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Deleted User
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is this a downgraded mini s5? if anyone gets this phone please post your thoughts!
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Is this a mini S5?
- Thread starter Deleted User
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- samsung galaxy avant
There already is a Galaxy S5 Mini and the Galaxy Avant has even lower specs then the S5 Mini. Don't think I'd consider it a smaller version of the Galaxy S5.
D
Deleted User
Guest
i see...it seemed tempting but i think i will continue to save up for the s5
The Avant seems to be T-Mobile's replacement for the Galaxy Light. The Light is currently on sale for $99 contract free (a hell of a price, btw), and the Avant has many of the same features, with many upgrades, so it's likely the Light is nearing it's EOL, with the Avant taking its place, and at the same price point the Light was when it was first introduced.
The Avant, to my eyes, fixes all the flaws that the Light had.
Most obviously, the bigger, higher res screen. The main thing "wrong" with the Light is that it's puny. The 4" screen made small text hard to read and made it difficult to type. The 4.5" screen of the Avant is a huge improvement, and the qHD resolution, even at the expanded size, increases the ppi from 233 to 245, so text isn't just bigger, it's clearer.
It runs 4.4.2 KitKat out of the box, while us Galaxy Light users are still stuck on 4.2.2, and although it was promised that it'll receive KK, it isn't looking too likely at this point.
16gb built-in storage vs 8gb built-in.
1.5gb RAM vs 1gb should make a huge difference with the laggy, bloaty TouchWiz.
FM radio.
2.0mp front facing camera vs 0.3mp, if you care about that sort of thing.
Bigger battery.
Oddly, it doesn't support T-Mo's upcoming band 12 LTE, but it does support 1, 2, and 5 (as well as 4, obviously), which are AT&T bands. So you're free to switch if you want, or buy one and unlock it (now that it's legal again).
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So this phone isn't really meant to be an S5 "mini" (which'll be significantly more expensive), although one could consider it as such in many ways. Mostly, it fills a spot that's otherwise almost unoccupied in T-Mobile's line-up. There's the LG L90, which is similarly sized, but underspec'd and is only capable of HSPA+ @21.1Mb/s (but it can be had for $100 right now). There's the Nokia 635, which is a similar size, but has a lower res screen, far weaker specs, and runs WP, which will turn a lot of people off, but it has LTE. Anything better than the Avant, and you're looking at spending $400 for a LG G2 or Nexus 5 (better to get an N5 from Google, unless you need a payment plan), or $438 for an S4. There's a definite gap between the Avant and those phones, both in specs and price.
Of course, this doesn't take into account refurbs or unlocked BYODs. Obviously, to those don't only shop within the carrier stores, the main alternative to the Avant is the Moto G LTE. My personal choice in this price range would be a Sony Xperia SP 5306 off Amazon or a new 16GB Nexus 4 off eBay, both for $240. For $300-350, there's the Moto X or Nexus 5 from Google.
But it's obvious competitor is the Moto G. For me, it'd be a difficult choice. Moto G has the better screen, but I like hardware nav buttons. The Moto G has less RAM, but probably doesn't need the 1.5gb RAM the Avant has because it's running close-to-stock Android. The Avant has more built-in storage and can take a 64gb card, while the Moto G can only take a 32gb card. Hard choice, if you're not doing a payment plan.
I'd much rather have the Avant than my Galaxy Light, but I'm no longer in the market for such a phone, since I just got a Nexus 4.
The Avant, to my eyes, fixes all the flaws that the Light had.
Most obviously, the bigger, higher res screen. The main thing "wrong" with the Light is that it's puny. The 4" screen made small text hard to read and made it difficult to type. The 4.5" screen of the Avant is a huge improvement, and the qHD resolution, even at the expanded size, increases the ppi from 233 to 245, so text isn't just bigger, it's clearer.
It runs 4.4.2 KitKat out of the box, while us Galaxy Light users are still stuck on 4.2.2, and although it was promised that it'll receive KK, it isn't looking too likely at this point.
16gb built-in storage vs 8gb built-in.
1.5gb RAM vs 1gb should make a huge difference with the laggy, bloaty TouchWiz.
FM radio.
2.0mp front facing camera vs 0.3mp, if you care about that sort of thing.
Bigger battery.
Oddly, it doesn't support T-Mo's upcoming band 12 LTE, but it does support 1, 2, and 5 (as well as 4, obviously), which are AT&T bands. So you're free to switch if you want, or buy one and unlock it (now that it's legal again).
