I'm in need of a new phone, - Please help me!

[Dean]

I've been having my (current) Sony Ericsson W995-phone, for around 3 years. It has just begun acting very odd (screen issues, battery won't charge), so I've decided to get a new phone. I know nothing about what I should get, what's a good deal and so on, so I guess I need help.

I've been a very happy SE-user for almost around 7 or 8 years (I've had 3 SE-phones in that time), so I think I want something from Sony, again.

I would like some features like:

• Wi-Fi
• Walkman (all of my SE phones have had it so, I want my next one to have it as well, if possible.)
• Long Battery-life. (+2 days, at least)
• A good screen.
• [I'm not sure if there's a term for it but] If I by accident drop it on the floor, it shouldn't break (non-breakable?) - I've seen those you can drop in water/on the floor/scratching the screen without anything happening, so something like that.
• The ability to use/download the Opera Mini-browser.
• TrackID.
• FM-radio.
• The ability to use the M2 (micro memory card)
• A good camera (I don't care if it's HD or whatever)
• Not too expensive (Under 2000 Danish Kroner or $350 USD)
• And it should be easy to understand and use!

I hope you can help me choose the right first (smart)phone for me. I have though, always been affraid of getting touch-phones, as I fear they'll break after a day. Is the odds the same as for the old phones?

 

[Greycap]

As a happy SE owner (K800i to C902 to U10i Aino to Xperia Arc S) I have some experience on them however, your list has an issue.

I would like some features like:

• Wi-Fi
• Walkman (all of my SE phones have had it so, I want my next one to have it as well, if possible.)
  [*]Long Battery-life. (+2 days, at least)
• A good screen.
• [I'm not sure if there's a term for it but] If I by accident drop it on the floor, it shouldn't break (non-breakable?) - I've seen those you can drop in water/on the floor/scratching the screen without anything happening, so something like that.
  [*]The ability to use/download the Opera Mini-browser.
  [*]TrackID.
  [*]FM-radio.
• The ability to use the M2 (micro memory card)
• A good camera (I don't care if it's HD or whatever)
  [*]Not too expensive (Under 2000 Danish Kroner or $350 USD)
  [*]And it should be easy to understand and use!

And that is that the ones in red you can get, the ones in black may either break the bank or be unavailable for other reasons.

I'm not 100% certain all current Sony models use the MicroSD card instead of the M2 but it's very likely. Also Walkman software isn't on all of them but then again the "normal" music player doesn't differ all that much. Screen quality depends on the user but personally I wouldn't call anything below 800x480 good and the same goes for the camera, 5MP is the lowest you should consider. Sony doesn't make shockproof phones at the moment (your best option for those is either Samsung Galaxy Xcover or Motorola Defy and they lack half of the things on your list) and the cheapest water resistant model is the Xperia Acro S with a price tag of 500€ in Finland which cancels it out pretty effectively. Not that you'll snap a "normal" touchscreen phone in half either, they're far sturdier than they look like.

Having said all that, if you want a Sony phone I'd recommend either the Xperia Arc S if you can still find one somewhere or the Xperia J which is pretty much a facelifted version of the same phone with slightly less processing power and a downgraded camera.

My spider senses say that you'll get a ton of replies suggesting an iPhone but it won't fit the budget and it certainly won't be twice as good despite costing twice as much, no matter what the Apple users say.

 

[Jet Badger]

I have recently bought an LG Optimus L7 and I would recommend it. Ofcourse my opinion is biased but it has a big scratch-proof screen (Gorilla glass) that makes browsing and other tasks a breeze. All Android (and other smartphones for that matter) have access to thousands of programs anyway, so even if you don't like the default music player, you'll definitely have what to choose from. It isnt a powerful phone but with everyday tasks it copes with no problems, Angry Birds works fine Battery life is relevant as with all smartphones but with minimal usage it can hold more than 2 days

 

[Dean]

As a happy SE owner (K800i to C902 to U10i Aino to Xperia Arc S) I have some experience on them however, your list has an issue.


And that is that the ones in red you can get, the ones in black may either break the bank or be unavailable for other reasons.

