Hi, I want to buy a new smartphone in the next months but I cannot decide which one. So here are the MUST HAVES, the NICE TO HAVES and the NO-GOS MUST HAVES: - Screen size below 5".. better around 4,7" - Android OS (minimum Lollipop) - LTE (min. Cat4) - Wifi n - 720p resoultion - 32GB storage NICE TO HAVES: - good camera - SD-Card slot - water proof - amoled display - 1080p - vanilla or almost vanilla android NO GOS: - Apple ^^ (ok since Android is a must it's clear) - cheap phones from china - weak battery I usually don't take good care of my phones... they don't fall on the floor very often (but sometimes from the bed or sofa...).. so I don't really handle them like eggs. So it shouldn't break when it's rough times. (and no I don't use phone cases, and I don't want to in the future.. I don't resell my phones, it's okay when they look "aged") I already have 3 possible candidates, but maybe you have more suggestions for me. Should be something that fits my candidates. So No. 1 is: Sony Z5 compact (4,6") (around 400€) +++It looks nice, has good camera, fingerprint sensor, sd-card slot, stereo speakers (although I won't use them much, I listen to music on headphones or my stereo in the living room), waterproof, good battery, wlan ac, LTE cat6, hardware camera button, very good performance ---startup is very slow, bezels are a bit thick, it's very pricey No. 2 is: Samsung Galaxy A3 2016 (4,7") (around 230€) +++looks very nice, has good camera, sd-card slot, good battery, good performance, amoled display, thin bezels, low price ---touchwiz UI, no notification LED at all, hardware android buttons (although the software buttons eat up space on the display I prefer them.. also samsung always switched the "back" and the "multitasking" button which annoys me) No 3 is: Motorola Moto X 2013 (4,7") (around 200€) +++looks very good, almost vanilla android, outstanding notification display, amoled display, very thin bezels (even the lower and the upper bezels are very small), fits the hand perfectly due to it's curved back ---old hardware (but still potent), weakest battery of the 3 candidates, bad camera, speaker is on the back, no SD-card slot and only 16GB storage I only mention the Moto X 2013 because I already have it. But since 2014 I have the Moto X 2014 (5,2") but now I want to go back to a smaller display and since Motorola is unable to build a nice phone with 4,7" again I have to get another brand or their old model. I never got used to the 5,2" size and never got a comfortable feeling with the size of screen and phone. The moto x 2013 is used as a HUD for my simracing so I cannot use it I could buy a very cheap android phone with 4,7" and use it as a HUD but I'm not sure if it's not better to get a new one as a daily driver. The best about the moto x is the notification screen and I think I will miss it very hard on other phones. I'm so used to it. The Z5 compact might be overpowered for me but too much power is never a bad thing. And it has a notification LED.. which is a crumb of comfort after losing moto x notification display. It has more features and functions than the other two phones (fingerprint, waterproof, hardware camera button) But on the other hand.. it's expensive.. The galaxy A3 2016 has about the same power as the moto x 2013 but larger storage and sd-card slot.. drawbacks are the touchwiz UI, the missing notification LED and the fact that it has hardware android buttons. But the phone is affordable and looks very nice. So how do I use my smartphones? - Gaming? Only some casual games while sitting on the toilet. AND POKÉMON GO!!!!111!!1einseinself - Camera? I barely use the camera at my current phone, but I think when I have a good camera I would use it more often.. - Movies/Youtube? I don't watch movies on the phone. I only watch some youtube when in bed or on the toilet... - Music? Yeah but I only use streaming services or I stream music from my NAS when I'm at home. So no local music storing. Also it doesn't really need good speakers because I use headphones or while in bed I connect it to my "Denon Envaya Mini" via Bluetooth. - ebooks? No, the only things I read on my phone is messages in whatsapp, some forums (like this one)... and.. that's it. I don't use twitter or facebook. I hope here's somebody that can help me to decide
I would have voted for the Sony without hesitation, if you wouldn't have mentioned your slippery fingers. The Z5 is very plasticy and will suffer. I'll throw the Z3 Compact in the ring. It has a glass covered back and feels a bit sturdier. It comes with KitKat, but a Marshmallow update was rolled out in June. Street price is ~300 € atm.
but a glass back? ... I thought no glass on the back would be better for me.. I found the z5c for 355€... I will test the devices in a local electronics store today.. maybe I'm a bit smarter after that.
It's a pro-con thing with the glass backs. On the one hand they will resist more force cause the mineral glass they use is hardened and can resist greater impacts. On the other hand it's not indestructible and once damaged looks horrible and is more expensive to replace. So you might be right, if you know it's going to drop several times, might be better to go with the "cheaper" option. A silicone casing is recommended in any case I guess: I don't own any of the two but a friend got em both. Comparing both of them I'd prefer the Z3, as I said feels a bit sturdier. He also mentioned that the battery and the audio quality (while phoning) are a tad better on his Z3, but that might be subjective, coincidence or both. They are both good phones and I guess you can't really go wrong with either.
Back in the days I had an LG Nexus 4 which had glass on the back too. That worked for me: https://dbrand.com/shop/xperia-z3#pui-options
I came to the conclusion that I don't want the Galaxy A3 2016. It looks nice but... it looks too fragile for me. Also it has no water proofness or protection. I guess I'll go with the z5 compact... I got an unsuspected raise this month ... so it will cover the cost difference between galaxy a3 and z5 compact. Tomorrow I will go to a local shop where I can try it.