[shipnil]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Why? 4G = TERRIBLE call quality.

Originally Posted by GTO

That's a great tip, thanks! If 4G is bad, can we switch from the phone to 3G? Can you switch between the two on the same phone & SIM?

Last I remember 4G could not be used for calling purposes. I have a OnePlus X with Airtel 4G sim. If it is on LTE before a call, it switches instantaneously to 3G or 2G just before it starts ringing. So I don't think we can assume 4G is equal to bad call quality.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Moto Turbo is fantastic hardware but has one major omission. It doesn't support 4G in India. It's a 3G phone just like my Moto X 2nd Gen.

Oops, I thought it did support 4G in India. That was a miss. Same issue with my Nexus 6. No 4G support in India. Was not a deal breaker for me since I was on Vodafone. Just hoping that the new 4G launches will be on bands supported by these phones.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

Both of them support 4G, its just that they support only 1800 mhz band whereas service providers like Airtel are using 2300 mhz band in some cities like Bangalore which are not supported by these models. If there is any service provider providing 4G services based on 1800mhz band then that will work. FOr example Airtel itself is using 1800 mhz in cities like Hyderabad where 4G works on these models.

Read on from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/moto...2870911/page76

Yeah I didn't know they have permission for 1800Mhz band in Hyderabad.

I thought it's 2300MHz band 40 everywhere and the Moto X, Turbo, Nexus 6 don't support that band.

If it's 1800Mhz band then the Moto x will work.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Oops, I thought it did support 4G in India. That was a miss. Same issue with my Nexus 6. No 4G support in India. Was not a deal breaker for me since I was on Vodafone. Just hoping that the new 4G launches will be on bands supported by these phones.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Yeah I didn't know they have permission for 1800Mhz band in Hyderabad.

I thought it's 2300MHz band 40 everywhere and the Moto X, Turbo, Nexus 6 don't support that band.

If it's 1800Mhz band then the Moto x will work.

This is misconception that 2300 mhz is the primary 4G band in India but reality seems opposite. Right now maybe 2300 mhz band is dominating at fewer of the places where 4G is available but 1800 mhz band seems to be the future 4G band in India.

Here are some more revealing details:

http://www.teleanalysis.com/analysis...lte-14509.html

"With 2300 MHz spectrum band not ideal for Indian environment as there is lot of concrete infrastructure and not glass infrastructure in homes and commercial buildings unlike western countries so in-building coverage is a big problem. A lower frequency band i.e. 1800 MHz is ideal for LTE deployment in the country as it increases coverage as well as in-building penetration.

Not only operator deployment is high in 1800 MHz, even device eco-system is higher in 1800 MHz. 1800 MHz is used today in 45 percent of LTE network deployments and continues to dominate the user devices ecosystem. Over 43 percent of LTE user terminals can operate in the 1800 MHz band. The next most popular contiguous band for LTE deployments is 2.6 GHz (band 7) and is used in almost 25 percent of networks.

In the recent spectrum auction, Bharti Airtel has acquired 1800 MHz spectrum in Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Kolkata, Orissa, Haryana and North East circles. In 2014 spectrum auction, Bharti Airtel won 1800 MHz spectrum in 15 circles. All these acquisitions says Bharti Airtel has now more spectrum in 1800 MHz vis-a-vis 2300 MHz and Bharti is choosing 1800 MHz as the defacto spectrum for LTE services.

Reliance Jio had acquired 1800 MHz band in 14 circles across India in 2014. In March 2015, Reliance Jio successfully acquired the right to use spectrum in 800 MHz and 1800 MHz in 13 key circles across India. With this acquisition, in addition to the pan-India 2300 MHz spectrum, Reliance Jio has spectrum in either 800 MHz or 1800 MHz or both in 20 out of the total of 22 circles in the country."

[atulsian]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

My suggestion? Get a good dual sim after usage in person. Even though i'm an iPhone guy otherwise.

Why? 4G = TERRIBLE call quality. I would suggest that keep one SIM for data on 4G and one SIM on 2G for call quality Given most people's objections to installing new towers in urban India, this is the most reasonable solution in today's day and age.

