In fact, both my fiance and I both have the 4S with no problems (yet) to report. All the crap that gets debated just faded away...and not because I'm accepting something you and others might consider as bad, but because at (and during) my day, it really doesn't matter as long as the phone can do everything I need/want. Say what you want about us "sad handful of iPhone acolytes", but the only delusion you're dwelling on is accepting that Apple actually produced a great phone that just works (see what I did there?). It's by no means perfect or even a practical fit for you, but it's provided a consistent experience to the millions of people who own them. I have no problem with you (or Santilli) not liking the phone, but at least have valid reasons to bash it or I'd rather you argumentatively compare it.

 

[Mercutio]

Last time I picked up my ipad, iOS was still a POS that seemed to exist entirely to get in the way of me and my data, and there is no way to fix that problem. Conversely, I don't really think Android versions matter all that much to end users. I have Gingerbread and Honeycomb and ICS devices sitting around and guess what? They all run the same programs. The all have UI idiosyncrasies that spring from manufacturer overlays or alternatives to standard Android programs. ICS does allow end users to remove pre-installed software without rooting, but in the end I don't think there are that many people who care about that.

My Evo is 18 months old. I really don't see a compelling reason to upgrade to anything new right now. My screen is big enough, the CPU is fast enough and my battery still holds a charge all day. I can understand the itch to upgrade, but the perspective of having a lot of different Android devices to play with has really shown me that the experience isn't going to be that different right now. I'm going to wait at least one more generation to see if I can get something with a higher-resolution screen.

 

[MaxBurn]

I was ignoring the iPhone comments as it clearly has no place in this thread.

Personally I would do the S3 but wait till the end of the year for prices to come down, my previous favorite was the Galaxy Nexus but I didn't know about the lack of the memory slot which is a deal breaker IMO. Sounds like the HTC One X is in the running too, for me the camera is pretty important as I rarely if ever take along another camera. Sounds like nearly all the flagship phones with the 8MP cameras are doing quite well, also another knock against the nexus.

 

[LunarMist]

Sandisk 64GB Micro SDXC confirmation

I guess they don't list the compatibility in the specs. I have no use to store large files in the phone, but it is interesting.

 

[Will Rickards]

I imagine HTC had to leave it out of the One X because it's a super-thin phone

The HTC EVO 4G LTE on sprint which is basically the One X with a different shell has the micro SD slot. I just don't know why they didn't go the extra mile and make the battery removable too.

 

[Will Rickards]

I imagine HTC had to leave it out of the One X because it's a super-thin phone

The HTC EVO 4G LTE on sprint which is basically the One X with a different shell has the micro SD slot. I just don't know why they didn't go the extra mile and make the battery removable too.

 

[Howell]

My coworkers have been satisfied with the Razor Maxxes they got recently. The smart actions seem powerful and useful.

 

[Chewy509]

Timely info, thanks. It's paywalled, but thanks to the power of Google, you can read it here.



The decision to move rural roaming traffic from Telstra to Optus will reduce coverage, but makes sense financially because clearly Helstra is robbing them blind: customers will no longer need to pay roaming charges under the new arrangement.

Have you had a read through whirlpool's VF forum? Interesting stuff in there... (Both good and bad)

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/114?g=141

 

[time]

Yeah, we researched the Vodafail issues thoroughly about a year ago, when my daughter moved from Optus (Virgin) to Vodafone. We did some tests beforehand as well, and performance since in a variety of sites has been better overall than Optus.

The big takeaway from that forum et al is that Vodafone openly admitted their strategic failures 18 months ago and has been actively trying to improve things ever since. I would have said that a telco trying to make things better for their customers is a rare beast indeed, and definitely worth your money.

Of course, I'm talking urban, not semi-rural.

 

[Chewy509]

I know it's certainly different in the big smoke, but where I am, it's Helstra, Helstra or Helstra for 3G+ coverage. Similar with ADSL, it's all Telstra equipment, which means $$$$$ for ADSL2+ with someone other than Telstra.

