I currently have a Galaxy S2 which is on it's death bed pretty much so I'm looking for a replacement.
The important factors to me are a good camera and removable battery.
My price range is about $500, I'd prefer AU stock due to the 24 Month warranty but I'll settle for Grey Imports if I have to.
Edit: forgot to mention, I prefer something that has an SD card slot.
Thanks.
No.
I thought the LG's didn't have a removable battery?
The LG G2 doesn't have a removable battery. Their newest G3 however does.
Most local stock purchased outright will have a 24month warranty.
My Galaxy S3 & S4 sure did (Dick Smith & JBHifi purchases)
Galaxy Note 2? Its close to $500 for AU stock and $400 for grey import.
Is the Note 2 better than the S4?
Well, the Note 2 is older than the S4. However it is not in the same product line as the Galaxy S series, since it is a "Note" it comes with a stylus and the screen size / battery is much bigger. If you're sick of having to micromanage battery life, you'd probably want the massive battery.
The CPU performance and PPI is not as good as the S4, and with your limit of $500 you can't exactly get the latest Note III.
http://geekaphone.com/compare/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-II-vs-Sams…
Another alternative to the S4 is the S4 Active. It's basically a rugged version with similar specs, except for the LCD screen (not AMOLED), water resistance spec and its also slightly cheaper than the S4. I'm thinking of getting the S4 active myself.
Alternatively, there's the Note 3 Neo, which is pretty much the Note 2 with a better processor in a Note 3 body.
Is it worth spending more to try and get something else? The S4 active seems pretty decent but the TFT screen worries me, I'm not sure I'm a fan of the buttons and If I'm not mistaken the camera on the S4 is better.
I'm not a fan of the Note range as I feel like they're a bit too big.
i'm suing the s4 active, was worried about the TFT, turns out quite nice, and less greenish.
look at the review. most stated it's good. not downgrade as most stated.
for a good camera, I would think LG G2 (but no battery removal and sd slot), alternative would be Galaxy K . (600+ ?)
I know you'd prefer an SD Card slot, and I did too in when I was in the EXACT same boat as you are now (Old S2, ~$500 to spend, kept a lot on the SD card, wanted a decent warranty ofc). I went with the Nexus 5 and have really only missed the SD card once so far. It's a lot nicer than my friends' S4s, Iphones, etc and I haven't met anyone who hasn't liked it yet. The battery might last longer on the S4, but the Nexus is just an all around better device IMO, and cheaper. So yea, my money (and savings) would be on the Nexus 5.
Removing the SD Card slot requirement does open you up to a lot of options, such as the current Ozbargain favourite the LG G2 that fits a large battery, 5.2 inch 1080p screen, an OIS camera and a Snapdragon 800 in a body that's smaller than the S4 Active. If you want some flair with your phone, then the Xperia Z1 is another great choice under $500, as it also contains a Snapdragon 800, large battery, waterproofing and a 20.7 megapixel camera. The Snapdragon 800 is actually quite a bit faster than the Snapdragon 600, with a Snapdragon 800 benchmarking around the 20,000 mark in Quadrant vs a 13000 mark for the Snapdragon 600. If you however are fine with the Snapdragon 600, the HTC One M7 has been on quite a few Australian Stock sales at the moment for under $500, I believe last Sunday on the 20% off sale you could have gotten it off Dicksmith for $398ish.
EDIT: Oh, the Xperia Z1 actually DOES have an SD Card slot.
G2 doesn't have a removable battery though. I've noticed with the Z1 that a lot of people have had problems with the screen so it's made me hesitant to consider it.
I'm in the same boat here and have been scouring ozbargain for options and am leaning towards nexus 5 or the new oneplus one. Really impressive specs, no sd card though and its $530 at mobicity or $508 at camera paradise, with 12 months warranty. Or $439 for 16gb version.
http://cameraparadise.com/shop/oneplus+mobile-device.html?ti…
HTC One M7 64Gb are going at less than $500 now.
http://www.mobileciti.com.au/htc-one-64gb-4g-black
Doesn't have a SD slot either but with 64Gb, surely its unnecessary?
