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So many android devices - do you know them?

mrex

mrex

Android Enthusiast
I just read the news about Samsung, and I just realized that I dont even know anymore their devices. There are so many differend kind of models, variants, renamed devices etc. A year ago it was easy to say, you have a tab, note, s3 or something like that. That's it.

What about nowadays? tab, tabpro, note, notepro, note3, note3 neo (which seems to be note3 lite), s4, s4 lite, grand, grand lite or is it called neo - don't know - etc. And i have no idea on which way those devices differ from each other anymore.

How do you know anymore which one to buy? If you don't have any experiences of Android (and/or Samsung) how do you choose a phone/tab for you? It's crazy! For me - been using android years and having Samsung phones/tablet - it is easy to check them and see the differences at once. But think about an average customer who goes to the shop and see all those phones/tablets side by side and try to find differences and choose the right one. Does (s)he even know what (s)he is going to buy? And then compairing various devices from manufacturers together. Oh boy! I don't wonder anymore why they choose Apple.

If you already know android, phones and tablets quite good, then try this one: If you don't have any experience of android media hubs, it's another wild world. Which one to choose? There are sticks and boxes, but which one to choose. Or maybe RPi? Ouya?

I have no experiences of those (media hubs), but Im planning to get Minix Neo X7 :rolleyes: It sounds good and cheap, having roms etc. But this is something that I need to figured out.. More than I already know.
 
you read five or six articles on them. then you know what are the current top contenders, because they'll be listed on every site as the top - maybe not in the same order, but you can't classify phones as "best" anyway. then you look at what price range you're looking for, then you look at what features you're looking for, and now you've got 4-5 phones in the same range, with similar features. now you say i'm on X network, which phones do they offer, possibly eliminating one or two. you're down to four phones, which you can individually review for which has problems, which has support, which is from a company you don't hate. pick any one of them and you'll have a phone that suits your needs and price range.

it's quite literally like buying any product ever. i don't know shit about washing machines. this is the process i used to buy my washing machine 6 years ago, haven't had a problem with it. i had nothing invested in one brand over another, so it's not like a samsung vs apple debate. it's a simple purchase based on facts, reviews and needs.
 
Thing is not all phones from a manufacturer, e.g. Samsung, are going to be available in one country or carrier. You might read about them all online, but when you go to your carrier's store or website, you'll perhaps only see half a dozen Samsungs to choose from, along with Apple, LG, Huawei, ZTE, etc. Samsung phones like the Grand, Win and Young are sold in Asia, don't think you'll see a US or EU carrier offering those.
 
I see something I'm interested in, then come here and search the net for all info I can get. It usually winds up in a rant about getting specs. I don't give an RA about whatever launcher the device has, I'll probably change it anyway. I want to know the battery life, voltage, removable, how much storage is easily available, and that isn't always apparent.
 
mrex said:
If you already know android, phones and tablets quite good, then try this one: If you don't have any experience of android media hubs, it's another wild world. Which one to choose? There are sticks and boxes, but which one to choose. Or maybe RPi? Ouya?

I have no experiences of those (media hubs), but Im planning to get Minix Neo X7 :rolleyes: It sounds good and cheap, having roms etc. But this is something that I need to figured out.. More than I already know.
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One thing I would consider. Do you think you actually need a media hub and are likely to use it? Last year I bought an Android tablet, but then found I didn't actually use it very much, and was lying round gathering dust most of the time. In the end I gave it away... LOL. I thought about buying an iPad Mini a few months ago, but in the end decided against it. It's not something I really needed, and better to save the money for something more important. :) Last year a friend was saying, "You want to get some Bluetooth headphones, they're cool!", I didn't bother because I don't like sound they make, because of the compression they use to transmit the music via BT. Rather have wired headphones for the SQ.

Years ago I'd waste money on all sorts of gadgets that I didn't really know anything about. Like buying an expensive Yamaha keyboard, even though I couldn't play a note, nor read music. I wouldn't buy a media hub or an Android HDMI device, because they're not something I could really use.
 
