Best bang for € Android 5" smartphone right now

BailMeOut

Work purchase and I am self employed so want to spend a little as I can. Not sure I am willing to risk the no brand Chinese options, tempted but need something I can easily return if problems.

So name brand 5 inch Android for work. Only features I care about are 4G, good battery, a micro SD slot, a screen you can see when outside and light/thin design as will be carrying around all day. My main apps that I care about are Lync 2013 and Outlook and I use Lync for VOIP.

Can someone just tell me which phone to buy an I will.

Thank you!

reni10

The new 2014 Moto G is a 5" smartphone that is pretty good and can be had for under €200.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Motorola-5-Inch-SIM-Free-Smartphone-XT1068-Black/dp/B00NBSZ56C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411397458&sr=8-1&keywords=motog

No 4G but has pretty much everything else you are looking for and also is a dual SIM phone.
It is by a brand name Motorola so no dealing with no name brands.

If you can handle a 4.5" screen then the Moto G 4G has everything you want and is a cracker of a phone for the €180 it costs!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Moto-4G-8GB-SIM-Free-Smartphone/dp/B00KB0YDBG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1411397481&sr=8-4&keywords=motog
https://store.meteor.ie/phones/pay-as-you-go-phones/moto-g

If you buy from Meteor online the phone will SIM Lock to the first SIM you put in it so can be used even if you are not on Meteor!

Hopefully soon also the ebay unlockers that charge about €5 to unlock the phone will have the necessary codes for the Moto G 4G and then the SIM locking will not be a worry at all...

Francie Barrett

If having an SD card is not a blocker and you're not in a rush to buy, then wait to see what Google do with the Nexus 5. The successor to it will be announced in the next month or so, that usually results in Google slashing the price of the predecessor. It has a much better display, has a better processor and more RAM than the Moto G, and I've a feeling it might not cost too much more if Google cut the price like they did with the Nexus 4 last year.

Zipppy

Francie Barrett wrote: »

If having an SD card is not a blocker and you're not in a rush to buy, then wait to see what Google do with the Nexus 5. The successor to it will be announced in the next month or so, that usually results in Google slashing the price of the predecessor. It has a much better display, has a better processor and more RAM than the Moto G, and I've a feeling it might not cost too much more if Google cut the price like they did with the Nexus 4 last year.

or just wait for the nexus 6

BailMeOut

thanks everyone, especially reni10. I just ordered the Moto G 4G 8GB SIM-Free Smartphone - Black

£153.18 with free shipping.

reni10

BailMeOut wrote: »

thanks everyone, especially reni10. I just ordered the Moto G 4G 8GB SIM-Free Smartphone - Black

£153.18 with free shipping.

Very good, I don't think you will be disappointed...

BailMeOut

sorry quick question. The Moto G 4G has a micro SIM slot I believe where as my existing phone as the standard SIM. It's with Vodafone so do I have to go to a Vodafone shop to get a new SIM?

Squeeonline

Can we please just sticky the Moto G at the top? I'm sick of every thread just being answered by it?

Basically if you dont have a clue about technology etc but want an android phone, then get the motoG. Otherwise, make mistakes with other budget phones or get an iPhone.

donegal.

BailMeOut wrote: »

sorry quick question. The Moto G 4G has a micro SIM slot I believe where as my existing phone as the standard SIM. It's with Vodafone so do I have to go to a Vodafone shop to get a new SIM?

you're better off getting a new sim.
but if your new phone arrives and you haven't got a new sim you can just cut your standard sim down to size with a pair of scissors.

Discodog

Squeeonline wrote: »

Can we please just sticky the Moto G at the top? I'm sick of every thread just being answered by it?

Basically if you dont have a clue about technology etc but want an android phone, then get the motoG. Otherwise, make mistakes with other budget phones or get an iPhone.

I don't get it. The Moto G has half the processing power of similar priced alternatives. It's not cheap for a 1.2 phone.

beno619

Discodog wrote:

I don't get it. The Moto G has half the processing power of similar priced alternatives. It's not cheap for a 1.2 phone.

Cpu clock speeds dont mean everything, they mean very little in the hand scheme of things.

Discodog

beno619 wrote: »

Cpu clock speeds dont mean everything, they mean very little in the hand scheme of things.

I disagree especially for multitasking. The reviews that I have read mention it as a weakness in the Moto G. You can get a faster processor & 2 gb of RAM for less money.

advertsfox

Discodog wrote: »

I disagree especially for multitasking. The reviews that I have read mention it as a weakness in the Moto G. You can get a faster processor & 2 gb of RAM for less money.

What other mainstream brand phone can you get with stock Android with a faster processor and 2GB of RAM for less than €149?

Discodog

advertsfox wrote: »

What other mainstream brand phone can you get with stock Android with a faster processor and 2GB of RAM for less than €149?

Depends on what you call mainstream. Take a look in the Chinese phones thread.