I'm not 100% certain all current Sony models use the MicroSD card instead of the M2 but it's very likely. Also Walkman software isn't on all of them but then again the "normal" music player doesn't differ all that much. Screen quality depends on the user but personally I wouldn't call anything below 800x480 good and the same goes for the camera, 5MP is the lowest you should consider. Sony doesn't make shockproof phones at the moment (your best option for those is either Samsung Galaxy Xcover or Motorola Defy and they lack half of the things on your list) and the cheapest water resistant model is the Xperia Acro S with a price tag of 500€ in Finland which cancels it out pretty effectively. Not that you'll snap a "normal" touchscreen phone in half either, they're far sturdier than they look like.

Having said all that, if you want a Sony phone I'd recommend either the Xperia Arc S if you can still find one somewhere or the Xperia J which is pretty much a facelifted version of the same phone with slightly less processing power and a downgraded camera.

My spider senses say that you'll get a ton of replies suggesting an iPhone but it won't fit the budget and it certainly won't be twice as good despite costing twice as much, no matter what the Apple users say.

- Thanks for the tip. I think I saw the J somewhere, but I'll try and see if I can find somewhere to compare the Arc S and the J. I've also shortly looked at the Xperia Active and the Xperia miro... I don't know how good those two are.

I have recently bought an LG Optimus L7 and I would recommend it. Ofcourse my opinion is biased but it has a big scratch-proof screen (Gorilla glass) that makes browsing and other tasks a breeze. All Android (and other smartphones for that matter) have access to thousands of programs anyway, so even if you don't like the default music player, you'll definitely have what to choose from. It isnt a powerful phone but with everyday tasks it copes with no problems, Angry Birds works fine Battery life is relevant as with all smartphones but with minimal usage it can hold more than 2 days

- I'm not really "into" LG-phones, but I'll check it out! Thanks for the tip.

 

[RTSolvalou]

No Sonys come with 'good' battery life at the moment (No phone does really, if you give it plenty of use you will have to charge daily). And Sony also seal their batteries in so you won't be able to sub them out.

HTC and Motorola seal their batteries in also (although Motorola make the RAZR MAXX with a 3300mAh battery-good), battery wise your best bet likely lies with Samsung. (I hear that Motorola use thinner, easier to break glass, I don't know for sure though)

The Galaxy S2 is a good phone roughly a year and a half old now, but that also means it'll be cheaper than the larger S3 which is not much of an upgrade on the S2 at all.
Available for the S2 is an extended battery of 2000mAh, the standard one it comes with is 1650, but it really should have come with 2000 to begin with, I have one and it's very good, but as screens have gotten bigger and phones generally more power hungry, larger batteries are needed in today's most recent phones. (You can get a charging box for the S2 so you can charge a battery while it's not in the phone)

The main drawback of the S2 is it's 480x800 resolution over 4.3 inches (242 pixels per inch), but it still looks great and is (I believe) the brightest screen on the market still. All in all I recommend this phone for your needs and you shouldn't have any problems with it unless you update the version of Android it has, all phones suffer from losing/broken features from updates.

The S2 will handle just about any game and app due to it's specs; and being a top phone, it gets developer attention for compatibility. If you plan on playing the very high end games like NFS or GTA on your phone, the S2 will run it, but it will be a bit jerky and doesn't quite have the power to do it smoothly, so a newer quad core *should* get the job done (I haven't tested a quad core phone yet).

The latest (quad core) phones are expensive, but there is an exception in the Huawei D1 Quad XL, a 2600mAh batteried phone that has been getting some good reviews and has a 4.5 inch 720p screen giving roughly 330ppi, so you shouldn't notice rough pixelled edges on screen at all. Price is said to be $425 or $450 US, but maybe a bit more. Battery cannot be removed but microSD card slot is there. However, only 8GB onboard memory (The SII comes with 16 + microSD slot). May be hard to acquire.
There is also the P1 or P1S model, which is somewhat similar to the Galaxy S2 only newer, although having an S2 myself I didn't bother looking at this too closely, but it may be a good option for you (I think the P1S has a larger battery than the P1 or something)

There are many phones out there, and http://www.androidcentral.com/ (pardon the terrible site navigation) is a good place to get some insight, and http://androidforums.com/ is another.

