[surfar]

The Ulephone and like coming out of China are pretty good.

I change phns every 18months or so, but generally still use the 2nd one as well( a lender/ small tablet for house with fi)

My Note 3(not Samsung) was U$150 about 3 years ago....6 inch screen/case/two batteries/quadcore 1.5ghz/only 1gb ram in those days

Still going strong....

Its worth saving some $$$$$ by checking those sites with the cheapies

DONT deal with Focal price!

[kadajawi]

Not sure about built in capabilities for #3, though there might be an app for that

For #2, Hit-Case makes a, well, a case, for the iPhone that allows it to be worn similar to a go pro (think chest mount, not helmet...)

And as for #1, Sony's claim to fame is their IP67 (or w/e it is) rating for their smartphones, and Samsung's latest and greatest, the S7, is also dust and weather resistant. A good case will take care of bumps and scraps though.

I just upgraded from a Blackberry Z10 to the Nexus 5X myself.

The S7 will survive water. It won't survive a drop from 10 cm.

I'm interested in the LG G5, because it has the battery concept I always hoped would some day find its way into a phone. Loading the battery like in a camera is a smart idea.

The Chinese make some very tempting phones though, and my Xiaomi Mi3 is pretty good, except for the lack of a microSD slot and the lack of a replaceable battery. The memory is always full, the battery is almost dead.

[noelpolar]

People ringing me annoy me.... anyway, just put a $20 ebay battery in my wifes handme down IPhone 3....,,, good for another 6 years now.

Decided not to have a phone after retirement (30 years of people ringing me with issues took its toll), but soon worked out that following my wife around the shops also annoyed me, now she can ring me when shes done.

[HopelessTogger]

I hear you about the waterproofing. I went Kayaking today and the kayak has a cell phone mount which presumes the phone is waterproof.



Hmmm..that looks very interesting. Right now the plan is geared to providing a new phone every 2 years (which you pay for over the life of the contract). I am locked into a corporate plan so there isn't much flexibility, but it's definitely worth looking into.

Steve, these Chinese things (I mean most of this stuff's made there anyway) are a bargain since the quality's there now.

4g smartphone in Cell Phones - Free Shipping | GearBest.com

Just make sure it has the same bands used for your region.

[kadajawi]

Steve, these Chinese things (I mean most of this stuff's made there anyway) are a bargain since the quality's there now.

4g smartphone in Cell Phones - Free Shipping | GearBest.com

Just make sure it has the same bands used for your region.

Not all of them are good though. Some brands are, others aren't. Especially in terms of future software updates.

Also, shipping can take a while... I'd say don't be surprised if it takes a month. I've had a tablet shipped from China to Malaysia. It took pretty much exactly one month... and China to Malaysia is something like a 3 hour flight only? But instead they sent it the other direction to Netherlands, and then to Malaysia. So instead of traveling 2600 km it traveled 20000 km.

[HopelessTogger]

Not all of them are good though. Some brands are, others aren't. Especially in terms of future software updates.

Also, shipping can take a while... I'd say don't be surprised if it takes a month. I've had a tablet shipped from China to Malaysia. It took pretty much exactly one month... and China to Malaysia is something like a 3 hour flight only? But instead they sent it the other direction to Netherlands, and then to Malaysia. So instead of traveling 2600 km it traveled 20000 km.

I did a bit of research first.

Ulefone, Elefone and OnePlus seem to be okay. Good reviews. Xiaomi seem to be particularly good. If I could wait and if I could be bothered with the extra cost it would have been a Xiaomi MI5 Pro . . . .

XIAOMI MI 5 PRO 4GB RAM 128GB ROM Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 2.15GHz Quad Core 5.15 Inch FHD Screen Android 6.0 4G LTE Smartphone online - coolicool

Huawei are going mainstream as is the cost of their higher end stuff.

Avoid the Lenovo A916, very cheap but it's got trojans embedded in the ROM.

I ordered my Ulefone on Wednesday and it'll be here Tuesday from China via DHL.

[clockworkrat]

Currently on a 10 year old one of these:



I sometimes dream of a 215.