The J Stands for Jay

I'm typing this on a Moto G I paid £99 for Sim free. It's far faster that any if the more expensive budget android phones I've hhad. I don't have to put up with sense or touchwizz (or whatever it's called) slowing everything down. Running the latest version of Android without any bloat means it can be fast without needing to have the fastest hardware.

Discodog

McGaggs wrote: »

I'm typing this on a Moto G I paid £99 for Sim free. It's far faster that any if the more expensive budget android phones I've hhad. I don't have to put up with sense or touchwizz (or whatever it's called) slowing everything down. Running the latest version of Android without any bloat means it can be fast without needing to have the fastest hardware.

Can you multitask ? For example can you run say Skype, Yahoo etc in the background ?

beno619

Discodog wrote:

I disagree especially for multitasking. The reviews that I have read mention it as a weakness in the Moto G. You can get a faster processor & 2 gb of RAM for less money.

Pair a Snapdragon 400 with 2gb of ram and of course multitasking will improve, not many mediatek processors are faster and chappy roms on the Chinese phones you mention would have them far behind the Moto G.

ezra_pound

McGaggs wrote: »

I'm typing this on a Moto G I paid £99 for Sim free. It's far faster that any if the more expensive budget android phones I've hhad. I don't have to put up with sense or touchwizz (or whatever it's called) slowing everything down. Running the latest version of Android without any bloat means it can be fast without needing to have the fastest hardware.

Yea. Right now I'd probably be on a Chinese phone if it weren't for the moto g. I'm on my 2nd. My first was gen 1 and my second is gen 2. Really great phones. I've rooted every phone I've ever had but there's no need with the g l as the ROM is so good. Will get a lollypop update early etc.

Tried one Chinese phone with fancy sounding spec and was very disappointed. Admittedly it was not a good one and I know the good ones are a lot better but the moto g literally does not fail me on any front. Every thing works reliably. The best phone ever!

mondeo

I would go for the moto G 4G with the 4.5" screen. I dont see the new 5" moto G as an upgrade at all. Until it has 4G capability i don't see the point in at all.

advertsfox

Discodog wrote: »

Depends on what you call mainstream. Take a look in the Chinese phones thread.

Mainstream being Motorola, HTC, Samsung, Sony, Huawei, LG etc. You cant compare Chinese phones, they are cheap for a reason with poor custom builds of Android, old hardware designs and build quality. Even the stock ROM versions are problematic.

My question was in regards to the below comment you replied to. If you are looking for a good new Android phone - the Moto G is obvious, not a Chinese phone.

Squeeonline wrote: »

Basically if you dont have a clue about technology etc but want an android phone, then get the motoG. Otherwise, make mistakes with other budget phones or get an iPhone.

ezra_pound

mondeo wrote: »

I would go for the moto G 4G with the 4.5" screen. I dont see the new 5" moto G as an upgrade at all. Until it has 4G capability i don't see the point in at all.

Luckily I have no interest in 4g for at least the next year or so so I'm pretty happy with the bigger screen. My gen 1 version didn't have SD card so it's great having an extra 32gb.

Discodog

From what I have seen you need to pay a lot more for the 5 inch Moto G. Then there seems to be this uncertainty about which Moto G is the official new phone. I can't see Irish suppliers supporting a dual sim.

At this price point it falls in the "what can I get for a little bit more" category. It starts to come close to premium Chinese brands like Xiaomi which are highly reputable phones. My current phone is a g300. It was a very easy choice as there was nothing comparable for the price. The next decision isn't as easy.

BailMeOut

phone arrived and first impression is that the quality is way better than I ever expected for this price. Up and running now, it runs really quickly and screen is pretty decent.

Thanks again for the recommendation. You guys saved me some leg work!

was.deevey

I picked up an Asus Zenfone 4 recently, and its a ridiculously good phone for the price of which I tested just about everything else in the sub 150 euro price out there (in person as I'm living in S/E Asia).

If you want something bigger theres the 4.5, 5 and 6 models as well - the intel graphics are superb for games and everything runs smooth as hell, camera is only acceptable on the 4 due to the lack of flash, but pretty decent on the 4.5 and up if you need that kind of thing (I particularly wanted a smaller phone rather than a camera I don't use).

It is a dual core intel atom, but with hyper threading which brings it into quad core territory for multitasking.

Kit Kat is out for some Zenfones already and will also be upgradable to Android L as well.

Another one to take a peek at.

My 1# choice mind you after testing tons of phones was actually the Alcatel One Touch Idol Mini which - unfortunately they only had the dual sim version of it over here which cant accept an SD - really smooth interface and just felt fantastically solidly built - if you can find the single sim version It would be well worth a look.

reni10

BailMeOut wrote: »

phone arrived and first impression is that the quality is way better than I ever expected for this price. Up and running now, it runs really quickly and screen is pretty decent.

Thanks again for the recommendation. You guys saved me some leg work!

Glad I was right that you would not be disappointed!

It really is a great phone for the money and I just cannot see how someone would spend €800+ for an iPhone when the Moto G is a quarter of the price and does about 90% of the same things as the iPhone.