New phone recommendations for around €260

Colemania

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone could recommend a new phone for me. I upgraded from a very budget Samsung Galaxy Y to the Huawei G510 about 6 months ago and although it's a great phone for that price, the battery is just simply atrocious on it. I don't even go on the internet on it because it drains it in minutes. Once data is turned on it could go from 45% to 9% in 5 minutes.

So ya I've finally decided to up my budget and go for something a nice bit better. Been looking at trying to get a cheap Nexus 4 but can't find one for under 280-290 euro. I've been holding off too as I've been following the Nexus 5 announcements for the pure reason that I hoped someone would mention the Nexus 4 dropping in price. I see the Samsung Galaxy S3 is dropping in price also so maybe an option?

So as the title suggest, my budget is about €260. Couldn't stretch more than that really unless the phone was well and truly worth some extra few bob.

Are there any phones released in 2012 that would be a very good buy now? All recommendations welcome

Colemania

*bump*

Badly need a new phone this weekend as I sold my Huawei G510 yesterday.

5starpool

There should be quite a few second hand Nexus 4 devices floating around if you are ok with a second hand one.

Alpha Dog 1

You should be able to get a good quality second hand nexus 4 on done deal or adverts for around 250.

Colemania

Alpha Dog 1 wrote: »

You should be able to get a good quality second hand nexus 4 on done deal or adverts for around 250.

Ya i wouldn't mind one at all. Do any of ye own one and are they as good as i've heard they are?

Riesen_Meal

Colemania wrote: »

Ya i wouldn't mind one at all. Do any of ye own one and are they as good as i've heard they are?

Yes they are, if I can get my hands on a N5 I might selll my N4...

Colemania

Had no luck getting a nexus 4 so managed to sneak a Samsung S3 for 190. Good price ya?

beardo81

Great phone for a decent price, you have plenty of choice if you want to boost battery life also.

Colemania

beardo81 wrote: »

Great phone for a decent price, you have plenty of choice if you want to boost battery life also.

How do you mean?

beardo81

Colemania wrote: »

How do you mean?

The removable battery means you can get a new battery when that one starts to deteriorate, also bigger size batteries are available than the standard S3 one.

Colemania

beardo81 wrote: »

The removable battery means you can get a new battery when that one starts to deteriorate, also bigger size batteries are available than the standard S3 one.

Oh ok that's great. Thanks for letting me know

Colemania

The guy/girl f***ed me around over the Galaxy S3 on adverts and when i pulled out of the sale they withdrew the ad. I think the rejection by me to pay the full 190 up front on paypal until i see the phone threw them off!

DECEiFER

Colemania wrote: »

The guy/girl f***ed me around over the Galaxy S3 on adverts and when i pulled out of the sale they withdrew the ad. I think the rejection by me to pay the full 190 up front on paypal until i see the phone threw them off!

Normally you do pay the full amount if it's being done by PayPal and sent by post. If you're meeting up, then you can obviously test before you pay. It wouldn't be any different on eBay, new or used.

That said, they could have tried to give you some piece of mind and negotiate with you.

Just keep an eye out for Nexus 4 or S III. If you're not too bad on not being able to expand with SD card storage and don't care a huge amount about the camera (the S III's camera is a bit better), the Nexus 4 is the phone for you because it's a better performer than the S III and it will be updated officially to KitKat in the new week or two, but do get it a 16GB as 8GB is way too small (trust me). I'm an owner of one and I still love it even though the Nexus 5 has just come out.

listermint

http://www.adverts.ie/mobile-phones/nexus-4-16gb-unlocked/4094658

http://www.adverts.ie/mobile-phones/nexus-4/4107102

Colemania

DECEiFER wrote: »

Normally you do pay the full amount if it's being done by PayPal and sent by post. If you're meeting up, then you can obviously test before you pay. It wouldn't be any different on eBay, new or used.

That said, they could have tried to give you some piece of mind and negotiate with you.

