Author Topic: What 4" Android smartphone? (Read 1844 times)

Biggsy · « **on:** 13 October, 2015, 07:23:45 pm »

...for < £300? I don't make enough calls to justify a contract, so I'm not going to get a "free" phone.

Priorities for me are small size, low weight, good interface/processor/memory/camera. Battery life only important if it's not easy to swap the battery for a spare. Preferably not locked to any network.

I'm vaguely thinking I should get a 5" instead, but I want to seriously consider 4-inchers first. Thanks for any suggestions.

This is to replace my BlackBerry Bold, which I like lots about, but its screen is now too small for my eyesight, and major new app developers don't bother supporting it any more. Doing without the physical keyboard will enable a much larger screen even if the phone is no larger overall, so that's what I'm sadly resigned to.

CAMRAMan · « **Reply #1 on:** 13 October, 2015, 07:26:58 pm »

It's a lot less than £300, but my Motorola Moto G is the best phone I've ever had. Battery life is very good for such a phone.

Edit: I got mine from Tesco Direct unlocked. Not to be confused with Tesco Mobile whose phones are locked.

rusky · « **Reply #2 on:** 13 October, 2015, 07:27:23 pm »

What about one of the Motorola phones like the Moto E or G if you want a 5" screen?

drossall · « **Reply #3 on:** 13 October, 2015, 07:30:59 pm »

Yes, my Moto G is good. Don't know exactly what it cost because it was a gift - I'm on a low-end contract with no free phones. Not likely it cost £300 though, as I'm not worth that much

tiermat · « **Reply #4 on:** 13 October, 2015, 07:31:19 pm »

We were, recently, in the market for such a device and TLD was overjoyed to find that the Samsung S5 mini can be bought for ~£240. This was well within the budget we had set and the phone is streets ahead of the other Samsung phones at that price.

I would definitely recommend one. We got ours through Amazon.

epa611 · « **Reply #5 on:** 13 October, 2015, 07:41:39 pm »

Sony Xperia z3+ compact

fuaran · « **Reply #6 on:** 13 October, 2015, 07:42:56 pm »

+1 for the Moto G. The 1st Gen is 4.5" screen, you could probably find one cheap. Just check that it is the 4G version, as that has a memory card slot. It can be updated to Lollipop. Though the camera is not great.

2nd and 3rd gen Moto G are 5", so maybe a bit too big to fit in your pocket. Apparently the camera is a bit better.

For Moto E, 1st gen is 4.3", 2nd gen is 4.5". Its not bad, fairly limited memory, but you can add a MicroSD card. And the camera is rather poor, it doesn't have a flash, which is also annoying if you want to use it as a torch.

tiermat · « **Reply #7 on:** 13 October, 2015, 07:45:49 pm »

Quote from: epa611 on 13 October, 2015, 07:41:39 pm

Sony Xperia z3+ compact

If it is anywhere as good as the Z1 Compact, that would be a good choice. I have just looked and the S5 can now be got for £180!

Biggsy · « **Reply #8 on:** 13 October, 2015, 08:06:51 pm »

I'd consider the Chinese brand Cubot for a 5-incher (after seeing a rave review from Big Clive on YouTube (who I'm a fan of)), but their 4-inchers are vastly less powerful (not a popular size in China, apparently), so I'm looking elsewhere for them...

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Keep 'em coming!

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #9 on:** 13 October, 2015, 08:14:17 pm »

I am currently looking at the Z3 compact as I want something with a decent amount of storage which is no bigger than my S3 mini but don't want another Samsung. It's still a bit spend though, despite having come down in price after the z5 compact release.
I would have had a Moto if they'd been smaller.

epa611 · « **Reply #10 on:** 13 October, 2015, 08:50:24 pm »

The z3 has a micro sd slots allowing for up to a 128gb card. Should be enough storage for you ;-)

Biggsy · « **Reply #11 on:** 13 October, 2015, 09:30:21 pm »

Quote from: epa611 on 13 October, 2015, 08:50:24 pm

The z3 has a micro sd slots allowing for up to a 128gb card. Should be enough storage for you ;-)

But will it run apps off the SD card? Not having enough memory for the number of apps people want is a complaint for some phones.

drossall · « **Reply #12 on:** 13 October, 2015, 09:47:31 pm »

Isn't that a matter of the Android version, mainly? Recent versions should, as I understand it - not for all apps, but for plenty enough to make the difference. I've just last weekend filled my Moto G, and had to add a card and move apps and data there.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #13 on:** 13 October, 2015, 09:49:01 pm »

Quote from: Biggsy on 13 October, 2015, 09:30:21 pm

Quote from: epa611 on 13 October, 2015, 08:50:24 pm
The z3 has a micro sd slots allowing for up to a 128gb card. Should be enough storage for you ;-)

But will it run apps off the SD card? Not having enough memory for the number of apps people want is a complaint for some phones.

