Which Mobile Phone?

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StevePIraq
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by StevePIraq »

Quite agree. I doubt you could trust many smaller shops, they will try to sell you a copy saying it is an original. This is Thailand
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hhinner
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by hhinner »

I bought a GPS battery from batterybay.net 2 years ago and it's still good. Also some camera batteries through AliExpress earlier this year. No problems with them either.
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404cameljockey
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by 404cameljockey »

hhinner wrote: Tue Nov 28, 2017 7:09 pm I bought a GPS battery from batterybay.net 2 years ago and it's still good. Also some camera batteries through AliExpress earlier this year. No problems with them either.
I congratulate you on your good luck, as far as I'm concerned buying a replacement battery from anywhere other than the phone manufacturer is just throwing the dice, and don't be too shocked if you get one of the dud ones in the box (I do it too, of course). :)
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Re: RE: Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by hhinner »

404cameljockey wrote:
hhinner wrote: Tue Nov 28, 2017 7:09 pm I bought a GPS battery from batterybay.net 2 years ago and it's still good. Also some camera batteries through AliExpress earlier this year. No problems with them either.
I congratulate you on your good luck, as far as I'm concerned buying a replacement battery from anywhere other than the phone manufacturer is just throwing the dice, and don't be too shocked if you get one of the dud ones in the box (I do it too, of course). :)
Obviously it's best to get an original but it's not always possible. Batterybay.net seems reputable and sells original branded batteries, not at dirt cheap prices, but probably cheaper than branded ones in MV (which might be fake anyway, even if available).
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hhfarang
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by hhfarang »

The new Land Rover...

https://landroverexplore.com/
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by VincentD »

Haha. And here I was, thinking it would have four wheels..
Many other rugged smartphones on the market, CAT comes to mind. Don't think too many of us would really want that amount of bulk in the pocket for day-to-day use.
I've ditched my 5" Acer phone and got the Sony Xperia Z3 compact (4.6" screen) back. More than happy with the size and it is (sort of) waterproof. Only drawback as far as I am concerned is the built-in battery, but battery life is still better than most.
YMMV.
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mariad
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by mariad »

I am still using my Sony Xperia Z3 Compact. Works great. Although it has started to age but is good.
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by buksida »

Chinese phones star at Thailand Mobile Expo

New Chinese smartphone makers are keen to increase their footprint in Thailand's saturated smartphone market worth 108 billion baht via the Thailand Mobile Expo.

"Nearly 50% of the smartphone market comes from the retail channel and the rest is through mobile operators so there is opportunity for new players, especially the Chinese brands," Opas Chadpun, chief executive of M Vision Plc, organiser of Thailand Mobile Expo at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.

At least 11 new smartphone models are expected to be introduced at the four-day event, May 24-27, to stimulate demand in the second quarter.

Top features for the new phones are cameras, artificial intelligence (AI) and biometric authentication such as using fingerprints.

AI-camera smartphones can detect objects, learn what they are, and adjust the photo mode automatically for better pictures, he said.

Smartphones priced 10,000-15,000 baht control over 50% of the market.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/ne ... obile-expo
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buksida
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by buksida »

What's the latest on mobile phones of choice? Will need to replace my Lenovo in the next month or so, it has lasted 2 and a half years which apparently is pretty good for a smartphone. The device is actually ok but the battery is shot, a replacement one behaved the same leading me to believe the software/device has been manipulated to prevent the battery charging properly.

Looking at the following;

Samsung J7 Pro
Samsung J8
Samsung A8

Looking at spending around 8-9k. Would consider other brands such as Oppo, Huawei, Asus or VIvo but concerned about battery quality/life.

Thoughts/experiences on a postcard appreciated ...
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Big Boy
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by Big Boy »

I've recently purchased a Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime - 5190 Baht from Lazada. It does everything I need of a smartphone, has a decent camera and in the 2.5 months I've had it, I have charged once a week - really impressive. Only downside is the cheap ones were pink, but you don't notice inside a case.

Apologies if its too cheap for you, but I don't know what else your average user does with their phone, so why pay silly amounts?
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by VincentD »

Mid-range phones (like the one BB is using) now have similar specs to the flagship models, and are usually slightly smaller in size. The flagships are now too big to fit in my hip pocket comfortably so I am soldiering on with the Sony Xperia Z3 compact. That was a flagship phone in it's day, and for what I use it for, is more than adequate.

