Best android phone currently?

[Ay Ay Ron]

4.95” 1080p IPS LCD
Snapdragon 800 quad-core CPU (MSM8947) at 2.3GHz
2GB RAM
32GB storage storage*
Wireless charging
8MP*rear camera with OIS; 1.3MP front camera
2300mAh battery
Accelerometer; ambient light sensor; Compass; Gyroscope; Proximity; Pressure sensors
HDMI out via Slimport
Notification LED
NFC; Bluetooth 3 (?); A-GPS; 802.11*b/

 

[Prong]

I've read that the 32GB model will have a 3000mAh battery

 

[cava83]

I've read that the 32GB model will have a 3000mAh battery

That is what I had read too :S

I would get the 32GB just for that.

 

[Ay Ay Ron]

Yeah if that is the case, then I'd be going for the 32gb too.

Still undecided on next phone though. Considering the new Sony then flashing it to get Vanilla Android on it. Will have to see how they get on with cracking them.

 

[cava83]

Seems like they are all 2300.

If that is the case, 16GB will be ordered

 

[welshname]

Info from where?

 

[Ay Ay Ron]

What I posted was sent to me by a mate. He usually get info that's pretty spot on with regards to specs, looks etc. Not sure where he gets it from though.

 

[Prong]

Disappointing if that's true. Was really hoping for the bigger battery

 

[MicKPM]

Yeah 2300ma is pretty shocking - I can't understand why more emphasis isn't given to battery life on these devices.

 

[Ay Ay Ron]

I just don't get why they wouldn't out a better battery in. If needs be, charge a bit more for the device. If they can do it with the LG then they should be able to at least match the battery with the new Nexus device as I imagine they will sell more units that have the Nexus name to it rather than just LG.

 

[MicKPM]

It's silly stuff like this that puts me off as I'm not always able to connect to mains or a car charger.

If they can make laptops and netbooks last 8hrs and more why can't they do the same with smart phones?

 

[sn00p]

It's silly stuff like this that puts me off as I'm not always able to connect to mains or a car charger.

If they can make laptops and netbooks last 8hrs and more why can't they do the same with smart phones?

You've seen the size of a laptop battery right?

 

[Dink]

the energy density of lithium cells hasn't increased much over the last couple of years

so unless you want a phone that weights more and is bigger then you'll have to make do

 

[Ay Ay Ron]

If they can put a 3000 battery in the new LG then thats the minimum they should be putting in the Nexus IMO

 

[MicKPM]

Yeah because this couldn't possibly be taken in to account at design stage could it? Pure laziness IMO and even adding a couple of mm to the overall thickness of the rear cover is a viable option for those like myself wanting an "all day" battery.

Granted the Note2/3 are larger devices so had larger battery (and because of those gorgeous screens) but the standard 2600mA on my S4 just doesn't quite cut it for me so I can only imagine how a lesser unit will fare on the N5.

 

[Keydogg]

One word: Budget.

These phones with bigger batteries are all £450+ if not £550+. The Nexus is (likely) going to be £349+, they have to skimp somewhere!

 

[cava83]

One word: Budget.

These phones with bigger batteries are all £450+ if not £550+. The Nexus is (likely) going to be £349+, they have to skimp somewhere!

They are not budget, they are been subsidised by Google. Two different things.

A lumia 610 is a budget phone, this isn't.

I think if they had the better battery, they would sell like hot cakes.

 

[_Tom]

To be honest I don't think the N5 has anything about it that makes me want to switch from my N4.

Im going to stick with it for a while and see what comes out over the next few months.

 

[MicKPM]

I have a similar argument going on in my head but with my current S4 vs a Note3... I want the larger screen but not at that price (fingers crossed the rrp fals towards the new year)

 

[Keydogg]

They are not budget, they are been subsidised by Google. Two different things.

A lumia 610 is a budget phone, this isn't.

I think if they had the better battery, they would sell like hot cakes.

Exactly how much are they being subsidised by Google?

 

[_Tom]

I have a similar argument going on in my head but with my current S4 vs a Note3... I want the larger screen but not at that price (fingers crossed the rrp fals towards the new year)

I really need to look at a Note 3 but I think theyre just too big.

 

[cava83]

Exactly how much are they being subsidised by Google?

No idea, but if the LG G2 is £500, I would say that it's been subsidized by quite a bit.

