[HalfLife]

Hi,
I currently have a Moto Razr V3i which is approx 8 years old.
Bought it SIM free for about £80 so had my monies worth.

I use vodafone PAYG, approx £5/mth.

Looking at the Galaxy S3.

Any other suggestions?

Regards
Brian

[noise747]

Originally Posted by HalfLife

Hi,
I currently have a Moto Razr V3i which is approx 8 years old.
Bought it SIM free for about £80 so had my monies worth.

I use vodafone PAYG, approx £5/mth.

Looking at the Galaxy S3.

Any other suggestions?

Regards
Brian

If you only use £5 a month on PQAYG, is it worth you getting a phone like the Galaxy S3, would you be better off going for a more basic phone?

[jabbamk1]

If you do want to go for one of today's high end phones then the nexus 4 would be a good candidate. Only £280. Downside is you cant remove battery.

[finbaar]

Originally Posted by HalfLife

Hi,
I currently have a Moto Razr V3i which is approx 8 years old.
Bought it SIM free for about £80 so had my monies worth.

I use vodafone PAYG, approx £5/mth.

Looking at the Galaxy S3.

Any other suggestions?

Regards
Brian

Hi Brian,

The S3 is a truly excellent phone. But before any of us can offer advice we need to know what you intend to use the phone for:

Browsing the web
Email
Games
Music
Watching films or BBC iPlayer – Sky Go
Etc

How important is the camera to you? How tech savvy are you? Do you already posses any other tech like laptops, iPads, Android devices? Are you looking for PAYG or contract? Do you have wifi at home or work? (You will need data to go with your new phone and depending on the access to wifi you can get away with larger or smaller amount, but you will pay more than £5 a month).

It might be better to dip your toe in the smartphone world first before going for the high end but then again that might be the right thing for you.

The best value smartphone on PAYG at the moment is the LG Nexus 4 bought direct from Google, £279, it is at least a match for the S3. However they are, much to the surprise of no one, amazingly popular and there are non available at that price at the moment. However the Nexus 4 is terrible value on contract and the S3 is cheaper if you want to be tied in.

[TheBigM]

Given how long you've had your current phone and how little you spend, you may well be better off with something like a Nokia Lumia 800 for 100-and-something pounds.

A solid phone, not cutting edge, but will still give you a good experience for the money and is easy to use. Out of iPhone, windows phone and android - I feel android has the most inaccessible interface.

[c4rv]

Originally Posted by TheBigM

Given how long you've had your current phone and how little you spend, you may well be better off with something like a Nokia Lumia 800 for 100-and-something pounds.

A solid phone, not cutting edge, but will still give you a good experience for the money and is easy to use. Out of iPhone, windows phone and android - I feel android has the most inaccessible interface.

And I think it has the most accessible because it can be customised for your preferences. But anyway lets not get into that arguments. The only thing I would say is for OP to get down to a shop and try the phones out and have a look on youtube at the various reviews.

OP - What are you going to use the phone for, how much minutes per month do you need and most importantly what is your budget ?

[niceguy1966]

Originally Posted by HalfLife

Hi,
I currently have a Moto Razr V3i which is approx 8 years old.
Bought it SIM free for about £80 so had my monies worth.

I use vodafone PAYG, approx £5/mth.

Looking at the Galaxy S3.

Any other suggestions?

Regards
Brian

I doubt you'll be able to maintain that £5/month PAYG plan if you upgrade to any of the current smartphones. So if cost of ownership is an issue, you might want to think about something that's less of a computer in your pocket than the SG3.

You don't really say what you plan to do with the new phone. I suggest to speak to friends and colleagues, play with their phones, ask them what they like and don't like, ask what they use most, and most importantly, ask them how much per month they are paying.

Eight years is a long time in mobile phone technology, this upgrade is a big step. You really need to make sure you understand the wonderful possibilities, and the hidden costs, of whatever you pick.

The SG3 is a great phone, but is it the right phone for you?

Good luck.

[neo_wales]

If you can afford it and look on the S3 as a media centre AND a phone then go for it. £10 with Giffgaff gives you 250 minutes any network, unlimited texts and 1GB internet so may be worth looking at that too.

[HalfLife]

Cheers for the input.

I have wifi, laptop and tech savy, but not with mobiles.

Please note initial cost is not a problem. I don't want to be tied into a contract. Guess I'm an old fart that wants to keep things simple.

Cheers Brian

[Gormond]

Originally Posted by neo_wales

If you can afford it and look on the S3 as a media centre AND a phone then go for it. £10 with Giffgaff gives you 250 minutes any network, unlimited texts and 1GB internet so may be worth looking at that too.

Virgin does this too on EEs network also for £10/month

They also have a lower £7 for 150 mins or a higher £12 for 1200 mins.

Giffgaff was terrible for me as O2s network is poor for 3G in the west of Scotland.

[noise747]

Originally Posted by HalfLife

Cheers for the input.

I have wifi, laptop and tech savy, but not with mobiles.

Please note initial cost is not a problem. I don't want to be tied into a contract. Guess I'm an old fart that wants to keep things simple.

Cheers Brian

TBH, I don't blame you for not wanting to be tied into a contract, the good thing I find about a contract is that you don't have to bother to find somewhere to top up, but that is easier these days with the net. you do get better value with a contract, well certainly with a sim only one.

but as other people have said you really need to look at what you want the phone for, not really worth paying paying into the hundred or more if you are just going to use it for a bit of text and voice.

there are some nice cheapish smart style phones around if you want to go into that market, but you will have to top up more than a fiver a month to get the best out of them

[c4rv]

Originally Posted by HalfLife

Cheers for the input.

I have wifi, laptop and tech savy, but not with mobiles.

Please note initial cost is not a problem. I don't want to be tied into a contract. Guess I'm an old fart that wants to keep things simple.

Cheers Brian

As several people have asked, what are you planing on using the phone for ? iPhone5, nexus 4 and S3 are all awesome phone but may all be massive overkill for what you want to use it for.

You will need to think about how much data you require on your plan. If you are planning on streaming music or worse video then you are going to need something more then basic contract.

As for contract, there are plenty of options for 30 day rolling contract. Basically you can move and down tariff or cancel altogether every 30 days. Virgin's deal starts at £7 a month for 120min, unlimited text, 500mb data.

[neo_wales]

Originally Posted by HalfLife

Cheers for the input.

I have wifi, laptop and tech savy, but not with mobiles.

Please note initial cost is not a problem. I don't want to be tied into a contract. Guess I'm an old fart that wants to keep things simple.

Cheers Brian

Your not on your own, I buy phones cash, I'm not keen on the idea of a contract plus I need an unlocked phone for when overseas and take advantage of local sim deals.

[lamblamlamb]

Surprised Huawei Ascend G300 not been mention, £100 on vodafone site on PAYG

[c4rv]

Originally Posted by lamblamlamb

Surprised Huawei Ascend G300 not been mention, £100 on vodafone site on PAYG

I believe G330 should be out soon and will be around the same price

[Scotty2012]

The Samsung Galaxy S3 is amazing.

I have the LG Nexus 4, I chose it over the S3 because I prefer stock Android.

You can buy from the following online retailers:

The Carphone Warehouse LG Nexus 4

Google Play Store

If you buy it from Google it will be cheaper but you will have to wait up to 2 months. I got mine from the CPW.