help me decide.

[Neemil]

Heyo. At the moment I'm a student at Uni currently studying law. I don't travel very often but I am quite mobile and whilst I'm out I'm keen to play some games however my phone doesn't cut it, it's an ancient s3 mini however it does everything I ask of it like basic web browsing and so on. My contract is due for an upgrade in a few months however I'm contemplating on whether or not I should get a new phone or instead get myself something like a ps vita or 3DS. So what would you pick and I have a PS4 if that helps. Let me know please.

[Agazed]

Phone upgrade! Why get a PS vits or 3ds when you can play those games on your phone?

[ZetZet]

Phone definitely. The vita or 3ds might be nice, but they are one use devices, the phone you will use and enjoy every day.

[mrswagbhinav]

Get a nice android phone!

[Rektum]

I own the new Galaxy S6 Edge and it is AMAZING.

 

It consists of:

-an octa-core processor

-3GB Ram

-32GB of storage

-Beautiful 1440p Super AMOLED display

-Record video at 1080p @ 60 FPS, or 4k @ 30 FPS.

-Pictures at 5k!

-Supports wireless charging!

 

I've tried many different games on it and it never breaks a sweat. It's also great for split screen multitasking, and the best phone camera that Samsung has made so far. I watch all of Linus's videos on my Galaxy S6 Edge and it looks great. The camera is extremely fast responsive and takes AMAZING pictures and videos! I am also loving the wireless charging feature. I have purchased a very thin but still reliable case for it and I can wirelessly charge it with the case still on it. Finally, the exterior. It is very difficult to accidentally scratch the phone, whether it is the front or back of the phone. I don't think I will ever even need a screen protector for this phone. 
 

And to sum it all up, it doesn't even cost that much. You can get the Galaxy S6 Edge at Bestbuy for only $299.99 with 2 year contract.

​Hope this helped :]

[Opcode]

If you don't have a lot to spend I would look into the Zenfone 2. It's miles better than your S3 Mini and only costs about $299 outright for the best model. Even the 2GB model for $199 is miles better and is pretty much identical to the flagship except it rocks only 2GB of memory and 16GB of internal storage.

[ShadowCaptain]

I have a Vita, 3ds, Nvidia Shield and iPhone 6 - all are great for gaming

 

if you have any specific questions give me a shout

[MoonSpot]

A 7" tablet could be carried around, and be useful as another screen to go back and forth with your pc when typing out papers/research.  combined with the ability to use onenote and e-texts on a larger screen, it could be a more versatile option than a more gaming orientated platform.  As long as you can tether it to your phone via a hotspot it may even be the least costly option.

 

The con is it can be a fair amount of shit to carry around.  Double sided Velcro and adhering the tablet and phone to my laptop cover helped me juggle it.

[ThE_MarD]

Heyyo,

Nintendo 3DS have some pretty darn spectacular games and would prevent you from having battery drain issues on your phone. I'd highly recommend you check their games catalogue and if you like it? Get one of those instead of your phone upgrade.

 

If you don't have a lot to spend I would look into the Zenfone 2. It's miles better than your S3 Mini and only costs about $299 outright for the best model. Even the 2GB model for $199 is miles better and is pretty much identical to the flagship except it rocks only 2GB of memory and 16GB of internal storage.

Err... well, he did say "on contract" so unless Asus Zenfone 2 is available on contract? It's not a viable option for him tbh.

For an on contract phone without ruining your bank account? I'd recommend the HTC One M8 due to its awesome stereo speakers and SnapDragon 801 SoC which will give you good performance... the major downside to this phone though? the Camera.. Ultrapixel sucks compared to the majority of smartphones out there. It'll work fine for compressed images uploaded to Facebook.. but using a site like imgur to upload full quality photos? They won't look nearly as good as other phones out there.

For high end flagship? HTC One M9 or the Samsung Galaxy S6. The S6 Edge is a gimmick and tbh I don't exactly like the way the screen image warps a bit on the edges...

HTC One M9? You get those amazing front facing speakers so gaming on it would be a blast. It does have the SnapDragon 810 SoC which does have some heat issues but it's a bit over exaggerated tbh. The SnapDragon 801 also gets pretty darn hot yet no one complains over that SoC... the thermal difference between 45ºC and 50ºC ain't that much.

Samsung Galaxy S6? The Samsung Exynos 7420 is a fantastic SoC and the color temperature and accuracy is probably the best on any mobile device. The only downside to the S6 is of course the price.. the price is quite a bit higher than an HTC One M9 that can deliver around the same experience minus a little screen quality and plus a little heat but a major plus on the speakers.

[Opcode]

Err... well, he did say "on contract" so unless Asus Zenfone 2 is available on contract? It's not a viable option for him tbh.

