Looking for phone suggestions

[Tadgh]

When my Nexus 4 fell onto tiles a few months back it was KILL - I cried for days (not really, but..). I loved that phone. I love vanilla android. I loved the fit, feel, and look of the phone. 

I'm now using my Dad's old and chewed, SIII. I hate it so much I can't even be bothered to bring it up to full functionality. My iPod is dead - I have no way to listen to music on the go, I still can't be arsed to buy a micro SD card to use the SIII. It's depressing. My biggest issue is touchwiz. I WAS something of a power user but I can't. I just can't. Not touchwiz. I'm almost in tears writing this. I feel like I'll never be clean again.

 

So please do help me out here. I'm looking for a fairly vanilla android phone on something of a budget.

It'll be used for emails, phone stuff, listening music to music and watching films, light gaming, web browsing, and YouTube in bed.

 

I like a large form factor (a screen of around 4" inches) at a reasonable resolution from a decent panel. I would like some kind of multitasking performance, Solid build quality is paramount it will face considerable abuse, and I'd prefer to use phantom glass over a phone case. Front facing speakers would be worth extra more for, as would any performance buffs.

I get the feeling that this might be quite a lot to ask for though with a budget of around *drumroll*

200 euro pre-owned, maybe on the January sales? 
 

For front speakers, and really nice build quality I could probably come up with 250 euro, again - both preowned and on sale are options. 

Thanks in advance!

edit: I forgot to mention the importance of a MicroSD slot!

[Maheshvara]

-snip-

Remember to follow your threads and quote members whose help you want

 

 

I feel you on TW...

 

For Vanilla look into Nexus 5, and for near Vanilla i'd recommend Motorola, Sony and HTC

 

From Motorola - Moto X (2013), and Moto G also isn't bad, actually very good

 

From Sony - Try finding Sony Xperia Z (it's still a very good phone, that's even water resistant)

 

From HTC - Look into M7 and some of their newer, higher end, Desire line-up

[Tadgh]

Remember to follow your threads and quote members whose help you want

I've been lurking/using this forum for a few months now and I ALWAYS forget to follow my threads Ah well Thanks for the reminder

I think my biggest problem with TW isn't even how clunky, unintuitive, and inflexible it is. It's that it's depressingly ugly. I'm not sure TW even HAS a UX designer. It's even worse if they do..

 

Thank you kindly for your suggestions! I'll look into all of them ASAP

[Maheshvara]

I've been lurking/using this forum for a few months now and I ALWAYS forget to follow my threads Ah well Thanks for the reminder

I think my biggest problem with TW isn't even how clunky, unintuitive, and inflexible it is. It's that it's depressingly ugly. I'm not sure TW even HAS a UX designer. It's even worse if they do..

 

Thank you kindly for your suggestions! I'll look into all of them ASAP

You have that "Follow this thread button" when creating threads

 

Yeah, my secondary phone (which, at the moment i don't know where it is) runs on a custom ROM of TW 4.0.4 ICS... It's the only ROM that works, since i f****d something up, and i can't install CM anymore, or any other one i tried...

 

Yeah, look into them

 

Also, if you don't mind the size of 6.4 inches, look into Xperia Z Ultra (a great, tad big, phone )

[Tadgh]

 

Also, if you don't mind the size of 6.4 inches, look into Xperia Z Ultra (a great, tad big, phone )

WOW. Okay I love 5 inches in a phone but 6.4 is just a tablet I'd still get it actually! But I like to use my phone in my right hand under tables at school .  Still kinda a wildcard for me though. I'm liking the look of the Moto G 2nd gen - do you have any experience with it? Whatever I get it needs to have a MicroSD slot Thanks so much.

[Maheshvara]

WOW. Okay I love 5 inches in a phone but 6.4 is just a tablet I'd still get it actually! But I like to use my phone in my right hand under tables at school .  Still kinda a wildcard for me though. I'm liking the look of the Moto G 2nd gen - do you have any experience with it? Whatever I get it needs to have a MicroSD slot Thanks so much.

No, i don't have any experience with Moto G, either first or second generation... The operators here don't offer Motorola phones (Moto G was actually my first choice when buying a phone, but i went with M2 )...

