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[BraXzy]

I'm in the UK btw.

I just realized my phone contract runs out in a couple of days so I really need to decide on what I want to upgrade to. I am desperate to get rid of the piece of crap Samsung S3 I have at the minute, it's slow as hell, constantly freezes and is super frustrating to use. I I was in an emergency it would take so long for it to open the phone/messages that it might as well be dead put it that way. So I preferably don't want another Samsung phone unless they've dramatically improved?

I've been looking around in my price range (Can't afford iPhone 6 or brand new stuff like the M9) but most other things seem to be affordable. So far my favourite is the Z3 with its fantastic camera and waterproof design but it's a little pricey. I thought about the compact but trying it in a shop it felt miniature in my hand so I don't think I could get used to it. Everyone mentions the HTC M8 but I wasn't a fan of how it felt in my hand, seemed a bit slippy. And the people I know who have had HTC's have had problems with the screen and camera in the past. The other one I'm thinking of is the LG G3 but that's basically because it is mentioned on top lists..

Sorry for wall of text but.. Help? :3

 

[shadyspace]

My girlfriend just got a Galaxy S5. The screen's bigger than my iPhone 4S.

 

[br0ken_shad0w]

Moto X 2nd gen can be had for cheap if money is an issue and it was my second choice after the Z3. It's highly recommended among GAFers.

 

[Ahasverus]

Wait for announcements. Too late to jump into last year ships and the s6 is very not worth it.

 

[kharma45]

Wait for announcements. Too late to jump into last year ships and the s6 is very not worth it.

S6 looks great going by reviews so far.

 

[AstroNut325]

I wish Asus would release the new Zenfone 2 in the USA!

 

[Tesseract]

moto g

go boost

$35 / month

unlimited text and talk, 2.5gb data

 

[BraXzy]

Wait for announcements. Too late to jump into last year ships and the s6 is very not worth it.

I can't afford brand new ones anyway so there's no point waiting. And my contract runs out in 2 days anyway.

 

[Yaboosh]

I can't afford brand new ones anyway so there's no point waiting. And my contract runs out in 2 days anyway.

What is your budget?

 

[Majine]

They still sell iPhone 5S and there's a lot to like about it. Compact, high end feel, speedy.

 

[BraXzy]

What is your budget?

I really want to stay at or below £30/m. Atm my contract is £28/m and I get 600 mins, unlimited texts and 1GB of 3G.

 

[scion_barzahd]

Z3 all the way!!!

 

[obin_gam]

Z3 Compact.

It comes in mint green.

 

[BraXzy]

I think I might nip to the shops today and have another go with the phones I'm interested in because I don't want to invest 2 years into a phone I'd hate to use.

 

[Klossen]

LG G3

Absolutely killer screen. A huge upgrade from my old S3. Wasn't even that expensive either, for a top-tier flagship phone.

 

[kharma45]

I really want to stay at or below £30/m. Atm my contract is £28/m and I get 600 mins, unlimited texts and 1GB of 3G.

Tried for a good retention deal?

One option is the Z3 Compact. £240 on O2 PAYG then you could do a SIM only deal.

£33 a month gets you the HTC One M9 with 4GB EE 4G but it does look like HTC hss fucked up this year.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

I can't afford brand new ones anyway so there's no point waiting. And my contract runs out in 2 days anyway.

Get a Z3. Mine is glorious and 2015 looks like a skip year outside of the S6 which isn't going to be in your budget.

 

[SuperSah]

I'd actually recommend a Note 3.

Not too expensive, and pretty damn good.

 

[MercuryLS]

I'd wait for a deal, with new model coming really soon from Samsung, LG, HTC, there will no doubt be sales/deals on the 2014 models.

My recommendation would be the Moto X, a really good no nonsense phone that is well built, powerful and has near stock android.

 

[Ushay]

First look at the operating systems, then check out the hardware available.

-iOS- iPhone 5/5S/6/6+
-Android- Galaxy S5/S6/Z3/LG
-Windows- Lumia 830/925/930/1520

Do your research OP, that way you'll know you made the right choice.

 

[Ruud_Luiten]

Buy a cheap Lumia 735 and upgrade next year to an iPhone 6, Xperia Z4 or a flagship Lumia.

 

[BraXzy]

Tried for a good retention deal?

One option is the Z3 Compact. £240 on O2 PAYG then you could do a SIM only deal.