As a bonus, you can unlock it and install the Google Play Edition to get Nexus-like software updates
You can install the Google Play Edition ROM on the S4 as well. The S4 seems to tick more of the OP's criteria as well having a superior camera to the M7 (with adequate sunlight), removable battery and expandable storage. $479 from MobileCiti in the recent deal.
by unlock you mean root yeh? or is there another method for m7?
Yes.. Incorrect terminology on my behalf, I should know better!
But the One's camera is poor in comparison to most phones listed already and the battery is not removable.
Doesn't suit his/her requirements at all.
After having a few Samsung phones and playing with roms over the years I've finally settled on a phone I'm happy with …the Nexus 5, no having to wait for lazy/slow Samsung to roll out updates.
Android should be left as it is clean and unmodified by the manufacturers.
can you change the dock on the Nexus 5 without have to rom it? I've only owned Samsung as well and it's one of the major things I dislike.
can't without root. But couple hours research and doing a root, you will be able to change the dock to be perfectly to your liking.
just change launchers. easy fix
can't wait for changes from android L :D
G2 is still a great phone and it's frequently on sale.
Kogan is now selling the Note Neo and the S4 active for $419 and $399 respectively. https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/151759
Had s2 for over 3 years. Went with the 32gb LG g2. Never have to worry about battery life ever again.
Really, do you have a special extended battery pack or just the stock battery?
Well the battery is 3000 mah on the LG G2 which compared to the SGS2's 1800mah stock battery, will outlast the SGS2 by a fairly signicant amount. It is after much bigger than the SGS2 hence more room for a bigger capacity battery.
The LG G2 however doesn't sport a removable battery, and if you're someone who likes to keep a mobile phone for long periods of time and need to swap out a dying battery, you'll need to have some elbow grease and some special tools to replace it.
Oh right. Yeah that's what worries me about phones with non-removable battery. It's not always possible to plug your phone into a charger.
the SGS2 was 1650 mah I believe. I had the same requirement and that's why I went the LG g2 over the nexus 5. The G2 regularly lasts 2 days for me with about 5 hour screen on time and 3g constantly on whenever im away from home. This is using the stock battery with no power bank or charging.
I'm totally happy with my G2 and for once in my life I dont have to worry about battery life.
Nexus 5 would be the phone to go. I have used the iphone 5/5s nexus 4 lg g2 and the note 3 and the nexus has given me the best user experience. Oneplus one looks pretty decent aswell but the availability is really restricted
LG G2 is a safe bet
The wife and I both had the Galaxy S2 (and loved em)
Both failed with the USB charging port dying right around 2 years of use.
One was replaced under warranty and is still ok.
Mine I replaced myself with an ebay job for about 5 bucks, but they are shit quality and it died again after a few months, replaced again and the 2nd one is crapola too.
With so much physical pushing in/out, I would suspect more phones would die of the same thing???
….one of the things that pushed me towards the Z1.
Bought one of the white ones Shopping Express had on special and absolutely love it !
Ordered another for the wife too.
Magnetic charging port = great idea :D
Battery not easily replaceable but should be do-able after checking youtube.
Unfortunately not so easy.. they GLUE the battery in (just like all non replaceable battery phones) supposedly to stop any rattling around that a loose battery might cause.
Ah bugger ! Thanks for the heads up, too late for me now though :(
I'll enjoy it while i can ;)
I had the same issue too. The USB port/charging port kept playing up and eventually I had to externally charge my battery and put it back it. I put up with it for a month before getting the Note 3.
s2 has given me over 3 years of great service - the phone was way ahead of its time. Same story here, my usb port died (apparently an issue with earlier phones as they didn't protect them from corroding) and then my cheapie ebay one died so I had to replace it again. Ended up buying a Xperia z2 for $548 through 20% off ebay weekend which left the warehouse today - pretty excited!
