Is this the best Android phone for its price?

acephone

Hi,

I'm looking to buy the new and affordable Samsung phone shown here: @ http://www.o2online.ie/shop/view/product/ql_catalog/catdevice/35491505. It looks like a very good phone for its price on PAYGO. Has anybody bought this mini Samsung phone and would they recommend it? How does this phone compare with the bigger Samsung version. Does the mini phone have a full web browser? as I don't see this listed on the phone's spec. Because this phone comes in an elegant compact design and has an excellent battery, I'd definitely consider buying it. It states on the website that this phone is running Android 4.1 operating system? Is this the latest Android operating system? or can it be upgraded to a newer OS version. Also, does this phone support mobile email with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync? The phone looks good compared to other phones in its price bracket.

I'd welcome any suggestions.

Thanks

Michael

PogMoThoin

No, you'd get a Nexus 4 for about €270 if you jump through a few hoops to get one. Miles better phone on a par with the non mini S3
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056878068
http://www.google.ie/nexus/4/

acephone

Thanks for replying. Given the small price difference between the phones, I'd prefer to go with the Samsung phone as long as I don't get any negative feedback about it. I've read some independent reviews about the mini S3 and they're all positive. But then I'd prefer to get feedback from people on this forum before deciding.

Michael

Nolimits

Em, you know they're both Android phones, both support the Viera app and both use the same app store (play store). The only difference is the Nexus 4 is high end and a better phone.

acephone

Nexus 4 doesn't support external storage. The Samsung Mini S3 supports 32 GB removable storage space on micro SD and micro SDHC which is very useful nowadays. The Samsung mini is also a lighter phone. It also looks more stylish. If the Nexus is a higher end phone, why is it available at a cheaper price? Can the Nexus 4 be purchased on prepay from O2 and Vodafone and I can I get it at a lower price than the Samsung mini

Michael

basillarkin

do I need to change my ip address to buy the nexus from google?

Professey Chin

basillarkin wrote: »

do I need to change my ip address to buy the nexus from google?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056878068

Professey Chin

acephone wrote: »

Nexus 4 doesn't support external storage. The Samsung Mini S3 supports 32 GB removable storage space on micro SD and micro SDHC which is very useful nowadays. The Samsung mini is also a lighter phone. It also looks more stylish. If the Nexus is a higher end phone, why is it available at a cheaper price? Can the Nexus 4 be purchased on prepay from O2 and Vodafone and I can I get it at a lower price than the Samsung mini

Michael

The Nexus is a flagship phone heavily subsidised when bought from Google and can be gotten only from Google at that price. In terms of specs it absolutely pisses over 99% of the market. Buying anywhere else puts it up to its RRP which is closer to 500

PogMoThoin

acephone wrote: »

Nexus 4 doesn't support external storage. The Samsung Mini S3 supports 32 GB removable storage space on micro SD and micro SDHC which is very useful nowadays. The Samsung mini is also a lighter phone. It's also looks more stylish. If the Nexus is a higher end phone, why is it available at a cheaper price? Can the Nexus 4 be purchased on prepay from O2 and Vodafone and I can I get it at a lower price than the Samsung mini

Michael

Depends, I have an S3 with an empty SD card, I don't need the storage space, I don't use it. With Google music I have access to all my music from anywhere. The Nexus is subsidised by Google (who make Android). You cannot buy it here, you must use the method I posted to get one through parcel motel (or get someone coming from the USA to bring you one)

acephone

Thanks for explaining this. That's where the problem would be as I'd prefer to stay with my current mobile operator. And so the mini Samsung may be the better option for me.

Michael

PogMoThoin

acephone wrote: »

Thanks for explaining this. That's where the problem would be as I'd prefer to stay with my current mobile operator. And so the mini Samsung may be the better option for me.

Michael

The Nexus is unlocked, you can use it on all networks. If youn own the phone you can get a much better bargain on a package, from any provider

Nolimits

acephone wrote: »

Nexus 4 doesn't support external storage. The Samsung Mini S3 supports 32 GB removable storage space on micro SD and micro SDHC which is very useful nowadays. The Samsung mini is also a lighter phone. It also looks more stylish. If the Nexus is a higher end phone, why is it available at a cheaper price? Can the Nexus 4 be purchased on prepay from O2 and Vodafone and I can I get it at a lower price than the Samsung mini

Michael

t

It's true that more storage = better but I'm not sure you need such a huge amount of storage on a mobile phone, you can use the likes of spoitfy and google music so you don't need to store too much on your phone and I personally would have no interest in putting the likes of movies on my phone.It's higher end for cheaper because Google are basically subsidising the price and selling at very little if any profit.

