Alternatives to the V²

[Cullenator]

While the V² may end up being an amazing phone, some of us can't wait for it to be released. (If it ever will be.)

This thread is for those who are looking for a phone with similar specs to the V².

Please keep this thread clean. Let's all be kind and respectful of others' opinions. :good:

 

[shaxs]

While the V² may end up being an amazing phone, some of us can't wait for it to be released. (If it ever will be.)

This thread is for those who are looking for a phone with similar specs to the V².

Please keep this thread clean. Let's all be kind and respectful of others' opinions. :good:

I have been looking and looking and looking. There isnt one. This is my dream phone:

- LG G2 sized, so 5.2" with small bezels.
- Removable, high capacity battery (3000mah+)
- Removable storage or affordable 64gb size
- Built in wireless charging
- 3gb+ ram
- Newer SoC
- Good camera with OIS

Thats it. Not asking for the moon. I can find some of those things in huge 5.5" + phones like the G4. I guess I will be getting used to a big phone again.

---------- Post added at 01:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:46 PM ----------

This is probably as close as I am going to get if the rumored specs are true: http://www.androidpit.com/nexus-5-2015-price-release-date-specs-features

 

[Cullenator]

I have been looking and looking and looking. There isnt one. This is my dream phone:

- LG G2 sized, so 5.2" with small bezels.
- Removable, high capacity battery (3000mah+)
- Removable storage or affordable 64gb size
- Built in wireless charging
- 3gb+ ram
- Newer SoC
- Good camera with OIS

Thats it. Not asking for the moon. I can find some of those things in huge 5.5" + phones like the G4. I guess I will be getting used to a big phone again.

---------- Post added at 01:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:46 PM ----------

This is probably as close as I am going to get if the rumored specs are true: http://www.androidpit.com/nexus-5-2015-price-release-date-specs-features

I hear ya, dude; I'm hoping the V2 makes it, but I can't wait unfortunately; my S3 is nearly dead. So yeah, we'll see. The G4 looks close, but it's way too big for me. Maybe the new Nexus will be almost as awesome as the proposed V2? We'll see.

 

[Sam K]

Here are the features that made me pre-order the Saygus V². These are in particular order.

1. 5" 1080p sunlight viewable screen. 2.5K resolution is overkill and just eats battery and I don't like phones with screens larger than 5".
2. Large removable battery.
3. Small bezels. This means the phone doesn't have a large footprint for it's screen size like the iPhone or Sony Z series.
4. 64gb built in storage.
5. microSD slot. Dual wasn't important to me but having expandable memory was.
6. Optical image stabilization. It was nice that both cameras have it but I really wanted it in the main camera.
7. Waterproof.
8. Snapdragon 801.
9. 3gb RAM.

The closest thing to this is the upcoming Galaxy S6 Active except the screen size is slightly large for my taste and it has 2.5K resolution. I can live with the built in battery if it's 3500mAh.

I was really hoping that Google would make a new version of the Nexus 5 with basically the same specs as the Nexus 6 except with a 5" 1080p screen. The only drawback to the Nexus series is that we almost definitely won't see one with a microSD card slot. I'm still surprised that Google didn't get someone to build an updated Nexus 5 yet, especially with the launch of Project Fi.

<rant>I wish the Android smartphone manufacturers (i.e. LG, OnePlus, etc) would realize that the majority of people don't want a screen over 5.5" and larger. How do I know this? Because Apple make the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus which have almost the exact same specs except for the screen size and resolution and based on this article 80% of the iPhone 6 models sold are the 4.7" version with the other 20% being the 5.5" version. If customers really wanted a smartphone with a really large screen then they'd be buying the 5.5" iPhone 6 Plus more than the 4.7" iPhone 6.</rant>

 

[vertigo_2_20]

I originally was going to buy an S6, against my better judgement, until I found I could not buy a 128GB version, even from the AT&T store. I've considered the S5, but I can't find an unlocked 32GB version that works on 4G. I considered the Note 4, but I really don't want a phablet, and that's a lot of money to spend on a phone I feel I won't like due to its size. Also, it frustrates me that two of the main alternatives to the S6 I considered due to the S6's lack of expandable storage and removable battery are both Samsung's, so even if I did go with one of them, I would still be giving them money. Before any of this, I was looking at the Sony Xperia Z4, until that turned out to be a letdown, and then the Sony Xperia Z3, but again there is no 32GB unlocked version. Despite my hatred of Motorola, I even considered the Droid Turbo/Maxx, until I realized it lacks expandable storage. The G4 looks ok, but it's a bit large for my taste (though supposedly not as bad as other 5.5" phones), I really don't think I'd like the buttons on the back, and there are no real reviews yet of it. Not to mention it irritates me they're releasing two other "G4" versions that are nothing like the G4, but rather are stripped down junk. The Zenphone 2 is big and just seems cheap, which I get it is a cheap phone, but still. The S6 Active may end up being the closest thing to perfect, but I don't know how I'll like the physical buttons, and I think I'd rather it be less bulky so people that want the extra protection can use a case, but leave that up to the individual. I've pre-ordered the Elephone P7000, which looks like a really good phone for the price, but again, no 32GB version. Still, for the price, I can live with that for a few months until something better comes out. So many phones that are almost great, but fall short. I've been searching high and low for the past 2-3 months and it's getting tiresome. I'd love some other ideas, but I doubt anybody can point me to something I don't already know about.