Lastly, try that phone out in person first. For all the OPO love - its camera is terrible and my wife's phone cannot hold 3G data reliably while on the road. The iPhone and my S3 have much better data ability in comparison. I personally have concerns over the call quality of a few handsets (ive never been satisfied with my S3 or HTC Chacha as muchas I am with iPhone or was with E63).

Sir, to correct you none of the providers have voice over LTE (VoLTE) in India. Technically when you call some one phones switches back to 3G/2G based on your signal at your current location. Jio may be the first one to get VoLTE in India.

I own a OPO and never had any issues with the network. May be you have a faulty sim / modem issues. I would suggest to go ahead and try rooting your phone and installing cyanogen ROM.

[mukul32]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Unfortunately your choices are limited since you want a smaller sized phone. The features are only good if you are ok with the larger size. These are my picks with their pros and cons.

You hit the nail on most counts, but there are a few things that I feel:

1. The HTC One A9 is ultimately a midrange phone. It does look extremely compelling for a midranger, with Marshmallow out of the box, fingerprint reader, OIS on the camera, etc. but the CPU is still a strictly midrange Snapdragon 617. And stuff like 4k video is missing and the iPhone like design looks too wannabe, which is the main problem of that phone, and doesn't suit the standards of a tier 1 OEM. The camera too is well-equipped on paper, but is only 13 MP, and should not be as good as the flagships. And deeper inside, smaller things will be missing too, to cut costs, such as some sensors. And then the battery life is a question mark at 2100-odd mAh. I mean, it's still a great midrange device, but if he has no problems spending some more money, won't it be better to get an out-and-out flagship?

2. The Galaxy S6, I feel, apart from the sheer feeling in hand (which I agree is amazing), is overrated. One can only enjoy the phone till he turns the screen on and looks at the horrible mess of touchwiz. Childish icons, wrong use of colours (touchwiz for marshmallow has all-white quick toggles!) and too much of a mess. Not something I'd call premium. And the themes are a joke. You can only change some colours, wallpapers and icons. The whole interface stays largely the same. Themes should be like the ones in Cyanogen. Speaking of that, this phone with a decently stable CM13 build would be totally brilliant. Perhaps good enough to turn my opinion about it on its head.

3. The LG G4 is sure a great hardware package, especially with that camera, but the software is worse than Samsung. It's even more kiddish and even more of a joke. And the main point is, it is meant more for power users and media-heavy users, hence the swappable battery and large screen (and ironically this power user oriented device doesn't even have root yet). GTO's usage doesn't seem to be like the G4's target customer. He seems to need more of a high-end 'smartphone' than a high-end 'media hub'. And with phones like the G4 or Note 5, stuff like one-handed usage and pocketability goes for a toss. And those gimmicky 'One handed modes' are crap. There's just no point in buying a huge phone and then using it with the whole display minimized to one corner most of the time.

4. The Nexus 5X is just nowhere as good as the 6P, all things considered. It's just too much of a compromise and costs an absolute bomb in India. Fixed 32 GB storage and two gigs of RAM don't cut it for a 2015 phone @ 35k+. The X style, except for the size, comes with a QHD screen, a gig more of RAM, bang stock Android with actually the better interface, SD card slot, a bigger battery and even a slightly water repellent coating for the odd spill. And variant to variant it costs about 2k less. The only major advantage with the 5X is the better software update support, but then there is a catch.

Software updates don't matter all that much to the rich guys. They usually don't stick to a single phone for too long to worry about updates too much. The average OEM flagship gets updates for about two years, and that is enough for most people.
Even in case of GTO, he has no budget limitations for a phone, and most probably won't keep one phone till the next cricket world cup. And for most such people, outright quality matters more than future-proofing in a phone.
Conversely, if someone like me were to buy a high end phone right now, I'd go with the 30k X Style over a 45k 6P any day and use that phone way beyond its update cycle with custom ROM's. That I like to get my hands dirty with my Androids only helps. Although that is mainly because I don't earn yet, and my outlook could be totally different in a few years.