For an on contract phone without ruining your bank account? I'd recommend the HTC One M8 due to its awesome stereo speakers and SnapDragon 801 SoC which will give you good performance... the major downside to this phone though? the Camera.. Ultrapixel sucks compared to the majority of smartphones out there. It'll work fine for compressed images uploaded to Facebook.. but using a site like imgur to upload full quality photos? They won't look nearly as good as other phones out there.

For high end flagship? HTC One M9 or the Samsung Galaxy S6. The S6 Edge is a gimmick and tbh I don't exactly like the way the screen image warps a bit on the edges...

HTC One M9? You get those amazing front facing speakers so gaming on it would be a blast. It does have the SnapDragon 810 SoC which does have some heat issues but it's a bit over exaggerated tbh. The SnapDragon 801 also gets pretty darn hot yet no one complains over that SoC... the thermal difference between 45ºC and 50ºC ain't that much.

Samsung Galaxy S6? The Samsung Exynos 7420 is a fantastic SoC and the color temperature and accuracy is probably the best on any mobile device. The only downside to the S6 is of course the price.. the price is quite a bit higher than an HTC One M9 that can deliver around the same experience minus a little screen quality and plus a little heat but a major plus on the speakers.

Why would you want to pay for a phone on contract? You can get the same service for cheaper if you bring your own phone. Besides you pay like 1.5x more for the phone over the duration of your contract. I would go ZenPhone 2 + StraightTalk $45 a month for unlimited everything. That's just me though trying to find the cheapest way out of everything without compromise .

[ThE_MarD]

Heyyo,

 

Why would you want to pay for a phone on contract? You can get the same service for cheaper if you bring your own phone. Besides you pay like 1.5x more for the phone over the duration of your contract. I would go ZenPhone 2 + StraightTalk $45 a month for unlimited everything. That's just me though trying to find the cheapest way out of everything without compromise .

True, but not everyone's the same eh? Part of the problem in Canada for buying phones off contract is mainly due to marketing... before the OnePlus One, there wasn't a lot of high end phones that I can think of that you could buy directly from the manufacturer and ship to your house.

Motorolla Canada? I love their phones... but Motorolla only sells the Moto G directly to people... The Moto X? Links to buying it on carriers with a contract.

NCIX? There's usually quite the mark up... So sometimes it still works out that you're better off buying it from a carrier and then spending the extra $35 for a carrier unlock if you wanted to use it on a smaller carrier and such.

So I think in this day and age? For most people it's about convenience and lower price up-front than long term savings... that's why financing works so damn good these days.

[Monte_Carlo]

I'm going to go and break away from the common response here.  You SHOULD get a 3DS or Vita by all means.  Because phones will not play the games that the 3DS and Vita have.   You could easily get a nice midrange phone, and a handheld, and likely save money. (At least if you buy the phone off contract.)

 

I've always found that a dedicated gaming platform will serve you quite well simply for the fact it is a one use device.  The 3DS has one purpose, and that is gaming, and while it doesn't push any technological boundaries, it still offers excellent bang for the buck.  200 dollars nets you a phenomenal library of games that ranges back through the DS era, and into the NES era with eshop support.  Of course this goes along with various bonuses like physical controls that don't rely exclusively on a touchscreen.  Amiibo connectivity, and all that great jazz.  I'll even say the 3D is worth checking out on the New 3DS.

 

Vita is just as strong a system right now at pretty much the same price point.  Superior specs yield classier looking games, granted the 3DS looks beautiful within it's limits.  Dual analog stick support, solid library that extends into the PSP era with online support.  One thing really holding it back are prices on the memory standard that Sony uses.  If OP does indeed have a PS4, this would prove to be quite a useful extra.  I can't vouch for it personally, but apparently you can use the PS Vita as a PS4 controller, and a few other nifty extras.  Useful feature, but not needed seeing as how the Vita stands on it's own.  

 

Or you could go spend a solid chunk of money on a device with freemium games, no built in hardware buttons, but hey... you get lots of big hardware numbers that have not yielded a better experience for me so far.  You can argue that a controller can be plugged in, but that kinda defeats the purpose of the portability aspect for me.  Bringing emulators into the game isn't a bad option honestly, but at that point OP could invest in a nice laptop or tablet, and work from there.  

 

tl;dr: 

Hardware controls for me are a huge benefit as is the sizable library both the Vita and 3DS carry.  A library you mostly won't find on smartphones of any mobile OS.  Basing your purchase on specs alone is rather pointless considering the purpose of the devices.  Consider what YOUR gaming needs are, and base your purchasing decisions on that.  

[Guest]

iPhone has the best games, no debate (when compared to android).

 

Metal means new iPhones get insanely good graphics at 60FPS, and the App Store has a much better and better-optimized selection of games.