 

[Grayfox]

Samsung SII

It is good, It can be upgraded to ICS, It is cheap since SIII is out, does everything you want, No bloatware needed on PC, If dropped on the ground it wont shatter like apple but it may be damaged if you want an unbreakable phone get a nokia 920(remember those jokes about the Nokia 3310 they are based on fact)

 

[RTSolvalou]

Side note: Gorilla Glass isn't scratch proof, but scratch resistant, gently run it along the corner of a table and there shouldn't be a mark at all, or a mark so small you won't notice it. But you can definitely scratch it up if you are careless.

 

[Greycap]

No Sonys come with 'good' battery life at the moment (No phone does really, if you give it plenty of use you will have to charge daily). And Sony also seal their batteries in so you won't be able to sub them out.

I disagree.

 

[Dean]

Thaniks for the tips. I've heard Samsungs phones should be good, but I'm not sure if it'll be in my taste so I'm going to a cellphone store tomorrow, so I think I need some phones to "peek on". I've got the:
SONY Xperia J, U, Arc S, miro, Active, Go, LG Optimus, Samsung Galaxy, SII, Motorola Defy XT... If there's any phone (please not iPhone, I hate the i-Things) that include (most of) those things I've written in the first post, don't hasitate to post it, please.

 

[BobK]

HTC and Motorola seal their batteries in also (although Motorola make the RAZR MAXX with a 3300mAh battery-good), battery wise your best bet likely lies with Samsung. (I hear that Motorola use thinner, easier to break glass, I don't know for sure though)

I just wanted to mention that the two Motorola phones I've had both had replaceable batteries; Motorola Defy XT and a somewhat ancient W385.

The Defy XT is ruggedized and water resistant; people have claimed they've immersed the phone in a bucket of water for 15 minutes with no problem. I don't believe the Defy XT will meet several of the OP's requirements however.

 

[sems4arsenal]

I'd go with something form the Xperia line up or the S2 as someone suggested .

Battery life isn't something you will be impressed by ,lets face it phones now do alot of stuff so batteries don't last a day now but you will get used to it.

Get a case and take care of your phone I have a Xperia X10i dropped it a few times with no damage .

Modern Music players on phones will fill any of your Walkman Needs 👍

 

[Dean]

I just wanted to mention that the two Motorola phones I've had both had replaceable batteries; Motorola Defy XT and a somewhat ancient W385.

The Defy XT is ruggedized and water resistant; people have claimed they've immersed the phone in a bucket of water for 15 minutes with no problem. I don't believe the Defy XT will meet several of the OP's requirements however.

- I'll see if I can find it tomorrow.

I'd go with something form the Xperia line up or the S2 as someone suggested .

Battery life isn't something you will be impressed by ,lets face it phones now do alot of stuff so batteries don't last a day now but you will get used to it.

Get a case and take care of your phone I have a Xperia X10i dropped it a few times with no damage .

Modern Music players on phones will fill any of your Walkman Needs 👍

I think so, too. I think it'll be positive feedback, but we'll see!

 

[Shoogar]

I know they're a bit fiddly and it could possibly be outside your price range, but what about a blackberry? I can't remember the model name, but my dad has one of the smaller blackberry's and I am pretty sure it can take an M2 card, it also has a decent camera, wifi, good battery life, it's small so it's not going to shatter like the bigger touch screen phones, I don't believe you can run Opera on it, but you can always look into it, it has music capabilities I believe, i'll have to ask some questions and i'm sure you'll be able to listen to FM-Radio on it. The only down-side is that they aren't as 'touchy' as the current genre of smartphone, they're key-pad orientated. I'll ask some questions and find out what model is it. Or if someone can post it if they recognise it.

 

[Grayfox]

Do not go for a blackberry

Their company may go poof soon.

 

[Shoogar]

Do not go for a blackberry

Their company may go poof soon.

Really? How come

 

[Grayfox]

Their share prices are mainly going down.