Battery life was always a concern, and the more powerful ones tend to run it down much faster so I am sticking with what I know/have. Other things you will want (at least for me) is a slot for an added SD card for memory expansion and decent RAM, at least 3-4G. A 3.5" earphone jack is an added bonus as many of the newer ones will use the USB-C charging port with an adapter cable for earphones. Not that you'd really want to charge the thing while using the earphones, though.
GPS is a standard in most phones now, but good to look out for phones that support GLONASS and the Chinese BeiDou constellations. Most phones are fairly standard but the Chinese brands tend use their own modified version of Android so is something I avoid. Apple is also not on my list as I feel it is a fairly closed platform.

List what you need from the phone first, then start looking at what fits your needs. Don't make the mistake of brand-name shopping, most phones are quite similar in specifications for a particular price range.

My priorities are:
Battery life (note that most phone batteries are built-in these days so replacement will be a hassle)
Size - for me 5" is comfortable. I don't watch movies on my phone but do use social media and email checking
SD card expansion - but you do need at least 32G internal memory as some stuff can't be saved to the SD card
RAM, at least 3G
3.5" jack - I also use this to plug into my car AUX jack so I can make hands-free calls with social media platforms too. Bluetooth only works with standard phone calls.
Android - the real one.
GPS capability

Nice to have:
NFC capability
OTG cable compatibility
Wireless charging/ fast charge capability
Decent camera, but is not on my priority list.
Water resistance - just in case

Hope you find something to serve you for the next two years..
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JohnD
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by JohnD »

Most mobile phones are too big for me; carried in my trouser front pocket pulling down on my elasticated waistband, difficult to remove/insert, possible testicular damage, etc.

I decided that 135 grams weight and 5.2 inch screen were suitable maximums, but not much choice with these statistics. Plus, I think $200 is enough for a mobile phone (being used as a secondary device) – I much prefer to sit in front of my Microsoft Surface 2017 with keyboard for internet stuff.

I bought a ZTE A512 (at MV Banana IT shop) and a Redmi (Xiaomi) 5A (at MV IBIZ shop) both satisfy my criteria above and cost about 3,200 Baht each.
Really satisfied with both, 2GB of RAM and 16 GB storage, camera is 13 MPA (but I feel it’s something less than that). Long battery life (non-replaceable), with front notification light.
Not much on the internet about the ZTE A512, but plenty about the Redmi 5A – a budget favourite.

As for batteries in general, I bought a 400 Baht replacement battery for Samsung Note 4 in MV – almost useless. I bought a Nexus 7 (2013) battery from HK/China over the internet, put it in myself and the Nexus 7 is as good as new (hopefully for another 5 years).
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by JohnD »

buksida wrote: Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:07 pm What's the latest on mobile phones of choice? Will need to replace my Lenovo in the next month or so, it has lasted 2 and a half years which apparently is pretty good for a smartphone. The device is actually ok but the battery is shot, a replacement one behaved the same leading me to believe the software/device has been manipulated to prevent the battery charging properly.

Looking at the following;

Samsung J7 Pro
Samsung J8
Samsung A8

Looking at spending around 8-9k. Would consider other brands such as Oppo, Huawei, Asus or VIvo but concerned about battery quality/life.

Thoughts/experiences on a postcard appreciated ...
I think that Samsung are overpriced for what they are.
How about a cheaper ‘China phone’?
Jay Mart in MV have a MOTO G5s Plus reduced from 10,000 to 6,000.
Good specs and good reviews - being run out, now superceded by the Motorola 6 models.
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barrys
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by barrys »

A few months ago, I bought a Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A Prime for the equivalent of 5500 baht - been very happy with it so far...
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buksida
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by buksida »

Thanks for the comments. I don't want to 'down spec' so the next device should be better hardware than the current one.

It gets a fair bit of use so the only concern with the cheaper Chinese phones is the substandard batteries. This was really the only fault with my current phone (which is not a Samsung) though I now believe it is engineered to die after a certain number of charge cycles or a set time - in this case 2 years. We all know how Apple manipulate their software to purposely slow their phones down. Another concern with cheaper Chinese phones is their hacked version of Android which could contain all kinds of hidden nasties.

Good points VincentD, never thought about the phono jack which I do use, and the rest of your list pretty much fits the bill.
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