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Suggestion on a new phone?

Discussion in 'Techno-Magic' started by SlickRCBD, Feb 17, 2020.

  1. SlickRCBD Gems: 29/31
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    My HTC One X+ is breaking down. The front-side camera has broken, and the GPS tends to glitch out a lot.
    Can somebody recommend a new one? I'm looking at the Samsung Galaxy S9. I know the S10 is out, but I can't confirm if I can use an FM radio with that, plus I don't see anything the S10 has that the S9 doesn't have that I'd care bout, and the S9, being last year's model is cheaper.
    Looking around, it seems the key sticking point is the FM tuner and storage. I've heard of NextRadioApp and seen that there is a list of supported devices here, but the S10 is absent:
    https://nextradioapp.com/supported-devices/

    I tend to have a lot of stuff stored on my phone, so I need something with at least 64gb of storage that I can connect to a computer and load like a USB drive.

    Other key features are:
    Any suggestions? If the phone has less storage but can use a microSD card for MP3s, fanfics or e-books, and movies, include the cost of the microSD card in the cost calculations.
     
  2. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    Except for the FM tuner which is getting left out more these days, everything else is pretty standard. The current phone I own is a Xiaomi A2 Lite which I think ticks all of your boxes, but I'm sure there are better/newer versions out by now in the same line. Considerably cheaper than Samsung's offerings.
     
  3. SlickRCBD Gems: 29/31
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    I use the FM tuner all the time, so that and the storage are the only real sticking points. Does the Xiaomi have an FM tuner, and/or does NextRadio app work when cellular data is turned off and there is no wifi?

    One other thing I forgot to add was that some phones back in 2013 did not have a universal control for making the text readable, it only affected e-mail and text messages. The HTC One X+ does have a near-universal control, and I do need that as my eyesight isn't as good as it was 30 years ago.

    So, suggestions on storage and the FM tuner is a must. Seriously, I do use that A LOT and I often don't have wifi when I do. Evey time I go walking such as the 1.25 miles to the library I use the FM radio, every time I stop to rest on my bicycle I use the FM radio (won't be doing that until next month at the earliest, and the Groundhog said back on the 2nd not until mid to late March if not April). Often at lunch or on break I use the FM radio.
     
  4. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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  5. henkie

    henkie Hammertime Resourceful Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

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    I don't know about FM radio, but as Tal said, everything else is pretty standard, or can be gotten by getting the right application for it.

    I wouldn't worry about internal storage, just make sure that it has a micro SD card slot. Getting that much internal storage is going to cost an arm and a leg, but an SD card for 64 GB (or 128 or more) doesn't cost nearly as much.
     
  6. SlickRCBD Gems: 29/31
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    A surprising number of models do NOT have micro SD card slots. So storage and the radio seem to be the main sticking point.
    I agree that I don't have an issue with getting less storage and a microSD card slot, it's just the number of phones without that feature that is the problem.
    Also if it is a choice between a $350 phone and a $60 microSD card or a $400 phone with 64gb without one, well, I come out ahead getting the $400 phone.
    If it's a choice between a $300 phone and a $75 microSD card or a $400 phone, I'd go with the cheaper phone. (I have not adequately researched microSD card prices in the last 7 years. A quick glance at Costco and Sams shows prices from $45-70 for the storage range).
     
  7. henkie

    henkie Hammertime Resourceful Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

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    A quick glance here gives me €20 for a 128 GB micro SD card, € 13 for 64 GB. Slowest speed, but Sandisk, so should be reliable. And in terms of transfer speed, usually the phone is limiting, not the card, unless you usually take it out to transfer (large amounts of) files.

    A phone without micro SD card slot would be a no-go, I agree.

    Also, my phone was around €150, a Moto G5(+, maybe). It's nothing special, but I wouldn't spend € 300 on a phone. You pay a lot extra for not a lot of features, sometimes no extra features. Even mid-low end phones are fine, nowadays. My wife has a Samsung Galaxy S7, that cost more than twice what mine cost, maybe even trice, but in practice, the biggest difference is that the camera on her phone is better than mine. Well, mine came with mostly vanilla Android, not so much bloatware as on the Samsung, which is a benefit, in my eyes.

    So really, just make sure it has the FM radio, a micro-SD card slot, and find something that's fairly cheap, but with good reviews.
     
  8. Disciple of The Watch

    Disciple of The Watch Preparing The Coming of The New Order Veteran

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    You need at least Class 10 for microSD. Otherwise it's too slow.
     
  9. SlickRCBD Gems: 29/31
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    How would it be too slow?
    I don't even recall what speed card I bought. I wound up buying a new Samsung Galaxy S9 for about $250 on closeout. I know it was obsolete, but I didn't want to spend $600 for an S10.
    Also my HTC One X+ bricked itself somehow when the computer crashed while it was connected via USB, so I needed a new phone pronto.

