[drsingh]

Originally Posted by meerkat

Hi guys,

I'm in the market for an Android phone, and need your help in choosing one. Here are my requirements:

1) Budget : 20k max (the lower the better of course, while satisfying the basic requirements, as below).

2) A good (not necessarily full HD) 5.5" AMOLED display (since a major use will be as an e-reader in light-on-black format).
( I understand that this pretty much ties me to a Samsung !)

3) Good After-Sales Service (I'm likely to keep it as long as it runs reliably).

4) Good battery life (preferably with a removable battery).

5) 4G with VoLTE.

6) Exclusive microSD slot.

7) Up-to-date OS (that will be Android-M for now, apparently).

With the above in view, I'm probably looking at a Samsung J7 (2016), albeit with a 16k price tag which looks hefty for its specs.

Now it gets interesting, with an imminent launch of the Lenovo Vibe P2 which sounds *much* better just looking at its specs, -- better on almost all counts, except perhaps the non-removable battery. And the price is likely to be close too! So it should have been a no-brainer, except for point # 3 above, which is likely to be the deal breaker, given Lenovo's reputation in this regard. So I'm in a dilemma!

So what do you experts suggest? Given the requirements, what are my choices? Any first-hand experience with the Lenovo service? Any other options? Thank you very much for any help.

If you're budget conscious, get a phone and a kindle separately.

If you want 4g voLTE , you need a massive battery.Redmi 3s with 4000 mah for proper volte . Asus zenphone max for the 5000 mah Battery and 5.5 screen,but it lacks proper VOLTE on jio.

If you want max bang for your buck.Get a redmi 3s for 7k,128 GB micro sd for 2500 Rs, Amazon kindle for 4- 5k. 1k for a 13000 mah power bank. This is what my college going cousin got recently.

AMOLED is overrated.unless you really want those deep blacks and oversaturated colours.

[indian21r]

be careful guys, OP3 screen did not survive a 3 feet fall. We are applying under the protection.

Quite a few of our other phones survived higher drops of 4 feet
- One plus One
- Honor 5c ( it has a cover)
- Moto X

OP3 without cover is too slippery

[500ContyCruiser]

Originally Posted by indian21r

be careful guys, OP3 screen did not survive a 3 feet fall. We are applying under the protection.

Quite a few of our other phones survived higher drops of 4 feet
- One plus One
- Honor 5c ( it has a cover)
- Moto X

OP3 without cover is too slippery

I have a brand new OP2 lying in my house. Within few days (less than a week) of buying it, fell not even from 1-2 feet and boom.. screen gone. Tried fixing it outside (as OP service center could not get replace screen even after 15 days) and that guy screwed up the motherboard. Now the phone does not even start.

What a waste of money

[abhjain]

Originally Posted by 500ContyCruiser

I have a brand new OP2 lying in my house. Within few days (less than a week) of buying it, fell not even from 1-2 feet and boom.. screen gone. Tried fixing it outside (as OP service center could not get replace screen even after 15 days) and that guy screwed up the motherboard. Now the phone does not even start.

What a waste of money

Try gadgetwood.com if you're in Delhi

[meerkat]

Originally Posted by drsingh

If you're budget conscious, get a phone and a kindle separately.

If you want 4g voLTE , you need a massive battery.Redmi 3s with 4000 mah for proper volte . Asus zenphone max for the 5000 mah Battery and 5.5 screen,but it lacks proper VOLTE on jio.

If you want max bang for your buck.Get a redmi 3s for 7k,128 GB micro sd for 2500 Rs, Amazon kindle for 4- 5k. 1k for a 13000 mah power bank. This is what my college going cousin got recently.

AMOLED is overrated.unless you really want those deep blacks and oversaturated colours.

Thanks for your input.

Well, I did mention my reason for opting for a 5.5" AMOLED display :
"since a major use will be as an e-reader in light-on-black format."

Perhaps I was not clear enough, and it needed some elaboration. I probably should have mentioned that its *primary* use will be as an e-reader in light-on-black format. That's why I'm after a high-contrast, true black display that only an OLED can provide. So this rules out any phone with a low-contrast, backlit LCD display.

