Phone for parents

tunzafun001 on 31/10/2017 - 14:59

Hi all,

Parents are looking for an upgrade to their Telstra Buzz 4GX. The main gripe is that they cant see the screen outside. They say it isn't bright enough, but maybe it is the gloss screen. They also have an iPhone 7, haven't heard too many complaints about that until recent IOS update.

Anyway, they are looking for a cheapish Android phone that has a good screen outside (will be used with either Telstra or Amaysim).

I'm hearing a lot of love for the Redmi 4/x? But not sure about screen clarity outside vs the Buzz? Also, not sure if it has Telstra 4G support?

Any recommendations? lets say sub $200

Cheers all

Mobile

Comments

  • scrimshaw on 31/10/2017 - 15:14
    +1

    sunlight legibility is mostly affected by LCD backlight brightness (measured in nits) and also the reflectivity of the display (caused by an air-gap between the protective glass, the digitizer panel and the LCD display itself)

    If you buy a cheap low end phone, you will get a screen that has a big air gap and a not-so-nice display.

    From my experience, most of xiaomi's mainstream $200-ish phones have decent displays. I have a gen-1 Xiaomi Mi Max and the screen is quite good.

    They are not the brightest (when compared to my Galaxy S7) nor are they completely gapless, but they're much better than the phones you find selling at supermarkets.

    read reviews on GSMArena and they usually tell you how legible the screens are in sunlight.

    • tunzafun001 on 31/10/2017 - 15:24

      Are Telstra and Optus fully supported on these? Discovered the Buzz didn't support Optus 900, and sure enough they were in an area with only 900.

      • scrimshaw on 31/10/2017 - 15:28

        Redmi note 4x will support 3G bands in Australia
        HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100

        and LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800, 5(850), 7(2600), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500)

        List of 4G LTE networks in Australia. Tick mark means support,

        2100Mhz (B1) – Telstra and Optus ✓
        1800Mhz (B3) – Telstra, Optus, Vodafone ✓
        850Mhz (B5) – Vodafone ✓
        2600Mhz (B7) – Telstra, Optus ✓
        900Mhz (B8) – Telstra ✘
        700Mhz (B28) – Telstra, Optus ✘
        2300Mhz (B40) – Optus ✓

        go compare against it on GSM Arena if you're not sure.

        • tunzafun001 on 31/10/2017 - 15:33

          Cheers, what does this mean in real world terms? Ie where are you likely to need B8 and B28 vs all the others that are supported?

        • scrimshaw on 31/10/2017 - 15:35

          @tunzafun001:

          You will need to live in an area with B28 to get it's benefits. Mostly it would benefit people who want faster download speeds during peak times but it's not a deal killer if you do not have B28.

          If your mobile plan is frugal (2-3 gigs a month) probably doesn't matter if you're lacking B28.

          edit: other benefit of 700mhz b28 is better indoor connectivity. lower frequency signals penetrate walls better.

        • tunzafun001 on 31/10/2017 - 18:20

          @scrimshaw:

          Ahh, all makes sense. Cheers for clarifying. I set them up with the Amaysim 1.5gb deal.. they used on average 112mb per month hahaha (Viber and thats about it). So no issue there.

          Last question. I bought an android based projector from china, which is great except for some of the os and apps are in chinese (as is the remote). Anything similar with the phones?

        • scrimshaw on 31/10/2017 - 21:49

          You won't encounter that issue with Xiaomi. Xiaomi phones all run MIUI rom which are available in english and they have Google play included.

          You can also flash stock ROM easily from Xiaomi's website — just requires a computer and a USB connection to do so.

  • MAKAMAKA on 31/10/2017 - 17:19

    For parents I think iPhone is a good choice, doesn't matter which model it is.
    While considering price, Xiaomi is not bad but sometimes the notifications of Android will make parents annoyed.

    • tunzafun001 on 31/10/2017 - 18:24

      Apparently IOS 11 is killing iPhone 6s or older. They are actually having a few issues with their Iphone 7 running hot after the update. I think they also want the versatility of both OS's and to take a cheaper phone when doing risky activities (fishing, kayaking etc).

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