Budget 20-25K Need a sturdy quad core android

phunguus

Disciple
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.
 
Does a model with a non-user replaceable battery have less chances of recovering from a brick than one that has a battery ?


Read it again then. Your post deals with just the first para.
Doesn't help that you haven't clarified whether in the first "para" you were asking a question or telling something to people. In the very second paragraph, see : "How do you ensure or lets say increase the chances that custom ROMS will support all the components of your device.". Not only is it not followed by a question mark, it is followed by your opinion on the same topic. Not sure if you are asking or telling.

In the overall tone of the post (many of yours in this thread), it is tough to make out whether you are asking or telling.

This is especially dangerous in your case because you immediately become a question asker from an answerer when your facts are disputed. Then you have to be reminded many times to admit you were wrong. Meanwhile anyone can take it as an opinion of a well-informed member of the forum.

Samsung will not release drivers for exynos, unlike qualcomm with the snapdragon. i'd have picked up an S4 without much thinking otherwise. I've been forced to look at qualcomm offerings as a result.

Then you could say that they are not cooperating. Words have meaning for a purpose, and "adversary" is extremely incorrect to use in this context.
 
Then you have to be reminded many times to admit you were wrong.
Lets get into that shall we. Many times ? Nah.

Is what i said any more misleading than what you are pushing ?

Updates available that may be buggy or no point in updating because its not reliable.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE :mad:

What i'm doing there is challenging the conventional wisdom that 3rd party updates can be relied on.

Oh yes, you never said it would be a flawless experience, but thats of little comfort isn't it. If it isn't reliable then its as good as not there.[DOUBLEPOST=1375023049][/DOUBLEPOST]
Then you could say that they are not cooperating. Words have meaning for a purpose, and "adversary" is extremely incorrect to use in this context.
It means don't hold your breath on 3rd party updates with an exynos processor. Its been close to a year for note 2 series & tabs, nothing. Ain't gonna happen. Fortunately these models come with 2GB so i'd expect a 5.0 update from the vendor.
 
Lets get into that shall we. Many times ? Nah.

Is what i said any more misleading than what you are pushing ?

Updates available that may be buggy or no point in updating because its not reliable.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE :mad:

Do you have proof that all the custom ROMs ever released are buggy?

It means don't hold your breath on 3rd party updates with an exynos processor.
Do you have proof that "adversary" means "don't hold your breath" ?
 
ok i finally went to reliance digital, got my hands on nexus 4...everything is a breeze on it, albeit the UI looked a little outdated. Must be because of the stock android. It was listed at 25,999.
Also tried out xperia ZR. Also a cool phone but a complete fingerprint magnet. Lock the phone, bounce some light off it and you will see millions of fingerprint marks some of which i couldn't even wipe off. This one was listed at 29,999,
They didn't have any Optimus phones. Also had plans to go to the croma store but rains played spoilsport.
I have a few Qs/clarifications on the nexus. But before that NOOB ALERT!! :bag: :-
1. There is no numerical limit to the number of android updates a nexus can get right? This is provided that the hardware is good enough to handle the update.
2. I'm a little confused about rooting and nexus. I have the understanding that rooting is done to get super admin rights without which the unwanted bloatware cant be removed. Since the nexus is technically a pure stock android device, there will be no bloatware thats for sure. But will I by default have super admin rights to install custom ROMS or will that require rooting too?
3. LG will not void the warranty if i root the nexus right?
 
ok i finally went to reliance digital, got my hands on nexus 4...everything is a breeze on it, albeit the UI looked a little outdated. Must be because of the stock android. It was listed at 25,999.
Also tried out xperia ZR. Also a cool phone but a complete fingerprint magnet. Lock the phone, bounce some light off it and you will see millions of fingerprint marks some of which i couldn't even wipe off. This one was listed at 29,999,
They didn't have any Optimus phones. Also had plans to go to the croma store but rains played spoilsport.
I have a few Qs/clarifications on the nexus. But before that NOOB ALERT!! :bag: :-
1. There is no numerical limit to the number of android updates a nexus can get right? This is provided that the hardware is good enough to handle the update.
2. I'm a little confused about rooting and nexus. I have the understanding that rooting is done to get super admin rights without which the unwanted bloatware cant be removed. Since the nexus is technically a pure stock android device, there will be no bloatware thats for sure. But will I by default have super admin rights to install custom ROMS or will that require rooting too?
3. LG will not void the warranty if i root the nexus right?