Just keep an eye out for Nexus 4 or S III. If you're not too bad on not being able to expand with SD card storage and don't care a huge amount about the camera (the S III's camera is a bit better), the Nexus 4 is the phone for you because it's a better performer than the S III and it will be updated officially to KitKat in the new week or two, but do get it a 16GB as 8GB is way too small (trust me). I'm an owner of one and I still love it even though the Nexus 5 has just come out.

Oh I totally agree about the paying up front. I was paid up front twice last week for stuff on adverts. I just had a few doubts and they proved right in the end

Colemania

listermint wrote: »

http://www.adverts.ie/mobile-phones/nexus-4-16gb-unlocked/4094658

http://www.adverts.ie/mobile-phones/nexus-4/4107102

First one is sold and second one is in Dublin. There's loads of phones in Dublin but I'm in limerick so they'll cost extra with postage

DECEiFER

Colemania wrote: »

First one is sold and second one is in Dublin. There's loads of phones in Dublin but I'm in limerick so they'll cost extra with postage

I know the Nexus 4 including all the packaging weighs under 500g so the postage is cheap enough at less than a tenner. I had to send my first one back to the UK when the screen died (or the GPU died) after just an hour's use and that was even less than a tenner through Registered Post. I wouldn't worry about that but always insist on Registered Post in cases like these. You'd still end up paying €260 or less, like you wanted.

EDIT:
http://www.adverts.ie/mobile-phones/nexus-4-16gb-perfect-condition/4094768

This one here looks good. The seller does say no to posting but I'm sure for the sake of a sale he'd be likely to cooperate. I would, why not!?

http://www.adverts.ie/mobile-phones/nexus-4-16gb-including-clear-case/4092492

This one's also good, but he's asking for €265. Make an offer or offer the full price and ask for him to include shipping it (again, it's less than a tenner by Registered Post). However, he accepted an offer of €220 but it's unclear if the sale went through. You wouldn't know if he just didn't bother updating the listing as Sold.

There's more here:
http://www.adverts.ie/for-sale/q_Nexus+4+16GB/


You can always turn to eBay.ie. I had a look earlier today and there were some cheap enough ones between €200 and €220 coming from the US with reasonable postage charges but if you'd rather buy closer to home, say the UK (in case something goes wrong with it), then you could score one for €250 + shipping.

Here's a good search link with the relevant filters, sorted ascending from the cheapest + P&P.
http://www.ebay.ie/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_sop=15&LH_BIN=1&_udlo=180&_udhi=260&_nkw=Nexus+4+16GB&_dcat=171485&Brand=LG

Colemania

DECEiFER wrote: »

I know the Nexus 4 including all the packaging weighs under 500g so the postage is cheap enough at less than a tenner. I had to send my first one back to the UK when the screen died (or the GPU died) after just an hour's use and that was even less than a tenner through Registered Post. I wouldn't worry about that but always insist on Registered Post in cases like these. You'd still end up paying €260 or less, like you wanted.

And is a used nexus 4 worth about 250? Or will it start coming down in price soon?

mrmeindl

You'll get a new S3 for nearly €260 on amazon uk, and amazon are excellent to deal with if you've any issues...and the phone is sim free.

MuppetCheck

Colemania wrote: »

And is a used nexus 4 worth about 250? Or will it start coming down in price soon?

Sold a mint used one for 260 last weekend. But they have to be getting a lot cheaper with the n5 about.

DECEiFER

Colemania wrote: »

And is a used nexus 4 worth about 250? Or will it start coming down in price soon?

Let's put it this way, anything you buy from an operator on PAYG or from an electronics store for that price will not be anywhere as good as the Nexus 4. Paperweights! You'll get nothing very good for €260 off-contract. Maybe those second-hand prices are inflated but in all honestly, I don't see the Nexus 5 affecting them by a whole lot in the near future. Hell, the Galaxy Nexus from 2011 still goes for a pretty penny (it was never cheap because Google at the time did not sell its devices directly). New, when I got my Nexus 4 in April, it was €330-€340 for the 16GB model (converted from £284 at the time).

