Can you recommend me an android phone to try?

[Syph007]

I have never bought a cell phone in my life.  Ive only ever carried a work provided blackberry.  I would like to give an android device a try to see how I like them.

So... seeing as I know nothing about them, can someone save me hours of research and recommend me one?

My needs are light I think compared to most people.  My priorities for a mobile device are

1.  Long battery life (my old blackberry pearl would last many days on a charge.. is that even possible with modern phones? )
2.  Removable battery ( I really hope there are models that allow this )
3.  Light weight and/or small ( I dont holster carry, my phone rides in my cargo pants pocket)

I didnt add texting and email since I assume they all do that and that is the primary use for me.  Very occasional web browser use.  I dont cary about large screen or ability to watch media.

So.. any ideas for me to look at?

[ducttapetech]

I am the last one to help you here, but can tell how to  how to throw them, what kind of walls that offer maxiam damage to one....lol


sent from Ducttapetech's mobile device

[Jammybstard]

IMO etc..
Small touch screens are not as easy to use as larger screens.

I have a galxy S2 and three batteries in my pocket. Generally any phone with a big screen is going to be flat within 24 hours.
Anker make a good cheap OEM battery.

J



Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[bmot]

I know I know, not an android device, but it has the nice old style numeral keypad, and does mail and things like whatsapp:


The Nokia 301:
http://www.nokia.com/global/products/phone/301/


and, knowing Nokia, this will be able to keep up with some falling and stuff

[jph0200]

Galaxy s3 or s4 mini?

[RoboYeti]

Wanting a removable battery takes a lot of phones out of consideration. The trend is definitely towards bigger screens too. You might have a hard time finding something cutting edge that meets your requirements.

I would recommend the HTC One mini, which does not have a removable battery, but does have very good battery life (13 hours of talk time). It's made of aluminum, really well designed and comfortable to hold.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 mini has the same size screen as the HTC and it also has a removable battery. On the downside, it feels cheap and is made of plastic.

If you want to get something more budget friendly, look at the Samsung Galaxy SII plus.

Finally, my personal pick would be the Nexus 4. It's sold directly by Google (in the United States at least) and is by far the best deal if you are interested in an unlocked phone. It also gets preferential treatment as far as receiving software updates to Android, and it is free of all the bloatware and crap that phone manufacturers and cell phone carriers like to put on their phones. It's screen is 4.7" and it doesn't have a removable battery, so it may not work for you.

[Whoey]

My old phone was a Motorola Defy, sounds like it might be a good solution for your needs, as it's not a huge phone (3.7inch screen) but has decent features aside from being water/dust proof. Perhaps the updated model of course:

http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_defy+-4098.php

The standby time was great from what I recall, especially if you're only using it lightly. Plus since it's not the newest model it should be available on the cheap. I found mine really durable over the last couple years without a screen protector or case of any sort.

[dks]

Having used more Lenovo Android phones than 99% of people outside China, for the past few months I would now recommend any of the Lenovos on etotalk (I have a thread in this subforum about them).

Android is android, they are prety robust, the screens are bright and sensitive (the more you pay the better) the cameras are very good (my main hobby IS photography really) the battery life will depend on what you do wth the phone, though if you only make a couple of phonecalls per day we are talking weeks, there are spare batteries available on etotalk,  the specs are very good for the money,  they are a known brand so nobody will look at you funny when you show them your phone, GPS works, internet reception is as good as a laptop and they are real value for money, bought directly from China. I think some importers sell them too in other countries, though officially they are not sold by Lenovo outside China.
The downside is the fact that there is no english etc. manual (Android is android however) and you may have a problem getting service, though I doubt that as thay use branded parts and you can allways sent it back.
Again, you pay more for a newer/better Lenovo product, so decide how much you want to spend and what specs you really need. The more expensive lenovo I have is noticeably better, faster, brighter than the cheaper one (in a direct comparison; in actual use you just get used to the speed they provide and will be happy with any one), though it was also noticeably more expensive.

[Syph007]

Thanks guys, youve given me a few things to check out.   

I kind of wish they make a phone that ran on AA's, then I could carry a bunch of extra eneloops.

[AlephZero]

Now, I cannot say anything about its performance, but motorola droid maxx sure should have the battery life.. its on the heavy side tho

[AlephZero]

Personally, I use Asus Padfone... a bit of a multitool on itself

It's a phone, tablet and a netbook in one

[enki_ck]

Thanks guys, youve given me a few things to check out.   

I kind of wish they make a phone that ran on AA's, then I could carry a bunch of extra eneloops.