 

[hella356]

My ideal phone matches up very much the same. If Samsung released a plastic body S4 v2 with more RAM, more built-in storage, updated CPU, 5" 1080p screen with otherwise S6 qualities, UFS 2.0, etc., while retaining the S4 size/weight, removable battery, and SD slot, I'd have little hesitation buying it, even if it cost the same as the S6. Doooosen't look like they're going to do that. A phone's looks don't matter to me, and I actually prefer the plastic body for weight and toughness factors. Doesn't have to be Samsung, but I've had an S4 for two years and having handling many phones, I find it gives the best fit in my hand while having an adequate sized screen of any phone yet.

The Saygus, if it proves to be the real deal, it's actually in the right size range and is loaded with so many features (2x SD is my favorite) that it has no real competition for my needs. As it stands, I'm most likely going to have to hold my nose and get a 128GB S6, which for me has no real competition as Plan B. I have no regrets with my S4 or S2, to me they were clearly the best phones for me on the market at time of purchase. But I want to vote with my wallet against the S6 because the removal of (to me) major features, but I might not have a suitable option. Also, I'm on TMOUS and most of the decent non-carrier devices won't work with their LTE bands and I'd lose WiFi Calling, so it's pretty much between Samsung, LG, Sony, HTC, Alcatel, and Nexus. The S5 and M9 look like the next best options. The Saygus is the only outside phone under consideration at this point.

 

[shaxs]

The S5 and M9 look like the next best options. The Saygus is the only outside phone under consideration at this point.

I have the LG G2 and at less than $200 for a new off contract phone it really is hard to beat. I considered the S5 only because it can have wireless charging added fairly easily, but the ROM support for the S5 isnt as good. But if they offered the S5 with 3gb ram, I think I would be in.

 

[hella356]

I have the LG G2 and at less than $200 for a new off contract phone it really is hard to beat. I considered the S5 only because it can have wireless charging added fairly easily, but the ROM support for the S5 isnt as good. But if they offered the S5 with 3gb ram, I think I would be in.

Thanks, the G2 might be the best short-term option. TMo has refurb G2s for $228 & no money down & $9.50/month. It's the other end of the spectrum in price with the S6, amongst phones without SD and removable battery. Only 32GB is a big step down from my S4, but for daily usage it would probably be fine. Having lots of extra storage and batteries is brilliant when needed, like spending the day in an airport and having tons of locally stored music/movie choices, but most of the time as a DD can be lived without. Other negatives: a little larger and heavier, and non-AMOLED screen. On the plus side, it's got a bit better CPU and larger screen size than the S4. And a lot cheaper than the S6, S5, M9. If it had SD and removable battery, it would be a no-brainer.

I broke my S4 screen and replaced it myself with a $6 piece of glass off ebay. It's worked great considering the price, but it's more reflective and the touch input is far from perfect. It's still functional, but annoying, & $9.50/month is pretty light, so I think I'll give that a shot. They have a 15 day trial period, too. In the long run, worst case scenario, I end up with a spare phone / mini WiFi tablet that only cost $228.

 

[Sam K]

I originally was going to buy an S6, against my better judgement, until I found I could not buy a 128GB version, even from the AT&T store. I've considered the S5, but I can't find an unlocked 32GB version that works on 4G. I considered the Note 4, but I really don't want a phablet, and that's a lot of money to spend on a phone I feel I won't like due to its size. Also, it frustrates me that two of the main alternatives to the S6 I considered due to the S6's lack of expandable storage and removable battery are both Samsung's, so even if I did go with one of them, I would still be giving them money. Before any of this, I was looking at the Sony Xperia Z4, until that turned out to be a letdown, and then the Sony Xperia Z3, but again there is no 32GB unlocked version. Despite my hatred of Motorola, I even considered the Droid Turbo/Maxx, until I realized it lacks expandable storage. The G4 looks ok, but it's a bit large for my taste (though supposedly not as bad as other 5.5" phones), I really don't think I'd like the buttons on the back, and there are no real reviews yet of it. Not to mention it irritates me they're releasing two other "G4" versions that are nothing like the G4, but rather are stripped down junk. The Zenphone 2 is big and just seems cheap, which I get it is a cheap phone, but still. The S6 Active may end up being the closest thing to perfect, but I don't know how I'll like the physical buttons, and I think I'd rather it be less bulky so people that want the extra protection can use a case, but leave that up to the individual. I've pre-ordered the Elephone P7000, which looks like a really good phone for the price, but again, no 32GB version. Still, for the price, I can live with that for a few months until something better comes out. So many phones that are almost great, but fall short. I've been searching high and low for the past 2-3 months and it's getting tiresome. I'd love some other ideas, but I doubt anybody can point me to something I don't already know about.

