Budget 20-25K Need a sturdy quad core android

[phunguus]

Im currently of the opinion that top brands grossly overprice their stuff. If I dont get any good phones by the time this thread dies, ill go get the Canvas HD.

1. Budget?
A: ~25k for a good branded phone OR ~13k for a cheap rebranded phone(read canvas hd)

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

3. Preferred display type?
A: Sharp & clear screen(atleast 250ppi) with IPS and a strong glass covering. Size strictly between 4”-5”.

4. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them.
A: None.

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: Not a priority. No of MPs doent matter to me. Just that low light snaps should come out good.

7. Preferred operating system? (Android, Symbian, iOS, Windows Phone etc).
A: Android (as close to 4.2 as possible)

8. Preferred connectivity options? (3G, Wifi, Edge etc).
A: EDGE, wifi, 3G in that order. Don't need 4G.

9. What is your intended use for this phone(internet, camera, multimedia, mails, etc)?
A: Average 1h calling per day. Apart from that music(FM radio included), frequent gaming, videos, some pdfs and regular internet surfing.

10. Any other requirements?
A: Quad core, alteast 1GB RAM, lots of dedicated space for apps (cant put a number but planning to load some heavy apps and games), shouldnt be a problem getting android updates(custom rom works for me), strong battery, should survive occasional falls.
Don't care if its a single SIM/dual SIM.

11. Q: If you have already considered a phone then please mention the model.
A: Had nexus 4 in mind but it doesnt have expandable storage.

12. Current Phone(s)?
A: Nokia 5530 XpressMusic(5800's trimmed version). Using it since april 2010 (thats 3 years 4months). Never been on android before.

Notes:-
1. If i spend 25k, ill expect to stay with it for atleast 2years.
2. As I said, I feel top brands overprice their stuff. Open for debate on this.
3. I know most of the quad cores are 5" but i feel 4.5" is the sweet spot for my palm size.
4. Have a colleague coming from USA in dec 1st week, anything interesting releasing in that time over there? Ready to wait if its worth it.

Thanks.

 

[acerulz]

Folder mount works like a charm though saves me almost 20GB of space for my games which can be moved to SD card and used perfectly with it , even if u update the rom just backup the Folder mount app with Titanium backup and when u restore everything remains intact , no connections or settings needs to be done after restoring! still u have any doubts feel free to ask will help u out 4 sure !
@blr_p which update are u mentioning btw , the app one or the phone update ?

 

[blr_p]

Ahh, this is what i was hoping for, the idea is to swap internal for external, elegant.

As far as the OS is concerned its none the wiser. eternomind said there was lagging. Is a micro-sd card really that slow when it comes to games and reading from the Sd card.

I meant OS update. Technically should be ok, but in this game expect surprises

How would you persuade somebody that this will be acceptable if they buy a phone with less memory ? Any downsides to consider.

Oh and btw G2 launches in NYC on the 7th, its got volume buttons around the camera (!)

Seems we've still not reached a consensus where buttons are to be placed on this device.[DOUBLEPOST=1375287354][/DOUBLEPOST]Take a look at this

Paranoid android's HALO. Amazing !!

I just KNOW this is going to make an appearance in some variant or another in android 5.0

How to get paranoid android on the optimus g or ZL ?

 

[terence_fdes]

@blr_p @acerulz @vivek.krishnan @amitkher @eternoMind @sarthakk250193 Would this FolderMount app solve @terence_fdes's (infact everyone's for that matter) problem of low internal storage?
CAVEAT:- REQUIRES ROOT

Aahhh Ha.. a Caveat

- Of course, I do accept that the ONLY way to move ahead is to "Change the original rigid os" or tinker around with other solutions..... (still not my cuppa tea) & apologies

This debate has really been very interesting & I do not think we can ever arrive at a "fool-proof" solution that exists. There would always be the new & unknown 'X' factor - when somethings may not work perfectly..... [A Rule applicable to everything in Life].

I have to admit @blr_p's reasoning (although difficult to comprehend at times owing to a conflicting & spiral argument) does re-iterate some fundamental facts - I would like to highlight it from his last post

Start reading from here

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2192122

179 pages later you will have a very good idea of what is possible.

Will save the reading for another day .... when I am free (so apologies for now)

In the big picture, rooting is the easiest bit. Lets get past that.

True - a GetFix solution.

Once rooted and using folder mount how well does it work ? That's a harder question and very app dependent.

Ditto ... true

Future updates will break that functionality requiring you to wait for fixes because google does not want you to do that.

It's a virtual nightmare to identify and keep fixing all the possible permutations & combinations of problems.

So don't update until a fix is available.

Well, how many of us would resist this ? Or still go ahead and update .... only to realise that some problems have been solved...BUT NOW new one's have cropped !!!

You can see that this becomes tedious after a while.

Of Course ....

 

[0.0]

Halo is good but slows down the phone. Have to disable it. Alos HALO is nothing but multi-window which is already in the S3 and other sammy phones.

 

[sarthakk250193]

Halo is good but slows down the phone. Have to disable it. Alos HALO is nothing but multi-window which is already in the S3 and other sammy phones.