£33 a month gets you the HTC One M9 with 4GB EE 4G but it does look like HTC hss fucked up this year.

The contract is through my step dad since he got me a really good deal last time but he's being awkward with the who upgrade thing for god knows what reason and I cba with it so I'm getting a fresh contract through my name.

 

[BraXzy]

I'd wait for a deal, with new model coming really soon from Samsung, LG, HTC, there will no doubt be sales/deals on the 2014 models.

My recommendation would be the Moto X, a really good no nonsense phone that is well built, powerful and has near stock android.

I've been trying to, I was able to upgrade at the end of January but I've been trying to hold out for new stuff to lower the price of the old stuff. Dumb question but how do contract expiries work? I've always upgraded before the actual end date. Would it carry on or would I have a dead phone? It literally runs out on the 23rd.

 

[razgriz417]

I've been trying to, I was able to upgrade at the end of January but I've been trying to hold out for new stuff to lower the price of the old stuff. Dumb question but how do contract expiries work? I've always upgraded before the actual end date. Would it carry on or would I have a dead phone? It literally runs out on the 23rd.

If it's like the US phone contracts, nothing happens, you just go month to month with the current rate you are paying, only difference is the phone you got on your previous contract is now yours

 

[kharma45]

The contract is through my step dad since he got me a really good deal last time but he's being awkward with the who upgrade thing for god knows what reason and I cba with it so I'm getting a fresh contract through my name.

Grand. Well that Z3 is a good deal. Expensive up front but cheaper in the long run plus you're not tied into anything.

Couple of other deals floating around

iPhone 6 with 2GB data. 100 up front and 23.49 per month. A further £20 off handset price by EE20DISC. £27 Quidco too http://www.mobiles.co.uk/ee-apple-i...ariff_freetexts]=&phoneFilter[gift_giftcode]=


Sony Xperia Z3 Copper
4G EE Extra - 2GB
1000 minutes
Unlimited text

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/son...-49pm-24-months-564-term-cost-mobiles-2168614

 

[Enco]

moto g

go boost

$35 / month

unlimited text and talk, 2.5gb data

The Moto G should only be bought by people on a serious budget who need to get something smartphone-esque.

Better than a dumbphone but worse than every single flagship.

 

[Usobuko]

Get a Z3. Mine is glorious and 2015 looks like a skip year outside of the S6 which isn't going to be in your budget.

I second this.

(send from my z3)

 

[BraXzy]

Grand. Well that Z3 is a good deal. Expensive up front but cheaper in the long run plus you're not tied into anything.

Couple of other deals floating around

iPhone 6 with 2GB data. 100 up front and 23.49 per month. A further £20 off handset price by EE20DISC. £27 Quidco too http://www.mobiles.co.uk/ee-apple-i...ariff_freetexts]=&phoneFilter[gift_giftcode]=


Sony Xperia Z3 Copper
4G EE Extra - 2GB
1000 minutes
Unlimited text

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/son...-49pm-24-months-564-term-cost-mobiles-2168614

I've heard mixed things about that mobiles.co.uk site, has anyone used it?

 

[Pankratous]

I got a Z3 the other day it's unbelievable. Incredibly premium feel, beautiful sound, gorgeous screen, quick in every aspect. It's an insane upgrade from my Xperia Z - which I already thought was amazing.

 

[njean777]

May want to look into the 5s cheaper than a 6.

 

[kharma45]

I've heard mixed things about that mobiles.co.uk site, has anyone used it?

Friend used it recently. Phone came within 24 hours and it was all good. His sister used it as well after him and had the same good experience.

 

[mrklaw]

I really want to stay at or below £30/m. Atm my contract is £28/m and I get 600 mins, unlimited texts and 1GB of 3G.

Get a Z3 comoact for £239 PAYG from O2, then switch your contract down to a cheaper one.

 

[TekGryphon]

Agree with the people recommending the S5. It's a fantastic flagship for a good price.

The S6 is learning how to milk profits like Apple by eliminating the microSD slot and replaceable batteries. It's only really an option if you're the type to dump your phone every 18 months chasing the next brand-whore model.

 

[Walter White Walker]

nvm

 

[nintendork666]

Is the Z3 an option? Go with the Z3.

 

[BeforeU]

Right now? I would go for One+.

