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Looking for a non-HUGE but great smartphone!


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Old 06-08-2012, 21:24
niceguy1966
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I have the HTC Desire S, and I love it. But my contract is coming to an end and I can get a free upgrade.

I went to the Vodafone store at the weekend, to look at the Samsung G3 and HTC One X. They are both huge! I want a phone I can fit in my front jeans pocket and still sit down!

There is a Desire C and HTC One V that both run Android 4, but reading reviews it sounds like both have slow processors. Now I'm thinking maybe the HTC One S, but it is still quite a bit larger than my current phone.

Anyone have any suggestions? If not I may hang on to the Desire S for a little longer and drop to a cheaper tariff.
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Old 06-08-2012, 21:39
jabbamk1
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Galaxy S Advance, Galaxy S2, HTC One S. Any of these phones are great and trust me you'll get used to the size very very quickly. There is also the Huawei Honor or Motorola Atrix. (vodafone don't sell these i think)

Do not even consider the Desire C and One V. They are both not as good as the Desire S and can even be considered a downgrade.

Also shop around a bit. Vodafone are now the most expensive network and charge too much for the phones i've mentioned. Unless you have a loyalty discount with them or can haggle the price down, Three, T-Mobile and even Orange & O2 do much better deals.
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Old 06-08-2012, 22:05
alan1302
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Any of these phones are great and trust me you'll get used to the size very very quickly.
I've found this a problem too...it's not in use where the size is a problem but phones like the S3 are too big to be in my pocket all the time without unsightly bulges (!) and tightness
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Old 06-08-2012, 22:08
niceguy1966
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Thanks for the advice. I really like the Desire S so I'd like to stick with HTC if they have a good option. Their Sense GUI is really easy to use and the phone has been very reliable and well built. I guess I'll take another look at the One S.
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Old 06-08-2012, 22:10
niceguy1966
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I've found this a problem too...it's not in use where the size is a problem but phones like the S3 are too big to be in my pocket all the time without unsightly bulges (!) and tightness
Maybe jeans will be made with bigger pockets in the future!
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Old 06-08-2012, 22:13
alan1302
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Maybe jeans will be made with bigger pockets in the future!
LOL I hope so!
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Old 06-08-2012, 22:16
jabbamk1
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Thanks for the advice. I really like the Desire S so I'd like to stick with HTC if they have a good option. Their Sense GUI is really easy to use and the phone has been very reliable and well built. I guess I'll take another look at the One S.
The One S is the next step up from the Desire S in terms of screen size and spec. There is no in the middle type of phone. The only one is the One V which is a carbon copy of the Desire S with some new things in and some things left out (that Desire S has)

I had a sensation which was the same size as the One S and found it easy to use with one hand and light and thin and pocketable. I now have a one x which is impossible to use with one hand. Also it fits in my pocket, but not all of them. The sensation was a much better sized phone and i wouldn't mind going back to it.

See if you can go to a store and play around with a One S and actually put it in your pocket for yourself to see the differences.

@Alan, i was talking about 4.3inch screen size where it gets used to easily. Even i myself find 4.8inches too big... I'm still talking about screen size btw....
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Old 06-08-2012, 22:24
Patrick_Shaplan
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still can't beat the iphone 4s
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Old 06-08-2012, 22:46
iangrad
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still can't beat the iphone 4s
But that is going to be a huge change after the OP has been used to Android .