Personally I would just go for the flagship device. Samsung needs to slow down on their devices. I think Motorola is heading in the right direction. They have one flagship device, and another one for the other people who can't get that one. The Moto g is mainly for people outside the USA so I heard.
 
sfbloodbrother said:
Personally I would just go for the flagship device. Samsung needs to slow down on their devices. I think Motorola is heading in the right direction. They have one flagship device, and another one for the other people who can't get that one. The Moto g is mainly for people outside the USA so I heard.
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Samsung only has a limited range of phones in the US doesn't it? It's not like every model they make is available there. There's many phones that they do which just wouldn't be appropriate or suitable, e.g. mid-range dual SIMs. Really because of the way carriers operate AFAICT, i.e. phones are generally locked and subsidised. And so flagship phones are probably quite affordable by most. In the UK you can get a top of the range Samsung S4 for free on a two year Vodafone contract.

Another one would be the Galaxy Mega, which is a large screen mid-range phone, same size as the Notes. That's primarily for Asia, really because the flag-ship Notes can be expensive and likely unaffordable, because they're not subsidised. BTW we don't have any Motorolas at all in China now, their flip-phones used to be very popular at one time. What's Samsung done, just launched a very expensive premium flip-phone for $1600. Pretty sure they won't be selling that one in the US, it's meant for new money Asia. :thumbup:
 
mikedt said:
Samsung only has a limited range of phones in the US doesn't it? It's not like every model they make is available there. There's many phones that they do which just wouldn't be appropriate or suitable, e.g. mid-range dual SIMs. Really because of the way carriers operate AFAICT, i.e. phones are generally locked and subsidised. And so flagship phones are probably quite affordable by most.

Another one would be the Galaxy Mega, which is a large screen mid-range phone, same size as the Notes. That's primarily for Asia, really because the flag-ship Notes can be expensive and likely unaffordable, because they're not subsidised. BTW we don't have any Motorolas at all in China now, their flip-phones used to be very popular at one time. What's Samsung done, just launched a very expensive premium flip-phone for $1600. Pretty sure they won't be selling that one in the US, it's meant for new money Asia.
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No we don't have every Samsung device but I'd say we have about half if that. Motorolas mission is to get into the other markets with the inexpensive moto g.

Mororola also had another phone that sold for like $4000 called aura. It's made with like diamonds or something.
 
sfbloodbrother said:
No we don't have every Samsung device but I'd say we have about half if that. Motorolas mission is to get into the other markets with the inexpensive moto g.

Mororola also had another phone that sold for like $4000 called aura. It's made with like diamonds or something.
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That's getting like the Goldvishs and Vertus, stupid uber-luxury things...LOL But then they still have a market and people do buy them, like they buy Rolex, LV, Gucci and Prada etc. Let's just say Vertu has many more stores in Beijing than it does in whole of the US, which is just one in New York City. Chinese nouveau riche. :rolleyes:
 
mikedt said:
That's getting like the Goldvishs and Vertus, stupid uber-luxury things...LOL But then they still have a market and people do buy them, like they buy Rolex, LV, Gucci and Prada etc. Let's just say Vertu has many more stores in Beijing than it does in whole of the US, which is just one in New York City. Chinese nouveau riche. :rolleyes:
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Ya the things not even a smartphone. It's a flip phone like. All it does is phone calls and texting and it looks weird because of the circle screen. $4000 for a phone!!! I would not even come close to spending something like that unless it was completely innovative and connected to everything.
 
sfbloodbrother said:
Ya the things not even a smartphone. It's a flip phone like. All it does is phone calls and texting and it looks weird because of the circle screen. $4000 for a phone!!! I would not even come close to spending something like that unless it was completely innovative and connected to everything.
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When one is spending $4,000+ on a cellphone, it really is about how many diamonds it's got, rather than innovation, functions or features. :D It's like watches, one can spend $20,000 on a Rolex or something, that is less accurate and less features than a $10 Timex. :rolleyes: ...their main customers are really the Chinese/SE Asian new money and the "Justin Biebers" of this world.
 
