Cheap phone with GREAT GPS

Davros on 20/09/2014 - 18:18
Last edited 20/09/2014 - 18:19

I am after a cheap phone but really want it more for a decent GPS/ digital Speedo on a vehicle with a hard to read and inaccurate speedo.

I currently have an LG optimus spirit and while it has GPS it rarely gets a full lock so is in the unreliable basket.
I have an asus tablet that is almost instant to find satellites and get a fix and rarely loses them and only for a few seconds.
Unfortunately, its to big to use.

I would prefer something with a larger screen than the 70 x 45 LG, but as I don't use a phone for much more than being a phone, you know, making calls, I am not interested in spending more than about $100 and if I can get one for $50 even better.

Remember, the GPS must be a fast and stable fix like what I enjoy with my asus tablet

Thanks

Mobile

Comments

  • scrimshaw on 20/09/2014 - 18:29
    +1

    http://www.reddit.com/r/Ingress/comments/25yjg5/phone_recomm…

    Looks like Moto G and Moto X came in highly recommended, but I'll bet Moto E may be just as good.

    You're going to want a phone that supports GLONASS as it effectively doubles the number of satellites available for you to lock on to. Recent phones made within the past 2 years have this feature. Chinese-droids typically don't have Glonass.

    Also I had the Garmin-ASUS A50 a few years back, it had great gps connectivity (was made by Garmin after all) but it's slow and only runs Gingerbread.

  • elusive on 20/09/2014 - 21:31

    You could consider the Nokia Lumia phones. The OS being Windows Phone shouldn't be an issue if you don't care about smartphone uses (you might even like it). I've had very good experiences with Nokia's HERE Maps/Drive, and it has the advantage of not requiring a data connection (offline maps), unlike Google. GLONASS is supported.

    The Lumia 630 (4.7" screen) is currently $99 at Dick Smith locked to Vodafone, but there's been some recent promos where it's been $15 cheaper. Unlocked (grey import?) can be found at Kogan for $140. The 520 is available at quite a few places for $99, but I wouldn't recommend it since the screen is considerably smaller (4").

    • Davros on 21/09/2014 - 06:26

      "$99 Lumia"
      Thanks, thats what I am after - moto g and X cracked the barrier.

      • elusive on 21/09/2014 - 15:38

        Just a quick warning I forgot before: most phones are A-GPS devices and will get much faster time-to-first-fix if you have a data connection available. If you're on a plan without data, you might have to wait a bit longer.

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