Mobile Phone thread - please include links to good deals

[Brad]

Ah. Well if there are hardware issues then a replacement seems sensible.

[Colin]

I'm trying a full restore to see if it at least solves the sync issue, only another 9500 tracks to go.........

[VR46]

And for that very reason I will never buy an iPhone. Drag and drop Android and removable memory card win.

[EvilBoris]

Currently have an iPhone 5 64Gb which is starting to have a bunch of issues after a couple of years, can anyone with a 5s tell me if it's much improved from the 5, especially battery life? Off on holiday in three weeks and will want to use the phone for maps/internet etc while out and about, the charge on my 5 lasts no time these days though.

I begrudgingly upgraded my 64GB 5 to a 5s after it had died outside of warranty and I needed it for my holiday.

Most unexciting purchase I ever made at the time (?710 to buy sim free.)
After spending few days with it, the touchID login made my work 5C and iPad feel retro, thanks to having to type a pin code in.
The camera is also more of an upgrade than I originally though, I could see the overall improvement in picture quality. the burst fire and 120fps slow mo video mode is also pretty cool.
It felt like the battery was really improved for the first few days, but seems about normal now.

I was also having some sync issues with my music and photos (have about 10k songs and 10k photos on it) and I've figured out how you can delete the database and have the phone rebuild them, that solved the problem for me.

If you are restoring an old backup, then you may just be bringing back a corrupt database.

[Colin]

Thanks Boris. The sync after the restore is still ongoing, I'll see what happens once it's complete. I'm not expecting any great leap if I have to go from 5 to 5S, but I've become so used to my iPhone there's no alternative for me and wouldn't want anything else. If I can't get this sorted tonight I suppose I'll be spending the ?700 on a new one too tomorrow.

[EvilBoris]

Yeah, I had timed all my contracts etc to end when the iPhone 6 comes out in a few months. That's what made it extra annoying.

[JB@XL]

Aye, it's not just that mate. It's getting a bit arsey when it comes to syncing properly and the lock button at the top has been buggered for ages which is a total pain in the arse if I need to turn the phone off and on without being near a USB/power point with a lead.

Apple are replacing faulty lock buttons on a certain build of iPhones.

https://ssl.apple.com/support/iphone5-sleepwakebutton/

[Colin]

Nice one JB, my phone is eligible for repair, thanks for that.

[JB@XL]

Nice one JB, my phone is eligible for repair, thanks for that.

I have noticed on other threads that some people have had their battery replaced whilst the phone was getting the button repair carried out so you may be lucky.

[charlesr]

Assuming screensize and resolution is not part of the decision, S4 mini or S3 (normal)?
S3 has quad core but lower speed, S4mini has dual core but higher speed...
Confusing.

Main decision will be based on how fast it switches between apps and how fast it works everywhere.

S3 is on offer at the moment
S4 mini is rather more....

[charlesr]

Rather good SIM only deal on vodafone right now: ?16pcm, Unlimited UK minutes and texts. 1GB data (1st 3 months Unlimited data), 4G, 12 months. Ends Monday 30th June!

[QualityChimp]

I'm torn on getting an LG G2 and Xperia Z1 Compact, but the only comparison video I can find isn't in English!

Anyone own either of these phones? G2 looks great but mahoosive. A very similar size to the Z2.

The Z1 Compact can be hooked up to a telly via HDMI and a PS3 pad via Bluetooth, so has anybody tried playing games or emulators this way?

[charlesr]

Assuming screensize and resolution is not part of the decision, S4 mini or S3 (normal)?
S3 has quad core but lower speed, S4mini has dual core but higher speed...
Confusing.

Main decision will be based on how fast it switches between apps and how fast it works everywhere.

S3 is on offer at the moment
S4 mini is rather more....

In the end I went with Nexus 5. Genius phone. Battery seems to be lasting 2 days once you change it to ART instead of Dalvick runtime. Only downer is no SD Card, but 16GB. It's super fast, light and not too ridiculously large.

[Yakumo]

If you are in Japan and looking for a new phone then get down to au for some great cashback offers!!

Got myself a new toy today. I was going to buy the Sony Xperia Z1 but found out it's been replaced with the newer Sony Xperia ZL2. So I bought that instead

Release date May 2014
Screen size (inches) 5.00 Resolution 1080x1920 pixels
Processor 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon
RAM 3GB
Internal storage 32GB Expandable storage up to (GB) 128
Rear camera 20.7-megapixel with flash - Front camera 3.1-megapixel
Operating System Android 4.4
4G phone network + NFC
4K Video recording!

It's a pretty nice bit of kit but even better I got it for a very good price. It sells for 80'000 yen (around 790 USD / 460 GBP) but the phone company were having a 75'000 yen cash back offer so basically I paid 50USD / 29 GBP for it!





A sample image from the camera (really dull day today)

[charlesr]

Heh, best price ever!