Mobile Phone Thread S2

[nonny]

That's an unusual requirement. I like it!

Googling around Reddit threads it seems that the ROG phones do have a rep for great speaker quality above and beyond most others.

Other than that people just seem to recommend the usuals...Galaxy, iPhone, Pixel.

I'd add the Poco brand to that. My F3 model gets loud and has stereo speakers with the dolby app in the OS.

They aren't front firing but that seems to be really rare these days.

[wakka]

Of course Asura could also use the old 'put it in an empty pint glass' trick to boost the volume too

[MartyG]

Or just get a small Bluetooth speaker

[fishbowlhead]

Actually really impressed with the sound out of the 14Pro max speakers, very clear and defined, with decent enough volume that I can sit there and watch Netflix or something and not feel the need to immediately get my headphones out.

[MartyG]

As we don't have a "tablet" thread ...

Looks like Amazon will be releasing an 11" Fire 11 "Max" on the 15th June: https://www.amazon.co.uk/fire-max-11...SJ8/ref=sr_1_1

Not massive amounts of info at the mo, 2000 x 1200 resolution but looks like they've been a little mean on the RAM at 4GB.

I've had a few Fire tablets and found them pretty decent for the money (although it's a bit of a faff to get the Play Store on them, not difficult, but a couple of hoops to jump through). The price has crept up a little for the 11, and if you want the additional keyboard and pen then you're tapping on £400.

[Yakumo]

Another big chunky phone. These things are getting better and better.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Another big chunky phone. These things are getting better and better.

But in reality still a mid/low-tier handset.

[Yakumo]

But in reality still a mid/low-tier handset.

It's better than that, especially at the price. The biggest problem with it are the cameras. They do a terrible job with video. In fact, the front camera seems to be the better of the two.

[Nu-Eclipse]

It's better than that, especially at the price. The biggest problem with it are the cameras. They do a terrible job with video. In fact, the front camera seems to be the better of the two.

Specs-wise, no, it really isn't.

I'm the first one to state that smartphones can be ridiculously priced at the top-end but this phone is priced the way it is for a reason. The Mediatek Helio SoC that powers it is mid-range at best, likely below that. The fact that you've confirmed the cameras on it are crap despite the big marketing spec numbers that are stated for it show this to be a mid/low-tier phone.

I'd be shocked if Hotwav even bothered to offer more than two years of Android update support for it.

[cutmymilk]

I agree. Scrimping on a phone is stupid. My sister pays 20 quid less than me a month as that's the value she sees in a phone but that's two years of **** photos of her kids.

[MartyG]

You don't have to pay flagship money to get good photos from a phone these days. Maybe if you're at the super low-end, but Pixel 6A, Samsung A53, Realme C35, Moto G200 all have more than reasonable cameras on them and are nowhere close to the price of a Samsung Galaxy.

[QualityChimp]

I agree. Scrimping on a phone is stupid. My sister pays 20 quid less than me a month as that's the value she sees in a phone but that's two years of **** photos of her kids.

You raise a really good point, there.

I've realised I really enjoy taking pictures with my phone, capturing the kids or scenery or filming stuff like live music.
I like trying stuff like slo-mo shots, capturing my kids on a fast funfair ride or a bolt of lightning in the storms last week.

When I get a new phone, I suspect a good camera will be a big factor.

I'm definitely getting swayed by the current batch of Pixel adverts with all the dark shots and anti-blur options.

[Nu-Eclipse]

You don't have to pay flagship money to get good photos from a phone these days. Maybe if you're at the super low-end, but Pixel 6A, Samsung A53, Realme C35, Moto G200 all have more than reasonable cameras on them and are nowhere close to the price of a Samsung Galaxy.

Generally, I agree.

Computational photography has made quantum leaps. Mid-tier phones today can generally match top-end phones for photography and video capturing quality.

And of course, as we all know, megapixels are nowhere near the be-all and end-all of determining how good a photo or video looks.

All of that said...there is a drop-off once you get to the low-end of smartphones. Not enough to be an outright deal-breaker but it is there.

[Yakumo]

Featuring a TSMC chipset, The UMIDIGI A15 is a good entry level device

[Nu-Eclipse]

It's about that time again from Cupertino.

Apple live event confirmed for September 12th, highly likely to herald the launch of the iPhone 15 series (the first iPhones to ditch Apple's proprietary cable connectivity for the mainstream USB-C standard).

SEPTEMBER 12TH - 1PM ET / 10AM PT / 6PM UK BST / 7PM CEST

https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/29/23819494/apple-september-event-iphone-15-pro-watch-ultra-date