I went through a similar decision making process except I never considered getting the Galaxy S6 after they got rid of the microSD slot, reduced the battery capacity and made it built in and didn't make it waterproof. Back in 2014 when the Galaxy S5 was released, I was also waiting for T-Mobile to release the 32gb version (even though it has expandable storage) because I was worried about running into storage issues for apps (because many apps can't be moved to a microSD card with KitKat) but none of the US carriers ever released the Galaxy S5 with 32gb. AFAIK only the international version was released with 32gb storage. Then after I learned that T-Mobile was rolling out LTE on band 12 (700 MHz block A) and the Galaxy S5 didn't support it then I wasn't interested in it anymore. Then I looked at the T-Mobile version of the Sony Xperia Z3 (which supports LTE on band 12) but those huge bezels really bothered me. It's a phone with a 5.2" screen that's almost as big as the Galaxy Note 4 which has a 5.7" screen. I decided to wait for the Xperia Z4 hoping that it would have optical image stabilization but unfortunately it didn't. Most recently I considered the HTC One M9 because it IMHO had the perfect screen size/resolution 5" 1080p, top of the line Snapdragon 810 processor, 32gb storage, microSD card slot, decent size battery but unfortunately no optical image stabilization in the camera. The Elephone P7000 looks interesting for the price but it looks like it's basically an upgraded OnePlus One but a 5.5" screen is just too big for me.

 

[t3chfan]

Options

The ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini looks like a very good option for those of you that are running current devices that are a couple of years old, but I don't think it offers enough of an upgrade from my Z3 Compact for me to consider. But, given the expected price and general specs I think this would be a great choice for most people. There is a little bit of me that is tempted to go for this device just to scratch my 'must buy a new phone' itch!

The Nubia Z9 (not Mini or Max, confusing nomenclature!) also looks like a well specced device, but there seems to be uncertainty about whether this has an SD card slot, plus it runs the Snapdragon 810 which seems to be a rather tainted SoC from what I read everywhere.

The Sharp Aquos Xx also looks interesting, 84% screen ratio but again Snapdragon 810 and I've no idea whether Sharp make decent phones or not...

 

[zoejif]

Any options with dual boot phones

For me the main reason to order Saygus V² was the dual boot option, with the possibility to boot from microsd card. Is anyone aware of other smartphones with this feature?

 

[vertigo_2_20]

I actually prefer the plastic body for weight and toughness factors.

I want to vote with my wallet against the S6 because the removal of (to me) major features

+1 on both counts

The ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini looks like a very good option

Not for me. Non-removable battery, which I would be willing to overlook if all else was good and it had Quick Charge, but it does not (of course, all else being equal, I will always choose the phone with the removable battery, and if I were to buy one without, it would be a temp phone until a different one with a removable battery came out). Also, only 16GB internal memory is NOT enough. 32GB is minimum for me. The ONLY reason I ever got rid of my EVO 4G was because I was constantly getting low memory errors, and I don't want to deal with that again. I don't want to settle for a phone with less than 32GB internal and less than 96GB total memory, even a temporary one. At least the P7000 is very cheap and has otherwise good specs and a removable battery, so the internal memory is the only big sacrifice. Unfortunately, it looks like that one is out, too, and I need to cancel my order, because it doesn't work on AT&T's LTE.

 

[Zinguy]

Thanks

Thanks for this thread. As much as I can't look away from the train wreck that is Saygus, I really do need to replace my outdated phone and leave the Apple compound and koolaid behind.
You'd think it would be easy to buy a decent phone with a swappable battery and expandable storage.

 

[redeyss]

Thanks for this thread. As much as I can't look away from the train wreck that is Saygus, I really do need to replace my outdated phone and leave the Apple compound and koolaid behind.


You'd think it would be easy to buy a decent phone with a swappable battery and expandable storage.

Yeah that's the crazy part, I still want the V2 because of the features. I'm shocked that more people aren't worried about support after the sale from Saygus though.