OP look at Huawei G300 very low cost but high value with a clear 4" screen and long battery life and most importantly clearer in call sound than HTC . Just about as big a screen as you can go and fit it in your pocket . The phone is very slim & light .
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Old 06-08-2012, 23:30
scorpionatthepc
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Thanks for the advice. I really like the Desire S so I'd like to stick with HTC if they have a good option. Their Sense GUI is really easy to use and the phone has been very reliable and well built. I guess I'll take another look at the One S.
Just wondered how much you are paying on your contract? I'm paying just over £21 a month and have give tmobile my 30 day notice as I'm going over to a tesco sim only deal. I have the desire s and before I gave my 30 day I asked them what kind of phone would they offer me if I stayed on the same deal/price. They basicly said I would have the same kind of spec phone I have now so I was slightly disappointed as I have stuck with them for 2 year so I would of least of thought they would of offered me a htc one s for £21 a month but no

Anyway I'm going to keep my desire s for a while till the one s comes down in price as I think that will be the next phone I get. Also what Android version and sence version are on your device as I think there's an ICS update coming soon.
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Old 06-08-2012, 23:50
Stiggles
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still can't beat the iphone 4s
Oh but you can by pretty much any phone out now!

Also, my S3 sits perfectly in my pocket sitting down with no huge bulge or tightness.
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Old 07-08-2012, 02:57
Kenny Maclean
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Oh but you can by pretty much any phone out now!

Also, my S3 sits perfectly in my pocket sitting down with no huge bulge or tightness.
Agreed (re: the iphone)

I've got the One X, and although I initially thought it was far too big, I went for it anyway and I've really got used to it, and it fits in my pocket easily too (my original desire feels tiny now).
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Old 07-08-2012, 05:12
niceguy1966
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I've played with the iPhone a few times (many friends own them). I don't think they are better than my current Desire S so don't see any point in switching. I also found the screen really small on the apple.

I will check out the Huawei G 300.

My contract was more expensive as it was an 18 month contract with a free Desire S. If I don't switch phones I'll drop to a plan than is about £15/month as this better fits my usage.
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Old 07-08-2012, 09:13
niceguy1966
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From this review:

http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/mobile-pho...view-50007180/

The G300 seems no better than the Desire S I already use. It has a 1GHz processor and Android 2.3. I don't think it would be worth taking out a new contract for the swap. Am I missing something?
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Old 07-08-2012, 09:38
TheBigM
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My thoughts are hang on to the Desire S and pay less each month.
Alternatively - the One S.

Depends on how much you use your phone for. You could always wait a few months and see what comes out in terms of next gen of iPhone 5, next Nexus phone, Windows Phone 8 phones.
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Old 07-08-2012, 10:41
niceguy1966
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My thoughts are hang on to the Desire S and pay less each month.
Alternatively - the One S.

Depends on how much you use your phone for. You could always wait a few months and see what comes out in terms of next gen of iPhone 5, next Nexus phone, Windows Phone 8 phones.
Right now I'm thinking the Desire S is a pretty good phone! 18 months after I got it, it is still very competitive with what's available new. I might just save a few quid and drop to a cheaper tariff until something exciting comes along. This unlikely to be an iPhone 5 as I'm not keen on being trapped in the Apple ecosystem, but if they do something amazing, I'll take a good look at it. I'm expecting them to go down the SG3 and One X route and bring out a huge phone, but Apple do like to surprise us, so who really knows!
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Old 07-08-2012, 11:25
Like_I_care
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This is why I really hope iphone5 stays the same size as iphone4. That Samsung s3 is a frigging brick pocket hog, mak g the screen 4inch really does not add to the user experience but does increase phone size too much.


Please apple don't copy these brick phones, the current iPhone is the ideal size.
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Old 07-08-2012, 12:00
MojoMaster
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This is why I really hope iphone5 stays the same size as iphone4. That Samsung s3 is a frigging brick pocket hog, mak g the screen 4inch really does not add to the user experience but does increase phone size too much.


Please apple don't copy these brick phones, the current iPhone is the ideal size.
I couldn't possibly go back to such a small screen phone now, after having the Galaxy S3, which is much much easier to use.

The iPhone looks tiny in comparison.
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Old 07-08-2012, 12:34
paulbrock
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This is why I really hope iphone5 stays the same size as iphone4. That Samsung s3 is a frigging brick pocket hog, mak g the screen 4inch really does not add to the user experience but does increase phone size too much.


