Team-BHP - The Mobile Phone Thread - Queries, decisions, discussions all here

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Liner (Post 5661522)

Why not the new pixel 8 series. ...

Size, cost.

These things are somewhat flexible and will move as the market changes. Maybe a Pixel 9 will bring prices of 7 and 8 down. Even the current 7a price is far more than I ever spent on a phone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom (Post 5661663)

Yes. Just wait it out until next year and this year's flagship will drop price by 50% almost. Or just get last year's flagship now. I think if you wait it out a bit the Samsung S23 on sale after the 24 launches will be a good bet. Or even the S22 on clearance!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom (Post 5661445)

Now I haven't a clue where to go! :confused: Back to Mi, perhaps. But all their phones seem to be too large.

I use a Mi 9. Was their flagship device in 2019. 4 years on and almost everything about the phone operates well. My complaint is MIUI and the lack of Android updates. Otherwise, its still a ultra snappy device.

Mi do very good flagship devices. I wouldn't touch anything else in their lineup though. That said, they price them high so tends to make you question if its vfm anymore. I'd say Yes.

On the other hand, Motorola is great due to a near stock Android experience. I'd say that whatever little software overlay they do, is better implemented than Xiaomi's MIUI.

Motorola's Edge 30 Ultra is a fantastic device. A bit dated on the hardware front. I'd pick this over the newer Edge 40 series.

Can't really help you with the size of the phone. Almost all manufacturers have sized up their screens. I think in this department, Sony's Xperia 1 V is about the only device with a slightly different screen ratio, which makes it an easy fit.

I went ahead and ordered Moto Edge 40 in Red color. The 'almost' compact form factor, light weight and the smaller width which makes one handed operation easy were the deciding factors.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Liner (Post 5660700)

I just love my pixel 3a for its form factor. So compact and easy to hold. It’s sad that there’s nothing from the pixel lineup that matches this size anymore.

Absolutely. That 5.6-to-6-inch screen range is bang on target for me. Fits perfectly in the palm and more perfectly in the pocket as well. Sad, they do not make such small phones at affordable prices anymore. Currently use a similar sized and weight Nokia 6.1 plus which is showing its age.

Quote:

Originally Posted by krankstter (Post 5661661)

Honestly, although I love the idea, this seems like a gimmick for the following reasons.

Get Real Google.

I have a pixel 3a and its over 6 years old now. I am typing from this very device. Apple routinely offers 7+ years of updates on all their devices. I have an Ipad air from 2014 which still receives security updates from Apple. The device still works well after a battery replacement.

I prefer to use my devices as long as possible and will always look for a device with the longest update guarantees from the manufacturer. This is a big reason why I still prefer to stick with the Pixels in the android ecosystem.

How is any of this a bad thing from a consumer perspective?

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan (Post 5661806)

Mi do very good flagship devices. I wouldn't touch anything else in their lineup though. That said, they price them high so tends to make you question if its vfm anymore. I'd say Yes.

I am using a Mi A1, and I think I've had it for 4 years. Had an early Mi phone which was tiny and I loved it: if only the water had been a couple of inches less deep in the Chennai flood! Far from flagship: I think it cost about 11k! And I have liked it very much. And the screen ratio is ideal and cannot be had any longer.

My A1, obviously, is the Android experience, not MIUI. But I'm not very fussed about any brand's launcher experience as I will use Nova, and keep the experience consistent with previous phones.

I used to root my phones. I'm not sure that I can bothered with that now (with increasing age, I get less less and less techie) unless something really annoys me. It is nice to be able to [almost] totally kill advertising. nb: I tend to still pay for the pro/ad-free versions of the few apps I use a lot; for any added features and it's a small way of saying thanks to the developers. But I'd be be put off by a phone I could not root. Or was difficult for me. I think Samsung phones used to need their Windows app to flash: is that still the case? I don't use Windows (or Mac)

\

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haque (Post 5660998)

A big disappointment is that Android Auto is not available on this OR I have still not figured out despite much endeavor a way to pair it with the Ertiga.

Please try going into Settings > Storage> Apps then find Android Auto. Then Clear cache and Clear storage, and restart the phone. Hopefully that might resolve the issue.