I vote for the LG G2 32GB edition. No SD card slot but still managed.
Should be able to source one for $450 or less.
I just bought the LG G2 on 30/6 during ebay 20% sale with Kogan, receive the phone yesterday and it looks very good so far. Final cost is $368 I think but grey import.
Wait a few more months maybe you can get Xperia Z2 outright @ 500
Z1 for $369 with the bonus gadget stand from jb on Thursday onwards this week. Has micro sd non removable battery, but after using a Nexus 4 I am used to it and have a few power banks for emergencies. At the pace of smartphone evolution, the battery only needs to last 1 1/2 to 2 years as by then you want to upgrade. At this price you can buy 2 powerbanks ( one for car and one portable ), and upgrade to next model 6 months earlier. At the right price a LG G2 or Nexus 5 would be good too. Heck, I would even consider a Moto G 16 Gig from Kogan for $221.99 delivered.
SAMSUNG GALAXY S1000000
China phone.
Still have my S2.
Just put in a new battery from dealextreme.com for $8 and it's going strong……
The only thing I'm missing is 4G, everything else is just fine…..
do u flash a rom, on it to make it run smooth?
I was in the exact same situation about 2 weeks ago. I had a samsung galaxy nexus, and didn't want to spend more than $500. I decided on the oppo find 7a. It is an incredible phone, it has a removable battery, micro sd slot, and if u buy through oppostyle and your a student, you can get 10% off making it 450usd. So about 480 aud, delivered. Here is a review, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QahWCPNALDA.
There are plenty more online.
Go for the Note 3. I had the S2 and upon switching realised how much easier life is. Bigger screen and great colours means that I don't have to squint to read texts. I can watch short youtube video clips, type using one or two hands.
Great all round phone. Price ranges from $600-650 I THINK but definitely worth the extra investment.
Get a Xiaomi mi3. I got mine for $320A overseas shipped DHL express in 2 days. I come from using iOS for the passt 4 years. The screen is absolutely gorgeous 1080p.
There are some essential things missing from the mi3 though, and that's the lack of SD card slot and gorilla glass tempering.
The mi3 has gorilla glass. $300 for a snapdragon 801, 1080p and dual flash with build quality of an iphone is a good deal.
I suppose, but for some people 16GB storage is not enough.
I got two Sony Xperia SP for my partner and myself (about 2 months ago) and we are very happy with them so far. It has a 4.6" screen, gorilla glass, microsd card slot and 4G (and the build quality appears to be very good). The price has come down even further since we bought them and you can get it from MobileCiti (Australian stock) for $248.
We had a budget of $300 but yours is up to $500 so you could also have a look at some of the more expensive Sony models depending on what specs you are looking for:
Sony Xperia Z - $368
Sony Xperia Z Ultra - $488
I can't believe no one has mentioned the Moto X!
It specs are not the highest, but the experience is amazing, it's cpu benchmarks slower than an S5, but it operates faster and with less lag.
Motorola left the spec war to make a smart phone that is actually smart… the thing is amazing with 2 day battery life…
Seriously check out the Moto X - it falls well within your price range at Harvey Norman, and it's not a huge device like most flagship phones these days.
You mention SD card slot and removable battery is preferred - however, there are alternatives such as using USB otg for expandable storage and an external power bank or even battery case instead of a removable battery.
Otherwise you are limiting your options primarily to the Samsung Galaxy S line. I originally thought I needed these as well,though got a Nexus 5 and never went back - I have the USB otg adaptor with a 64GB micro SD for long trips/multimedia (which ive never used).
The 24 month warranty is only if the phone was provided on a plan isn't it?
I guess removable battery would mean maybe the Samsung s4 or a god Lg. htc and Sony have non removable batteries.