Smartphone for about €200 advice please

Francie Barrett

TBi wrote: »

Motorola Defy when it was released. Bloody painful, i changed from it to a cheap Windows Phone (HTC Trophy) and the difference was unbelievable.

*Sits waiting for the obligatory "Oh that phone was a BAD Android phone, the other ones are SOO much better" argument...*

Haven't used one personally, and it probably wasn't even the worst Android phone of its era. I remember spending €500 for a Sony Xperia X10 a few years back thinking that I was getting the creme de la creme of Android phones. It was perhaps the worst phone I ever owned. You could only install 3-4 apps at anytime before getting an out of memory error. The Sony UI layer (Timescapes or something) was an absolute pig that crapped out constantly. There were zombie tasks constantly running that could never be shut down properly. The list of issues was endless and I ended up selling it after a few weeks. It was so awful I didn't go anywhere near Android for several years.

The main issues with crap Android devices isn't so much memory or the CPU that's being used. The biggest issue is when a manufacturer bundles their own UI on top of Android. The Sony Ericsson I had was probably one of the worst examples of a manufacturer UI that ever graced an Android phone. HTC's was a little better, but unfortunately their hardware is appalling and has a tendency to pack in just after the warranty expires. Even though Samsung's UI was clunky it worked ok and their hardware at least was excellent. It wasn't until the Samsung Galaxy S2 was released in mid-2011 that we got anywhere near a decent Android and the end of 2011 until we got a pretty decent version of Android without any customization at all (the Samsung Galaxy Nexus).

The new 4.0+ devices that either run stock Android or a version of Android with very little customization are a world apart from the crap we used to see.

circadian

Francie Barrett wrote: »

Huh? The phone I linked to for €200 is much better specced than the equivalent Windows Phone.

It's been stated before that the specs for WP will be different because it doesn't need that kind of power to run smoothly.

You're like a dog with a bone, I remember your posting in the Lumia 800 thread where you constantly tried to write off any positives of the WP platform.

OP ultimately it's your choice, the Lumia 620 is a cracking little phone and you could probably pick it up on amazon around €200. You should pop into a phone store and spend a few minutes with each platform and see what flavour suits you.

AntiVirus

I'd only consider getting Android phone if it has a quad core cpu and at the very least 1GB of ram.

FGR

The Galaxy S3 Mini is not much more than 200 on Amazon at the moment. If I can't get my Lumia 800 repaired I'll more than likely be going down that road.

dinneenp

Thanks for the many replies.
I guess it's a personal thing so there's no clear winner.
I've been checking many online, including
Sony Xperia P, T, Samsung Galaxy III mini, Huawei ascend g510.
And just saw the comment about the Jiayu now, will check them.
It doesn't make it easier when you can't play with most of them instore.

BostonB

The Galaxy S3 Mini would be my vote. Removable battery latest OS, SD slot, decent camera, decent screen. The Sony, has poor battery life and no slot ( i prefer it otherwise). Huawei cameras don't tend to be as good the Sony/Samsung. The only issue with the S3 Mini is the price.

andrewdeerpark

I cannot understand the hatred of the Windows phone platform by the Android camp. At every opportunity they criticize without actually providing any facts apart from the limited apps argument. These people are blinded by their everything Microsoft hatred keep that in mind when reviewing some posters here.

Francie Barrett

If you're referring to me, I am not in the "Android camp" - my daily phone is a Nokia E7. Android doesn't meet a lot of my daily requirements, however, I accept that it's the best choice at this time for the majority of users.

For the record, I have phones on all the major platforms. I even have a Lumia 920 sitting in a drawer gathering dust. Beautiful hardware, but just far too crippled by Windows Phone to be of use to me.

As for me being biased, the Windows Phone fans here are worse. I have recommended a Windows Phone on lots of occasions. The Lumia 800 on clearance was a great deal (and I would certainly advise picking up one over a Lumia 520).

circadian

Francie Barrett wrote: »

For the record, I have phones on all the major platforms. I even have a Lumia 920 sitting in a drawer gathering dust. Beautiful hardware, but just far too crippled by Windows Phone to be of use to me.

As for me being biased, the Windows Phone fans here are worse. I have recommended a Windows Phone on lots of occasions. The Lumia 800 on clearance was a great deal (and I would certainly advise picking up one over a Lumia 520).

Crippled how? Also, have you ever used a 520?

I'll admit I love my WP, but I also loved my old Android. It's just at this price, there's no way I'd pay for a lower budget Android and expect it to run smoothly 6 months down the line. I've had my 710 for over a year and have experienced NO ISSUES whatsoever in relation to slowdown, lag, crashing, freezing or anything else of the sort.

In fact the only issue I've had is when I dropped it and cracked the screen, which still works fine.

dinneenp

Hi,
Any thoguhts on the Motorola Razr I? Getting very good reviews and price is good too.

Alpha Dog 1

dinneenp wrote: »

Hi,
Any thoguhts on the Motorola Razr I? Getting very good reviews and price is good too.

Sorry, haven't read the rest of the thread but for a cheap android phone you cannot go wrong with either the Huawei ascend or the y 300. Both very good phones for the money! The y300 even runs 4.1