Slightly off topic but good article about the Android controlling open source. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013...ntrolling-open-source-by-any-means-necessary/

 

[welshname]

What on earth makes you think £500 is subsidised?

 

[cava83]

What on earth makes you think £500 is subsidised?

Apologies if that didn't make sense.

What I meant is that if a similar spec phone by LG is £500 and the Nexus 5 is rumored around £250 to £300 for the 16GB, Google must be putting in quite a bit of money.

Or maybe simply, that the LG G2 is a huge mark up.

That is all

 

[sn00p]

Apologies if that didn't make sense.

What I meant is that if a similar spec phone by LG is £500 and the Nexus 5 is rumored around £250 to £300 for the 16GB, Google must be putting in quite a bit of money.

Or maybe simply, that the LG G2 is a huge mark up.

That is all

Neither of them (google or LG) will be selling devices at a loss (in terms of unit price either to end customer or lg to google).

LG will have more considerable more money to recover on the product (development costs etc), but they will be recovering that from their own model which sells at a high margin (i.e to make an overall profit) through standard retail channels and through operators.

Google will have a tiny (if at all) margin on the device, their interest is in pushing content - but we're talking lots of small amounts of money (number of devices * loss per device), so there's no way they could sell the device at a loss and expect to recover this through content sales.

(my opinion)

 

[Renault Wolverhampton]

ive just upgraded my old htc for an xperia z1.
i havent a clue on what the hell its got as im not that good with technology but i cant even turn the alarm off the dam thing

 

[cava83]

Neither of them (google or LG) will be selling devices at a loss (in terms of unit price either to end customer or lg to google).

LG will have more considerable more money to recover on the product (development costs etc), but they will be recovering that from their own model which sells at a high margin (i.e to make an overall profit) through standard retail channels and through operators.

Google will have a tiny (if at all) margin on the device, their interest is in pushing content - but we're talking lots of small amounts of money (number of devices * loss per device), so there's no way they could sell the device at a loss and expect to recover this through content sales.

(my opinion)

Not too dissimilar to what I am saying.

Nexus 5 selling for cheaper than it should be.

LG G2 higher markup, making up the difference.

The old Samsung Nexus S was apparently sold at a loss, simply to drive the market a bit more. Google can afford to do that.

Isn't Google's Fibre service sold at a loss?

Nevertheless, I am looking forward to the device when it is released. Both a combination of the Stock OS and the cheaper price.

Had the iPhone 5C been £350 or so, I would have snapped that up.

But being a nerd, I am interested to see how Android has evolved.

 

[sn00p]

Not too dissimilar to what I am saying.

Nexus 5 selling for cheaper than it should be.

LG G2 higher markup, making up the difference.

The old Samsung Nexus S was apparently sold at a loss, simply to drive the market a bit more. Google can afford to do that.

Isn't Google's Fibre service sold at a loss?

Nevertheless, I am looking forward to the device when it is released. Both a combination of the Stock OS and the cheaper price.

Had the iPhone 5C been £350 or so, I would have snapped that up.

But being a nerd, I am interested to see how Android has evolved.

It's not subsidised though, that's the point. It's just sold at zero margin.

I don't know about google fibre, but something like internet services will have a much higher amount of incoming revenue per month per subscriber compared to a phone user buying a couple of apps a month.* (that's a guess, I have no idea what the average spend per nexus user is).

The Nexus 4 is a brilliant device. Android finally came of age in Jellybean, it was the point that Apple no longer had the best overall experience hands down and by a mile. Not only did the Nexus 4 feel premium and quality, but the OS was slick, coherent and has ultimately configurable.

Apple have been treading water with the OS for the past couple of revisions, iOS6 was abysmal, no wonder forstall was made to walk the plank.

It was the tipping (breaking) point for me, prior to that and the lack of decent android handsets I was an iPhone user for life. Android caught up, went past. Apple are committing the same acts that Nokia, Sony, Blackberry have all been guilty of in the past, treading water.

I think the 5S is decent hardware, but it's still let down by an OS that has changed little barring sporting a new (garish) user interface (who's icons look like they were designed by people in different rooms and then rubber stamped by Stevie Wonder imho). It's a shame, because if the OS was competitive with Android and it had a bigger screen then it'd be a tempting prospect for me.