The Nexus 4 is a lot more future proof, it has more ram and a better processor. It has a better screen and camera. It also gets it's updates straight from Google and will probably be the first phone running the next version of Android that will be announced in May.

You can't buy from Vodafone or O2.

Nolimits

To be honest if you are going to be spending the kind of money that you're willing to spend then you should take more time learning about it. I know that is the purpose of this thread, but you seemed to think that only Samsung made Android phones when you came in here. A Nexus phone is the most pure version of Android there is and the nicest, most here will agree with me but then most of us are geeks.

Don't let the money burn a hole in your pocket, take your time before buying anything

acephone

OK Thanks for confirming same. It would be my intention to stay with my existing operator and so that would rule out Nexus 4 for me. Samsung mini still looks like a very good phone for its price though.

Michael

PogMoThoin

acephone wrote: »

OK Thanks for confirming same. It would be my intention to stay with my existing operator and so that would rule out Nexus 4 for me. Samsung mini still looks like a very good phone for its price though.

Michael

Why? Just buy the phone, you can then get a better deal from them as they won't be able to tie you into a lengthy contract to cover the price of the phone

Nolimits

acephone wrote: »

OK Thanks for confirming same. It would be my intention to stay with my existing operator and so that would rule out Nexus 4 for me. Samsung mini still looks like a very good phone for its price though.

Michael

You've said this twice, but the Nexus is unlocked. It can be used on any Network, it's cheaper than the mini, far better specced will be beter supported and is the better phone by anyway you could care to judge it.

You seemed to have come here with every intention of picking up the mini and were hoping that we'd confirm that you had made the right decision. It's up to you what you're going to do but you're wasting your money and getting an inferior product by any way you want to measue it for more money.

acephone

Thanks for the advice. At least there won't be any strings attached when buying this phone on a prepaid basis.

Michael

daftdave

the nexus phone is the best phone out there, buy it.

THE END.

PogMoThoin

acephone wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. At least there won't be any strings attached when buying this phone on a prepaid basis.

Michael

Wtf, why did you even bother posting here? You asked for advise, got it and then don't listen. Good luck with your overpriced budget phone....

Bluefoam

Michael, the Samsung is far from a high end phone and you seem to want people here to reinforce your decision to get it. I don't know what the conditions are of your contract, but a SIM free phone would be a better option as it would allow you to chose a more beneficial monthly plan. The nexus is a far superior device as are many other phones. But if the mini galaxy is what you want, then go for it. But be aware that it is called mini, not only because of its stature.

acephone

Thanks for the advice. At least there won't be any strings attached by paying for it on a prepaid basis.

Michael

HTML5!

No offence but, you don't seem to know very much about phones.

Listen! Do yourself a favour, forget what you think you know and buy the damn Nexus 4!!!

ezra_pound

This thread makes me LOL! Great entertainment.


Don't do it op you will regret it.

acephone

Nolimits wrote: »

t

It's true that more storage = better but I'm not sure you need such a huge amount of storage on a mobile phone, you can use the likes of spoitfy and google music so you don't need to store too much on your phone and I personally would have no interest in putting the likes of movies on my phone.It's higher end for cheaper because Google are basically subsidising the price and selling at very little if any profit.

The Nexus 4 is a lot more future proof, it has more ram and a better processor. It has a better screen and camera. It also gets it's updates straight from Google and will probably be the first phone running the next version of Android that will be announced in May.

You can't buy from Vodafone or O2.

When you say that it's future proof - do you mean that it's 4G or LTE enabled? as this is what I call future proof to.

Michael

acephone

HTML5! wrote: »

No offence but, you don't seem to know very much about phones.

Listen! Do yourself a favour, forget what you think you know and buy the damn Nexus 4!!!

The Nexus 4 is not available on prepay with my operator. Also, I can't even buy a sim free Nexus 4 from Expansys as they don't stock it. It looks like you haven't even read this thread properly. If I was able to buy a sim free nexus 4 somewhere I could use it on my prepaid network.

Michael

acephone

Nolimits wrote: »

You've said this twice, but the Nexus is unlocked. It can be used on any Network, it's cheaper than the mini, far better specced will be beter supported and is the better phone by anyway you could care to judge it.

You seemed to have come here with every intention of picking up the mini and were hoping that we'd confirm that you had made the right decision. It's up to you what you're going to do but you're wasting your money and getting an inferior product by any way you want to measue it for more money.

