Need a audiophile mobile under 25k.

S

sidz2bt

Disciple
Hello All,

Its been 3 years since my last phone upgrade and i am starting to feel kinda limited limited by my 32 gig 3GS(Stuck at 4.2.1). I am really impressed with JB but as an avid music and podcast listener, i like the openess of Android. So here's my requirement:


Questions:-
1. Q: Budget?
A: 25k

2. Q: Preferred Form Factor(flip, bar, slider)?
A: Bar

3. Q: Preferred display type?
A: Doesn't matter as long as its a HD screen. Super AMOLED or LED..

4. Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them.
A: I want to stay away from Indian brands mainly because of the audio SOC. I heard most of them and thye were not able to power my M3's or my eh150's.

5. Q: Preferred input method (Touchscreen, QWERTY, etc.)?
A: Touchscreen

6. Q: Camera required or not? If required, please specify type like front camera/flash/etc.
A: A decent camera. Need a flash to use as a touch.

7. Q: Preferred operating system? (Android, Symbian, iOS, Windows Phone etc).
A: Android JB to be specific. (Love Project Butter)

8. Q: Preferred connectivity options? (3G, Wifi, Edge etc).
A: 3G, WIFI, EDGE,NFC.

9. Q: What is your intended use for this phone(internet, camera, multimedia, mails, etc)?
A: My primary purpose is music (Flac and 320kbps mp3 files) . I listen to a lot of commercial and non commercial music. Many from different sources). So i need a decent DAC that can power my C12's, M3's and my overused eh150's ithout an issue. (So Wolfman DAC is preferred)
Downloading torrents.
Need exceptional call quality.
Lesser than 5inch screen.
Audiobooks from Audible
Occasional gaming.
Whatsapp,Viber, FB
Multitasking.
TV Shows and Videos.
Modding.

10. Q: Any other requirements?
A: Need a removable battery.
Expandable memory (Atleast 64 gig)
I have a rant on all the new flagship phones. They have space for all the technology but they couldnt squeze in a memeory slot???

11. Q: If you have already considered a phone then please mention the model.
A: So far Samsung S3 was the only one that fit all my requirment. The 9300 model also has a Wolfson Audio hub/codec (WM1811AE) which is expected to get Voodoo support soon. That should be powerful enough for my audio needs IMO. But i am open for your suggestions and thoughts. I found a Red S3 on flipkart for 27.5k. Are there better deals now anywhere? Please advice.

As always, i love all you guys and i am looking forward for some more gyaan from the gyaani's :)

Regards,

Sidz
 
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The S3 (and a few other droids) will allow you to use some USB DAC's with an OTG cable. Look at the linked posts here: Android phones and USB DACs Note that rooted droids don't yet support USB audio at a kernel level.

Natively, Apple still has the edge but the S3/Ativ S and some of the older Sony Ericsson models have the best RMAA performance among droids. Spend some time on GSMarena, those guys test phones for audio quality using RMAA and a little bit of subjective comments. If you are to believe them, stay away from the HTC/Beats set of phones if you value accuracy.

I use a SE Xperia Mini Pro and though I don't care for cans at all, the line out is OK for very casual listening. I can say it's very easy to beat using even a basic DAC.
 
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These are the preferred choices according to SQ :

1) Iphone 4S

2) hTc One S/One X (US Version) ---> Beats disabled

3) Samsung Galaxy S3/Note II International Version

What cranky said is completely possible with OTG cables - HTC One X
 
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