Please apple don't copy these brick phones, the current iPhone is the ideal size.
Even Apple are pretty likely to concede that the current iphone is too small, though I can't see them going up to current premium smartphones; a 4" screen would only bring them up to the original Galaxy S, now looking very dated..

(The S(1) was 4", S2 is 4.3" and S3 is 4.8")


Not tried the S3, but the S2 comfortably fits in any pocket I have, and, being lighter and thinner than its Apple counterpart, is barely noticeable.
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Old 07-08-2012, 12:35
finbaar
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I have the HTC Desire S, and I love it. But my contract is coming to an end and I can get a free upgrade.

I went to the Vodafone store at the weekend, to look at the Samsung G3 and HTC One X. They are both huge! I want a phone I can fit in my front jeans pocket and still sit down!

There is a Desire C and HTC One V that both run Android 4, but reading reviews it sounds like both have slow processors. Now I'm thinking maybe the HTC One S, but it is still quite a bit larger than my current phone.

Anyone have any suggestions? If not I may hang on to the Desire S for a little longer and drop to a cheaper tariff.
OP - Desire S specs (One S specs) 115 (130.9) x 59.8 (65) and 130g (119.5g) x 11.6 (7.8). I don’t think you will notice the slightly longer and wider dimensions on the One S but you will notice how nice and light and thin it is. It will be even more pocket friendly than your current phone.

My advice is to embrace big phones and wait for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 – reportedly with a 5.5” screen. Lovely.

iPhone? 115 x 58.6 x 9.3 and 140g. Heavy, thick, small screen and massive bezels.
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Old 07-08-2012, 12:41
Like_I_care
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My point is going from 4" to 4.8" really doesn't improve the user experience but does increase phone size a little too much.

The current iPhones form factor is ideal, maybe reduce the black edges to the iPhones screen giving maybe 1" of extra screen but keeping the actual phones size the same as is it right now.
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Old 07-08-2012, 12:54
alan1302
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My point is going from 4" to 4.8" really doesn't improve the user experience but does increase phone size a little too much.

The current iPhones form factor is ideal, maybe reduce the black edges to the iPhones screen giving maybe 1" of extra screen but keeping the actual phones size the same as is it right now.
Why not just make more than one screen size and let people choose then one that suits them best?
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Old 07-08-2012, 13:03
paulbrock
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My point is going from 4" to 4.8" really doesn't improve the user experience but does increase phone size a little too much.

The current iPhones form factor is ideal, maybe reduce the black edges to the iPhones screen giving maybe 1" of extra screen but keeping the actual phones size the same as is it right now.
If you've got a tablet with you (and a 7" fits fine in my jacket pocket or back jeans pocket) then yep, I agree phone screen size isn't as much of a factor. I think there is plenty of room to go bigger than the iphone 4 before getting unwieldy though. I don't have one myself, but the vast majority of Galaxy Note owners swear they'll never downsize after getting used to that.
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Old 07-08-2012, 13:52
Stiggles
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My point is going from 4" to 4.8" really doesn't improve the user experience but does increase phone size a little too much.

The current iPhones form factor is ideal, maybe reduce the black edges to the iPhones screen giving maybe 1" of extra screen but keeping the actual phones size the same as is it right now.
In other words, do what Samsung did? The S2 for instance was thinner, pretty much the same size as the iphone yet was better and had a bigger screen.

The S3 isn't that much bigger than the S2 yet has a larger screen. People seem to make the mistake that the bigger the screen, the bigger the footprint.
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Old 07-08-2012, 15:15
niceguy1966
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If you've got a tablet with you (and a 7" fits fine in my jacket pocket or back jeans pocket) then yep, I agree phone screen size isn't as much of a factor. I think there is plenty of room to go bigger than the iphone 4 before getting unwieldy though. I don't have one myself, but the vast majority of Galaxy Note owners swear they'll never downsize after getting used to that.
I stopped putting phones in my back jeans pocket after my second cracked screen. That's why I want a phone that fits in my front jeans pocket and still allows me to sit without a painful accident!
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