I know what a unlocked phone is! But I can't even buy an unlocked nexus 4 from Expansys who are one of the biggest distributors of sim free phones. I'd be more than happy to buy the Nexus 4 at around the same price as the mini samsung s3 if it was readily available but it's simply not. I'd be even prepared to pay that bit more for it, judging by the comments on this forum. I may even consider some other phone to the Samsung mini but I thought the mini Samsung was good for it's price. I never said the Samsung mini was a high spec phone but it's certainly a good budget phone.

Michael

Kristopherus

ezra_pound wrote: »

This thread makes me LOL! Great entertainment.


Don't do it op you will regret it.

+ 1 x 1000:)

OP, There is a Sticky at the top of this forum explaining how to order a Nexus 4. That is if you are ordering from Ireland, as the phone has not been released to the Irish market. If you have family/friends/enemies in UK, you can send the money to them & get them to buy it for you.

HTML5!

acephone wrote: »

The Nexus 4 is not available on prepay with my operator. Also, I can't even buy a sim free Nexus 4 from Expansys as they don't stock it. It looks like you haven't even read this thread properly. If I was able to buy a sim free nexus 4 somewhere I could use it on my prepaid network.

Michael

I have read it properly. I just know what I'm talking about.

Look at the sticky on how to order the Nexus 4.

That fact it's not available on Expansys or via prepaid on an Irish operator means fcuk all.

acephone

Nolimits wrote: »

You've said this twice, but the Nexus is unlocked. It can be used on any Network, it's cheaper than the mini, far better specced will be beter supported and is the better phone by anyway you could care to judge it.

You seemed to have come here with every intention of picking up the mini and were hoping that we'd confirm that you had made the right decision. It's up to you what you're going to do but you're wasting your money and getting an inferior product by any way you want to measue it for more money.

I never said the Samsung mini s3 was a high spec phone but I still think it's one of the best budget phones out there. If I can come across another budget phone that has a higher spec, I will buy it. I can't even buy an unlocked nexus 4 from Expansys.

acephone

HTML5! wrote: »

I have read it properly. I just know what I'm talking about.

Look at the sticky on how to order the Nexus 4.

That fact it's not available on Expansys or via prepaid on an Irish operator means fcuk all.

What is means is that the nexus 4 is hard to get.

acephone

Nolimits wrote: »

You've said this twice, but the Nexus is unlocked. It can be used on any Network, it's cheaper than the mini, far better specced will be beter supported and is the better phone by anyway you could care to judge it.

You seemed to have come here with every intention of picking up the mini and were hoping that we'd confirm that you had made the right decision. It's up to you what you're going to do but you're wasting your money and getting an inferior product by any way you want to measue it for more money.

I don't want to waste my money on an inferior product. I just want to buy the best budget phone out there with the highest spec. I haven't decided on any phone yet.

reb73

acephone wrote: »

I know what a unlocked phone is! But I can't even buy an unlocked nexus 4 from Exwhereaspansys who are one of the biggest distributors of sim free phones. I'd be more than happy to buy the Nexus 4 at around the same price as the mini samsung s3 if it was readily available but it's simply not. I'd be even prepared to pay that bit more for it, judging by the comments on this forum. I may even consider some other phone to the Samsung mini but I thought the mini Samsung was good for it's price. I never said the Samsung mini was a high spec phone but it's certainly a good budget phone.

Michael

Expansys (or for that matter any online retailer) charge a premium for selling a handset sim-free/unlocked, whereas a carrier usually subsides by locking to their network. Google are selling the Nexus 4 directly at possibly a ridiculously low margin and distributors/carriers are probably not very likely to be keen on selling on for nothing. You can buy a Nexus 4 from an online retailer - www.phonesonline.ie - but they charge a premium of over a €100 for this convenience with no value addition worth mentioning. Many of us boardsies have bought the Nexus 4 from UK purchasing it directly from Google UK Play store details of which are available in the linked thread indicated earlier, but it does require patience and possibly persistence.

The samsung mini is a decent handset, go for it by all means if you are happy to do so.. We are just trying to point out that it is not a very prudent decision.

susie19

why not get an i phone . android is rubbish i think , unless u r a geek . i use a blackberry . they are nice

123 LC

the samsung galaxy s3 mini is only €250 on vodafone if you are set on getting it. you could buy a high end phone such as the samsung galaxy s2 on amazon uk or some other similar website for the same price as the s3 mini also. €360 is very, very overpriced for the S3 mini.

ezra_pound

susie19 wrote: »

why not get an i phone . android is rubbish i think , unless u r a geek . i use a blackberry . they are nice

Hmmm fifth post in first fifteen minutes registered. Alert mods!

