# Mr _it is looking for a new smartphone....what should he get?



## stuff_it (Nov 18, 2011)

He's looking at stuff like a Samsung S2, an iPhone 4/4S/whatever, and HTC (insert comparable HTC phone here - please what is a decent one), or a Sony Experia Mini or possibly non-mini...and then what about Blackberry? Are they going down the pan rapidly or are they still ok?

What he needs:

1) Good battery life (obvs)
2) Jack plug for the headphones (very important)
3) Decent camera (more than 5mp - preferably good enough to film 1080p video, and yes he     does really use it for that)
4) Smallish - none of these massive screen jobbies as....
5) He needs something fairly hard-wearing as he tends to be a bit rough on his phones -    screens don't tend to last long for example 
6) Decent onboard memory or able to run a big microSD without lag/problems

He's quite liking my new Samsung Ace esp as most of his mates have iPhones so he hasn't really seen Android in action, but I think he wants one better than me, but not for shitloads of money (on contract).

Help!


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## blairsh (Nov 18, 2011)

From my limited knowledge and shared experiEnce... Xerpia is shit and most smart phones have hella shit battery life HTH


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## stuff_it (Nov 19, 2011)

His only computer is running Ubuntu, so dunno if that makes any difference....don't think it has bluetooth though so it would be via wire or card reader, or bluetoothed to my W7 laptop. Are iPhones still a bit shit if you don't have a Mac or are we all past that now?

Of course he's looking for a new network as well potentially, not through Carphone Warehouse though as he owes them money....


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## Kid_Eternity (Nov 19, 2011)

I'd discount no1 as no smartphone has what can honestly be termed good battery life compared to non smartphones. But I'd suggest the Samsung G2. I wouldn't suggest an iPhone as they're expensive for what you get. If he's the adventurous type and wouldn't mind gaming there's an ok looking deal for the new Nokia/windows phone with a 'free' xbox 360 from Orange too.


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## stuff_it (Nov 19, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> I'd discount no1 as no smartphone has what can honestly be termed good battery life compared to non smartphones. But I'd suggest the Samsung G2. I wouldn't suggest an iPhone as they're expensive for what you get. If he's the adventurous type and wouldn't mind gaming there's an ok looking deal for the new Nokia/windows phone with a 'free' xbox 360 from Orange too.


He's already got part share in an Xbox, it was all he could manage with not actually having anywhere to put one...

I'm not sure what deal you mean as a G2 seems to be some sort of exclusive T-Mobile ting...http://www.wirefly.com/product/t-mobile/t-mobile/t-mobile-g2-with-google-black

Are you on about the Nokia? He's a bit of a Linux fanbwoi so I doubt he'd want anything on Windoze.


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## Badgers (Nov 19, 2011)

The Samsung, HTC and iPhone handsets are all pretty good. There is not a bad option there really. If he is a Linux fanbwoi he may be less inclined to choose the iPhone on the Apple operating system.

*1) Good battery life (obvs)*
The smart phones do drink the battery quite quick. You can pick up a second battery for the Samsung and HTC phones but the iPhone battery can not be taken out.

*2) Jack plug for the headphones (very important)*
All the smart phones have this

*3) Decent camera (more than 5mp - preferably good enough to film 1080p video*
All the smart phones have this

*4) Smallish - none of these massive screen jobbies*
Define massive? Have a look at this photo of the Galaxy S2 which is pretty standard screen size for a smart phone.

*5) He needs something fairly hard-wearing as he tends to be a bit rough on his phones*
They are all pretty much the same. Front side of the phone is all screen. I have broken several screens and now use an Otterbox Defender Case on my HTC phone. Costs about £20 but had I not used this then I would have smashed it ten times over. Little bit bulky but when I take my phone out it is still brand new so will be easier to sell on at a decent price.

*6) Decent onboard memory or able to run a bigmicroSD without lag/problems*
Samsung and HTC phones have expandable memory


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## Badgers (Nov 19, 2011)

If he felt that the Samsung or HTC was good enough then you have a few choices. Is he on a contract, looking to start a contract, upgrade a contract or by the handset off contract?



stuff_it said:


> Of course he's looking for a new network as well potentially, not through Carphone Warehouse though as he owes them money....



Sorry, just seen this ^

I find that O2, T-Mobile and Vodaphone are all pretty good. Avoid 3 Mobile and I have heard quite a lot of moaning about Orange of late. As he is starting a new contract there are a few things you can do to save some money.

There are some good cash-back offers on the Quidco website from pretty much all phone companies. Also you should keep an eye on the HUKD website for decent tariff offers that come up.

If you had some spare cash I would look at the possibility of buying a smart phone and going for a SIM only deal so there is no long term commitment.


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## Badgers (Nov 19, 2011)

I would look at the following models as a starting point:

Samsung Galaxy S2
Samsung Galaxy Nexus
HTC Sensation

All of these are good smart phones. He may be happier with a slightly older model which can be purchased cheaper and possible on a shorter contract commitment. I use the HTC Desire HD currently and it serves me very well.