------
So this phone isn't really meant to be an S5 "mini" (which'll be significantly more expensive), although one could consider it as such in many ways. Mostly, it fills a spot that's otherwise almost unoccupied in T-Mobile's line-up. There's the LG L90, which is similarly sized, but underspec'd and is only capable of HSPA+ @21.1Mb/s (but it can be had for $100 right now). There's the Nokia 635, which is a similar size, but has a lower res screen, far weaker specs, and runs WP, which will turn a lot of people off, but it has LTE. Anything better than the Avant, and you're looking at spending $400 for a LG G2 or Nexus 5 (better to get an N5 from Google, unless you need a payment plan), or $438 for an S4. There's a definite gap between the Avant and those phones, both in specs and price.
Of course, this doesn't take into account refurbs or unlocked BYODs. Obviously, to those don't only shop within the carrier stores, the main alternative to the Avant is the Moto G LTE. My personal choice in this price range would be a Sony Xperia SP 5306 off Amazon or a new 16GB Nexus 4 off eBay, both for $240. For $300-350, there's the Moto X or Nexus 5 from Google.
But it's obvious competitor is the Moto G. For me, it'd be a difficult choice. Moto G has the better screen, but I like hardware nav buttons. The Moto G has less RAM, but probably doesn't need the 1.5gb RAM the Avant has because it's running close-to-stock Android. The Avant has more built-in storage and can take a 64gb card, while the Moto G can only take a 32gb card. Hard choice, if you're not doing a payment plan.
I'd much rather have the Avant than my Galaxy Light, but I'm no longer in the market for such a phone, since I just got a Nexus 4.
Masterchief87
Android Expert
Actually you can use a 64gb sd card with any android phone. Probably even a 128gb card if you can afford it. You just have to put the card in the phone and it will say "blank sd card or unsupported file system" or something similar. Dont worry about this error message. Just open up the phone's system settings, select storage settings, and format sd card. It is best to do this with a blank card since it will erase anything saved to the sdcard. The reason why most phones only advertise support for sd cards up to 32 gb is because 32gb sdcards use the fat32 file system while 64gb cards use exfat by default. If a phone 'doesn't support' 64gb cards that just means it cant read exfat. When you format the card in the phone it changes the file system to fat32 and then you can use it just fine. If a phone says it supports cards up to 64gb that means it can read exfat. Hope this all makes sense
Actually this phone is extremely identical to the S5 mini so your question is valid. There are 4 different hardware versions of the S5 mini and the G800H is basically an Avant with a denser screen (more pixels), and a better camera. Everything else is cosmetic (software wise).
I event took the bluetooth driver from the S5 mini to enable all bluetooth profiles for the Avant and so far it has worked flawlessly for me. I would not buy an S5 mini, although the camera probably is better and that would be the only reason. If you're looking at an Avant for $100 vs S5 mini for $300 do the Avant, but at $200 vs 300 it is more questionable and matter of what is important to you. Because speed and usability wise the Avant is on par.
I event took the bluetooth driver from the S5 mini to enable all bluetooth profiles for the Avant and so far it has worked flawlessly for me. I would not buy an S5 mini, although the camera probably is better and that would be the only reason. If you're looking at an Avant for $100 vs S5 mini for $300 do the Avant, but at $200 vs 300 it is more questionable and matter of what is important to you. Because speed and usability wise the Avant is on par.
dbpaddler
Android Expert
Please... the S5 Mini has a smaller footprint, is thinner and lighter than the Avant and still manages to pack the same size battery. It has the Exynos processor with the Mali -400MP4 GPU. The camera while also being better also does HDR and 1080p recording and the front camera gets a res bump over the vga one in the Avant. And no, the screen is not just higher res, it's SAMOLED too as opposed to just a basic LCD. It's not even IPS. Even the S4 Mini has better specs in some cases than the Avant.
The S5 Mini also has IP67 certification, fingerprint sensor, dual band wifi and weighs 17g less than the Avant.
Not ranting. Just pointing out it's a bit more than "cosmetic".
And Planterez, the Avant does support Band 12. The hardware is there according to the FCC. It's just shut off in the current firmware. Apparently it was the first Band 12 phone to pass through the FCC.
The S5 Mini also has IP67 certification, fingerprint sensor, dual band wifi and weighs 17g less than the Avant.
Not ranting. Just pointing out it's a bit more than "cosmetic".
And Planterez, the Avant does support Band 12. The hardware is there according to the FCC. It's just shut off in the current firmware. Apparently it was the first Band 12 phone to pass through the FCC.