You need to root before installing custom ROMS.
You can always unroot your phone before taking it for warranty.
 
ok i finally went to reliance digital, got my hands on nexus 4...everything is a breeze on it, albeit the UI looked a little outdated. Must be because of the stock android. It was listed at 25,999.
Also tried out xperia ZR. Also a cool phone but a complete fingerprint magnet. Lock the phone, bounce some light off it and you will see millions of fingerprint marks some of which i couldn't even wipe off. This one was listed at 29,999,
They didn't have any Optimus phones. Also had plans to go to the croma store but rains played spoilsport.
I have a few Qs/clarifications on the nexus. But before that NOOB ALERT!! :bag: :-
1. There is no numerical limit to the number of android updates a nexus can get right? This is provided that the hardware is good enough to handle the update.
2. I'm a little confused about rooting and nexus. I have the understanding that rooting is done to get super admin rights without which the unwanted bloatware cant be removed. Since the nexus is technically a pure stock android device, there will be no bloatware thats for sure. But will I by default have super admin rights to install custom ROMS or will that require rooting too?
3. LG will not void the warranty if i root the nexus right?


1. Actually, you will get 3 updates from the stock OS for sure. After that - cant say.
2. You will need to root - there are very few devices which come pre rooted.
3. I dont know about that. However, if you can completely re install the ROM - you will go back to unrooted state. Anyone with a N4 can answer that better
 
Do you have proof that all the custom ROMs ever released are buggy?
All ? no

But its not necessary because my intent is to show that relying on 3rd parties to bail you out when the vendor dumps you is subject to a lot of preconditions. This oh don't worry XDA will sort you out business, nah. If you did not do your homework before hand then good luck.

Will there even be a stable ROM for your device ? no as seen in the case of the note 2 series with CM. oh it might come along one fine day just as well as it may never materialise.

And finally as illustrated earlier with the case of the S advance when ROMS are present, some functions might not work. In addition, the memory limitations of the device resulted in a suboptimal experience with JB that people wanted to roll back to ICS or even further back to GB.

This is the general picture that i'm trying to paint. In order to answer the OP's question. What device should i get that will be good for 2 years. I say, more than 1GB RAM and stay away from the latest exynos. Older exynos is ok, but get a 2GB model. Guess what? there ain't one to get in India.

There are other roms besides CM out there. CM is the best known, they support the most devices out there. For them to have problems is a significant admission of difficulties as they tend to do a lot of low level stuff. The other roms are leaner versions of stock builds. Useful. but not quite the 'custom ROM' experience as what the better know roms offer.

Making a mountain out of a molehill ?
- If you can afford to chuck your device once the vendor dumps you and don't care about custom anything then yes.
- If you only consider a nexus device then yes.

If you would like to try other devices because i don't know they have more functions and would like to hold onto the device for 2-3 years. then no.

Do you have proof that "adversary" means "don't hold your breath" ?
Samsung being leader in this space means they don't have to release anything about Exynos. Until i see the opposite my statement holds. There are stable builds for the earlier exynos versions but that took 2 years of hacking and quite frankly devs won't be arsed to do that with the latest iteration. Snapdragon has none of these issues. Or lets say more likely to get attention.

Tell me, are you going to add to this thread or are you going to continue to nitpick.
 