 

[Roberto Larcos]

The iPhone 6 may not be as out of your budget as you think...

Also, that resale. Good thing about iPhones, they're far less prone to the slowdowns that Android handsets seem to struggle with. I'm not going to recommend Windows Phone right now to anyone with a budget over £100.

If you want an iPhone, get one.

 

[outunderthestars]

The Moto G should only be bought by people on a serious budget who need to get something smartphone-esque.

Better than a dumbphone but worse than every single flagship.

It is less than a third the price of the flagahip phones, of course it is worse than them.

 

[BraXzy]

Get a Z3 comoact for £239 PAYG from O2, then switch your contract down to a cheaper one.

The compact feels way too small for me. I have big hands and I'm used to my S3 which is bigger.

Agree with the people recommending the S5. It's a fantastic flagship for a good price.

The S6 is learning how to milk profits like Apple by eliminating the microSD slot and replaceable batteries. It's only really an option if you're the type to dump your phone every 18 months chasing the next brand-whore model.

Not a fan of Samsung anymore, and the S5 feels a bit cheap. Especially compared to other stuff on the market.

Still LG G3, Z3 or M8 in the front running.

One thing with the Z3 though, I'm not a fan of the bubble UI.

 

[Rosur]

I would wait for the Z4 though the Z3 is a great phone (have one).

 

[outunderthestars]

The compact feels way too small for me. I have big hands and I'm used to my S3 which is bigger.



Not a fan of Samsung anymore, and the S5 feels a bit cheap. Especially compared to other stuff on the market.

Still LG G3, Z3 or M8 in the front running.

One thing with the Z3 though, I'm not a fan of the bubble UI.

I'd go with the G3 then.

 

[MercuryLS]

Agree with the people recommending the S5. It's a fantastic flagship for a good price.

The S6 is learning how to milk profits like Apple by eliminating the microSD slot and replaceable batteries. It's only really an option if you're the type to dump your phone every 18 months chasing the next brand-whore model.

Or you know, you want a phone that doesn't feel like it came out of a box of cereal.

 

[terrisus]

Samsung S5

Waterproof is a great feature.
No plans to get an S6, since they removed that.
No MicroSD card slot is just even more reason not to.

 

[Pterion]

LG G3.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Just wait for the S6 and get that. Would be foolish to get an S5 at this point unless you're in love with waterproof/sd cards/removable batteries.

 

[terrisus]

Just wait for the S6 and get that. Would be foolish to get an S5 at this point unless you're in love with waterproof/sd cards/removable batteries.

"Just get this phone that removed a bunch of features from the previous version. Would be foolish to get the previous version at this point unless you're in love with any of the bunch of features that they removed."

 

[BraXzy]

Right, thanks to based O2 who let you pick up and try actual phones, I've had a good go on all the phones.

The S5 and S6 both felt cheap, and I'm staying away from Samsung so that's fine.

The HTC M8 felt better in my hand than last time but something about it was still putting me off.

There were two Z3's in the store, the first one I tried the UI seemed a bit outdated, the other felt much better so it was updated or whatever. I'm still a big fan of the phone but in the indoor lighting conditions the camera actually didn't seem that good.

I didn't really care too much about the LG G3 before I went in but after having a good go on it, I really really like the feel of it and the UI and everything. Even though it's a fair bit bigger than my current phone it didn't feel huge which was weird.

I'm currently feeling LG G3 = Sony Z3 > HTC M8 >>> Samsung S6 > Samsung S5

 

[Elysium-777]

Although on the pricey side, i highly recommend the Xperia Z3. Speedy, very good battery life, and the camera is fantastic with a good amount of features.

 

[TekGryphon]

Or you know, you want a phone that doesn't feel like it came out of a box of cereal.

Every phone feels the same the moment you put a slim case off Amazon on it, which everyone does anyway. There's a reason your steering wheel isn't made of thin hard plastic or aluminum - no one wants to hold that shit for any length of time.

What matters is cost vs specs and capability.

The S6 is Samsung's attempt to chase Apple to the bottom of the consumer barrel, stripping off features and capabilities wherever they feel they can get away with in order to maximize profits from low information consumers. Stop embarrassing yourself by recommending it.

 

[Dobsie]

Z3c can be had for £240 from o2 atm. If not maybe hold out a bit longer until the full size z4 comes out and get the z3 cheaper.