[ney]

I have been looking at getting a new mobile for a while now to replace my Sony Ericsson Elm thats now 14months old.
I had looked at getting a Sony Smartphone but 02 dont seem to sale as much Sony Ericsson mobiles as they used to.
Im not keen on getting an Iphone, so was wondering what the best alternatives are. Phone has to have 3g/HSDPA and work outside of Europe as I hope to be going back to Canada in a few years for another holiday and an MP3 player and wi-fi on the phone would also be handy.
Also do most mobiles now come with flight mode.
I want to also stay on pay and go with 02 and I have just over £20 on the 02 rewards that I can use towards a new moblie.
Im not keen on paying over £200 for a new mobile if I can help it.
I also know the Iphone sim is a little smaller than a normal sim card. Are all Smartphone like this for I would want to use my old 3g/HSDPA sim and mobile number in my new phone if I can.

Darren

[MGS4SnakeRulez]

HTC. Best phones ive ever had. Got HTC Wildfire £130 on pay as you go. Fantastic phone.

[cavemanjames]

Hi Darren.

It is only the iPhone 4 which uses a smaller SIM card. Every other phone out there still uses the big one, so no cutting/getting a special SIM card is needed. Pretty much any smartphone is capable of handling 3G/HSDPA (they need it for a faster data connection)

There's many alternatives to the iPhone, it's all down to personal preference to which one to get these days.
The main thing is to look for mobile phones running either Android or Windows Phone 7. There are more out there, the mentioned two are the bigger alternatives to the iPhone.

Flight mode is a standard feature of Android and Windows Phone 7, so no worries there

I should say though, if you would rather spend less than £200, your best bet is to go for an Android phone, since Windows Phone 7 phones tend to be more expensive.
If you can wait until September, I would suggest looking at the ZTE Skate. It's got a 4.3" touch screen. I believe it's going to be sold for a little less than £200.

Other brands to look out for are HTC, LG and Samsung. Your best bet is to go into a phone store and ask to play about with them, so you can pick the phone that feels the best for you.

Hope this helped,
James.

[ney]

Originally Posted by cavemanjames

Hi Darren.

It is only the iPhone 4 which uses a smaller SIM card. Every other phone out there still uses the big one, so no cutting/getting a special SIM card is needed. Pretty much any smartphone is capable of handling 3G/HSDPA (they need it for a faster data connection)

There's many alternatives to the iPhone, it's all down to personal preference to which one to get these days.
The main thing is to look for mobile phones running either Android or Windows Phone 7. There are more out there, the mentioned two are the bigger alternatives to the iPhone.

Flight mode is a standard feature of Android and Windows Phone 7, so no worries there

I should say though, if you would rather spend less than £200, your best bet is to go for an Android phone, since Windows Phone 7 phones tend to be more expensive.
If you can wait until September, I would suggest looking at the ZTE Skate. It's got a 4.3" touch screen. I believe it's going to be sold for a little less than £200.

Other brands to look out for are HTC, LG and Samsung. Your best bet is to go into a phone store and ask to play about with them, so you can pick the phone that feels the best for you.

Hope this helped,
James.

Thanks for the info James.
Yes I can wait another few weeks before I get a phone as although I need a new phone im not badly needing one as my mobile is still working 98% fine after 14 months.
As I said im going to use my just over £20 02 rewards credit towards any new phone.

Darren

[!!11oneone]

Just bear in mind that in that price range you're not going to get a high-end phone, so don't expect that it will play lots of games very well.

A friend has the HTC Wildfire, which is an excellent phone and does everything that much more expensive phones do (email, internet, facebook, twitter, photos etc etc) but Angry Birds is unplayably slow!

[Goddo]

There's no such thing as "the best" alternative. It'll all depend on your needs and of course, your personal tastes.

That said, your best bet is probably whichtever HTC you can afford, or maybe a Samsung Galaxy S (not the S 2, but its predecessor) or even the Galaxy Ace, although it doesn't support Flash, so maybe that's a no no for you. I've also read great things about the Orange San Francisco (ZTE Blade), but I haven't tried it out, so I can't vouch for it.

Bottom line: stick to HTC and it's unlikely that you'll be disappointed.

[CoolboyA]

Go either HTC or ZTE. As said before, the ZTE Blade will be out in September for just under £200.

[Dai13371]

You mean Skate don't you? Blade has been out for ages.

[ney]

Have been looking around at phones. I may want a mobile that also supports flash and would use the MP3 on the mobile.
As I said I can hold off for a few weeks more before I get a new mobile. I would pay over £200 if I had to but I dont really want to be paying over £200 on a new phone if I can help it.

Darren

[!!11oneone]

Why don't you look on eBay for a second hand Samsung Galaxy S? Until a few months ago it was the best Android phone available. Most on eBay will still be under guarantee and you'll be getting a LOT more for your money than with a mid-range handset.

[ney]

Dont want a second hand phone incase it plays up.
I have been looking on the HTC website and the HTC Wildefire s look an ok phone and come October I should have nearly £30 on my 02 rewards to get money of that mobile should that be the mobile I pick.
Im still on the 02 text and web tariff deal from a year or so ago were for £15 a month I get unlimited text 500mb of web data and free wi-fi. Im still not 100% sure what to go for but I do want a smartphone this time and stay on the 02 pay and go tariff deal im on the now as I have posted.