@blr_p Custom ROMs initially come with bug - CM10 for the burst is one fine example. However, with time and dev support it becomes usable and surpasses the performance of stock AND fixes several issues in stock. No custom ROM has ever been built without any issues initially, even those which are based on stock and are basically cooked.

As for battery removal - it is a very big bonus. However, if its not possible, then there is nothing you can do, especially, if the pros outweigh the cons of the phone.

As for S3 i9300 - there will be massive dev support since its not limited to one country.

And finally, lets not get OT - the OP does not mind, but its a pain to read thru all of your posts.
 
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ok i finally went to reliance digital, got my hands on nexus 4...everything is a breeze on it, albeit the UI looked a little outdated. Must be because of the stock android. It was listed at 25,999.
Also tried out xperia ZR. Also a cool phone but a complete fingerprint magnet. Lock the phone, bounce some light off it and you will see millions of fingerprint marks some of which i couldn't even wipe off. This one was listed at 29,999,
They didn't have any Optimus phones. Also had plans to go to the croma store but rains played spoilsport.

Check out the ZL too, very good grip on that and most compact 5 incher screen. Had to go to a sony center for that. sony center did not have ZR (yet) but croma did and croma did not have the ZL.

Reliance did not have the optimus g for some reason, croma did. Croma has a better selection but you go to stand and evaluate thigns, they will not disconnect anything. The Sony center I went to was an ALFA center, had seats, they unchained the phones and let me see how they felt without the extra weight as well as got out their case cover and let me play with it.
 

Only if ALL custom ROMs are buggy, there is "no difference between releasing updates and not releasing updates". If there is even one custom ROM which is not buggy, saying that "custom ROMs don't come with updates" is ABSOLUTELY WRONG - even if one accepts your assertion that a buggy ROM is as good as no ROM at all.

You say : "Updates available that may be buggy or no point in updating because its not reliable."
Similarly one can say that "Grocers sell rice but may have bugs so no point in rice because its[sic] not reliable." Since some grocers sell rice that might have bugs, following your logic, it is correct to say that grocers don't sell rice.
Until i see the opposite my statement holds
Your holding your statement will not change the meaning of "adversary". Good luck giving your own meanings to words - others will never understand you, or will understand wrongly.

EDIT : You have STILL not clarified whether you meant the mention of user replaceable battery as a question or a statement.
 
EDIT : You have STILL not clarified whether you meant the mention of user replaceable battery as a question or a statement.
I made a statement and followed it with a question for clarification. What's so difficult to understand.

How critical is a user replaceable battery if you want to be flashing ?

How difficult is it to recover a bricked phone without a user replaceable battery. So one needs to be more careful if the battery is non-replaceable, need good instructions etc. If its bricked and you can't do anything then what other options are there. Will the CC do it for you ?

If so then a non-user replaceable battery is not as critical. You will not lose the phone if things go bad. Nexus 4 has to be the most flashed phone out there and it has a non-user replaceable battery.

What do you think ?
 
Only if ALL custom ROMs are buggy, there is "no difference between releasing updates and not releasing updates". If there is even one custom ROM which is not buggy, saying that "custom ROMs don't come with updates" is ABSOLUTELY WRONG - even if one accepts your assertion that a buggy ROM is as good as no ROM at all.
You take a very black & white view to this which to me is not very helpful. Whereas I'm flagging potential pitfalls out there.

Nonsense, if the rom is buggy, your only option is to wait with stock or a previous version that worked. I don't see a stable release i'm not flashing, simple. Not interested in beta testing.

Or put it this way i would not be able to convince another person to use a buggy rom. The only time that works is when there is no other option. No option is a bad place to be in.

Your holding your statement will not change the meaning of "adversary". Good luck giving your own meanings to words - others will never understand you, or will understand wrongly.
I stand by what i said unless proven otherwise. Your JOB is to tell me that samsung WILL do it but you can't and i'm calling that out. I should not have to be proving negatives here.

