[ar@v1nd]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Check out the Honor series. Their cameras are nice. The 6x had the same camera sensor in 15k, which otherwise shipped with 30-35k devices!

Otherwise, Motorola G5S+ has a nice camera.

Thanks phamilyman. Honor 7X is in the crosshairs at the moment.

Originally Posted by Oxy

If camera is top priority then consider the S7. Yes it's an old phone now but it was a flagship a couple of years ago. Have heard very good things about it's camera.

Available for Rs.21,750 on Flipkart (only today) after applying SBI credit card discount.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

For a moderate user keen on specific features (e.g. Camera) rather than wanting the latest hardware and software, it makes a lot of sense to buy prior years' flagships at current mid-range prices.

Thanks Oxy & Chetan_Rao. But ruling out S7 due to the fact that it's already a couple of generations old (and support/security updates will be stopped soon) plus the screen size and potential cost of repairs. But agree that it has an amazing camera for the price.

Originally Posted by mxx

Honor phones have good camera in their respective price points. honor 7x is sold via amazon for 13k and 16k (without offers) for 32GB and 64GB respectively. My wife uses Honor 6x which has good camera and battery life. Although the battery is 3300mah, it easily lasts for 1.5 days with moderate usage.

Some have suggested going for an older flagship. Although you will get better camera with older flagships, there are few other cons
1. it will be much more expensive -sometimes double the price- compared to mid-range phones from honor, xiaomi, motorola
2. flagships are not known for great battery life
3. in case of damage, will be much more expensive to repair

Mxx, Agree to your points 100%. My cousin has an Honor 7X and I found its screen really good, camera good enough and build quality pretty good as well. Pricing of 13K (plus additional offers and exchange for Redmi note 3) make its price mouth watering.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Oxy

Yes Xiaomi is lousy with Android updates ...

They used to be somewhat geek-friendly. Root? No problem, just do it. Want the latest version? Download it and flash. Supported by their own forums, although one had to dig for real information among thousands of meaningless posts.

Are they still like that? Mind you, that's fine for geeks. Non geeks just want a phone, ofcourse.

[sgiitk]

Sometimes I wonder whether we need to segment the market into Premium and el cheapo, with a few in between. Even though spec wise the two may look the same, believe me they are not.

[riteshritesh]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Sometimes I wonder whether we need to segment the market into Premium and el cheapo, ................believe me they are not.

So true. You get what you pay for. It is true in all walks of life. Everyone wants a free product or service and when it fails, they blame the provider/manufacturer, not realising the fact that he has to skimp on quality to lower costs.

[binand]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

They used to be somewhat geek-friendly. Root? No problem, just do it.

Before doing that - aren't there apps that refuse to run on rooted phones? Online banking, e-wallets and other personal/financial apps might be doing such things. If you rely on these sort of apps it is best to confirm first.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by binand

Before doing that - aren't there apps that refuse to run on rooted phones? ... ... ...

I believe that there are such apps, because I have come across apps that claim to make those apps work on a rooted phone.

I'm not actually recommending rooting (although I like to do it) so much as talking about Xiamomi's attitude when I had my flood-lost M4i in 2015.

(Tangentially, I don't, personally have a banking app on my phone. I just don't feel comfortable and safe with that.)

[gigy]

Got Oreo update for note 8 today.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by gigy

Got Oreo update for note 8 today.

Wow, thats great news! Thanks for the update.

Please post your views on the Oreo update in as much detail as possible after reasonable usage.

Cheers

[F150]

Originally Posted by gigy

Got Oreo update for note 8 today.

Are you in INDIA ? I checked for updates just now and I dont have any update for my NOTE 8.

[gigy]

I am in Qatar. Didn't notice any major difference so far. Battery seems slightly better. Chrome occasionally freezes.

[dark.knight]

What is this trojan virus called "Google Play services" which wasn't there in earlier Androids and why is it now repeatedly asking for permissions like :

- Calendar
- Camera
- Contacts
- Microphone
- Body Sensors
- SMS
- Storage

Should a smartphone be based on the fact that there is no privacy, nothing to hide anymore? Android comes with apps baked into the system, though much more flexible than iOS, still is en route to going the permission-nazi route (no phone for you!) unless all permissions are given beforehand.

That apart, the Xperia is a pleasure to use in terms of speed, processing power and smoothness. Monthly updates come on time though I really can't make out much difference after each update. The startup time is a lightning fast 12 seconds after the major OS update.

[binand]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

What is this trojan virus called "Google Play services" which wasn't there in earlier Androids...

Should a smartphone be based on the fact that there is no privacy, nothing to hide anymore?

Well, its been around since Jelly Bean as far as I can remember. That's about 5-6 years old.

Among other things, it actually removes the need for apps to acquire superfluous permissions. There are other reasons to hate it, though.

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Android comes with apps baked into the system, though much more flexible than iOS, still is en route to going the permission-nazi route (no phone for you!) unless all permissions are given beforehand.

Actually you can refuse apps permissions, and several would work just fine (obviously an app like Uber wouldn't if you didn't give it location permissions, but HDFC Bank's would generally; just that the "locate the ATM nearest to me" feature wouldn't).

[itwasntme]

On this security topic, is the Alibaba app safe? I extensively buy from them but can always use the mobile or desktop site if the app is dicey in any way.

I do a lot of e-banking and e-commerce using my phone hence the worry.

[binand]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

On this security topic, is the Alibaba app safe?

I generally assume that no app with a Chinese background can be trusted. I further assume, given the various diplomatic and military stand-offs and the adversarial position taken by them on many matters, China is particularly curious about data on Indian phones.

* Phone sends contacts etc. to China: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/16/u...-security.html

* Phone sends clipboard data to China (OnePlus):
https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/2...chinese-server

* Another, RedMi:
https://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/00002731.html

* UC Browser, an Alibaba product:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...w/60180582.cms

* WeChat, China's answer to a lot of things:
https://www.theepochtimes.com/wechat...e_2296960.html

[mayankk]

After buying my dad a priv, I had to take it from him and give him my honor 6x. The priv is such a horrible piece of thing that I had to take it off his hands. Lost 14k in selling a 5 month old phone.
Finally got myself a 9i, and in turning into a fan of the honor as a brand. The 6x was brilliant, and this is even more so. And a bit of eye candy too, in blue.