In fact I have no other need for another phone right now! Only, as long as I'm going to buy one anyway, I wanted it to also serve as a sort of PC substitute (to the extent feasible), an entertainment device, as well as a spare phone, in case I need it. That's why I want it to be 4G compliant (and would also like to experience VoLTE with its promised high quality).

As for the over-saturated colours of an AMOLED display, I don't believe that it is something that can't be corrected by software. In any case, I'm willing to compromise to some extent on my secondary needs, if indeed the AMOLED does entail it.

You may very well ask why I'm not going for a Kindle instead. Well, for several reasons:

One is my requirement : " Good After-Sales Service (I'm likely to keep it as long as it runs reliably)." I'm not wiliing to accept the possibility of having to toss the device after the one-year warranty period, if some problem does occur.

Secondly, I'm not okay with the idea of having to carry around an one-trick pony in all my trips, especially when I'm not convinced that it performs that only trick any better than other alternatives (such as an AMOLED phablet, for example). As far as I'm concerned, it is the Kindle and the like that are highly over-rated, with their misleading ads and all !

Thirdly, I'm not okay with having to convert all my GBs of epub collection. And what about all my pdf ebooks ? ( I know that a 5.5" phablet may not be useful either, for larger pdf pages (for which I have my PC/Laptop), but it is quite okay for smaller size pdfs).

So a 5.5" AMOLED it is for me! The only question is, is it prudent to go for the Lenovo P2 instead of the Samsung J7 (2016), or are there any better alternatives within 20k ? Thanks again for your input.

[Sheel]

Any of you got the Pixel? How is it?

[97_Octane]

Originally Posted by indian21r

be careful guys, OP3 screen did not survive a 3 feet fall. We are applying under the protection.

Originally Posted by 500ContyCruiser

I have a brand new OP2 lying in my house. Within few days (less than a week) of buying it, fell not even from 1-2 feet and boom.. screen gone.

My OPO also fell facedown from barely 2 feet (from the base height of a chair) and display went kaput! It had a tempered glass screen protector and that didn't help either. Was forced to change displays and these also didn't last even for 2 weeks. Phone is rendered useless now.

My Galaxy S4 on the other hand has survived multiple drops in all kinds of situations and it has survived with the battle scars.

OnePlus really needs to improve the quality of it's displays.

[500ContyCruiser]

Originally Posted by abhjain

Try gadgetwood.com if you're in Delhi

No. I tried in Bangalore. Moved on to iPhone now.

Originally Posted by 97_Octane

My Galaxy S4 on the other hand has survived multiple drops in all kinds of situations and it has survived with the battle scars.

OnePlus really needs to improve the quality of it's displays.

Similar thing with my Lumia phones. They have survived all types of crash tests and have stayed strong!

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by meerkat

You may very well ask why I'm not going for a Kindle instead. Well, for several reasons:

One is my requirement : " Good After-Sales Service (I'm likely to keep it as long as it runs reliably)." I'm not wiliing to accept the possibility of having to toss the device after the one-year warranty period, if some problem does occur.

Secondly, I'm not okay with the idea of having to carry around an one-trick pony in all my trips, especially when I'm not convinced that it performs that only trick any better than other alternatives (such as an AMOLED phablet, for example). As far as I'm concerned, it is the Kindle and the like that are highly over-rated, with their misleading ads and all !

Thirdly, I'm not okay with having to convert all my GBs of epub collection. And what about all my pdf ebooks ? ( I know that a 5.5" phablet may not be useful either, for larger pdf pages (for which I have my PC/Laptop), but it is quite okay for smaller size pdfs).

I think you have got it in reverse. Recently the kindle paperwhite was available on paytm as cheap as 7350. That was a no-brainer. The screen of the kindle cannot be compared with anything else. I have tried enough tricks with all other phones (S3 / iPhone / Redmi Note 3) but the ease of reading on Kindle is unparalleled.