Well there is one that runs on AAAs but it's not an Android.
http://www.olivetelecom.in/mobile-phone/V-G2300-AAA-battery-mobile/

My first thought was an already suggested Samsung Galaxy S4 mini but that one might be in a more expensive price group than an entry Android model you're looking for.

Here's a useful tool that I use to compare cell phones. GSM Arena's Phone Finder

http://www.gsmarena.com/search.php3

Lets you choose anything from form factor, ram, OS and OS versions, battery life, ... and then you can check which ones are available in your part of the globe.

[Syph007]

Here's a useful tool that I use to compare cell phones. GSM Arena's Phone Finder

http://www.gsmarena.com/search.php3

Lets you choose anything from form factor, ram, OS and OS versions, battery life, ... and then you can check which ones are available in your part of the globe.

Oh thats handy.  I honestly thought this woudl be easier, but its completely confusing. LOL.  This is what I get for never reading about phones until now.  Honestly though all I use my blackberry for is checking emails and texting.  Maybe a couple phone calls a week.   

[enki_ck]

Here's a useful tool that I use to compare cell phones. GSM Arena's Phone Finder

http://www.gsmarena.com/search.php3

Lets you choose anything from form factor, ram, OS and OS versions, battery life, ... and then you can check which ones are available in your part of the globe.

Oh thats handy.  I honestly thought this woudl be easier, but its completely confusing. LOL.  This is what I get for never reading about phones until now.  Honestly though all I use my blackberry for is checking emails and texting.  Maybe a couple phone calls a week.   

That'll change once you have Tapatalk on your Android and full access to MTO 24/7. I hardly use the phone for, you know, phone stuff. It's mostly a pocket computer for me.

[Syph007]

Hmmm so far an S3 mini is close to what I want for price and features.  I had no idea how many android phones there were OMG.

[RoboYeti]

You might also consider a Windows Phone.

Android is great, but it has drawbacks. It is very easy to customize, but that makes its interface complex. It runs on cheap hardware, but manufacturers churn out low end phones that are terribly slow and crash prone. It has a ton of apps, but cell carriers and manufacturers load up new phones with dozens of trial apps that can't be removed and use up the phone's memory.

Windows Phone is very tightly controlled by Microsoft. The interface is simpler than Android. Manufacturers must meet minimum standards to guarantee their phones run smoothly. Cell phone companies are not allowed to make their trial apps unremovable.

With Windows Phone, you can also get a phone from Nokia, who is a top notch hardware manufacturer. I would recommend the Nokia 520. It is a bargain and should run about $100, unlocked. It feels really high quality and solid. You can use the touch screen with gloves on. It has free turn-by-turn navigation that works offline (you can download all the maps to your phone, unlike with Android's free navigation). The only drawback is that Windows Phone does not have nearly as many apps available for it as Android. The latest games or social network apps don't come out for Windows Phone until months later (if at all).

[derekmac]

Between my wife and I, we've had 6 different android phones and none have come with any bloat ware. I also think it is far from being complex, and like with most things, you buy cheap don't expect much, but if you get a good phone then they are not built with cheap hardware.

My wife's S4 is a great running phone, though I don't like the plastic body, and my HTC One runs great and has a great feel to it.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4

[Whoey]

I can honestly say the Motorola Motoblur on my old phone could count as bloat especially now that I've had more Android devices devoid of anything but Google "bloat" if you can call it that. I don't think Android devices are cheap. They can be, like any device, and there are definitely cheap windows machines/devices out there. I don't have any experience on Windows phone, and minimal contact on Apple devices, I've owned neither.

I agree that the amount of Android apps available can seem overwhelming. Chances are there are 50 apps that do what you want to, more than half of them are probably free, there's a lot of trial and error to find apps that are best for your needs.

This is also the reason WindowsRT is being slated by the IT press, it's great MS ported a version of windows to run on ARM architecture, however the huge blaring omission that the entire Windows back catalogue does not work on it is an epic fail when trying to compete with Android and iOS and the sheer massive amount of apps available for them, even if you've developed a bunch of apps for it.

Based on what was said in the original post, apps are not a huge requirement. Basic SMS and email, rarely web browsing, pretty much any modern smartphone will do all of that out of the box without additional apps, I did not get the impression he is after the latest and greatest, only wants to try it out. I suggested a phone I personally owned for a few years as it's good enough to do what he needs, plus being semi durable/rugged out of the box, as well as being a format that's not going to feel like he's lugging around a huge bathroom tile in his pocket (that is honestly my impression of modern smartphone/phablets). I admit I've owned my Nexus4 for only a few days, and even though it's only a 4.7inch screen it feels huge to me, but I do think it's a spectacular device.