I do know quite a few people leaving Vodafail recently, but they are all GC based, where VF services are less than spectular. In Brisbane on the other hand, I hear good things about VF, especially in the last few months, where people are saying things are improving.

Mind you when I used to live at Morningside, the best option at the time was 3! (Telstra had really good GSM, but NextG was utter crap, and Optus was iffy).

 

[time]

My coworkers have been satisfied with the Razor Maxxes they got recently. The smart actions seem powerful and useful.

I really like the idea of a super-sized battery, but unfortunately that model does not appear to be available here.

Of course, the Razr lacks a removable battery so some people wouldn't consider it without the big battery. Having said that, I suspect the main problem is that Motorola shafted their customers so badly for so long, that not many people want to take a chance on them - when is the Razr getting ICS again? Sorry about the Defy + ...

Thanks to their removable battery design, Samsung can offer bigger batteries as an option for the S2 and Galaxy Nexus, and 3rd party suppliers up the ante on this and even offer a massive 4000mAh upgrade for the Note. This is a market segment that HTC and Motorola have decided to forgo so they can shave an extra millimeter off in the quest for the thinnest phone on the market.

It also allows them to use a unibody to make the phone feel 'stronger', but it cast doubt into my mind while I was considering the otherwise highly desirable HTC One X.

 

[time]

I made up my mind to get a Note. Coincidentally, my brother emailed me to tell me he'd just bought one.

But before heading out to buy one yesterday afternoon, I looked online and discovered the S3 has been released (lunchtime yesterday in Oz). A direct import (no Samsung warranty) 16GB model is selling online here for just under $800. The cheapest bring-your-own-phone plan I can get is $15/mth prepaid and $20/mth postpaid. Ignoring interest costs, that's $1150 all up over 2 years.

To my great surprise, I found a ($0 upfront) plan that includes the S3 for $40/mth, or $960 over 2 years. That means you're buying the (Samsung warranty) phone for between $480 and $600 (all prices include 10% tax). I sensed an arbitrage opportunity and seized 1 of the 4 allocated to the store (another one was already reserved, the other two sold last night). Didn't want to wait around for credit check, number transfer etc, so went back this morning to pick it up.

So I'm now the proud owner of a Samsung Galaxy S III. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be first, but it looks like the dice fell in my favor this time.

My kids are absolutely livid. :bglaugh:

 

[Mercutio]

You can temporarily lord your phone superiority over the rest of us.

Especially ddrueding.

 

[timwhit]

I made up my mind to get a Note. Coincidentally, my brother emailed me to tell me he'd just bought one.

But before heading out to buy one yesterday afternoon, I looked online and discovered the S3 has been released (lunchtime yesterday in Oz). A direct import (no Samsung warranty) 16GB model is selling online here for just under $800. The cheapest bring-your-own-phone plan I can get is $15/mth prepaid and $20/mth postpaid. Ignoring interest costs, that's $1150 all up over 2 years.

To my great surprise, I found a ($0 upfront) plan that includes the S3 for $40/mth, or $960 over 2 years. That means you're buying the (Samsung warranty) phone for between $480 and $600 (all prices include 10% tax). I sensed an arbitrage opportunity and seized 1 of the 4 allocated to the store (another one was already reserved, the other two sold last night). Didn't want to wait around for credit check, number transfer etc, so went back this morning to pick it up.

So I'm now the proud owner of a Samsung Galaxy S III. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be first, but it looks like the dice fell in my favor this time.

My kids are absolutely livid. :bglaugh:

You suck.

 

[ddrueding]

You can temporarily lord your phone superiority over the rest of us.

Especially ddrueding.

'salright. My Note is already on it's way

 

[Mercutio]

... and the S3 will still be awesome-r.

 

[timwhit]

'salright. My Note is already on it's way

You're on ATT?

 

[ddrueding]

Meh. For my use 3G/4G and a big screen are all I care about. I don't even think I'll use it for voice.

 

[ddrueding]

You're on ATT?

Created an account just to get the Note. I haven't had a personal phone in 10 years.