[kadajawi]

Steve, these Chinese things (I mean most of this stuff's made there anyway) are a bargain since the quality's there now.

4g smartphone in Cell Phones - Free Shipping | GearBest.com

Just make sure it has the same bands used for your region.

I did a bit of research first.

Ulefone, Elefone and OnePlus seem to be okay. Good reviews. Xiaomi seem to be particularly good. If I could wait and if I could be bothered with the extra cost it would have been a Xiaomi MI5 Pro . . . .

XIAOMI MI 5 PRO 4GB RAM 128GB ROM Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 2.15GHz Quad Core 5.15 Inch FHD Screen Android 6.0 4G LTE Smartphone online - coolicool

Huawei are going mainstream as is the cost of their higher end stuff.

Avoid the Lenovo A916, very cheap but it's got trojans embedded in the ROM.

I ordered my Ulefone on Wednesday and it'll be here Tuesday from China via DHL.

I would generally avoid Lenovo. I've tried several Lenovo smartphones a few years back, and they were decent devices severely hampered by the crappy software. They want to modify everything, have their own skin on Android, but it's terrible. Functionally it didn't seem to add anything (more like remove), it wasn't visually attractive, and what really killed it is the performance. Other brands manage to squeeze way more performance out of lesser hardware. I also own a Lenvo Yoga Tab 3 Pro, which is their former top of the line Android based tablet. It was stuck forever on a very terrible Android 4.2 (?) version that was lagging like hell, couldn't do very much and crashed all the time. Then finally the update to Android 5.0 came, and... it's better, cause it is closer to stock Android, but it still crashes a lot. Seems to be issues with lack of RAM, which is funny because it has 2 GB of RAM, and when it does crash it still has like 700-900 MB free. So why exactly does it run out of memory? Plus performance, while better, is still not very good. It doesn't have the worlds fastest processor, but other devices with the same processor are snappier, faster (especially when running Windows 10 instead of Android!).

What I prefer to look at is that you can swap the battery, because batteries die, and having to disassemble a phone to just get to the battery is ridiculous. Especially when that means (as in my phone) having to heat up the screen to a certain temperature, and then use a suction cup to pull it out. Getting the screen out is difficult, then you have to somehow get to the battery (which is probably all the way through the phone), and then you need to solder... Plus putting back together the phone won't be easy either.

Being able to extend the memory can be invaluable too. If you use the device a lot, you're going to want plenty of storage (for example for satnav maps, for music, photos, ...). Even if you bought one with enough in the first place, memory chips can die (happened to me on an LG), and then you can pray you have current backups and there's still some warranty left. With a microSD card you simply swap it, and you may even recover the data from the damaged card.

[denik]

I hear you about the waterproofing. I went Kayaking today and the kayak has a cell phone mount which presumes the phone is waterproof.



Hmmm..that looks very interesting. Right now the plan is geared to providing a new phone every 2 years (which you pay for over the life of the contract). I am locked into a corporate plan so there isn't much flexibility, but it's definitely worth looking into.

tech21 makes an EVO Xplorer waterproof case for iPhones & some Samsung.

[HopelessTogger]

I would generally avoid Lenovo. I've tried several Lenovo smartphones a few years back, and they were decent devices severely hampered by the crappy software. They want to modify everything, have their own skin on Android, but it's terrible. Functionally it didn't seem to add anything (more like remove), it wasn't visually attractive, and what really killed it is the performance. Other brands manage to squeeze way more performance out of lesser hardware. I also own a Lenvo Yoga Tab 3 Pro, which is their former top of the line Android based tablet. It was stuck forever on a very terrible Android 4.2 (?) version that was lagging like hell, couldn't do very much and crashed all the time. Then finally the update to Android 5.0 came, and... it's better, cause it is closer to stock Android, but it still crashes a lot. Seems to be issues with lack of RAM, which is funny because it has 2 GB of RAM, and when it does crash it still has like 700-900 MB free. So why exactly does it run out of memory? Plus performance, while better, is still not very good. It doesn't have the worlds fastest processor, but other devices with the same processor are snappier, faster (especially when running Windows 10 instead of Android!).