You say non-cooperation means not adversary. Go tell that to the father of the nation :D

Trying to do things the vendor does not want you to do is just a recipe for disappointment. Some barriers can be overcome but the one i stated ie not sharing of code isn't one of them.
 
You take a very black & white view to this which to me is not very helpful. Whereas I'm flagging potential pitfalls out there.

Nonsense, if the rom is buggy, your only option is to wait with stock or a previous version that worked. I don't see a stable release i'm not flashing, simple. Not interested in beta testing.

Or put it this way i would not be able to convince another person to use a buggy rom. The only time that works is when there is no other option. No option is a bad place to be in.

By the same logic, one can say that "Grocers sell rice but may have bugs so no point in rice because its[sic] not reliable." Since some grocers sell rice that might have bugs, following your logic, it is correct to say that grocers don't sell rice.

I stand by what i said unless proven otherwise. Your JOB is to tell me that samsung WILL do it but you can't and i'm calling that out. I should not have to be proving negatives here.
It is not my job to prove something I don't posit. I am just telling you adversary does not mean what you think it means. But you could just open a dictionary, there is nothing to prove there.[DOUBLEPOST=1375111618][/DOUBLEPOST]
Because its a forum and i'm soliciting opinions. Hell i'm trying to pump the board here.
Soliciting opinions after giving misinformed ones yourself?

Pump? WTF? This one also surely doesn't mean what you think it means. TE data centre administrators, is the plumbing all right in there?
 
By the same logic, one can say that "Grocers sell rice but may have bugs so no point in rice because its[sic] not reliable." Since some grocers sell rice that might have bugs, following your logic, it is correct to say that grocers don't sell rice.
Where your analogy fails is its not difficult to pick rice. Doesn't take weeks or months.

I'm not knocking custom roms here, i'm saying check out the maturity of the rom sphere before you pick your device.

It is not my job to prove something I don't posit. I am just telling you adversary does not mean what you think it means. But you could just open a dictionary, there is nothing to prove there.
i know what it means. But if they don't coooperate you are no where. They are a very effective barrier.

Now whether they mean to do you harm or not is immaterial. You ain't getting to where you want to be.

For somebody that has already bought a device they have no option, they are already stuck with it. But for somebody looking to buy, then its a different matter altogether.

Your only solution is to pick another device. Forewarned is forearmed.
 
Where your analogy fails is its not difficult to pick rice. Doesn't take weeks or months.
So? Your statement did not have a time limit to pick. It just said if it "MAY" have bugs, it is as good as nothing. So since at least once grocer exists which sells rich which "MAY" have bugs, all grocers don't sell rice. QED.

I'm not knocking custom roms here, i'm saying check out the maturity of the rom sphere before you pick your device.
No, you are saying custom ROMs don't come with updates at all.

i know what it means. But if they don't coooperate you are no where. They are a very effective barrier.
If you knew what it means, you wouldn't have used the second sentence involving "cooperate". There is still time - you could check a dictionary even now.
 
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.

@blr_p Custom ROMs initially come with bug - CM10 for the burst is one fine example. However, with time and dev support it becomes usable and surpasses the performance of stock AND fixes several issues in stock. No custom ROM has ever been built without any issues initially, even those which are based on stock and are basically cooked.
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

As for S3 i9300 - there will be massive dev support since its not limited to one country.
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

And finally, lets not get OT - the OP does not mind, but its a pain to read thru all of your posts.
Tell that to the guy who seems intent on challenging me. Should i ignore him or defend my positions.
 
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Would this FolderMount app solve @terence_fdes's (infact everyone's for that matter) problem of low internal storage?
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.

CAVEAT:- REQUIRES ROOT
In the big picture, rooting is the easiest bit. Lets get past that.

Once rooted and using folder mount how well does it work ? That's a harder question and very app dependent. Future updates will break that functionality requiring you to wait for fixes because google does not want you to do that.

So don't update until a fix is available. You can see that this becomes tedious after a while.
 
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