Now, just to tell of an extreme case, I know someone who is a complete Apple fan and changed from a gray iPhone 5S to a gold iPhone 6 and then to a 'Rose Gold' iPhone 6S. In consecutive years, all right after launch. Why? Just because they liked the colours!!! Their usage too I guess shouldn't include anything too serious beyond your average instant messaging and social networking apps and very casual photography. So the the jump to a new iPhone isn't all that necessary either. That's well over a lakh practically wasted! And then, quite as one would expect, their garage includes an E-Class (base diesel) and a Fortuner (4x2) both in white, if I'm not wrong! The only thing that matters is snob value! And such people are mostly die hard Apple fans. No wonder Apple keeps posting record profits. And now, the extremely smart guys have quietly stopped selling the older iPhones in the gold colour. And they won't print page-long ads or post 'inspirational' videos about it either. If you want the 'special' colour, pay the extra dosh for the latest overpriced phone for it. Part of why I absolutely hate Apple. It isn't a case of a fox's sour grapes like most iFanboys love to believe.

And this one for you GTO. If you want a 1.premium, 2.high end 3.phone, it ultimately boils down to the S6 (or rather the S6 EDGE) OR the Z5. Almost all other devices are either not premium enough or not high end enough, or are not really 'phones', as they are practically small tablets. If you are getting more confused, let me put it in our own BHPian language. The S6 vs Z5 battle is just like a Hyundai vs Honda battle. (Where the Hyundai is Samsung and Honda is Sony, obviously) It's just as simple as that. Let's just say it is Sonata vs Accord. The Korean is really stylish, offers a lot on the spec sheet and is real VFM, while the Japanese is extremely practical, works better in the real world and has better attention to detail.
Like, really. Don't even look at it as a comparison between phones. For anyone who doesn't follow smartphones very closely, it would appear head-burstingly close, hence saying. Just decide whether you would buy a Honda Accord or the corresponding Hyundai Sonata model, and simply pick up the respective Z5 or S6/EDGE.
And this likening of phones to cars is closer than one would think. For instance, just as stuff like dynamics and power delivery matter for the enthusiast car-buyer, overall intuitiveness and UI snappiness matters for the serious phone user. Turbo lag and UI lag are both equally annoying. And neither depends purely on the power under the hood.
And just like almost anything handles better than a Hyundai, almost anything is more intuitive than Touchwiz. And like most Hondas, you'll have to pay a slight premium for the Z5 as it is 6 months newer. I expect the difference to be around 2-3k.
Most people usually go for the Hyundai (and Samsung) looking at the features list, or the difference in price. And like all Hyundais, or even all Samsungs, the S6 too comes equipped with a truckload of features, some class-leading and some total gimmicks.
Only, I had suggested the Z5 because you drive around in an open Jeep and a rugged phone would help against the elements somewhat, and since you have a large music collection, and simply NO other phone offers a music experience like a Sony.
But finally, to decide for yourself, just forget everyone's subjective opinion for a moment, including mine, and use this Honda vs Hyundai comparison.
Hope I helped make things simpler.

[djpeesh]

Just to add confusion to the mix, Sony no longer sags the z5 is waterproof. The z3 I've taken swimming almost everywhere and it even shoots pix underwater.

http://m.in.techradar.com/news/phone...w/48936204.cms

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by mukul32

4. The Nexus 5X is just nowhere as good as the 6P, all things considered. It's just too much of a compromise and costs an absolute bomb in India. Fixed 32 GB storage and two gigs of RAM don't cut it for a 2015 phone @ 35k+. The X style, except for the size, comes with a QHD screen, a gig more of RAM, bang stock Android with actually the better interface, SD card slot, a bigger battery and even a slightly water repellent coating for the odd spill. And variant to variant it costs about 2k less. The only major advantage with the 5X is the better software update support, but then there is a catch.

It was not at all worth it when they were selling it for 35K but the Nexus 5X 32GB model is now 29K online. The 16GB is 24K.

This makes it a fantastic mid range competitor at that price. The launch price was plain stupid.

Even in case of GTO, he has no budget limitations for a phone, and most probably won't keep one phone till the next cricket world cup. And for most such people, outright quality matters more than future-proofing in a phone.
Conversely, if someone like me were to buy a high end phone right now, I'd go with the 30k X Style over a 45k 6P any day and use that phone way beyond its update cycle with custom ROM's. That I like to get my hands dirty with my Androids only helps. Although that is mainly because I don't earn yet, and my outlook could be totally different in a few years.