Which phone??Mine seems to run fine on nexus 4

 

[vivek.krishnan]

I've already shown the issues about S advance & Note 2 series so now i'm moving to the Pantech Burst, S2 & S3. This will show an overview for 5 models and their status as far as custom ROMs are concerned.


Looking at the CM repository, one finds there is NO official build for the pantech burst. Instead we have an unofficial build. So its not the a-team working on this but the pickup team. So it will take them longer to get things stable.

It works on CM10 which is 4.1.2, the Burst came out Jan 2012 with GB and was upgraded to ICS. The CM10 allows you to go from ICS to JB 4.1.2

How mature is this unofficial CM10 build for pantech ? where along the cycle is it, between nightlies, RC or stable ?

Given its an unofficial build what are the chances it will see 4.2.2 or even 4.3 and how stable will it be ? An official build would have made it more clear. But then for a 10k device its not a problem. just chuck it and get another if nothing more is forthcoming. Not an option with a 25k+ device and two years.

Take a look at android's release history and see what does 2 years entail.

1.0 came out Sept 2009
2.0 came out Oct 2009 ( 1 year later)
3.0 came out Feb 2011 (1.5 years later)
4.0 came out Oct 2011 (not even a year)
5.0 to come out Oct 2013 (2 years later)

buy a model today or soon, comes with 4.1 or 4.2, In October this year android 5.0 comes out. What about a year later ? They took two years with the 4.0 iteration. Will the 5.0 take 1 or two years. If so then a device with enough hw today should be able to last 2 years.

Otherwise your device has to be able to accept 6.0. I don't know how to do that even with the present Nexus 4. Maybe with the next nexus 4. I think 5.3 is feasible with quad core, 2GB RAM and the right device but not 6.0

Can only get one OS upgrade 4.3 ->5.3 and thats it. The hw won't be able to handle further even if you get the best spec'd device today. How long the device lasts is upto to how fast Google wants to bring out 6.0


Galaxy S II & Galaxy Note to get Android 4.2.2, Android 5.0 for the Galaxy S III & Galaxy Note II

The S3 is to get KLP. Interesting, 1GB model but quad core will get KLP. There is a stable CM9.1 for S3, what OS does CM9.1 use ? ICS. Stock is already on 4.1.2 for the S3. Exynos issues are considerable. If it was Snapdragon CM pushed out stable versions in a couple of months with the xperias. AOKP too.

The S2 is to end with 4.2.2. So what is CM's status with S2, they have CM10.1 but only nightlies no stable builds. CM10.1 is 4.2.2, you're better off sticking with stock. Dual core & 1GB will not get 5.0


Tell that to the guy who seems intent on challenging me. Should i ignore him or defend my positions.

The CM10 build is extremely good, except for one minor bug about videoplayback over LAN. Apart from that, I find no issues with it, the battery life is decent too.

Its unofficial, yes. I dont see how the CM team can keep doing official builds for many devices. So, someone has to pickup the slack. As the build depends on volunteers working on it, expect time between updates to be considerably more. Ditto for other builds too - like Slim.

As for builds, I feel that 4.2 is mostly a yes, since people are working on the kernel. But it depends on people working on it and getting it running.

As for the rest - I dont know.

 

[amitkher]

Well, how many of us would resist this ? Or still go ahead and update .... only to realise that some problems have been solved...BUT NOW new one's have cropped !!!

Actually, exactly for this reason, at least unlocking the bootloader and installing a recovery is very essential. It gives you an opportunity of a COMPLETE backup and store it away from the phone, which no other solution does as easily. Using that recovery, typically you can even install the original ROM back, unrooted, so all the issues with custom ROMs are not necessary to deal with right away.

Any issue, and just roll back completely.

 

[phunguus]

ok guys.... after a lot thinking, waiting and trying out available devices, i think it would be best if i get a phone now from india instead of waiting till nov end an d getting a phone from the US. The only thing worth waiting for was the Nexus 5 but if nexus 5 is gonna be based on LG G2, then it's way too big for me and frankly im better off without it.
So I've narrowed down my choices to nexus 4 & optimus g E975.
N4 vs Optimus G:-
- Nexus 4 will get instant updates where as optimus G wont.
- Nexus has a relatively poorer battery life
- Nexus's rounded edge design is more comfortable for extended usage.
- Nexus has 16GB vs Optimus's 32 GB.
- Nexus has a lower MP camera but the snaps are more or less the same.
- Nexus would require a custom ROM to get a UI as decent as LG's stock UI.
- Nexus is cheaper (budget ~25k).
- Nexus does NOT have radio whereas E975 does.
- Nexus is relatively less fragile than the Optimus G.

So as of now, im leaning towards the optimus G. My only concerns are:-
1. Infibeam has the least price amongst all online stores. But is infibeam a hassle free & reliable seller?
2. Does Optimus G have an active dev community?
3. Anything else that i might have missed...?

 

[blr_p]

Difficult decision. Still i'd say take some more time to read the fourms in XDA and see the concerns people may have.