Pros of Nexus phones:
- They outclass or rival any high-end phone at the time of their release in terms of performance
- They're cheaper by nearly 50% compared to their rivals
- They are updated by Google directly and unlocked from all networks (18-month update lifecycle, at least)
- The Nexus 4 has a 4.7" screen, so it's big enough
- The Nexus 4 has a glass back, so it gives it a lovely, premium feel

Cons of Nexus phones:
- They have no SD card expansion, 16GB is as big as the Nexus 4 gets
- Camera quality on the Nexus 4 is not as good as some of its rivals, like the S III
- Battery is non-removable but can be replaced nonetheless with a new official battery for €20-€30 with some screwing around (plenty of instructional videos on YouTube)
- The Nexus 4 has a glass back, so it does scratch easily if not protected and it could crack if dropped (screen protectors and a case are advised)

Overall, I'm a happy user. My front and back is covered with high-end (less than $10 worth to boot) screen protectors and I use a the official Google/LG bumper case but I keep a tough silicon case around also, which covers the back, for better drop protection. So far I've been careful and lucky enough not to drop it! Google sell these phones cheap to get people into Android and using their cloud services, like Music, Movies, TV, Magazines, Books, Drive, etc., which is why they only sell in countries where these services are fully available (they aren't yet here) and why they leave out expandable SD storage. This is why they're cheap, they're likely making no profit on them. Google take these sorts of risks, their entire business model is about giving things away and having their users make money for them without opening their wallets. Monetizing like a boss.

http://www.xtremeguard.com/LG-Google-Nexus-4-Screen-Protectors-p/lg-nexus-4-screen-protector.htm

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/XtremeGuard-LCD-FULL-BODY-Screen-Protector-Shield-Skin-For-LG-Google-Nexus-4-/350649083772

These puppies come from the US and are delivered within 7-8 days. Reasonable postage charges also. The eBay link is cheaper and it's the official seller, same as the website. I bought two sets at different times (the second set is still unused, I just wanted a spare).

Also, see my above post for an edit.

So give it a think over and watch YouTube comparison reviews of it if you do want to see how well it stacks up with the competition. You'll see it compared to the S III and the iCrap 4s/5, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=nexus+4+vs+galaxy+s+iii&oq=Nexus+4+vs+&gs_l=youtube.3.0.35i39j0i3j0l8.62.4065.0.4896.12.9.1.0.0.1.221.1161.3j5j1.9.0...0.0...1ac.1.11.youtube.qa35pEo8xEM

Colemania

I feel bad now for all the effort you put into your posts, DECEIFER, on the Nexus 4 as I'm only seeing them now and committed to buying a Samsung S3 for €200 tonight.........

Who knows.....I may sell it if I'm not happy with it and buy the Nexus 4 yet! I did have a good look for nexus 4's alright but I have to admit, my budget started to decrease as other expenses came up in the last week so i'm glad to get a pretty good phone (and a massive upgrade on the Huawei G510) for €200.

Thanks for all the input lads!

DECEiFER

It's no trouble and the S III is still a good phone. The Nexus 4 is better at some things but the S III is better at others. Both are capable rivals from 2012. And this thread could be useful to someone else in the near future if they happen to come across it on Google or the like so having the posts here with all the info possible might not be a waste of time after all.

Good luck with the new phone! If you need help with rooting or the like (if you want to install a pure Android ROM, for example), be sure and create a new thread and I or someone will help you, or you can PM me if you'd like.

Colemania

:pac:

DECEiFER wrote: »

It's no trouble and the S III is still a good phone. The Nexus 4 is better at some things but the S III is better at others. Both are capable rivals from 2012. And this thread could be useful to someone else in the near future if they happen to come across it on Google or the like so having the posts here with all the info possible might not be a waste of time after all.

Good luck with the new phone! If you need help with rooting or the like (if you want to install a pure Android ROM, for example), be sure and create a new thread and I or someone will help you, or you can PM me if you'd like.

I've heard of these ROM's before and I do have an interest in technology but when I read about them I think that it seems way too difficult to even attempt installing one. What's the advantage of these ROMs over the default Android OS? Does it let you do certain things that the default system doesn't allow?

