Author Topic: Mobile phone upgrade - 5G or not 5G!!  (Read 8503 times)

Audax

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Re: Mobile phone upgrade - 5G or not 5G!!
« Reply #15 on: 05 January 2021, 01:07:12 PM »
Two points on this.
First, Android One is designed for lower specification phones and while there are some that can be called "mid-range" most are certainly not and hence will, by and large, perform worse than phones further up the specification range.
Second, Android One only allows installation of certain versions of apps from the Google Playstore and these apps have reduced functionality.
 

"ID customers get a lower priority than Three users" 
 Not since the Ofcom Inquiry of August 2018.

Your statement about Android One phones is still inaccurate, you can get a Nokia 8.3 running Android One on a Snapdragon 765G processor which is the same CPU that you get in the Pixel 5 which is the current Google premium phone. How many Android One phones do you actually have experience of? I've used several including Xiaomi mi a1, Xiaomi A2 Lite, Nokia 5.3 and the Motorola One. Yes, none of them were as fast as the current feature phones at the time but none of them were slow or painful to use, and all of them cost under £150.

Your second comment is also not correct, Android One has the same access to the play store as all other Android phones, some apps are locked for particular hardware and phone models but that is the case for all of Android, nothing is specifically locked because of Android One and in many cases as Android One has access to newer software and updates it has a higher api version than many recent feature phones so will run newer apps.

I'd like to see a reference to what this ofcom enquiry said as I can't find anything relevant on their site for that date, my experience is based on having contract phones with Three running along side phones using ID, there was a clear difference in performance in particular areas and many others have stated this (it's also common with some of the other MVNO operators) it might be that the operators can't throttle at the network edge but if they use different infrastructure in their core networks then it can be a different story elsewhere.

Geoff1951

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Audax

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Re: Mobile phone upgrade - 5G or not 5G!!
« Reply #17 on: 06 January 2021, 08:57:52 AM »
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/bulletins/competition-bulletins/all-closed-cases/cw_01218

That's got nothing to do with MVNO operators and their network speeds or the providers they use. All that document is saying that Three removed restrictions for their customers (ID mobile customers are not Three customers) based on speeds being throttled when their customers were using VPN's or roaming.

Steve McF

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Re: Mobile phone upgrade - 5G or not 5G!!
« Reply #18 on: 06 January 2021, 10:43:50 PM »
Some of the terminology is way over my head - I'm not that techy with phones - I just want them to work reliably. It sounds like 5G is not worth me paying for, considering how I use mine.

As I don't want an iPhone as I already detest the one I use for work, it sounds like another 4G Samsung might be the way forward. There are several different Samsung models, and I have no idea which one might be the best for reliability and longevity.

Will have to start looking, although there isn't any major rush!!!! Thanks for all the tips :)

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Re: Mobile phone upgrade - 5G or not 5G!!
« Reply #19 on: 07 January 2021, 11:46:22 AM »
Happy shopping Steve.

Audax

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Re: Mobile phone upgrade - 5G or not 5G!!
« Reply #20 on: 07 January 2021, 06:26:19 PM »
As I don't want an iPhone as I already detest the one I use for work, it sounds like another 4G Samsung might be the way forward. There are several different Samsung models, and I have no idea which one might be the best for reliability and longevity.

Z series is the really expensive phones, like £1000-£3000, you don't want one of them, S series is the premium phones which get updates for a long time after, moderately expensive but you could always look for a certified refurb of the previous series. The A series is the budget range, much easier on the wallet but not as great features or updates but would probably do you fine. The M series I think are lower end phones with larger screens, don't really know much about them!

Steve McF

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Re: Mobile phone upgrade - 5G or not 5G!!
« Reply #21 on: 07 January 2021, 10:50:33 PM »
I wouldn't pay £1000 - £3000 for a phone, or a watch, or anything like that. My Saab is worth about £1200, my Peugeot 107 probably around £1000, and our Qashqai £2800. Each of those, or a combination of them to the same value would be more useful to me than a mobile phone that costs that much, ha ha!!!! So Z series would be out for starters!!!