    Anyways, the SD card is primarily for storing MP3s (which can be played off a normal USB thumb drive with USB 1.1 under Windows 98SE or XP. I've done it with my Dell Optiplex GX110 which only has USB 1.1 for the last 20 years), and reading fanfic (which can also be easily read at USB 1.1 speeds. Heck it can be read at 5.25" floppy speeds on a 1mhz system, I've done that with an Apple IIe at school in the '90s) or ebooks. Speed isn't a large concern.
    I rarely use the phone for storing downloaded videos, but I have from time to time. That is the only thing I can think of that the speed would affect.
    The card mostly holds my MP3s, my fanfics & ebooks, and my resume.
    Oh, a few video files in case I'm stuck somewhere with AC, DC (cigarette lighter), or USB power (I keep cheap Dollar Store chargers in my car) and am bored. Only place I've actually watched videos previously downloaded was the hospital waiting room when my mom had surgery and I was there for 8 hours.
     
  10. Disciple of The Watch

    Disciple of The Watch Preparing The Coming of The New Order Veteran

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    In recent versions of Android you can move applications to a SD card instead of internal storage. Said applications run directly from the card, and to ensure there's not too considerable of a lag, you'd need at the very least the read/write speeds of a Class 10 microSD. Check the packaging, it's usually written on the card itself.

    I can see the usage of a microSD for you wouldn't be too intensive, so I guess you could get away with a lower speed card.

    As for actual mobiles, I would suggest looking at ChinaDroids. Doogee, Xiaomi, Oukitel, Unihertz amongst many others. Xiaomi in perticular has killer specs for a fraction of the price of big brands.
     
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  11. SlickRCBD Gems: 29/31
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    This was the card I bought, I'm afraid the packaging was recycled back in November.
    https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsun...dxc-uhs-i-memory-card/6406414.p?skuId=6406414
    It was on sale for $10 (ok $9.99)+tax, but it's priced at $16 now.

    Oh, and it's just coincidence that I bought the Samsung brand card for the Samsung phone. Well, kinda. Wal-Mart had some off-brand card for the same price, but I picked the Samsung one since it was made by the same company that made my phone, so should be most compatible.
    If the Walmart one had been cheaper, I might have bought that one but I got lucky it was on sale.
     
  12. Disciple of The Watch

    Disciple of The Watch Preparing The Coming of The New Order Veteran

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    MicroSD brand is irrelevant. A Samsung card won't be more compatible with a Samsung mobile, but brands like Lexar, Kingston and SanDisk are more reliable than say Wish Chinese brand microSD.

    I got a 256GB card in my 256GB Titan and the Class 12 microSD and everything runs smooth. I cranked it up to 512GB because 4K video is rather space hungry.

    If you are still on the lookout for a mobile I can have a look and make a few recommendations. I was, back in the days, the go-to guy for this, after all.
     
  13. SlickRCBD Gems: 29/31
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    It's a bit late, I asked for help months ago, finally found a deal on a Galaxy S9 and bought it cheap.
    Considering that I saw them listed used on Amazon and Ebay for less than I paid new at Sears.com.
    Now it will hopefully be several years before I'm looking again. Preferably 5.
     
  14. SlickRCBD Gems: 29/31
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    I'm angry now, my Galaxy S9, less than 2 years old can no longer make voice calls.
    The carrier said my particular model doesn't support VoLTE and the 3G tower has shut down. The phone DOES support LTE, and I can get text and mobile data, but no voice calls. It seems that there are at least two different versions of the S9, and the instructions online for enabling VoLTE don't work on my phone, the option doesn't appear where it should be.
    I need a new phone.
    Can anybody suggest a phone comparable or better than a Galaxy S9 that has an FM radio (needs a headphone jack for this) under $500 with 5G (for compatibility with the carrier which may drop 4G too)?
    I'm thinking I might just settle for the Galaxy S10 if I can find one cheap, which is what I wanted in the first place and should have bought.
    However, if there is something newer (and more future proof) I'd take it.
    I've looked, and all the Samsung phones currently being made with headphone jacks are actually inferior to the 4-year-old Galaxy S9. The A52 is the closest, but I've seen multiple reports that the radio doesn't work in the U.S. version, with suggestions it was deliberate so the carriers can sell data plans since you'd have to use an internet radio instead of old-fashioned FM.

    The other key features are unchanged from the start of this thread, but apparently the only things I really have to worry about is the FM radio (NOT internet. Salesmen keep telling me "you can just stream over the internet." NO, not in the forest preserve with a low-end data plan) and either 64gb internal or an SDCard slot.

    Sorry about the mini-rant, they don't seem to want to understand the difference. I get they want to sell a phone, but if you don't have what I want, just fucking tell me, don't try to tell me I don't really want the radio. It's one of the big things I use the phone for.
     
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