webels

Anyone thing this op could be trolling

EGriff

webels wrote: »

Anyone thing this op could be trolling

Yes. And there's some kind of weird referral thing going on with the link in the first post, why not just put the direct link? [/tinfoilhat]

acephone

PogMoThoin wrote: »

No, you'd get a Nexus 4 for about €270 if you jump through a few hoops to get one. Miles better phone on a par with the non mini S3
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056878068
http://www.google.ie/nexus/4/

A sim free Nexus phone 4 can be bought on Amazon.co.uk without having to go through the hoops. Stocks may be limited but at least you can avoid that hassel and the IP address issue.

acephone

Nolimits wrote: »

To be honest if you are going to be spending the kind of money that you're willing to spend then you should take more time learning about it. I know that is the purpose of this thread, but you seemed to think that only Samsung made Android phones when you came in here. A Nexus phone is the most pure version of Android there is and the nicest, most here will agree with me but then most of us are geeks.

Don't let the money burn a hole in your pocket, take your time before buying anything

I didn't hear that much about the Nexus. That's why I overlooked its Android operating system. Also, the nexus 4 is not readily available which probably explains why I overlooked it in the first place. But yes I agree with you that the Nexus is the most pure version of the Android.

acephone

reb73 wrote: »

Expansys (or for that matter any online retailer) charge a premium for selling a handset sim-free/unlocked, whereas a carrier usually subsides by locking to their network. Google are selling the Nexus 4 directly at possibly a ridiculously low margin and distributors/carriers are probably not very likely to be keen on selling on for nothing. You can buy a Nexus 4 from an online retailer - www.phonesonline.ie - but they charge a premium of over a €100 for this convenience with no value addition worth mentioning. Many of us boardsies have bought the Nexus 4 from UK purchasing it directly from Google UK Play store details of which are available in the linked thread indicated earlier, but it does require patience and possibly persistence.

The samsung mini is a decent handset, go for it by all means if you are happy to do so.. We are just trying to point out that it is not a very prudent decision.

Yes I appreciate the advice. And yes I do agree that the Nexus 4 is a higher spec phone but it may cost a little more that the mini Samsung. I notice that Amazon.co.uk stock a sim free or unlocked Nexus 4 and I may opt to buy from them as they ship to Ireland.

PogMoThoin

Look, if you didn't hear about the Nexus 4, you obviously don't know very much about phones. You also cannot get the Nexus 4 off Amazon, they have no stock, it won't stop them taking your order and leaving you waiting though. Only Google have stock (limited, they've ran out a few times) as the phone is exclusive to Google. The Amazon price is also a lot more than Google anyway.

What's the problem with using the method that's posted?

acephone

PogMoThoin wrote: »

Look, if you didn't hear about the Nexus 4, you obviously don't know very much about phones. You also cannot get the Nexus 4 off Amazon, they have no stock, it won't stop them taking your order and leaving you waiting though. Only Google have stock (limited, they've ran out a few times) as the phone is exclusive to Google. The Amazon price is also a lot more than Google anyway.

What's the problem with using the method that's posted?

The Nexus 4 is currently in stock on Amazon UK here: @ http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=nexus+4.
It's much easier to buy it through Amazon UK rather than changing IP address, avoid the other steps etc. If it's exclusive to Google, why is it selling on Amazon UK? You mentioned that I don't know anything about phones. By the way, the Nexus phones on Amazon UK are unlocked. However, the stock is limited. I'd rate the iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920 as the two best high end phones on the market as they're both 4G/LTE enabled and thus they're future proof. Unfortunately, they're expensive though.

Boxfresh

I'm selling a brand new sealed one on Adverts.ie if you're interested?

€380 + €10 postage.

<snip/>

Bargain!

The Corinthian

One month ban for Boxfresh for advertising here in breach of the forum charter.

acephone

acephone wrote: »

The Nexus 4 is currently in stock on Amazon UK here: @ http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=nexus+4.
It's much easier to buy it through Amazon UK rather than changing IP address, avoid the other steps etc. If it's exclusive to Google, why is it selling on Amazon UK? You mentioned that I don't know anything about phones. By the way, the Nexus phones on Amazon UK are unlocked. However, the stock is limited. I'd rate the iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920 as the two best high end phones on the market as they're both 4G/LTE enabled and thus they're future proof. Unfortunately, they're expensive though.

It's not been sold by Amazon, it's been sold by third party sellers on Amazon. Big difference. It's not that much different than buying it from Ebay. Plus you will have to Parcel Motel it from most if not all third party sellers.

acephone

Deleted User wrote: »

It's not been sold by Amazon, it's been sold by third party sellers on Amazon. Big difference. It's not that much different than buying it from Ebay. Plus you will have to Parcel Motel it from most if not all third party sellers.