Darren

[porkpie]

Got a Sony Xperia Arc brand new from ebay for £230 the other week.
£130 cheaper than the regular new price and over £200 cheaper than 3 wanted to charge.

Only the Samsung has a larger screen of 4.3 to the Sony's 4.2 , but the Arc has an 8Mp camera and is very thin.

Unless you are lucky like I was or you buy used you won't get a top notch smartphone for £200 unless you opt for the smaller screen

[ney]

Originally Posted by porkpie

Got a Sony Xperia Arc brand new from ebay for £230 the other week.
£130 cheaper than the regular new price and over £200 cheaper than 3 wanted to charge.

Only the Samsung has a larger screen of 4.3 to the Sony's 4.2 , but the Arc has an 8Mp camera and is very thin.

Unless you are lucky like I was or you buy used you won't get a top notch smartphone for £200 unless you opt for the smaller screen

The HTC Wildfire S looks an ok phone from what I have seen of it online.
I had thought of getting another Sony phone. Im not to sure about buying a phone of ebay and I will have almost £30 towards a new phone come October from my 02 rewards as I have said above.

Darren

[mamoonkay]

I think Blackberry Curve

[porkpie]

You can get a Blackberry Curve from 3 for nothing with just a £15 a month tariff

[!!11oneone]

I only mentioned the second hand option because it'll still be under guarantee. Doesn't matter if it goes wrong.

We sold a Galaxy S for £200 on eBay. It was 3 months old and hardly used, over 18 months left where Samsung would guarantee it.

[ney]

I looked at Blackberry but its a smartphone I want.

Darren

[nufc4life]

Originally Posted by ney

I have been looking at getting a new mobile for a while now to replace my Sony Ericsson Elm thats now 14months old.
I had looked at getting a Sony Smartphone but 02 dont seem to sale as much Sony Ericsson mobiles as they used to.
Im not keen on getting an Iphone, so was wondering what the best alternatives are. Phone has to have 3g/HSDPA and work outside of Europe as I hope to be going back to Canada in a few years for another holiday and an MP3 player and wi-fi on the phone would also be handy.
Also do most mobiles now come with flight mode.
I want to also stay on pay and go with 02 and I have just over £20 on the 02 rewards that I can use towards a new moblie.
Im not keen on paying over £200 for a new mobile if I can help it.
I also know the Iphone sim is a little smaller than a normal sim card. Are all Smartphone like this for I would want to use my old 3g/HSDPA sim and mobile number in my new phone if I can.

Darren

AN IPHONE LOL

[ney]

Originally Posted by nufc4life

AN IPHONE LOL

Already posted im not keen on getting an Iphone.

Darren

[call100]

You are constrained by budget obviously....So..............HTC Wildfire, Samsung Galaxy Ace, Sony Ericsson Xperia mini.............All capable phones and at the top of your budget range. Not a lot really outstanding...
I suggest that you go out and have a look and see which one you like the look of and just go for it.

[porkpie]

deleted

[ney]

Originally Posted by call100

You are constrained by budget obviously....So..............HTC Wildfire, Samsung Galaxy Ace, Sony Ericsson Xperia mini.............All capable phones and at the top of your budget range. Not a lot really outstanding...
I suggest that you go out and have a look and see which one you like the look of and just go for it.

I did pick up a copy of the 02 magazine for August in the shop last week and have been looking though that. I have also been looking online.
I had looked at the Ericsson Xperia 8 but im not sure about it and there are better phones out there I think.

Darren

[stupidityno1]

The only ones I'd recommend are the HTC Wildfire S and Cha-Cha. The two Samsung options - Ace and Galaxy Mini - are both not a patch on the other two in my opinion.

I really would consider buying second hand though. There are cracking phones like the HTC Desire going for around £150 on eBay. That's a phone that pushes the iPhone into the gutter any day if you ask me, that was retailing at £350 less than a year ago. Its simply been usurped by HTCs with more glamourous spec sheets. (Remains the best in my opinion though).

[ney]

Originally Posted by stupidityno1

The only ones I'd recommend are the HTC Wildfire S and Cha-Cha. The two Samsung options - Ace and Galaxy Mini - are both not a patch on the other two in my opinion.

I really would consider buying second hand though. There are cracking phones like the HTC Desire going for around £150 on eBay. That's a phone that pushes the iPhone into the gutter any day if you ask me, that was retailing at £350 less than a year ago. Its simply been usurped by HTCs with more glamourous spec sheets. (Remains the best in my opinion though).

Im now thinking about maybe getting an HTC. I had a look at the HTC Wildfire S in the 02 shop this afternoon and its not much bigger than my Sony Ericsson Elm apart from that hole phone is the screen and its a little wider.
Someone at work has an HTC Disire and that looks more like the size of the iphone and a little bigger than the HTC Wildfire s from what I have see. Also he seems happy with his phone and hes on 02 pay and go.
I know two pepole that have an I phone on has the Iphone 3 and one has the Iphone 3g and they seem to like them and they are both on 02 pay monthly.
I can hold off a week or two before getting a new phone.
Im off work the first 2 weeks of September so I could buy a new phone then and use my £20 02 rewards towards one. I also get payed next week.

Darren

[swordman]

Even though you have rewards is o2 still the cheapest? There are plenty of deals around outside of o2