Note 3 / Galaxy S5 or new Xperia Z2

[netn00b]

phone is out of contract in a week.

considering the above 3.  Xperia not out til end of the month i believe.

anyone comment ?  got one / ordered one ?

looking for a good size screen so the note is favourite..  but the other 2 are brand new with a new version of the snapdragon processor.

also good battery life

[Gary]

Id go for a something else, like a Nexus as that way you are guaranteed hopefully of getting more than one update. The S5 is probably the best phone out of them all, as it has the water proof part and dust proof bit but its not made of glass like the Xperia and the Note 3 is up for replacement this with some nice rumours on its spec. In all honestly I'd wait to see what that brings, phones are all getting a bit boring now as the S5 shows its not a massive upgrade on the 4 so what's the rush... 

[psp83]

I have a Note 3 and it's an excellent phone, have had no issues with it and its running the latest Android 4.4.2.

I switched from an iPhone and not looked backed once 

[Gary]

I have a Note 3 and it's an excellent phone, have had no issues with it and its running the latest Android 4.4.2.

I switched from an iPhone and not looked backed once 

Since the Note 4 is coming out later this year though why buy old tech, and unless you get something like a Nexus you wont get many updates, maybe one major in its life, which I think is the problem with Android based phones rather than actual Android handsets. Pure Android is much better. Also the note 3 being region locked is a real shame.

[Steve]

I suppose you have to ask yourself whether you need the updates, not easy to answer I know. Kitkat 4.4 was released with a fair few bugs which are taking time to resolve, you could argue the mature Jelly Bean will therefore have offered greater stability throughout the devices lifetime and probably the same will be said for late adaptors of KitKat.

Android is fairly mature now but still I suppose it narks when your newish phone runs a previous OS although in terms of functionality there will be little difference.

[Glenn]

There is an argument that there are multiple Android streams, as all the phone manufacturers make changes to it to suit their needs. So there is Samsung Android, HTC Android etc, the only true version is that that goes on the Nexus line along with the HTC Google Play series.

Personally I'm waiting to see what the Nexus 6 brings, there are several rumours about at the moment with LG, HTC & Motarola all in the frame.

[Gary]

Android is fairly mature now but still I suppose it narks when your newish phone runs a previous OS although in terms of functionality there will be little difference.

If I was buying an Android handset on contract, the fact I am buying say a new phone with Jelly Bean still on it rather than KitKat would nark me, 4.1.1 is susceptible to the Heat Bleed Bug, how long will it take for patches to come out to that for HTC Android and Samsung Android, then there are the operator based versions that take longer, and some of them never get the latest updates. New Firmware is always buggy, iOS 7 was now 7.1 is for me running very well, but at Least I'll get iOS 8 and so on for a few years. Its nice that your shiny gadget gets updates, which is where I think the Nexus units shine above all the rest tbh. Phones have stagnated with features so having the latest revision of what ever your OS is I think means you get some value for the cash you spent, rather than your phone becoming a trash can unit after your contract ends, because new apps only run on the latest and greatest, as is seen to happen sometimes.

[Ray]

I would'nt use the Finger print scanner on an S5 though, it's been hacked already!
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/galaxy-s5-fingerprint-scanner-hacked-paypal-risk/#!EmHMx

[Simon]

I am considering an upgrade from the iPhone 4S this year, but I'm waiting to see what the iPhone 6 is going to offer before looking elsewhere.  Whatever I choose, I'll still be miffed about the loss of connection compatibility with 3 perfectly good iPhone speaker docks.

Regarding Android updates, I don't think it's the be all and end all for most average users, and any techie users would find them easy enough to root in order to install other ROMs. 

[wecpcs]

phone is out of contract in a week.

considering the above 3.  Xperia not out til end of the month i believe.

anyone comment ?  got one / ordered one ?

looking for a good size screen so the note is favourite..  but the other 2 are brand new with a new version of the snapdragon processor.

also good battery life

I was going to order the S5 but when the final specs came out, they were not as we were led to believe from all the hype and I did not want yet another plastic phone after having the S2 and my current S4. So I have pre-ordered the Sony Z2 which I think is far superior to the S5 especially in construction and the glass is toughened Gorilla glass 3 and is scratch proof. 

Colin

[netn00b]

thanks all. i was wondering if there was a Note 4 on the horizon as the fact it's a bit old/older kind put me off.  prefer latest/newest tech given its a 2 yr contract so hence looking z2 or s5.

how long is it likely to be til we see a note 4 ?  few months or end of yr ?

[psp83]

To be honest I don't see the Note 4 being much different from the Note 3, just like the S5 isn't much different to the S4.

As for being region locked, its not much of an issue if you don't travel outside the EU. People that complain about the region lock and don't actually travel outside the EU are just looking for things to moan about 

Giff Gaff has something about the region lock "being released" after a certain time : http://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Samsung/Regional-SIM-Lock/ta-p/10925489

As for updates. 4.4.2 has been stable for me and found no issues, and as for future updates, I think Samsung has confirmed that the Note 3 will get 2 main versions. But if not and I wanted the update I would root the phone and install the newer ROM.

[gizmo71]

I recently bought a Note 2 after the prices dropped with the Note 3 release and I love it - best phone I've owned and a pretty decent tablet to boot.

[netn00b]

going to wait til the Z2 is actually released and i can see one.  was told it got delayed as it was suffering from software bugs.

[wecpcs]

going to wait til the Z2 is actually released and i can see one.  was told it got delayed as it was suffering from software bugs.

It was not software bugs, but component shortages from a third party as well as a very strong demand for it.

Colin

[netn00b]

had a chat to various people in phone shops and research online and i've now seen a Z2 and reckon its the one i'll get.

Also like the look of the Z2 tablet !! But thats another (expensive story!)

[netn00b]

another question :

any pros / cons to using the like of carphone warehouse or phones for u ?? ?

as opposed to the actual provider you go with, ie EE Shop or O2 shop in high street ?


(i'd prefer do it face to face locally rather than through their respective websites or over the phone....)

[pctech]

If you do it via the websites remember you have a cooling off period.

If you go to a shop you might have more of a tough time getting it cancelled if its not right for you.

[netn00b]

ok ta pctech.   just like the face to face interaction if any issue during life of contract.

just not sure if i should consider carphone warehouse type places.

[zappaDPJ]

I'd consider comparing http://www.tescomobile.com/ running on the O2 network. They are especially good value if you have more than one contract with them.

[pctech]

And of course you can get the clubcard points eh, Zap?

If you don't want a contract apart from the phone and want to earn some dosh from posting on forums I'd recommend Giffgaff which also runs on O2.

[zappaDPJ]

And of course you can get the clubcard points eh, Zap?

Indeed, although we don't get many as we pay so little, £20 a month in total for two SIM only contracts.