1. That's overhyped. My brother in law still has a kindle that's circa 2008 or so. Still working fine. He forgets to recharge it for months yet the battery is decent.
2. Again unnecessarily overthinking it. Its not that heavy. I've carried it in my trouser pocket so many times.
3. Valid concern. Can't argue with that- I bought it for my paid book reading only.

[JMaruru]

Originally Posted by meerkat

Thirdly, I'm not okay with having to convert all my GBs of epub collection. And what about all my pdf ebooks ? ( I know that a 5.5" phablet may not be useful either, for larger pdf pages (for which I have my PC/Laptop), but it is quite okay for smaller size pdfs).

For conversion you have a good tool in 'calibre'. It can convert all your material into kindle format or vice versa.

Kindle can do PDF's. But the experience is much better with text based materials rather than one with graphics/pictures. If it is more of pictures/diagrams one can look at sony's 13 inch e-readers, which has native support for PDF format. The reading experience will be much better than your PC/Laptop.

For reading, day or night, nothing can come closer to e-readers. As they say, your eyes will thank you.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

I think you have got it in reverse. Recently the kindle paperwhite was available on paytm as cheap as 7350. That was a no-brainer. The screen of the kindle cannot be compared with anything else. I have tried enough tricks with all other phones (S3 / iPhone / Redmi Note 3) but the ease of reading on Kindle is unparalleled.

1. That's overhyped. My brother in law still has a kindle that's circa 2008 or so. Still working fine. He forgets to recharge it for months yet the battery is decent.
2. Again unnecessarily overthinking it. Its not that heavy. I've carried it in my trouser pocket so many times.
3. Valid concern. Can't argue with that- I bought it for my paid book reading only.

+1

[Debajyoti]

Originally Posted by meerkat

...So a 5.5" AMOLED it is for me! ... or are there any better alternatives within 20k ?

Why not the Samsung Galaxy On8? It has 5.5" FHD sAMOLED, 3gb ram, dual sim with separate microsd slot, 4G with VoLTE and removable 3300mah battery. Price is 15900. But it's only available on Flipkart.

Lenovo P2 is a good alternative, rumors are it will be launched on 8th Nov for 15999. Specs are certainly better than J7 2016 or On8. If you are not in a hurry then I suggest wait and see at which price Lenovo launches the P2 and then decide.

Non AMOLED alternatives are Redmi Note 3 and Mi Max. Major disadvantage is that both have hybrid slots so either dual sim or single sim + microsd. And from my personal experience, Samsung has very good aftersales but Xiaomi and Lenovo aftersales is a hit or miss.

[Sheel]

Why don't mobile companies make good phones in 4 inch to 5 inch screen sizes? All good stuff are at screen size over 5 inch. This is as absurd as having slim fit clothes. No decent specced phone is available in this size.

After reading various comments about the OP3, I have decided to drop it from my list and now, most likely will get the A5 [older one] because of size issues and this will be a sure shot use & throw phone.

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Why don't mobile companies make good phones in 4 inch to 5 inch screen sizes?

I have a feeling that this is because of the reason that the 5.5 inch phones have additional screen area, so displaying more ads is possible. Of course, almost all apps are free because they're fueled by ads.

I'm not sure what your requirements are, but you can try the Mi 5 (5.15" screen). If you don't like MIUI, you could always switch to cyanogenmod.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Why don't mobile companies make good phones in 4 inch to 5 inch screen sizes?

Few options (with flagship config) are:

1. Xperia "Compact" series E.g. Z5 / XA Compact (4.6 inches)
2. Galaxy S7 (5.1 inches)
3. Xperia X Compact (4.6 inches)

[drsingh]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Why don't mobile companies make good phones in 4 inch to 5 inch screen sizes? All good stuff are at screen size over 5 inch. This is as absurd as having slim fit clothes. No decent specced phone is available in this size.

After reading various comments about the OP3, I have decided to drop it from my list and now, most likely will get the A5 [older one] because of size issues and this will be a sure shot use & throw phone.

The mobile phone industry seems to be settling at 5 inch 720p as the 'good enough' and most popular , economies of scale option. Just like laptops have settled at 15.6 inch HD screens. You will find smaller and larger options for niche demand though.