[Shorty66]

Dont buy the samsung "Mini" variants. They are weak, still quite big (bigger than the Defy) and on top of that expensive for what they offer.

I second the recommendation on the motorola defy, or if you want something more capable and still cheap, get the lenovo p770.

The P770 has a huge battery (about twice the capacity of normal android phones), is waterproof and the hardware is good enough to run the latest android OS. It is officially offered with android 4.1.
I would have bought the p770 if it had a video-out. But if you dont want to use your phone as a movie player with your big screen, you shouldn't care.

Regarding Apps: It is perfectly possible to only use free and ad-free apps for everything most users need. I recommend installing the f-droid market. It offers only free open-source software and is very strict on anti-features like apps or paid content.

Edit: Another thing: If you decide to buy a Motorola defy, i would be glad to help with installing a bloat-ware-free OS like cyanogenmod. The risc to install such a ROM is fairly low with the Defy's locked Bootloader and you will get the latest Android Version with a good package of standard-apps.
Just write me a PM if you are interested.

[Syph007]

Hmm well that big battery on the p770 is a big plus.   I dont like having to make sure I charged the thing daily.  The BB I have now if I dont charge it daily, it will run itself down in 24 hrs and its quite annoying.  And thats not even using it, just on and in pocket.

Edit:  Reading more on the p770 looks like it could be a decent first try of an android.  Sub $200 is about what I wanted to 'invest' in fiddling.  Im far from a power user so im sure it woudl meet my needs.   

[Syph007]

I ordered a p770 from ebay, so I'll give that a try and see how it goes.   

[dks]

I hope you got the rooted version so that you can play with it (Mod) more.
..and in a language you speak

etotalk sorted that out for me. (I also ordered some screen protectors. The phone should come with one on, but it may be tricky to find more; but they are tough and last for a long time, as I have not yet replaced mine)

[Whoey]

looks like a decent starter!

[Shorty66]

SOunds nice!
Be sure to post your experience over here - i would be very interested in an Android-beginner's view.

[Syph007]

I goofed and that phone doesnt support the right bands for north america.. (need 850 and 1900, and it has 900/1900) although for the rest of the world it would be fine.  The seller was kind enough to refund my money and then I needed to pick another.

I got tired of more looking and just pulled the trigger on an unlocked white samsung s3.  Its coming from Canada and I will have it tomorrow!



At $400 it was twice what I wanted to spend, but it seems like a good phone and one generation older than the current most expensive s4.  I do like the look of the HTC one, but non removable battery killed that idea.  I plan on buying 2 more batteries and a charger when I can spare the money.

[derekmac]

The S3 is a great phone, you made a good choice!

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4

[SebastienLoo]

Since you want a removable battery... I will recommend you the Galaxy S4
It has a huge screen, really nice screen  colors, and long lasting battery, and it is light weight.
Im not sure about the price, but definitely it is a good phone.

[Syph007]

Here an unlocked S4 goes for $750.  WAY more than I wanted to spend.  Im good with the S3 for a test run.   

[cowsmilk]

Here's a useful tool that I use to compare cell phones. GSM Arena's Phone Finder

http://www.gsmarena.com/search.php3

Lets you choose anything from form factor, ram, OS and OS versions, battery life, ... and then you can check which ones are available in your part of the globe.

Oh thats handy.  I honestly thought this woudl be easier, but its completely confusing. LOL.  This is what I get for never reading about phones until now.  Honestly though all I use my blackberry for is checking emails and texting.  Maybe a couple phone calls a week.   

That'll change once you have Tapatalk on your Android and full access to MTO 24/7. I hardly use the phone for, you know, phone stuff. It's mostly a pocket computer for me.

This is absolute truth! You can probably even moderate a forum from your phone.

[cowsmilk]

I goofed and that phone doesnt support the right bands for north america.. (need 850 and 1900, and it has 900/1900) although for the rest of the world it would be fine.  The seller was kind enough to refund my money and then I needed to pick another.

I got tired of more looking and just pulled the trigger on an unlocked white samsung s3.  Its coming from Canada and I will have it tomorrow!

(Image removed from quote.)

At $400 it was twice what I wanted to spend, but it seems like a good phone and one generation older than the current most expensive s4.  I do like the look of the HTC one, but non removable battery killed that idea.  I plan on buying 2 more batteries and a charger when I can spare the money.

Great looking phone, and a good choice for a first time android device. You will have some money coming in soon enough for the other stuff.