At this point in time i'm in between ZL or optimus G.

The 32GB on the optimus G is good because you have 23GB available as opposed to 9-12GB on other phones. Tricky bit is deciding whether the sd card matters or not.

2. Does Optimus G have an active dev community?

This comes under original android development for any device.

I see 3 ROMs there, CM & Xenon are stable. There is one more too.

Go through the xenon & Cm threads to understand what 'stable' means. The presence of an 'official' and 'stable' build is reassuring. Because i'm under the impression LG does just one update and moves on.

 

[baccilus]

@terence_fdes i agree with you. Custom roms are generally a waste of time. Something or the other does not work + the risk of bricking your device (I bricked my samsung galaxy 3 once). The best experiences are out of the box experiences.

I disagree with you on that. I have an HTC one V which was unusable for me on the default ROM because of low specs. It works perfectly with Slim bean and seldom slows down in spite of really limited specs.

 

[baccilus]

@terence_fdes i agree with you. Custom roms are generally a waste of time. Something or the other does not work + the risk of bricking your device (I bricked my samsung galaxy 3 once). The best experiences are out of the box experiences.

I disagree with you on that. I have an HTC one V which was unusable for me on the default ROM because of low specs. It works perfectly with Slim bean and seldom slows down in spite of really limited specs.

 

[blr_p]

The only thing worth waiting for was the Nexus 5 but if nexus 5 is gonna be based on LG G2, then it's way too big for me and frankly im better off without it.

it's not clear to what extent the nexus 5 will copy the G2. G2 has a 5.2 inch screen and is the still the same size as a S4, mostly because of non-existent bezels. Play with the S4, is that too big or not.

- Nexus's rounded edge design is more comfortable for extended usage.

Can be resolved with a bumper case or slip on for the otimus g. For the best selection you will have to import these from abroad. You will have to use a case with either as the glass back tends to be quite slippery. Also its very easy for sand to scratch glass.

 

[phunguus]

Difficult decision. Still i'd say take some more time to read the fourms in XDA and see the concerns people may have.

At this point in time i'm in between ZL or optimus G.

The 32GB on the optimus G is good because you have 23GB available as opposed to 9-12GB on other phones. Tricky bit is deciding whether the sd card matters or not.


This comes under original android development for any device.

I see 3 ROMs there, CM & Xenon are stable. There is one more too.

Go through the xenon & Cm threads to understand what 'stable' means. The presence of an 'official' and 'stable' build is reassuring. Because i'm under the impression LG does just one update and moves on.

Ofcourse the SD card matters. I already have 3 sd cards totalling 20gb with different kinds of data. Anytime i want something, i just pop in the relevant card. But with expandable storage not a viable option, i will have to spend more time on deciding what i really want. Wonder if USB on the go is an option for me?

it's not clear to what extent the nexus 5 will copy the G2. G2 has a 5.2 inch screen and is the still the same size as a S4, mostly because of non-existent bezels. Play with the S4, is that too big or not.

Can be resolved with a bumper case or slip on for the otimus g. For the best selection you will have to import these from abroad. You will have to use a case with either as the glass back tends to be quite slippery. Also its very easy for sand to scratch glass.

Any recommendations on the bumper case? G, S4, G2 all are subtly, but progressively bigger than each other. And anyways G2 is priced at 600 eur now ie ~50k INR. US will be cheaper...say 45k. And even if google prices it cheaper like nexus 4, it will be atleast 40k INR. Too much for me .

Anyways, what say about infibeam? Street price here in navi mumbai is 26990. Will try to haggle and see if i can bring it mid 25s


EDIT:- Just saw croma online store selling optimus g at 25k!

 

[blr_p]

Wonder if USB on the go is an option for me?

You might be able to get adapters that allow sd cards. An interesting idea.

It isn't so much OTG but USB host functionality that must be supported on the handsets.

OTG means the phone is a source of power to any accessory attached like for modems but you just want card reading ability. Be careful here because its easy to damage the micro usb port if you're clumsy. Things sticking out of devices is usually an accident waiting to happen especially with mobiles.

Other thing is the optimus g has capacitive buttons and not virtual ones like the nexus 4 so holding the handset upside down will not reorient the buttons.

Any recommendations on the bumper case? G, S4, G2 all are subtly, but progressively bigger than each other. And anyways G2 is priced at 600 eur now ie ~50k INR. US will be cheaper...say 45k. And even if google prices it cheaper like nexus 4, it will be atleast 40k INR. Too much for me .

Optimus G accessories

Suggest you pick the colour of the phone based on the accessories you can get.

Anyways, what say about infibeam? Street price here in navi mumbai is 26990. Will try to haggle and see if i can bring it mid 25s

No idea but from what i've seen in shops the optimus price seems pretty fixed.

EDIT:- Just saw croma online store selling optimus g at 25k!

Its the white one. Cheaper than the nexus 4, hmm.[DOUBLEPOST=1376256526][/DOUBLEPOST]Hard to believe that something like this does not exist already (!)

Mini MicroSD Reader for Android Smartphones & Tablets | Kickstarter