A mobile phone with good sound / interface?

[Bencrest]

Hi all!

I'm looking to get a new (or pre-owned) mobile phone (cellphone to all you 'over the pond'

) - and I'm wondering if people had any recommendations?

To be honest, I'll mainly be listening at my desktop rig, but when I am out and about, I prefer to walk around with music on. Makes journeys go faster.

I'll already state that the iPhone is out of my current budget. I make / receive very few calls / text messages, and refuse to pay the UK prices for the iPhone.

I'm looking for :

a) A good mp3 playback interface,
b) Excellent sound quality.
c) Either a touch-screen, or a decent size screen, suitable for web-browsing, emails, e.t.c.
d) A reasonable camera - ideally 2Mpix minimum, would prefer 5Mpix.

Don't mind which brand it is, or if it's a current model

 

[Prevtzer]

Meizu M8 or Nokia 58xx would probably be a good choice.

 

[LintHart]

What about if you imported an iphone or purchased one second hand in new condition. They can be very cheap off ebay. I've sold a couple myself as i've upgraded and realistically they're about half price of new. even the orginal 2G iphone works a treat with the net over wifi and can be had for a very good price.

just a thought

 

[mrbrad]

I have been pleased with my Blackberry 9000. However, battery life, even when not using it to play music, is not real good. I need to charge every day. However, that is probably because it is always downloading email from the Outlook server.

 

[Punnisher]

I rather like the blackberry tour's interface. It sounds good but is a bit loud at the lowest volume. You need to use less sensitive iems or use an impedance adapter. It will change the sound slightly but it's better than being too loud.

With that said, I haven't used it for listening when out and about. I like my actual music players more.

 

[superpiper]

iPhone 3gs

simply stunning sound

 

[Bencrest]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prevtzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Meizu M8 or Nokia 58xx would probably be a good choice.

I'm definitely tempted by the 58xx series, can be had for £100 or thereabouts in the UK

Never heard of Meizu, so will look into them

Quote:

Originally Posted by LintHart /img/forum/go_quote.gif What about if you imported an iphone or purchased one second hand in new condition. They can be very cheap off ebay. I've sold a couple myself as i've upgraded and realistically they're about half price of new. even the orginal 2G iphone works a treat with the net over wifi and can be had for a very good price. just a thought

It seems to be a highly-scammed phone. By that I mean, every time I see one 'cheap' - it either doesn't turn up, or it's faulty, or stolen. All the legitimate ones go for what they are worth.

As for 2G, I'm with the UKs only 3G only network, called '3'. If you use a 2G phone on their network, they cause all kinds of problems, not limited to cutting your phone off, even if it's on a contract, and still charging you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrbrad /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have been pleased with my Blackberry 9000. However, battery life, even when not using it to play music, is not real good. I need to charge every day. However, that is probably because it is always downloading email from the Outlook server.

I've seen several Blackberry phones, but always considered them to be email / business phones rather than media devices. I'll look into the 9000 style, thanks. Battery life not much of an issue, I work 12 hour days but am happy to leave on charge overnight every day.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Punnisher /img/forum/go_quote.gif I rather like the blackberry tour's interface. It sounds good but is a bit loud at the lowest volume. You need to use less sensitive iems or use an impedance adapter. It will change the sound slightly but it's better than being too loud. With that said, I haven't used it for listening when out and about. I like my actual music players more.

Another phone to consider, thanks. I assume when you refer to the impedence adapter, you mean with really sensitive IEMs - I'll be more likely to use my 250ohm DT990s, or something a bit more 'portable', so it shouldn't affect me. I don't get on with IEMs, the noise-cancelling basically makes me feel disorientated / sick

Quote:

Originally Posted by superpiper /img/forum/go_quote.gif iPhone 3gs simply stunning sound

The cheapest I've seen in the UK have been £300+. At that price I'd get a bloody good mp3 player and a bloody good phone. I simply can't justify that kind of cash for a 'good' mp3 player, paired with a phone or otherwise.

Cheers for the post though

 

[superpiper]

The 3gs isn't a good mp3 player, it's a stunning player. The best I've ever owned or heard for that matter and distinctly better than my old 5.5g

The first piece of advice astronomers give when selling telescopes is " buy the one u will use", in other words, performance is irrelevent if usabillity is rubbish. Well the iPhone is amazing to use, especially if u use apps such as simplify /remote/last fm etc.

So the whole experience for me has gone up a level.

I've only had mine a week, but I simply can't get over how good it sounds, and how good a media device it is.

(good god I'm sounding like a proper fanboy....)

 

[darkangel9685]

nokia n97. fits all criteria listed, and has a landscape qwerty to boot!

(no, I'm not biased at all

)

 

[Sparky191]

They are all compromised in someway. Deciding your priorities would help you decide.

 

[Lex2]

One of the many Sony Walkman phones would be a good choice, giving also the convenience of using the Windows file explorer to copy and paste media files to the media card instead of using a dedicated sync software. However, they're some of the worst phones for getting a strong RF signal, so if you cannot afford many dropped calls then avoid them like the plague. This is from my experience using three of their phones in the past, the last one being the top of the line Xperia. If call clarity is important to you, then it would be hard to beat a Nokia N5800 series phone.

 

[Salent]

I would say any nokia n series primarily the nokia n95/n97. another good choice would be the samsung innov8 or samsung beat

 

[nutsnut]

After having owned the Nokia 5800, then replaced with an Iphone 2G, and Now a HTC HD2 I would say the nokia is Leagues ahead in term of music quality. Infact, when I replaced the Nokia I had to buy a dedicated MP3 player (my last one broke, and the Nokia was more than good enough especialy when using it with the Line out option).

The Iphone and HTC have better interfaces, thats not to say the Nokia is bad, just a little simple and old tech being symbian.

So in my opinion, in terms of music Nokia>Iphone>HTC HD2

 

[GLdgShDjKsHT]

5800, latest n97 and mini, iphone - brainwashed people - total rubish, better buy a cowon s9 or a sony x1000

 

[Uncle Erik]

Hold off a few months. The next gen iPhone is coming, and perhaps more than one model. Prices might be lower, as well.

The flipside of that is that a lot of 3G and 3GS owners are going to upgrade and dump their existing phones onto the used market. You'll be able to get a good price. You might also want to check the For Sale Forum what the new model is released. I'm going to replace my 3G and would be inclined to give a good deal to a fellow Head-Fi'er.

I've fiddled with all the other smartphones and can't think of another I'd prefer to the iPhone. I use this thing constantly - even right now. I'm at a local bar, enjoying a berr on the patio and browsing the Internets. I love this thing!