Their company is struggling to compete with iOS and Android.

 

[Dean]

Android and iOS, what's the difference? I know iOS is for Apple, and Android is for some of the rest...

 

[ultimate]

IOS for normal users who doesnt mind about tweaking
Android for expert users who spend more time to tweak anything in OS than using phone
on the past, i had a smartphone from Android, was a pain
laggy, spent too much time for tweaking (widgets, menu layout...)
couldnt update until next version of android...
from now i own an iphone, except itunes and multimedia stuff, i must say, one of easiest and stable system i ever tried, no lag, no more functions that i need to discover, can update for next version anytime

from android, you can wait for a while if they decide eventually to update your phone

 

[Dean]

I see... I didn't know that!

- I was at the phone shop today, and I think I'll pick the Xperia J... It had Walkman, TrackID, Wi-Fi, the size was perfect, and well, I think that's the one. - Will I be satisfied?

 

[Blitz187]

If youre a Sony fan, I'd take de Bond phone, Xperia T. My GF just got it and I gotta say that Sony has moved forward a lot in its design and such, I was impressed. I had an Xperia Ray myself before I got an HTC One X. Unfortunately the Ray was a big dissappointment apart from the camera.

The Xperia T on the other hand is designed really well en fits in your hand well even though it has a 4.6 inch screen. And the camera is off the hook at 13MP and dedicated shutter button. Great piece of work!

Also has a Snapdragon S4 Dual Core Krait processor. So you'll be set for the next few years in regards to phone specs.

 

[nick09]

Actually Android has changed a ton ultimate. I use a Galaxy Nexus that has Android 4.1 and it's really stable. It's a very smooth OS(plus it has a flash player to allow you to watch video from other sites than youtube). The apps let you know to update them and the process is painless. The only bug I've found is that the default web browser would in a rare time, quit and exit on you.

As for my phone(Galaxy Nexus LTE 32GB), if you use Apps actively it will last 8 hours to 24 hours(Depends on what app) or if you use apps sparely or if the app is not battery intensive it will last up to 2 days. I'll just add comments to your requirements to let you know what it has.

Wi-Fi - Yes
Walkman (all of my SE phones have had it so, I want my next one to have it as well, if possible.) - You mean a music player? Yes.
Long Battery-life. (+2 days, at least) - It could as detailed above.
A good screen. - AMOLED Screen. Very vivid screen and auto adjusts it's brightness via a sensor. Very useful on those bright sunlit days. Also has fortified glass which is great against most scratches.
[I'm not sure if there's a term for it but] If I by accident drop it on the floor, it shouldn't break (non-breakable?) - I've seen those you can drop in water/on the floor/scratching the screen without anything happening, so something like that. - Not likely to happen. The huge screen is biggest weakness on any android deive or any thing else for that matter. My only advice is to buy a 2 layer case(silicone and hard plastic layers) to help against an accidental drop.
The ability to use/download the Opera Mini-browser. - Yes. You can get it off of the play store for free along with other web browsers.
TrackID. - Yes.
FM-radio. - Many apps such as TuneIn Radio allow you to listen to local radio or radio from around the world. Otherwise your faviote radio station can be on the iheartradio app.
The ability to use the M2 (micro memory card) - Nope. This phone only has internal storage but the 32GB of storage is easy to access via usb cable.
A good camera (I don't care if it's HD or whatever) - 5MP. Takes a second to focus and does a good job in not so perfect lightning situations. About good as you'd want from a cell phone camera.
Not too expensive (Under 2000 Danish Kroner or $350 USD) - I got my phone for $50 under a upgrade in my plan. They should not charge more than your budget for it if it's under a contract plan otherwise it goes for $580 for a unlocked version.
And it should be easy to understand and use! - It's pretty easy and it just requires a bit of time to know where things are.

I've not even rooted my Android device yet as I have no need to do so. It's very easy to multitask and close down apps. The only thing that I've come up with as a reason(A want but not a need) to root my Android device after 2 months is to hook up my ps3 controller via Bluetooth(regular configuration does not allow a PS3 controller).