 

[t3chfan]

Thanks for this thread. As much as I can't look away from the train wreck that is Saygus, I really do need to replace my outdated phone and leave the Apple compound and koolaid behind.
You'd think it would be easy to buy a decent phone with a swappable battery and expandable storage.

The problem is most mainstream manufacturers seem to be heading towards sealed unit phones, and the majority have given up on SD support on flagships. Sony is a noticeable exception but their in life care leaves a lot to be desired - the official Sony phone forums are full of threads on issues that Sony refuses to officially acknowledge.

A lot of the 'cheaper' phones from Chinese manufacturers interest me, but there is always a compromise there. Honor's cheaper phones have non-backlit capacitive buttons. Meizu and Xiaomi seem to shun SD. Elephone seems a little left field. Most Chinese flagships are 5.5 inch.

What we all seem to agree on is that the V2 offered the fewest compromises, and everything else has at least one glaring black mark that we realistically are not able to swallow. Which makes the apparent train wreck of the V2 that much harder to take and ultimately is responsible for the sometime over emotional outbursts by the various pro/anti Saygus camps.

 

[shaxs]

The ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini looks like a very good option for those of you that are running current devices that are a couple of years old, but I don't think it offers enough of an upgrade from my Z3 Compact for me to consider. But, given the expected price and general specs I think this would be a great choice for most people. There is a little bit of me that is tempted to go for this device just to scratch my 'must buy a new phone' itch!

The Nubia Z9 (not Mini or Max, confusing nomenclature!) also looks like a well specced device, but there seems to be uncertainty about whether this has an SD card slot, plus it runs the Snapdragon 810 which seems to be a rather tainted SoC from what I read everywhere.

The Sharp Aquos Xx also looks interesting, 84% screen ratio but again Snapdragon 810 and I've no idea whether Sharp make decent phones or not...

Actually the ZTE Nubia Z9 does look pretty amazing. Only issue for me is no wireless charging and the price seems high. The Sharp Aquos Xx doesnt have a speaker. Not sure how I would like that.

 

[Sam K]

This is an interesting alternative I saw on BGR but I doubt it will be available with support for US networks. It's made by a Chinese company called Innos and it has a 5.2-inch 1080p display, a Snapdragon 615 1.8GHz octa-core processor, a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, 3 GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and Android 5.0 Lollipop. The most interesting thing about it is that has dual batteries with a total capacity of 6000mAh, an internal one that's 2480mAh and an external replaceable one that's 3520mAh. I don't think it has a microSD memory card slot but if someone can read Chinese then the second link will have all the specs. I tried Google translate on the page but it didn't translate much.

http://bgr.com/2015/05/22/best-smartphone-battery-innos-d6000/
http://www.innos.com/yiluo/product.php?lang=cn&class2=168

 

[shaxs]

This is an interesting alternative I saw on BGR but I doubt it will be available with support for US networks. It's made by a Chinese company called Innos and it has a 5.2-inch 1080p display, a Snapdragon 615 1.8GHz octa-core processor, a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, 3 GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and Android 5.0 Lollipop. The most interesting thing about it is that has dual batteries with a total capacity of 6000mAh, an internal one that's 2480mAh and an external replaceable one that's 3520mAh. I don't think it has a microSD memory card slot but if someone can read Chinese then the second link will have all the specs. I tried Google translate on the page but it didn't translate much.

http://bgr.com/2015/05/22/best-smartphone-battery-innos-d6000/
http://www.innos.com/yiluo/product.php?lang=cn&class2=168

Wow that looks really cool!

 

[MikeyMike01]

If someone knows of another phone with a reasonable screen size, removable battery, waterproofing, front facing speakers, expandable storage, a durable body material (i.e. not aluminum, something that doesn't need a case) and a fingerprint reader, I'd like to know about it.

Or at least most of those things.

 

[vertigo_2_20]

If someone knows of another phone with a reasonable screen size, removable battery, waterproofing, front facing speakers, expandable storage, a durable body material (i.e. not aluminum, something that doesn't need a case) and a fingerprint reader, I'd like to know about it.

Or at least most of those things.

The Galaxy S5 meets most of your criteria. The only thing it lacks out of those is the front-facing speakers. I know, some people would argue it also doesn't have a "durable body," since it's made out of plastic, but I 100% disagree. My S4 was tough as hell, despite being plastic (and I actually think partly because of it, since plastic flexes and also weighs less, so less impact force when falling). I've thrown it so many times, to the point the case came off and the battery flew out once, and it never so much as got a scratch that I saw. And the only reason I put a case on it was because it was too thin and felt weird in the hand, and the case I used was a very slim one, so it didn't add much to the phone, just a tiny bit of extra thickness and a better grip. As much as I dislike Samsung right now, the S5 would be my next phone if it were available unlocked with 32GB internal memory.