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## EastEnder (Nov 19, 2011)

stuff_it said:


> 1) Good battery life (obvs)


Smartphone ≠ good battery life.

You only get good battery life with stupid phones.


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## stuff_it (Nov 19, 2011)

Personally I'm backing the S2.

He's looking for a new contract, he's been on prepay for a while but then I only went and got a Galaxy Ace for precisely what I was already paying on my sim only contract and he wants a 'better one' (bless).

They don't seem to do an Otterbox for mine, but then I'm far far more careful with my phones. (it's smart but only has a TFT screen and is smaller with only a 5mp camera...so they do come like that sometimes).

I know Apple are a bit shit but I'm amazed that they haven't got MicroSD slots yet...

Do all providers do capped price plans?


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## EastEnder (Nov 19, 2011)

stuff_it said:


> I know Apple are a bit shit but I'm amazed that they haven't got MicroSD slots yet...


If they did that, people could have different memory sizes, they'd no longer be identical phones. Apple prefer to dictate exactly what you get and like everyone to get exactly the same. It's a form of techno-communism.


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## Badgers (Nov 19, 2011)

stuff_it said:


> Personally I'm backing the S2.
> 
> He's looking for a new contract, he's been on prepay for a while but then I only went and got a Galaxy Ace for precisely what I was already paying on my sim only contract and he wants a 'better one' (bless).



The S2 is a good phone. Also as the Nexus model is coming out the price has dropped a bit of late. There is a long thread that editor (S2 fan) started a while back to read. You can get a few cases for the S2 and there is an Otterbox available for that one at only £12.99 which is good. Buy it online and then you can return it if he does not like it.



stuff_it said:


> Do all providers do capped price plans?



Not sure.


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## stuff_it (Nov 19, 2011)

Do any of them let you pick how many minutes, texts and data you want properly? He wants decent texts and data but doesn't call that often so paying out for a zillion minutes is a waste if it can be avoided.


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## Boycey (Nov 19, 2011)

galaxy s2.as far as battery life is concerned mine is new and goes for 48 hours or so.


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## keithy (Nov 19, 2011)

Badgers said:


> The S2 is a good phone. Also as the Nexus model is coming out the price has dropped a bit of late. There is a long thread that editor (S2 fan) started a while back to read. You can get a few cases for the S2 and there is an Otterbox available for that one at only £12.99 which is good. Buy it online and then you can return it if he does not like it.
> 
> Not sure.



Just a note: the link you've posted is to an Ottercase for the Galaxy S which is different and wouldn't fit


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## stuff_it (Nov 19, 2011)

keithy said:


> Just a note: the link you've posted is to an Ottercase for the Galaxy S which is different and wouldn't fit


I looked, you can get an Otterbox for an S2 as well.


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## Badgers (Nov 19, 2011)

stuff_it said:


> Do any of them let you pick how many minutes, texts and data you want properly? He wants decent texts and data but doesn't call that often so paying out for a zillion minutes is a waste if it can be avoided.



There are various packages and bolt on to choose. Personally I would focus on data and texts for my phones. There are a few helpful things here....

If you have Wi-Fi at home then obviously that will cut down data use. My phone instantly picks up the Wi-Fi at home, work, local pub and a few other places. That cuts down data use nicely.

You can usually get free calls to the same provider. So if you were both on O2 for example then a lot of tariffs allow unlimited calls there + the number of other mobile/landline calls.

WhatsApp Messenger is a great free app that allows you to text message for free. You can use it to send photos, videos and such for free. All the people that I text regularly are using this so my text use has dropped hugely.

For calls I use Skype and Viber which both work fine and also have message options too.


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## mitochondria (Nov 19, 2011)

I reckon Galaxy W would suit him better than S2


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## EastEnder (Nov 19, 2011)

stuff_it said:


> Do any of them let you pick how many minutes, texts and data you want properly? He wants decent texts and data but doesn't call that often so paying out for a zillion minutes is a waste if it can be avoided.


Most plans seem to be aimed more at women, imho. All this guff about "600 minutes & 500 texts a month!", just doesn't really cater for antisocial gits like me. My ideal plan would be "10 minutes, 20 texts & 10Gb data a month for £10". Sadly I'm dreaming. Which is why I'll stick with PAYG.


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## stuff_it (Nov 19, 2011)

EastEnder said:


> Most plans seem to be aimed more at women, imho. All this guff about "600 minutes & 500 texts a month!", just doesn't really cater for antisocial gits like me. My ideal plan would be "10 minutes, 20 texts & 10Gb data a month for £10". Sadly I'm dreaming. Which is why I'll stick with PAYG.


Innit, what he really wants is 100 minutes, 5,000 texts and 5 Gb data or summat.


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## Edie (Nov 19, 2011)

iPhone cos they are sexy


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## Badgers (Nov 19, 2011)

Edie said:
			
		

> iPhone cos they are sexy



They are sexy but I think a linux man may prefer a more flexible solution


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## Edie (Nov 19, 2011)

Badgers said:


> They are sexy but I think a linux man may prefer a more flexible solution


He'd be wrong then


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## EastEnder (Nov 19, 2011)

Edie said:


> iPhone cos they are sexy


You are a marketing man's wet dream.