I think the A series might be just the ticket, but I'll keep an eye out for lower end or refurbed S series ;)

Cheers for the pointers :)  :thumbsup:

Norfolk Jim

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Re: Mobile phone upgrade - 5G or not 5G!!
« Reply #22 on: 08 January 2021, 02:28:36 PM »
Hi chaps.

Not been on here for a while as been slightly busy!!!!!!

Mobile phones - you'll never please everyone. There are those that extol the virtues of their iPhones and those that do the same about Android - Marmite springs to mind.

I had my first mobile in 1994 so been using one for a long time now - it was a Nokia & wired into my company Merc 190e with handsfree with Orange who'd just opened up in Cambridge. Used to have an excellent answerphone system called Wildfire which recognised your voice and controlled while you drove. Shame not enough used it so it was dropped.

Over the years I've had various Nokia phones, a couple of Sony Experia and then my first Samsung S1 which I was really impressed with. I'd toyed with joining other networks but Orange simply had the best coverage for my driving around the UK with no one else able to touch them. Each time it was due for upgrade I got better and better discounts and services so I've been with them ever since now obviously being EE. Over the years I have looked at other phones but stuck with Samsung and currently have the S10 with triple camera on business contracts - must say I have never ever had any issues with customer support; they've been excellent even helping me out when we moved and had slow broadband. My business landline/internet is with EE and I also have there Smart Wi-Fi around the house at no extra cost and get min 75Mb anywhere around the house - even to my VW Cali parked in the drive to update the sat nav etc.

We managed to get away for 10 day in late Sept touring North West up to Achiltibuie and then across to Dornoch - I had 4G coverage everywhere with no issues. Battery life is incredibly good and even using it as a navigation device for walking in the mountains using OMN and Viewranger it would easily last 3 days before is went down to 15% battery oh and it's waterproof - I think a lot depends on how you set it up for battery use ensuring background apps are off. The camera is exceptional and means I no longer take my DSLR camera with us (see photo attached). When I do walk I have a power bank in my rucsac just in case. My youngest son (31) has the very latest iPhone and cannot get it to last any longer than a day and half before battery is flat! However it is on a business contract with 40GB data, free calls in UK and Europe and a few free extras  ::) It costs me £37 a month but when it comes to renewal in Sept I think I'll simply keep it and go SIM only but I cannot complain at all about either phone or network and cannot see what extra 5G would offer me.

Audax

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Re: Mobile phone upgrade - 5G or not 5G!!
« Reply #23 on: 08 January 2021, 06:13:31 PM »
We managed to get away for 10 day in late Sept touring North West up to Achiltibuie and then across to Dornoch - I had 4G coverage everywhere with no issues.

When we roamed up in Scotland in 2018 from Fort William to Wick over the 3 different networks we pretty much always had fast 4G coverage, much better than Cambridgeshire or anywhere we've been in England.

Audax

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Re: Mobile phone upgrade - 5G or not 5G!!
« Reply #24 on: 08 January 2021, 06:20:06 PM »
There are those that extol the virtues of their iPhones and those that do the same about Android - Marmite springs to mind.

There's one further point I would make on that, the Samsung customisation of Android can be quite Marmite (though not to the same degree between Android and iphone), given that Steve has a Samsung and gets on with it, I would certainly suggest getting another Samsung!

wrighar

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Re: Mobile phone upgrade - 5G or not 5G!!
« Reply #25 on: 10 January 2021, 05:41:19 PM »
We until last yaer had a Moto G1, G2 and G3.

The G1 was finally getting too slow and full so we plumped for a pair of G7 Plays to replace the G1 and G3 (broken screen and eats SD cards)

Now thinking of a G9 Play to replace the G2.