LOL. GTO is the exact opposite. He will use the phone till it is fully run down or stopped working. Even now he is using an old HTC One bought more than a year ago. Only reason for changing is poor CDMA else I'm sure he wouldn't have changed.

My choice like you will also be the Moto X style but I currently use the Moto X Gen2 and the biggest drawback of the Style was that massive size. It was not pocketable and that really put me off.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by shipnil

Last I remember 4G could not be used for calling purposes. I have a OnePlus X with Airtel 4G sim. If it is on LTE before a call, it switches instantaneously to 3G or 2G just before it starts ringing. So I don't think we can assume 4G is equal to bad call quality.

Originally Posted by atulsian

Sir, to correct you none of the providers have voice over LTE (VoLTE) in India. Technically when you call some one phones switches back to 3G/2G based on your signal at your current location. Jio may be the first one to get VoLTE in India.

Gents - fair points. It seems that maybe my phone would be switching to 3G and not 2G since the call quality when otherwise on LTE, is terrible. Now Apple being Apple does not give me a chance to configure this behavior. Again, its outright imperative for GTO to verify this behavior for his new phone in person before buying. I don't think Samsung Touchwiz or Sony will give him this much control either - only a phone with a stock CM ROM would! (but none such phones were recommended to him!)

I own a OPO and never had any issues with the network. May be you have a faulty sim / modem issues. I would suggest to go ahead and try rooting your phone and installing cyanogen ROM.

Congratulations to you is all I will say. I'd rather throw away this phone than indulge in rooting my wife's phone and then spend many more days and nights installing random versions. Bro - for wife, stability >>>>> anything else. I have no time in my life to install ROMs for her. Even my S3 went through almost 15 ROMs before I could install the right version. Niggles are galore in custom ROMs (e.g MIUI was perfect but wouldn't mute in calls!).

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by GTO

Requirements are simple:

- 4G
- Fast
- Top notch quality
- 64 GB (SD card slot or internal). My music collection is ~50 GB
- Should have a good antenna. Network is patchy where I live

I would suggest you stick with the S6. Best bang for your buck for now and nearly has the best of everything. If you can compromise slightly on the size then the Note 4 is also a great buy right now. Peace of mind and premium in all respects in both cases.

Cheers...

[mukul32]

Originally Posted by djpeesh

Just to add confusion to the mix, Sony no longer sags the z5 is waterproof. The z3 I've taken swimming almost everywhere and it even shoots pix underwater.

http://m.in.techradar.com/news/phone...w/48936204.cms

That is not exactly the case. I was myself really shocked hearing these reports, but most of the smartphone media are no different than our Indian automotive media in terms of exaggeration and bias. The thing is, the Z5 is technically as capable against water as the Z3, but Sony are playing it safe for themselves. Because, due to the advertised 'waterproof' ability of the Z series, people took things a notch too high. They put their phones to all kinds of extreme adventures, where naturally you won't expect it to survive, just because it is supposedly 'waterproof' and they paid 'hard earned money' for it. And then Sony had to bear the costs of warranty repairs and negative publicity that may have taken place by the word-of-mouth of these people.
Just look on YouTube, and you'll see all kinds of crazy videos - cold water tests, prolonged submerging tests, ice tests, fridge tests, milk tests, etc being done on the Z series. Almost all of them are way beyond real-life situatuons and way different from what the phone was meant to be secured against. People are using it for fun rather than for protection. Like, just because a phone has an IP rating doesn't mean it becomes invincible.
Just take a small example, if your Z3 were to go kaput if you take it too deep under water, your natural reaction to anyone looking for a Z5 would be something like, "Dude, my Z3 got ruined by water. Think twice before buying that Z5." In turn, that dude would get seriously concerned and tell other people about it. By that time it would echo into an anti-Sony sentiment. Sony would suddenly start appearing like a traitor, and "Bhai, apna Samsung hi accha hai", or "THAT's why I always trust Apple" kind of statements would start coming up.