 

[Dean]

So, I've seen some of Sony's got Android 2.3 and some got 4.0 (I think)... What's the difference between those two?

 

[Greycap]

2.3.x is the older version, 4.0.x is the newer version. When my Arc S was upgraded to 4.0 it was like having a brand new phone again - the changes aren't big but they're everywhere and they really make a difference. For what I know every 2011 and later Xperia will be (or is already) given 4.0 and some 2012 and later models also get the 4.1 in 2013.

 

[nick09]

4.0 is newer and much more stable. Plus additional features. Read this article(or watch the video included) and you'll know the differences.

 

[Dean]

I see... But, is it possible if you get 4.0, to update to the current (4.2.1, I think)?

 

[Solo]

Some phones will be upgradable to 4.2.x but its not been fully released yet as far as I'm aware outside of the Nexus devices. However it will be avaliable soon I should think as will android 5.0 which is due out in Q1 next year (announced today).

 

[Bram Turismo]

IOS for normal users who doesnt mind about tweaking
Android for expert users who spend more time to tweak anything in OS than using phone
on the past, i had a smartphone from Android, was a pain
laggy, spent too much time for tweaking (widgets, menu layout...)
couldnt update until next version of android...
from now i own an iphone, except itunes and multimedia stuff, i must say, one of easiest and stable system i ever tried, no lag, no more functions that i need to discover, can update for next version anytime

from android, you can wait for a while if they decide eventually to update your phone

Actually iOS is for people who are paying more than what they are getting. And I am forced to keep my iPhone's software outdated because apparently Apple thought it was a good idea to make the new firmware not work with older iPhones.

I am still using a 3GS iPhone, in mint condition. I'm sorry, but the price of the 4S and the new 5 are ridiculous and I still fail to see what's new with it apart from a higher resolution screen and a slightly faster processor than my 3GS.

Apple products are becoming ridiculously overpriced, there is no defending it. I love my 3GS to death, and I adore my dad's Apple Mini. But the prices of all the new Apple products? No thanks, I'll pass. Should I ever buy a new phone I'm buying a second hand 3GS, or just make the switch to Android.

 

[Dean]

Some phones will be upgradable to 4.2.x but its not been fully released yet as far as I'm aware outside of the Nexus devices. However it will be avaliable soon I should think as will android 5.0 which is due out in Q1 next year (announced today).

So you can update it for free?

Actually iOS is for people who are paying more than what they are getting. And I am forced to keep my iPhone's software outdated because apparently Apple thought it was a good idea to make the new firmware not work with older iPhones.

I am still using a 3GS iPhone, in mint condition. I'm sorry, but the price of the 4S and the new 5 are ridiculous and I still fail to see what's new with it apart from a higher resolution screen and a slightly faster processor than my 3GS.

Apple products are becoming ridiculously overpriced, there is no defending it. I love my 3GS to death, and I adore my dad's Apple Mini. But the prices of all the new Apple products? No thanks, I'll pass. Should I ever buy a new phone I'm buying a second hand 3GS, or just make the switch to Android.

I agree. You're just buying the brand and NOT a good phone... That's why I'll stay a long distance away from Apple.

 

[nick09]

So you can update it for free?

Updates are all free for android. It just depends on what manufacturer and what phone it is as each manufacturer takes the Android OS and designs them in their own way. When there is a App update the phone lets you know(for system updates you have to go and check manually).

 

[Bram Turismo]

I agree. You're just buying the brand and NOT a good phone... That's why I'll stay a long distance away from Apple.

Well, it's not that they are bad phones. But an iPhone 4S still costs more than a Samsung Galaxy S III, and I'm willing to wager the S III is actually the better phone.

You're not buying a bad phone, you're just buying an overpriced phone because of all the hype and sudden interest in Apple products. The early iPhones were superior, but Android phones have caught up, and software-wise maybe even surpassed them. When this happens you just cannot continue to overprice your products and then use an excuse that it has a better screen than others.

I'm pretty sure I would enjoy an iPhone 4S and a 5 as much as my 3GS, but unless I would win one in a competition or the likes of that, I wouldn't actually buy one without going for an Android phone first.