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.Ac.

.Ac.

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Random thread / question i know but i was wondering what mobile phone people recommend getting these days ?

Sadly i lost my Galaxy S7 in Skegness at the weekend and with it being totally uninsured at the time it pretty much a total write off.( Guess that what i get for going to Skegness twice in space of two weekends ! )

So the short list at present is

Samsung Galaxy S9 ( £30pm )
Samsung Galaxy S10 ( £40pm )

Huawei P20 Pro ( £30pm )
Huawei P30 Pro ( £40pm )

Huawei Specs and value for money is miles above Samsung, however huawei entity ban in america is concerning me.
Concerns are reference the future of android updates and patches, along with possibility of the withdrawal of google apps / android OS in time if issue don't get resolved.

The other thing is whether it is worth getting the latest phone or sticking with previous year predecessor.
Is the additional money worth it or should i just be tight fisted and stick with phone that will just do the job just fine.
 
I've always liked and would recommend iPhones, personally, but I think Samsung looks good on the Android front.
 
I currently have a Huawei P10 Lite (I was, and will always, be trying to avoid the biggest screens), which I bought a couple of years ago and I think it's great. Sure, there are currently some risks with services being shut off (not as bad for existing users), but at the time I simply could not get a better piece of hardware for the money. I bought the handset outright and just use SIM only. In terms of outright hardware, they're probably still the best bang-for-your-buck.

My work phone is an iPhone 8. I can't fault it's screen and it's aesthetic, but I find the OS much more clunky than Android. Having bought my own handset I have far less bloatware on my Huawei - comparable amounts to the iPhones I think - but the way Android works just makes more sense to me. The iPhone almost feels like simplicity over usefulness. Undeniably a nicer piece of hardware, but no chance I'd buy one for myself. My girlfriend has one as her personal phone and adores it - each to their own.

If I was buying now, the only thing that would put me off buying the Huawei again would be these new issues that are all in the news. Probably wouldn't 'just to be safe', but in reality I suspect things are going to blow over at some point. I'd probably look to some of the cheaper Samsung models. I don't buy them for the cameras, so as long as it's small enough to go in my pocket and biking rucksack, can run the basic apps, has a halfway decent screen and has decent battery life, I'm sold.
 
Can't say i ever fell in love with apple brand and idea of buying apps again just off the apple store doesn't appeal either.

Fair points well made Hixee, i just need a phone with sensible battery life that doesn't choke when 2 apps are running.

Knowing my luck i probably lose it again anyway so keeping the cost down is probably not a bad shout.
 
I've kind of been involved in advising on this kind of stuff for a few years (erm, about 15) - so what I've learned in that time...

Ecosystem
Android or iOS. However, swapping ecosystems is very hard for people. It's more than just investment in apps, it's a completely different way of using the device. On the face of it, they're both very similar. Scratch the surface and they're very different. There's frustration moving from one to the other.

If somebody is used to one, generally let them stick to that ecosystem.

Sub-Ecosystems and bloatware
This is a bugbear of mine. We know you need an Apple or Google account to run iOS or Android phones (okay, you don't, but if you ever want apps or updates, you do really).

If somebody skins or adds in bloatware that requires further sign ins and accounts - it's a big negative for me. It tends to mean you then have multiple accounts and multiple "apps" to do the same thing. Only now you have a pocket advertising system.

Samsung are the worst for this. They have an ageing skin over Android that then pushes you into a Samsung ecosystem which is worse than stock Android. This can delay vital security patch updates as the offending "skinner" has to patch and update their own software before it can be released.

Updates
Speaking of security updates, the only guaranteed way of having the latest security updates is through and Apple or Google phone. All other manufacturers need to go through a series of testing first, the the manufacturer decides on which of their phones (read: the popular ones still making them money) get effort put into being updated.

Hardware bands
I'd say there are generally three bands of hardware (though both Apple and Samsung have this last year introduced a fourth band)

1. Top end. Around £600+. All the latest release flagship phones are at this price. They'll all have the best screens, the fastest processors and the latest and greatest cameras. After the next flagship release, the cost of these phones will probably halve,

2. Mid range. Around £250 - £600. The cheaper range, but still "good" products. Generally a slightly cut down version of the top end flagship phones. So lower quality screen, stripped back camera/processor, etc.

3. Low end. £50-£250. Designed for people who don't have money, but feel they need a functioning smart phone. They may have the same kind of names as the high end phones, but they're really not.

General Advice
Buy what you need and what fits you best.

Only buy on contract what you know you can afford and what fits. Contracts sell phones, but entice you with bonuses - such as unlimited voice and text. Work out what you actually need and then work out if a SIM only deal would work better for you. This lets you use the best advice...

BUY LAST YEAR'S MODEL. You'll get a phone that is technologically only a small amount behind the tech curve of the flagships, but for a massively reduced price. They tend to be supported for extended periods because they're top end models. It's rare there is new tech that makes a phone massively more expensive to be truly compelling.

However, my top advice is always "do what in your gut makes you happy". If you know you'll get along with a P30, but always wish you'd gone for the P60 - go for the P60 (but not if you can't afford it :p ).

Personally, I've been buying old flagship Sony phones for years now. They've become less bloated over time, but they've always been really good workhorses, solid and reliable. Recently took the plunge and went for the latest (recently being 9 months ago) XZ3, which is a lovely phone. Camera isn't great, but that's very low priority for me.

Business? Always Apple. Just, yeah. Apple :)
 
Interesting reading furie, thanks for taking time to reply.

100 percent agree that last year tech is the sweet point for " value for money vs spec ".

I am not one to be tempted in by "free phone upgrade " on contracts, contracts just help to spread cost of the phone over period of contract vs one of payment. Of course you pay premium for this service.

Saying that tried to buy a phone last night online but failed on the grounds that payment required authorisation by text msg, oh the irony.
 
I had an S7 until about a month ago. I use Google maps a lot, and I got tired of it hanging when it was trying to load. I got the s10 5g bells and whistles phone. The battery and the camera are worth the extra money for me. Plus it loads super quick. Did I mention the battery?
 
I currently have the S7 edge and it's great. Camera is nowhere near as good as the Huawei though.
Contract expires in Feb so I'll have a think about what I want next, I would totally be going for the P30 if it wasn't for the current issues. Lets see how things unfold in the next 6 months.
 
For the record i ended up going for " Xiaomi mi 8 ".

It worked out by far the cheapest on contract, had no up front fee and came with double the data allowance.
All this came at the expense of stuff that wasn't to worried about ( Wireless Charging / Top End Camera )

UI will take some time to get used for sure but nothing that can't fixed with a Launcher if all else fails.
 
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