DECEiFER

Colemania wrote: »

:pac:

I've heard of these ROM's before and I do have an interest in technology but when I read about them I think that it seems way too difficult to even attempt installing one. What's the advantage of these ROMs over the default Android OS? Does it let you do certain things that the default system doesn't allow?

It's difficult only if you're not technically inclined. If you've ever installed Windows on a PC, you'll know that while it's easy, it's still a pain in the ass to wait around and set everything up thereafter. Installing an Android ROM is much less convoluted once you learn how and is a lot quicker to install and you don't worry about drivers, just your apps and stuff.

The advantages of going for a pure Android OS is that it's what us Nexus owners are given and it's clean, fluid, and will lag less than Samsung's modified version with TouchWiz. It will use less RAM, etc.

Now, I'll be honest with you. Samsung does include some stuff in their firmware, such as a camera app with some nice features that works with the S III. The stock camera app from Google isn't as customizable and has less bells and whistles, but it will work nonetheless.

When you go to install a custom ROM, you decide which one you want to go for. There is AOKP, CyanogenMod, etc., etc. Most are based on the AOSP version of Android and are stable ports, so it will be pure Android with some extra features added by their respective modders (that stock Nexus users don't even have). There are likely also pure versions with no extra features, a clone of what us stock Nexus 4 users have.

In addition, the likelihood that Samsung will upgrade the S III to KitKat is 50-50 and if they do, it won't be until Spring next year at the rate they release updates (the S4 will be updated first for sure). Custom KitKat ROMs specifically for popular devices like the S III will be out a lot sooner (not as soon as Google will update the Nexus 4 but soon enough - before Christmas, I reckon).

It's a very common thing to do and it's easy after you do it for the first time. It's worth some thought and research.

You can start here, if you like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQy0NeVnxLo

Colemania

DECEiFER wrote: »

It's difficult only if you're not technically inclined. If you've ever installed Windows on a PC, you'll know that while it's easy, it's still a pain in the ass to wait around and set everything up thereafter. Installing an Android ROM is much less convoluted once you learn how and is a lot quicker to install and you don't worry about drivers, just your apps and stuff.

The advantages of going for a pure Android OS is that it's what us Nexus owners are given and it's clean, fluid, and will lag less than Samsung's modified version with TouchWiz. It will use less RAM, etc.

Now, I'll be honest with you. Samsung does include some stuff in their firmware, such as a camera app with some nice features that works with the S III. The stock camera app from Google isn't as customizable and has less bells and whistles, but it will work nonetheless.

When you go to install a custom ROM, you decide which one you want to go for. There is AOKP, CyanogenMod, etc., etc. Most are based on the AOSP version of Android and are stable ports, so it will be pure Android with some extra features added by their respective modders (that stock Nexus users don't even have). There are likely also pure versions with no extra features, a clone of what us stock Nexus 4 users have.

In addition, the likelihood that Samsung will upgrade the S III to KitKat is 50-50 and if they do, it won't be until Spring next year at the rate they release updates (the S4 will be updated first for sure). Custom KitKat ROMs specifically for popular devices like the S III will be out a lot sooner (not as soon as Google will update the Nexus 4 but soon enough - before Christmas, I reckon).

It's a very common thing to do and it's easy after you do it for the first time. It's worth some thought and research.

You can start here, if you like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQy0NeVnxLo

Sounds vey interesting alright. To be honest, as long as I can take the odd picture with the phone I'm happy. Don't care about effects or any of that jazz. I mainly use my phone for phone calls, internet browsing, watch the odd video and obviously texting.

So with that, would it be worth it for what I plan to be doing on the phone? I would like the phone to be as fast as it possibly can and I know that has to do with the RAM its using so maybe this really is a big option for me.

I've heard some ROMs can improve battery life but it's probably not very true is it?

Also, I assume it won't mess anything up if I do a step wrong, for example brick the phone or network lock an unlocked phone (don't really get how an unlocking process works and if it can be reset)

DECEiFER

Colemania wrote: »

Sounds vey interesting alright. To be honest, as long as I can take the odd picture with the phone I'm happy. Don't care about effects or any of that jazz. I mainly use my phone for phone calls, internet browsing, watch the odd video and obviously texting.