So what if the phones are being sold by 3rd party sellers through Amazon. The Nexus 4 phones are still being sold on the Amazon UK website. And if the 3rd party sellers don't ship to Ireland, then you can arrange for a family member or a friend that's living in the UK to post to your address in Ireland. It's still an easier option than the other proposed method. And by the way, there's a brand new 16 GB Nexus 4 unlocked phone selling on the Irish eBay website here: @ http://www.ebay.ie/sch/i.html?_trksid=p3907.m570.l1313&_nkw=nexus+4&_sacat=0&_from=R40. [/B]This makes a joke out of your statement where you said the Nexus 4 was exclusive to Google because this phone is selling on the Amazon website, albeit via 3rd party sellers. And it's also being sold on eBay.

acephone

acephone wrote: »

So what if the phones are being sold by 3rd party sellers through Amazon. The Nexus phones are still being sold on the Amazon UK website. And if the 3rd party sellers don't ship to Ireland, then you can arrange for a family member or a friend that's living in the UK to post to your address in Ireland. It's still an easier option than the other proposed method. And by the way, there's a brand new 16 GB Nexus 4 unlocked phone selling on the Irish eBay website here: @ http://tinyurl.com/b3lcp8b. This makes a joke out of your statement where you said the Nexus 4 was exclusive to Google because this phone is selling on the Amazon website, albeit via 3rd party sellers. And it's also being sold on eBay.

Too many things wrong with what you just said. Let me break it down:

acephone wrote: »

So what if the phones are being sold by 3rd party sellers through Amazon. The Nexus phones are still being sold on the Amazon UK website.

Of course they're being sold by 3rd party sellers. All they're doing is buying direct from Google, upping the price and selling it on to people who don't know how to follow a few simple steps. You are talking about paying over a €100 just because of a few minutes inconvenience. And I'm not even going to start talking about warranty issues.

acephone wrote: »

And if the 3rd party sellers don't ship to Ireland, then you can arrange for a family member or a friend that's living in the UK to post to your address in Ireland. It's still an easier option than the other proposed method.

Parcel motel is quicker. And if you have a friend/family member in the UK, ask them to buy if from Google.

acephone wrote: »

And by the way, there's a brand new 16 GB Nexus 4 unlocked phone selling on the Irish eBay website here: @ http://tinyurl.com/b3lcp8b.

Of course there is. I will buy a Nexus from Google and put it on Ebay for you to buy for €100 more if you like?

acephone wrote: »

This makes a joke out of your statement where you said the Nexus 4 was exclusive to Google because this phone is selling on the Amazon website, albeit via 3rd party sellers. And it's also being sold on eBay.

I never said it was exclusive to Google.

The Corinthian

@acephone: Stop posting url redirects as we've received numerous complaints about where these may be going through and I'm inclined to agree with these complaints, especially as there seems to be little reason to post them as such here.

Failure to comply will result in an immediate and permanent ban. This is not open to discussion.

_Whimsical_

Op you can get the Galaxy mini for 205 on vodafone payg with a little effort.If you switch your number to vodafone (or if youre already with Vf then get another network sim and switch that number to vodafone) you get 20 euro off the phone. If you buy via a referal link on www.fatcheese.ie you get 24 euro off. That brings the price on vodafone to 205 euro as pay as you go. Hard to beat that.
http://shop.vodafone.ie/shop/phones-and-plans/phones/pay-as-you-go/phone-details/samsung-galaxy-s3-mini-blue

acephone

Deleted User wrote: »

It's not been sold by Amazon, it's been sold by third party sellers on Amazon. Big difference. It's not that much different than buying it from Ebay. Plus you will have to Parcel Motel it from most if not all third party sellers.

It's still being sold on Amazon website.

acephone

Deleted User wrote: »

Too many things wrong with what you just said. Let me break it down:



Of course they're being sold by 3rd party sellers. All they're doing is buying direct from Google, upping the price and selling it on to people who don't know how to follow a few simple steps. You are talking about paying over a €100 just because of a few minutes inconvenience. And I'm not even going to start talking about warranty issues.



Parcel motel is quicker. And if you have a friend/family member in the UK, ask them to buy if from Google.



Of course there is. I will buy a Nexus from Google and put it on Ebay for you to buy for €100 more if you like?



I never said it was exclusive to Google.

Another member stated on this forum: "Only Google have stock (limited, they've ran out a few times) as the phone is exclusive to Google".