So what Sony are doing this time around is that they are not advertising the 'waterproof' abilities as loudly as with the Z2 or the Z3. But they have still managed an IP68 rating, which for a phone like the Z5, I believe is phenomenal. For those who don't know what these ratings exactly are, here is what an IP68 rating shows:

IP 68 Enclosures - IP rated as "dust tight" and protected against complete, continuous submersion in water.

So it is clear enough. The Z5 can really stand complete submersion. And even if you decide not to take it under the water, for all other realistic situations in rains, shower baths, basin splashes etc the Z5 should do perfectly fine. Simply put, it is just as capable as older Xperias, but Sony wants us to hold our horses while exposing it. Xperiablog, an independent fan site, put it wonderfully:

Just because you could, doesn't mean you should.

But what happened is, lot of people started thinking 'Z5 is not all that waterproof', 'Don't risk wetting your Xperia', etc. Even people having older Xperias had doubts on their phones ability to withstand water.

No one looks at it this way: Sony are the ONLY ones who at least have water and dust proofing in their mainstream flagship. They don't want you to buy an ugly, fat and crippled variant of a phone for rugged abilities. The Z5 is just 7.3 mm, is finished only in metal and glass, looks properly premium, and still has the highest possible IP rating in a phone! And it doesn't even need those flaps on the ports to keep the water away. And then it has waterproof stereo speakers at the front, a waterproof camera module that doesn't protrude out even a bit, still keeps a fingerprint scanner, and an SD card slot too! In fact, that is a proper engineering marvel, and a brilliant example of attention to detail, way way beyond what someone like Apple could even dream of, but that's not the point of discussion right now, so for another day.

In comparison, Samsung's idea of a rugged phone is this, while Apple is eons away from making anything near as waterproof or rugged. Only Mototola have shown real interest in making their mainstream phones be tougher and last longer with the battery. Hence the Moto X Force comes with a shatterproof glass, and the X Style and play get water repellent coating. The Moto G 3rd gen is also IPX7 rated. Only difference is, Motorola are finally getting the interest, sales and market image they really deserve, while Sony are still not.

LOL. GTO is the exact opposite. He will use the phone till it is fully run down or stopped working. Even now he is using an old HTC One bought more than a year ago. Only reason for changing is poor CDMA else I'm sure he wouldn't have changed.

LOL!! That one got my wicket!! But seriously, I was pleased to hear that. I thought he got bored of HTC and just wanted to try something different.
In fact it's a very similar story with me as well. Only, I hate staying on old software, so go the custom ROM route. My tablet (Galaxy Note 8.0) was bought right at launch way back in 2013, and it ran 4.1.2 with Touchwiz on top. Was possibly the best Android slate around then. It got updated to 4.2 and 4.4.2, but nothing after that. With the custom ROM route, I got prompt upgrades to 4.4.4, 5.0, and then 5.1, which I'm running now. And it already has 6.0 in the alpha stage. This April, it will be three years old, and still looks as good as new, lasts me a full day on a charge and will run the latest version of *STOCK* Android with Cyanogen customisations! Talk of durability! That's part of the reason I love XDA second to only T-BHP.

[khoj]

Guys, Any feedback, views on the upcoming Nokia 950

[deep_bang]

Originally Posted by khoj

Guys, Any feedback, views on the upcoming Nokia 950

Wrong thread to ask this question! May be the windows phone thread is a better place.

[VW2010]

Just started using Note 4. If anything to take away from Note 4 i can only say the Note 5 is going to exceptionally fast and furious.

Note 4 is a breath of fresh air for me. The S5 was good, in fact i never upgraded to lolipop and it stayed the same way as i got it in 2014. It was fast, battery was great and operationally fast.

But add a twin turbo, some nitro boost and really good rubber for the grip. This is the best phone i have ever used so far even compared to iphones and various offerings from different devices.

The first two weeks has been brilliant with battery that never seem to slow down and with wifi, BT(i use an android wear) and what not the phone lives over a day easily and the device is smooth and operationally very fast.

I think i miss buying this device earlier and people who are in the market for note like device, should consider the Note 4 or Note 5. Absolutely utility of a phone.

[Speed.Demon]

Motorola's all set to launch the Moto G Turbo edition in India. This upgrade will give the little phone some added grunt.





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