Yes, that. Internal storage was what I was referring to. Having Copilot GPS on the phone really stuffs it up for everything else!

epa611 · « **Reply #14 on:** 14 October, 2015, 09:02:24 am »

The wife has KitKat V5.1.1 on her z3 compact and yes, you can run apps from the sd card AFAIAA.

Biggsy · « **Reply #15 on:** 14 October, 2015, 10:26:34 am »

Also the internal memory needs to be large enough to run multiple apps simultaneously. So it's not just about where the app is loaded from, but where its storing its variables and data. I think that might be Mrs Pingu's problem.

TimC · « **Reply #16 on:** 14 October, 2015, 10:32:49 am »

I have a Timmy E86 as my 'spare' phone (5.5", so too big for you, but only £65 from Amazon!!). It runs KitKat 4.4.2. Most apps can be moved to run from the SD card, leaving the 8Gb internal storage for those apps which are tied to the OS.

alexb · « **Reply #17 on:** 14 October, 2015, 02:45:35 pm »

Another happy MotoG owner here.
I may upgrade to the bigger screen version in a year or so. But this one works well. If you are a heavy data user on 4G then you will need a battery charger by the end of the day, but for ordinary use it lasts a day and a half.

Morat · « **Reply #18 on:** 20 October, 2015, 01:24:10 pm »

Another vote for Sony Z# compacts here. They also make excellent bike computers, being waterproof and having superb battery life.

frankly frankie · « **Reply #19 on:** 22 October, 2015, 08:59:13 am »

Assuming the primary use is not actually as a 'phone, the bigger screens do seem to be well worth having. Just general usability when composing an email or whatever - or for looking at maps, for example. Of course if it's mainly a phone, then smallest is best, and you're probably better off with a 10-year-old clamshell that will hold charge for a month.

Biggsy · « **Reply #20 on:** 22 October, 2015, 01:32:12 pm »

I want a smartphone that I will find comfortable in my trouser pocket, so I'm looking into 4-inchers first. It will be primarily used to run all sorts of apps, but only for short periods of time here and there. Otherwise of course I'd be looking straight away at 5" and even 5.5" screens. Bigger phones can be more powerful altogether as well as easier on the eye.

DDCyclist · « **Reply #21 on:** 22 October, 2015, 03:46:27 pm »

I use a Samsung S4 Zoom.

Great pocket camera (though I'd prefer a bigger image sensor). Does what I need - a backup for the dSLR I carry when out walking. Mine is getting a bit old now. I don't know which version of Android the most recent model comes with out of the box but mine is 4.2.2. I'm very reluctant to update Android because it's a phone (or rather, camera) I really don't want to brick. When it stops running apps I need I'll risk it.

All in all, though, best smartphone I've owned.

Added: It's a nuisance getting gizmos to hold it due to the sticky-out lens assembly on the back. In a car it can just sit on a seat or be held by the passenger. On a bike getting a gizmo to hold it securely on the bars might be a serious problem. Shame, really, because it also has the best GPS I've ever seen in a smartphone.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #22 on:** 22 October, 2015, 07:04:15 pm »

I thought this looked pretty good http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/09/08/review_wileyfox_swift_android_smartphone/ but it's still too big, though does seem VG VFM.

However I'm with Biggsy and want a phone that will fit in my pocket - even though it doesn't spend that much time in there.

I think I'm pretty much sold on the Sony Z3/5 compact, except for the price. Even the Z3c is still dear though it's been replaced by the Z5 compact.

epa611 · « **Reply #23 on:** 23 October, 2015, 09:58:42 am »

Z3 compact is Amazon is £303 sim-free.

Biggsy · « **Reply #24 on:** 10 November, 2015, 05:08:10 pm »

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact ordered. *Gulp*

At the top end of my budget, but better specced than Motorolla equivalents, and better reviewed than Samsung's. 4.6" screen and not much wider overall than my BlackBerry.