mikedt said:
When one is spending $4,000+ on a cellphone, it really is about how many diamonds it's got, rather than innovation, functions or features. :D It's like watches, one can spend $20,000 on a Rolex or something, that is less accurate and less features than a $10 Timex. :rolleyes: ...their main customers are really the Chinese/SE Asian new money and the "Justin Biebers" of this world.
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I honestly couldn't care much about the sparkles something has. Bit looks do matter. Of course I want a stylish phone and a good looking watch if I needed one.

However as dorky google glass looks, I'm getting it.
 
Vertu has a smartphone called Vertu Constellation for $6,000!

Lamborghini also has its own smartphone, named the Antares, which costs $4,000.

With prices like that, you'd think you'd get way more bang for your buck...well not so much. And the saddest thing about these "luxury" smartphones is that there are alternatives out there with better performance at a fraction of those prices.

yet_another_picard_facepalm.jpg
 
Revenant Ghost said:
Vertu has a smartphone called Vertu Constellation for $6,000!

Lamborghini also has its own smartphone, named the Antares, which costs $4,000.

With prices like that, you'd think you'd get way more bang for your buck...well not so much. And the saddest thing about these "luxury" smartphones is that there are alternatives out there with better performance at a fraction of those prices.

yet_another_picard_facepalm.jpg
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Designed in Italy
Forged by a star
Assembled in China
Counterfeited in Shenzhen

Why bother?

EDIT:

Porsche did a premium luxury cellphone as well. Remember seeing it in Hong Kong a while back. But that's what the luxury sportscar makers do, license their brands to non-automotive products, e.g. apparel, jewellery and luggage. There's an extremely expensive "Tag Heuer" phone as well, Tag Heuer do expensive luxury watches.
 
I saw what i think was a 'fake' S4 being sold here in the USA. it had three hardware buttons on the bottom which gave it away. it was also too large. being sold at a Wal-Mart AT&T Stand. the real S4 is almost identical to the S3 but with a slightly larger screen, and one hardware and two capacitive keys.
 
I have to admit Mikedt that I actually do "collect" low end gadgets and phones as a hobby and I would love to get a hold of all the stuff only available in China. I did manage to get my hands on a Chinese HTC Harmony knock off, which is actually amusing to me that the Chinese pirated one of their own phone. It is from China so I can't use it as a phone here in Spain and it has a few Chinese programs that I can't get rid of and of course don't understand, but it works great for gaming, which is why I bought it! Vin.
 
I never really realised this problem until I realised there were 4 variants of the S4 - two octa core ones, a S600 and a S800 version.
 
I don't know every mobile device out there, when in doubt I just check the specs and that's enough for me.

Obviously there are allot of users who don't know much about the hardware side so this won't help them, but those users really have no place buying high end smartphones in the first place. :smokingsomb:

So many users spend premium prices on devices they know next to nothing about, it's the equivalent to spending
 
I like the fact that we have lots of choices of Android phones.

It's a much better situation than the very limited iOS platform.
 
hiredgun said:
I have to admit Mikedt that I actually do "collect" low end gadgets and phones as a hobby and I would love to get a hold of all the stuff only available in China. I did manage to get my hands on a Chinese HTC Harmony knock off, which is actually amusing to me that the Chinese pirated one of their own phone. It is from China so I can't use it as a phone here in Spain and it has a few Chinese programs that I can't get rid of and of course don't understand, but it works great for gaming, which is why I bought it! Vin.
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Should be able to use a Chinese phone in Spain they'0re GSM, only exceptions would be the CDMA ones used on China Telecom.
 
Said S4 Active Grey but it looked like a budget model with cheap hardware keys. it looked nothing like the S4 to me. there was a real one next to it. There are dozens if not hundreds of Galaxy Fakes (what i call them) that are basically dressed up budget models with a very light version of TouchWiz Nature UX.
 
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