Budget Above 25K A high-end Sony or LG Phone?

B

braingerm

Recruit
Hey guys, I am looking forward to sell off my old Nexus S and switch on to a new brand. So the Nexus S' amount will be reduced from the phone itself. This could be preferably a Sony or an LG... no Samsung please because I need to experience a new UI. I want it mainly for clicking great pics and high quality music (have JVC Marshmallow earphones to go with that). Also, where in Mumbai can I get a good buyback deal?

Questions:-
1. Budget?
A: 25k-30k (including the price of old Nexus S)
2. Preferred Form Factor(flip, bar, slider)?
A: Bar
3. Preferred display type?
A: TFT/LCD
4. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them.
A: Sony/LG
5. Preferred input method (Touchscreen, QWERTY, etc.)?
A: Touchscreen
6. Camera required or not? If required, please specify type like front camera/flash/etc.
A: Required a 8MP-13MP camera. Flash.
7. Preferred operating system? (Android, Symbian, iOS, Windows Phone etc).
A: Android
8. Preferred connectivity options? (3G, Wifi, Edge etc).
A: 3G.
9. What is your intended use for this phone(internet, camera, multimedia, mails, etc)?
A: Camera, music and internet.
10. Any other requirements?
A: S
11. If you have already considered a phone then please mention the model.
A: Very confused between Xperia family. Few sub-25k+ LG phones are also great.
 
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ZL has a better camera than the G. It also has a dedicated camera button which the G does not have, if that matters.

In terms of battery both are similar which is a plus for the ZL given its full HD bigger screen compared to the optimus g's HD and smaller screen. If you can live with poorer viewing angles of the ZL, it seems the better option as it also allows for 64GB micro sd cards.

The ROM scene is similar as well, both have stable CM's. ZL came out a few months ago, optimus G has been out since much longer. So the dev scene with the ZL will overtake the G as it can build upon what exists for the Z. Sony is developer friendly.

However the disassembly picture is different. The G is easier to disassemble and battery replace than the ZL. The ZL is easier than the Z or ZR. The ZR has a replaceable battery and the best battery life but its camera isn't as good as the g.

Forget the water resistant Z or ZR. Sony will not replace the unit if water gets in because a seal was not properly closed. Those seals lose their ability to seal over time and are not user replaceable. Repair costs for the Z with broken screen are 50% cost of the device, same applies even for a broken charging port. Leading me to think Z & ZR are much harder to put back and retain the water resistant ability. So i'm hoping picture for ZL will be different.

I'm in the same boat here btw. Optimus G vs ZL.
 
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if you guys are of impression that xperia z and zl have a great camera than you are mistaken. pics are until they are taken outdoors. indoor pics sucks they are very grainy. DOnt go by sony exmor RS sensor it sucks i sold my xperia Z yesterday only for 26000. choice is yours if camera and music is your priority xperia z sucks in both department. HTC ONE has very good sound and S4 too but they are well ahead of the budget. S4 is available online for 33000 though
 
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True, the problem is the excessive compression that xperia does that's why you get the grainy pics. So we are waiting for sony to release camera sources so that things can be improved. Or failing which allow the user to set the image compression level.

So what will replace your xperia Z now ?

HTC one or S4 are great for video & camera. Z & ZL are good but not great.

HTC one is the only unit to have front facing speakers which means sound wise it beats everybody.
 
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Mate.. go for LG Optimus G Pro, its an amazing device.. The performance is just incredible. Have been using the same for past 20 days.. yet to come across any sort of lag, reboot, crash or hang..rock solid performance. Dont fall for Bench marks that other high end devices score they are just half the truth. check this very forum you find so many issues with devices like samusng galaxy s4, Xperia z etc..

This device works buttery smooth all the time what ever task you throw at it.. be it heavy gaming, multitasking, Hd Recording, clicking photos or any resource intensive activity. It just blazes through..

Throughly enjoying my purchase,:D

Some of the pros and cons (very minute tough).

PROS:

1). Stunning Full HD Display, which outputs crystal clear videos, pics so close to reality. Far cry from samsung amoleds which produce oversaturated unreal, unlife like images.. (have used galaxy s, Galaxy s2, Galaxy s3, Galaxy Note 2 in past.. so talking from experience not hear say)..

2). Ultra smooth touch response. The best seen on any android period.

3). Very impressive battery life @ 3140 mah, eaisly lasts through the day and beyond ( Slightly below note 2, but this has a 1080 p screen so quite understand ble)

4). Lg's optimus UI is very well optimized, making it a pleasure to use, responsiveness is just incredible. not like shitty touch wiz or heavly skinned sense UI of HTC.

5). Good Camera performance, images come out nice and crisp. Though expected better results from the 13 mp cam.. still very much above average.

6).Powerfull hardware specs, will help this device provide more legs to last longer.

7).Very clean and balanced audio output and overall brilliant multimedia performance.

Cons:

1).Slightly subpar low light camera performance.

2).Hard Buttons placement slightly awkward.

3). Bundled IEMs are not overtly impressive.

Hope this post help you in your purchase.
 
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@OP - Do let us know what is the max screen size you will be comfortable with. The LG Optimus G pro is a good phone but at 5.5 inches its too big IMO for a lot of people.

Honestly looking at people talking on such big devices in public looks a bit weird to me. :p

I mean look at the size of the phone ! -

LG_Optimus_G_Pro-1.jpg
 
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Anything 4.7'' ... agree 5.5'' is unacceptable as a phone device ...

Guys after reading all your posts, my confusion remains the same... however it's shocking to know Xperia has bad camera quality as well as average sound quality. I think Xperia only excels in making slick-looking devices...

Damn am I seeing myself owning a Nexus 4?
 
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I would not say xperia camera is bad, its just not great indoors without a flash. Something a lot of phones suffer from due to small sensor size. As for sound the waterproof models Z & ZR have a weaker speaker compared to the ZL. When i was playing with the Z, the sound would cut out for no reason until i learned how to hold it properly. Don't like where they placed the speaker on the Z. Sony provides good in-ear buds as far as stock buds go.

There is also the Xperia Ii to be announced next month. This one is a real dark horse.

G Pro looks like a very nice device. User replaceable battery is a good point and repairability is better since they went with a samsung design. No FM on the Indian models though which is a pity. Outdoors visibiilty requires 50% brightness or more as its a less bright display than the intl version. The dev scene with this model is an open question as its quite recently launched. LG will only provide one OS update if their past history is any indicator. So community support is a must.
 
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Optimus G or Optimus G Pro! But the 5.5" factor is just weird! I know more screen real estate but as @Brendon said it just looks weird to see someone talking on a big phone. The Optimus G is a very capable phone and in your daily usage i dont think the specs of the phone matter much. Music quality on G and G pro is good. Camera i would have to say the S4 triumphs and so does the HTC one.
Also since you want a good camera and music phone why not try getting a HTC One Google edition. That way you get the camera and music quality from HTC while your UI is stock android and you get the latest updates when they roll out. :) Give this a thought.
Galaxy S4 also has a Google Edition so no touchwiz there but you enjoy the hardware power of the S4!

Look at this, HTC One and S4 Google Play editions already getting 4.3 !!!
http://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/new...samsung-galaxy-s4-google-play-editions-401409
 
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Lg optimus g at &t version is available on eBay with seller warranty for 20k.
I don't want to hijack this thread but can someone please clarify if the 3g bands will be supported in India?
 
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