How is the battery life of your Edge 40? Does it last at least a day on a single charge? And have you faced any issues so far, other than the Android Auto thingy?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Small Bot (Post 5663632)

Thanks for the suggestion. Had seen it in some forums and tried multiple times but it wasn't helpful. It still doesn't work and has been the sole disappointment.

Battery lasts a day with emails, browsing and some YouTube. No gaming or music.

Need recommendation on a phone which is good at taking videos and clear audio.
I'll be using it specially to record my students play musical instruments.

Options to reduce background noise in Audio and small easy to use editing options will be helpful.
I want something which will be as simple as -shoot-edit-upload to Instagram and YouTube. I'm not much of a heavy editing guy.

Right now typing this from a 7yr old OnePlus 5T which served me without issues but is nearing its end of life.
I tend to use phone >6 years minimum. Expensive phones are not for me as i hardly use all the tech, but I'm considering them now as i will be using it regularly to record videos.
A friend suggested S23Ultra at 102.2k:eek:

Traditionally iPhones have been the phones to get if your priority is video.

But now the Pixel 8 / 8 Pro seems to have caught up with the iPhone in that regard. Pixel 8 series have some AI enhancement features that helps clean up audio for you in post processing. The 8 Pro was supposed to come with an AI enhanced low light enhancement feature that it would complete on the cloud overnight the night after you took the videos.

The cherry on the cake is that these 2 come with the longest software support (7 years) for an Android phone ever. And there is no delay in Pixels getting an Android version update (because, Google!). This addresses the longevity problem.

The drawbacks are that Pixels are not known for their battery backup and heating might be an issue but then the latest iPhone 15 series phones also heat up considerably when the camera is being used.

I use a Pixel 7 and after the initial 2-3 days, heating has not been an issue. Android 14 update addressed the heating issue even more and now I hardly feel the phone getting hot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrasadS (Post 5670939)

Need recommendation on a phone which is good at taking videos and clear audio.

Close your eyes and pick up the iphone. Hands down the best when it comes to video and audio. Consistent performance that does not get affected by software and OS updates. You might want to consider some of the higher storage models as video is a priority.

Androids have definitely caught up on the game and if it must be an Android, I cannot think of anything below the Samsung S23 series. Too early to say anything about any of Google's Pixel products for the long run. They can be a bit unpredictable in their product support.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan (Post 5671217)

Consistent performance that does not get affected by software and OS updates.

This is not quite true. Have been using iPhones since 2017 and with each 'major' software update the overall experience starts diminishing to some extent. Ofcourse , it isn't quite a deal breaker, and I would whole heartedly recommend Apple over anything else especially for photo & video; but still, they perform the 'best' during the initial two years ONLY.

I know very little about phone & video technology, so my question may be really stupid.

Quote:

Originally Posted by carboy (Post 5433676)

My cousin is looking for a phone which is 10,000 Rs or lesser. Please recommend one. Usage is going to be lots of Facebook, Whatspp, Insta etc. Minimum 6" screen & 4GB/64GB is required.

Back then, based on advice given here, my cousin purchased the RealMe Narzo 50i & is very happy with it - https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B09FKB3446/

On a device like this, if one wants to subscribe to some online platform (Sony Liv) - is there a difference between 720p HD & Full HD 1080p? It is going to be watched only on Mobile & not on Laptop or TV. The mobile only plan seems ideal except it gives only 720p HD. And if one wants Full HD 1080p, then one has to pay for the higher plan which offers 1080p.

So is it worth it to pay for the higher plan or will there be no difference on a mobile phone? Would prefer the 720p plan.

Can someone confirm if it would be a good idea to purchase the Samsung Galaxy 'S' series devices from UAE, similar to iPhones?

iPhones are relatively straight forward, and one can just pick one up comfortably knowing that it practically has no difference vis-a-vis India model and is also covered with 1 year warranty.

Is it same for the Samsung phones too? And can we pick the same from UAE with a peace of mind?

The S23 & S23+ is retailing pretty cheap compared to Indian market, ~55k INR v/s ~70K in India. Hence, would it be a good idea to get one from UAE?

The S23 Ultra too is retailing under 95k INR in UAE.