 

As for specs, it's identical to my M2, it only has slightly smaller (if i'm not mistaken, it's smaller about 0.3 inches, i'm talking about Moto G 2013), and a slightly bigger screen (Moto G 2014, it's bigger by around 0.2 inches, if i'm not mistaken). They have the same CPU and GPU (SD 400 and Adreno 305), but i'm guessing that you'll have somewhat worse performance in gaming since it has higher res screen... I might be completely wrong, since Motorola has AMAZING optimization! My M2 is snappy and fast (it sometimes lags, but nothing too serious), and Moto G should be even snappier and faster

 

So, go with it, or if you can find, Moto X 2013 For your budget, i think those are the best bang for the buck

 

 

Also, since you edited your post and said that MicroSD card slot is very important, go with Moto G 2014, you won't be disappointed

[Mew]

Why don't you just get another nexus 4? In the US, you can get it for less than 150 usually.

[Aniallation]

When my Nexus 4 fell onto tiles a few months back it was KILL - I cried for days (not really, but..). I loved that phone. I love vanilla android. I loved the fit, feel, and look of the phone. 

I'm now using my Dad's old and chewed, SIII. I hate it so much I can't even be bothered to bring it up to full functionality. My iPod is dead - I have no way to listen to music on the go, I still can't be arsed to buy a micro SD card to use the SIII. It's depressing. My biggest issue is touchwiz. I WAS something of a power user but I can't. I just can't. Not touchwiz. I'm almost in tears writing this. I feel like I'll never be clean again.

Free solution: Install vanilla android on the S3

[Opcode]

I plan on grabbing a Moto G 2nd Gen, it's pretty much the best bang for buck smartphone on the market.

• Snapdragon 400 @ 1.2 GHz x4
• 5" 720p Display (Gorilla Glass 3)
• Near Stock Android (5.0 Lollipop)
• 1 GB Ram
• 8 GB Storage
• Stereo Front Facing Speakers
• 8 MP Rear | 2 MP Front
• MicroSD

$180 USD

[Tadgh]

 

Emoticon limit?

Awww Where you living? I think I'm gonna go with the G 2014 - thank you so much for your advice!

 

Why don't you just get another nexus 4? In the US, you can get it for less than 150 usually.

Still expensive and not very available in Ireland. They were never originally for sale here.

 

Free solution: Install vanilla android on the S3

Tried. Fuck the binaries somehow. No idea how to fix. Tried again and again. Phone is cracked and not all that great anyway

 

I plan on grabbing a Moto G 2nd Gen, it's pretty much the best bang for buck smartphone on the market.

• Snapdragon 400 @ 1.2 GHz x4
• 5" 720p Display (Gorilla Glass 3)
• Near Stock Android (5.0 Lollipop)
• 1 GB Ram
• 8 GB Storage
• Stereo Front Facing Speakers
• 8 MP Rear | 2 MP Front
• MicroSD

$180 USD

Thank you for the further recommendation I will ))))))))))))

Love this community. Thanks again!

[Maheshvara]

Awww Where you living? I think I'm gonna go with the G 2014 - thank you so much for your advice!

I'm from Belgrade, Serbia M2 is quite a nice phone I got it for very cheap, since it just came out, and i suppose they wanted to test the market, or whatever, so they sold it for cheap, now at 4$ a month more you need to pay around 35$ in front Not a bad deal (considering the rest of their deals)

 

Yeah, do get it, and it would be nice if you could write a review about it I wrote one about M2, but i can't seem to find the time to update it... 

[Tadgh]

I know the feeling - being from the arse end of nowhere in Ireland there are plenty of products that never make it out here

Okay - I'll get it this Christmas - and as a thanks to ye I'll write a review I'll post a link here when I do! 

I'm from Belgrade, Serbia M2 is quite a nice phone I got it for very cheap, since it just came out, and i suppose they wanted to test the market, or whatever, so they sold it for cheap, now at 4$ a month more you need to pay around 35$ in front Not a bad deal (considering the rest of their deals)

 

Yeah, do get it, and it would be nice if you could write a review about it I wrote one about M2, but i can't seem to find the time to update it...