Lets face it, they (Apple) are going to continue selling iPhones by the bucket load and they're not going anywhere, but at least if you want a premium device they're not the only horse in the race anymore.

Even my wife who loves her iPhone wants a Nexus now.

 

[cava83]

Valid point.

Well, I am hoping to convert.

Are you using the Nexus 4?

The think I like about iOS is that everything seems very logical, in the right sections and the settings menu is clean/clear to use. Account management is easy for email/calendars and all of that.

I think for me, Android, the above is rather complicated but it's been a while since I used it so it's not a fair comparison.

Will you get her the Nexus 5?

 

[sn00p]

Valid point.

Well, I am hoping to convert.

Are you using the Nexus 4?

The think I like about iOS is that everything seems very logical, in the right sections and the settings menu is clean/clear to use. Account management is easy for email/calendars and all of that.

I think for me, Android, the above is rather complicated but it's been a while since I used it so it's not a fair comparison.

Will you get her the Nexus 5?

Everything is logical in Jellybean, unless you're a moron! You can stick your calendar on the screen as a widget, same goes for your inboxes etc.

The fact that it's ultimately configurable means it can operate how you want it to operate. For instance, you have control over what appears on your home screen, you don't have to have the stock apps there if you don't want them!

Apps plugin to different apps as well, so take for instance the gallery you can share pics/videos to Facebook, twitter or whatever application is offering to be a sharing service, not just the limited ones the manufacturer has provided code for.

I use a Nexus 4, will most likely get a 5 because the wife wants my 4!

 

[welshname]

In my opinion the reason LG have priced the phone so high is to compete with the iPhone. Unless your phone is in that price bracket it isn't even looked at because people see it being too cheap to be good.

The reason Google gets away with it is because they're Google. They're a recognised name and seen as the market leader in the Android world when as we know the devices are built by other companies.

 

[Keydogg]

It's not subsidised though, that's the point. It's just sold at zero margin.

Aye, just what I was going to say! My point still stands that the reason a bigger battery hasn't been put in (and the camera is mediocre) is due to cost. If they're going to make a great phone and undercut the competition something has to give, and that's going to be the 'least' important things. As long as they have a kick-ass CPU/RAM/GPU/screen then these will be a bargain at £349.

That said, I would have quite happily seen them put a 1.5x bigger battery in and jack the price another £50, but that would lose impact of the price difference between the N5 and others.

 

[welshname]

I was thinking. If it's going to be the same as the G2 give or take surely you can open the phone up and fit a G2 battery?

 

[Keydogg]

I was thinking. If it's going to be the same as the G2 give or take surely you can open the phone up and fit a G2 battery?

I can pretty much 99.9999999% guarantee that that wouldn't work. Bigger capacity batteries are bigger in size, they don't just cram more into the same size (unless it's a different/older tech). Plus, even if it was the same size, LG would more than likely place the gold connectors in a slightly different place so it couldn't be done. This is what many manufacturers do so that you have to buy new batteries for new equipment rather than ones you already have.

 

[Mr Pants]

These are the reported specs:

(http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/28/5039968/nexus-5-specs-leaked-by-canadian-carrier-wind-mobile)

I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on one of these.

 

[cava83]

These are the reported specs:

(http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/28/5039968/nexus-5-specs-leaked-by-canadian-carrier-wind-mobile)

I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on one of these.

To me, all that looks superb.

Just need to know about the battery. If the 32GB really does have a 3000 version, then I will get that. I doubt it though.

 

[Keydogg]

Yep, I'll be ordering one of these if that's the spec!

 

[Mr Pants]

To me, all that looks superb.

Just need to know about the battery. If the 32GB really does have a 3000 version, then I will get that. I doubt it though.

Battery not an issue for me so looks like I've got pretty much every box ticked. I could probably go 16GB too as I use Spotify and don't take many photos so storage not a huge factor either.

Think I'll be selling my iPad Mini once I get this. 445 ppi is going to make that non-retina display look crap and a near 5" inch display should suffice for stuff like watching TV shows on the train.

In fact if I sell my Mini and get some cash for recycling the iPhone 4 the N5 shouldn't set me back much, if at all.

 

[MicKPM]

That screen will rape the battery... ask any HTC One X owner lol

 

[Clart]

I'm still loving my HTC one. The only complaint is the battery life and the power button position. I can't ever imagine needing a phone to do much more and I love android.