If you ever attempt to buy a car from a car showroom, I can guarantee the salesman will be secretly rubbing his hands together with glee.


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## stuff_it (Nov 20, 2011)

Doesn't look likely he Will get one soon now. They wouldn't give him a contract, we suspect because his step brother ripped off some catalogues from his mums house then moved out since last time he applied for credit anywhere.


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## Badgers (Nov 20, 2011)

stuff_it said:


> Doesn't look likely he Will get one soon now. They wouldn't give him a contract, we suspect because his step brother ripped off some catalogues from his mums house then moved out since last time he applied for credit anywhere.



That is a shame. Is there no way you guys could afford to buy a handset only and get a monthly SIM deal?


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## stuff_it (Nov 20, 2011)

Badgers said:


> That is a shame. Is there no way you guys could afford to buy a handset only and get a monthly SIM deal?


If he didn't spend all his wages on weed and rare mid-skool BMX parts then probably.


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## RaverDrew (Nov 20, 2011)

The new Motorola Razr is a tough phone, made out of kevlar and splash proof. Good spec too.

The older Motorola Defy is also dust proof, scratch proof and water resistant. You can pick them up for fairly cheap on ebay (£150+)


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## stuff_it (Nov 20, 2011)

RaverDrew said:


> The new Motorola Razr is a tough phone, made out of kevlar and splash proof. Good spec too.
> 
> The older Motorola Defy is also dust proof, scratch proof and water resistant. You can pick them up for fairly cheap on ebay (£150+)


Are they Android though or some sort of other thing?


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## RaverDrew (Nov 20, 2011)

Both Android


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## ohmyliver (Nov 21, 2011)

RaverDrew said:


> The new Motorola Razr is a tough phone, made out of kevlar and splash proof. Good spec too.
> 
> The older Motorola Defy is also dust proof, scratch proof and water resistant. You can pick them up for fairly cheap on ebay (£150+)


yeah I was going to mention the Defy
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/smartphones/1281676/motorola-defy
about £200 quid new, built for rough use, and most reviews mention the battery life as being above average for android. Oh and it's got an update to android 2.3 . it's got a buggy update to 2.2, so only worth going for if your prepaired to root and install a rom


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## pianissimo (Nov 21, 2011)

Galaxy Nexus!


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## Ranu (Nov 21, 2011)

stuff_it said:


> Doesn't look likely he Will get one soon now. They wouldn't give him a contract, we suspect because his step brother ripped off some catalogues from his mums house then moved out since last time he applied for credit anywhere.



Not sure sure how that in itself would have a bearing on his credit rating.  Your family, wherever they live, have no bearing on your credit score.


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## stuff_it (Nov 21, 2011)

Ranu said:


> Not sure sure how that in itself would have a bearing on his credit rating. Your family, wherever they live, have no bearing on your credit score.


I know for a fact that isn't true, any bad credit ratings from people at the same address can affect you. His official address is his mum's; the same address that his recently kicked out step brother is getting lots of nasty letters to.

In fact it doesn't have to be a family member, it can be someone else in a shared house or a previous resident.


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## Ranu (Nov 21, 2011)

That's nonsense.  Lenders are not allowed to link information about people living at the same address unless they have joint financial commitments.


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## Ranu (Nov 21, 2011)

For info (Experian site):

http://www.familysecure.com/Credit_scoring.aspx

"A credit account held solely in the name of your spouse, child or any other family member cannot impact your credit score."


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## stuff_it (Nov 22, 2011)

Ranu said:


> For info (Experian site):
> 
> http://www.familysecure.com/Credit_scoring.aspx
> 
> "A credit account held solely in the name of your spouse, child or any other family member cannot impact your credit score."


It's not true though - I've had problems in the past when I've used my mum's address - she had to write letters to all of the credit agencies and copies of bank statements to prove that my (dodgy at the time) finances and credit rating were unrelated to her finances.

And there's this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15794539

It's total bollocks that it can't affect your credit rating. Technically it's not meant to, but they tend to assume that the finances of people at the same address are interlinked unless told otherwise. On paper his credit rating shouldn't be any worse than mine, but the catalogue companies probably think that his stepbrother is actively frauding them from the same address, and this sounds fairly likely from what I know of it.

EDIT: Ah, late payments affect it - no wonder. It's well his own fault then - he's on a weekly wage and kept forgetting to leave his car insurance payments in his bank last year.  I didn't think it would go on there unless you actually didn't pay when they tried again.


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## Ranu (Nov 22, 2011)

stuff_it said:


> It's well his own fault then



That's what I figured.


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## stuff_it (Nov 22, 2011)

Ranu said:


> That's what I figured.


It's not like he doesn't earn plenty either.


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## Ranu (Nov 22, 2011)

stuff_it said:


> It's not like he doesn't earn plenty either.


 He's certainly not unique


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