They all do everything we need.

nathangardner

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Re: Mobile phone upgrade - 5G or not 5G!!
« Reply #26 on: 15 January 2021, 08:56:17 AM »
Personally I don't mind having a 5g. 4g is fair enough in terms of speed which needed for every apps I use. Invest more in security. iPhones are recommended. They have the best security software in a phone. Operating software is always updating which shows how they care for their consumers.

BTW, im using an iPhone 11.  :)

Steve McF

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Re: Mobile phone upgrade - 5G or not 5G!!
« Reply #27 on: 16 January 2021, 01:41:35 AM »
I had different phones before smart phones, but since I have had smart phones I have had Samsung. I have never had any security issues with them.

I have an iPhone for work and I hate it, It does all the same things, but not quite the in the same way!!!

Audax

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Re: Mobile phone upgrade - 5G or not 5G!!
« Reply #28 on: 16 January 2021, 10:33:52 AM »
Invest more in security. iPhones are recommended. They have the best security software in a phone. Operating software is always updating which shows how they care for their consumers.
which

That's not strictly true any more, over the past couple of years Android has come on a lot in terms of security (the Google and Samsung security teams are very good) and the operating system is now probably more secure than IOS due to the work those teams have put in. The issue comes in more around the companies who integrate Android into their phones as many of them do not bother releasing any of the monthly security updates for their device or stop doing them far too soon (I'm pointing my finger at Sony and Chinese handset manufacturers here). However Apple are very good with support and security updates as they offer around 5 to 6 years of software support for every new device.

This is why I would suggest if you go Android you get either a pixel phone, an Android one phone or go for Samsung, although you have to be careful with Samsung as some phones do not get regular updates but they do updates for far longer overall compared to Google.

The support status of each Samsung phone can be found here: https://security.samsungmobile.com/workScope.smsb and for pixel phones can be found here: https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/4457705?hl=en-GB#zippy=%2Cpixel-phones for Android one phones it's supposed to be OS updates  and security updates monthly for 2 years after the device is released, then monthly security updates for another year.

I would suggest that when your phone (Android or Apple) no longer gets security updates that you replace it with something that does, factory reset it and sell it or recycle it. The number of devices out there that have been compromised but the users do not know is crazy.

I'm currently on an Pixel 3 and it's going EOS in October this year. When I start looking in September I will be very seriously looking at going to Apple this time though simply due to how long their devices are supported for.

nathangardner

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Re: Mobile phone upgrade - 5G or not 5G!!
« Reply #29 on: 26 April 2021, 05:56:27 PM »

Quote
That's not strictly true any more, over the past couple of years Android has come on a lot in terms of security (the Google and Samsung security teams are very good) and the operating system is now probably more secure than IOS due to the work those teams have put in. The issue comes in more around the companies who integrate Android into their phones as many of them do not bother releasing any of the monthly security updates for their device or stop doing them far too soon (I'm pointing my finger at Sony and Chinese handset manufacturers here). However Apple are very good with support and security updates as they offer around 5 to 6 years of software support for every new device.

This is why I would suggest if you go Android you get either a pixel phone, an Android one phone or go for Samsung, although you have to be careful with Samsung as some phones do not get regular updates but they do updates for far longer overall compared to Google.

The support status of each Samsung phone can be found here: https://security.samsungmobile.com/workScope.smsb and for pixel phones can be found here: https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/4457705?hl=en-GB#zippy=%2Cpixel-phones for Android one phones it's supposed to be OS updates  and security updates monthly for 2 years after the device is released, then monthly security updates for another year.

I would suggest that when your phone (Android or Apple) no longer gets security updates that you replace it with something that does, factory reset it and sell it or recycle it. The number of devices out there that have been compromised but the users do not know is crazy.

I'm currently on an Pixel 3 and it's going EOS in October this year. When I start looking in September I will be very seriously looking at going to Apple this time though simply due to how long their devices are supported for.

That's great information. Thank you for clearing things up. I have been using an ios device for years and didn't think of this. Been an android user before and switched to iphone because iPhones used to get updates more than other os.

Yeah pixel is one good brand as I've been looking up with that too.