So with that, would it be worth it for what I plan to be doing on the phone? I would like the phone to be as fast as it possibly can and I know that has to do with the RAM its using so maybe this really is a big option for me.

I've heard some ROMs can improve battery life but it's probably not very true is it?

Also, I assume it won't mess anything up if I do a step wrong, for example brick the phone or network lock an unlocked phone (don't really get how an unlocking process works and if it can be reset)

A custom ROM will improve speed and it could improve battery life. Your mileage will vary as some ROMs have the USP of doing just that. It all depends on what kernel they use, there are likely several custom kernels so some ROM devs will use one that's already out there or modify one on their own. CyanogenMod is a big name so they tend to do their own, for example. But some ROM devs are on XDA and they're just regular joes and they often do very very good work and they can use one of the custom kernels already out there and package it into their ROM.

An example I can give you is on the Nexus 4 I could flash a new kernel right now on top of my stock ROM. There's one called Franco Kernel and it's aimed at reducing the battery while offering up some nice additional low-level features.

You don't need to worry so much about flashing your own kernel and the like, unless you want to. Flashing a ROM will take care of the kernel side of things but you can choose to flash a different kernel. Say you don't like the kernel that CyanogenMod is packaged with, then use another supported kernel, which takes only 10 seconds to flash, but again, only if you want to. That's the beauty of Android. You can give it to your granny to use while nerds/geeks can go mad with it also. It's an OS for everyone.

Now I wouldn't just tell you all this and expect you to figure out how to do it, etc. If you want to give it a try (do some YouTubing and Googling first to see if you do), then I and others here are on-hand to step you through the process.

Colemania

Big crack on the Samsung s3 screen when I went to meet the guy to get the phone today It didn't show on the pics on adverts. Sickened

DECEiFER

Ah shít. That's just crafty, did he try and tell you it was nothing? The idea must be to get people to come and see the phone so he can convince them that it's still a good buy. 'Tis a pity. Any more in that price range?

Colemania

He told me it was nothing alright but it was a fairly big crack. Told me also it would cost 10 euro to get a replacement glass. I priced them at 30 or 40 to do it yourself, which sounded tough, or 75 for a professional to fix it. In fairness he had 137 positive feedback comments on adverts and no negative and he was a very nice guy. €200 seems to be the norm for a S3 with a broken front glass also it appears.

Thank god i FINALLY struck lucky and got my nexus 4 for a bargain €230

After 3 or 4 failed attempts of getting a phone since saturday, i managed to get a phone better than all those ones I had thought I almost bought.

DECEiFER

Welcome to the club.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056831806

Did you order the one with the Rinkle Fusion (clear back) case (which was £10-£20 earlier this year on Amazon)? If so you could get away without a screen protector to make sure that back glass doesn't get scratched (it's just too good looking for it to be ruined by scratching).

For less than $10, that eBay link I shared for the Xtreme Guard screen protectors is well worth it (full body, front and back). I'd order it ASAP if you're interested because it will take 7-8 days to get here from Utah.

Well done, again. €230 for the Nexus 4 with the Rinkle Fusion case is not a bad spend at all.

Colemania

DECEiFER wrote: »

Welcome to the club.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056831806

Did you order the one with the Rinkle Fusion (clear back) case (which was £10-£20 earlier this year on Amazon)? If so you could get away without a screen protector to make sure that back glass doesn't get scratched (it's just too good looking for it to be ruined by scratching).

For less than $10, that eBay link I shared for the Xtreme Guard screen protectors is well worth it (full body, front and back). I'd order it ASAP if you're interested because it will take 7-8 days to get here from Utah.

Well done, again. €230 for the Nexus 4 with the Rinkle Fusion case is not a bad spend at all.

I don't know the specifics but ya there was only one phone out of those links with a clear case accompanying it and that's the one I got.

DECEiFER

I guessed because I saw your account post but also because you said it was 4 weeks old and that's what that one's description said.

That thread I gave you above is the place to post with any N4 or app questions about the N4, etc.