What I prefer to look at is that you can swap the battery, because batteries die, and having to disassemble a phone to just get to the battery is ridiculous. Especially when that means (as in my phone) having to heat up the screen to a certain temperature, and then use a suction cup to pull it out. Getting the screen out is difficult, then you have to somehow get to the battery (which is probably all the way through the phone), and then you need to solder... Plus putting back together the phone won't be easy either.

Being able to extend the memory can be invaluable too. If you use the device a lot, you're going to want plenty of storage (for example for satnav maps, for music, photos, ...). Even if you bought one with enough in the first place, memory chips can die (happened to me on an LG), and then you can pray you have current backups and there's still some warranty left. With a microSD card you simply swap it, and you may even recover the data from the damaged card.

Yeah, I avoided Lenovo having read dire reviews, especially about viruses embedded in the things!!!

The Ulefone Power can either have two SIM's or one SIM and up to 128gb microSD. Not ideal, as I need dual SIM but it is what it is for the price. Probably end up giving the thing to daughter No. 2 later in the year anyway. That said I only need to run phone, email, internet and Google Maps. Sufficiency economy.

[Rupert]

I just don't think I could go back to a single device I was dependent on for multiple functions that allowed people to get hold of me when *they* want to

Sounds like me....I have a LG flip phone and Tracphone service ...about $8 a month. Seldom use it , I have over 600 accumulated minutes.

I recently bought Mrs Rupert a Microsoft Lumia 550 unlocked phone to replace her old Sprint flip phone and she absolutely loves it. It work well with her Microsoft Band smart watch and does everything she requires and a lot more. It was cheap ($139) and performs flawlessly.

Not being a phone person, I know little of all the phones and options, except that there appears to be hundreds...or more...choices? For guys like me a string and two tin cans would do most of what I need.

Regards & Good luck on the OPs search.....I bet what he wants is out there somewhere!

[bertwert]

I've owned cell phones as far back as when they were the size of a brick!
After many, many models, I've settled with Samsung Galaxy models (several species of them)and my latest is the S5.
What I will be looking for, if ever available, is:
1. waterproof
2. smaller format than those huge S6-7 and the newest iPhones.
3. un-scratch able screen
4. long battery life -- at least 3 days on a charge
5. excellent WiFi and network connection (our region is sometimes at the mercy of the providers here)

Other than that, it is after all a "phone" so it needs to have clear reception when we actually use it as a "phone".

One of those CAT phones fit everything except possibly the last item I'm not sure about, not having ever used one or any phone.

[SteveM]

Steve, these Chinese things (I mean most of this stuff's made there anyway) are a bargain since the quality's there now.

4g smartphone in Cell Phones - Free Shipping | GearBest.com

Just make sure it has the same bands used for your region.

Wow....I had no idea there were that many different brands out there. Canadian service providers are expensive with many of the newest phones being listed around $1,000. I'd have to check to see what the providers will allow on their networks....

tech21 makes an EVO Xplorer waterproof case for iPhones & some Samsung.

Compact for a water proof case.... Too bad three aren't more brands available....

[HopelessTogger]

Wow....I had no idea there were that many different brands out there. Canadian service providers are expensive with many of the newest phones being listed around $1,000. I'd have to check to see what the providers will allow on their networks....



Compact for a water proof case.... Too bad three aren't more brands available....

Was in the phone shop getting a new SIM on Saturday. Mentioned to the assistant that the costs of handset plus tariff were now too much (two years ago the contract was £38 a month, equivalent now was £61 a month, got SIM only £25 a month unlimited 4G data and 600 mins), she agreed. Said a lot of people are going for unlocked Chinese smartphones and going SIM only on the contracts.

Here's a review of some on the market.

20 best Chinese phones 2016 UK - Test Centre - PC Advisor

Best Chinese smartphones: 5 top alternatives to Samsung, Apple, HTC, Sony and LG

Chinese Smartphones | Reviews, News, Guides & More!

[1wild1]

I just got a Droid Turbo2. Unbreakable screen. Really You will break the phone first. Great camera by comparison to the other top phones and has a front facing selfie flash. I prefer it to my wife's S6. I haven't played with the S7 though.