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back to article Ten iPhone 5 challengers

It’s that time of year again when the Autumn leaves begin to fall and a young man’s thoughts turn to a shiny new iPhone. Or perhaps, this year, something running Windows Phone 8? Redmond's new baby is also just about to be thrust mewling and puking 'puting into the world and thus anyone shackled to a recently inked two year …

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        1. Mark .
          Reply Icon

          Re: No Galaxy Note II?

          My main issue with the term is that all phones these days have tablet capabilities - indeed for years, phones have just been handheld computers with additional phone. "Phablet" is perhaps therefore a better term, but we should be using it for all phones, not just the Galaxy Note. (And there were older smaller phones with styluses too - the main difference now is that we're seeing the rise of capacitive screens that also support styluses, rather than them being resistive.)

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      2. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: No Galaxy Note II?

        I much prefer 'Gorillaphone'.

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  2. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    I can shorten the whole article for you...

    ANY phone is better that the iphone.

    There - fixed it for you.

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    1. JDX Gold badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: I can shorten the whole article for you...

      You're just bitter 'cos mummy won't buy you one.

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      1. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I can shorten the whole article for you...

        Actually I have one for work - and its shite. Personal phone? S3.

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  3. Moktu

    Re: Eluga Power

    A very stupid name, but an IP57 rated handset with a 5" screen.....

    I'd seriously like one of those as my boaty phone. The sinking feeling you get when you are standing up to your waist in seawater, and you remember which pocket your Galaxy Note is left in, is not one I want to repeat.

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Eluga Power

      IP57 - don't get too smug it only means 'Limited dust ingress protection - immersion between 15cm and 1m depth' - so you may / may not get away with it - especially if you were to fall into water. Ever heard of a waterproof pouch - these would be a much better option...

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      1. Moktu
        Reply Icon

        Re: Eluga Power

        Very true, but my original Motorola Defy has survived a couple of dunkings.

        The drowned Note, was solely due to me getting excited about getting onto the water, and forgetting to transfer the SIM into the Defy (Which I duely packed into a waterproof flare type box). I cried like a gurl.

        Also as my boss like to remind me, I'm employed to be avaliable 24/7/365 so I can have a handset at the helm, and the odd bit of spray / rain doesn't bother it.

        As I'm already rapidly going off topic. My fanboiism for life, to the first company that uses inductive charging and Stereo over Bluetooth to provide a proper smartphone (W8, Android, anything else) that can survive depths of 5 meters for an hour.

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  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    They can't challenge the iPhone 5...

    ...because they're all almost half an inch too wide. Leave the width for the ladies, not the wrist to handle.

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  5. Andy 70
    Meh

    yawn

    nothing here that excites as much as the hardware specs would lead you to believe.

    i think i've officially lost interest in "smart phones". andriod, symbian, windows phone, and after suffering the recent round of hype over the next device apple have released, i just don't care anymore.

    nothing inspires, no inovation, no new ideas. just a revamp of the usual spyware and information gathering bugware that the general public have accepted as part of their personal 'information revolution' that everyone vaguely intelligent went trough in the late 80's/90's, before people became the products that kids now accept as the default settings for their lives.

    fuck this, where's my nokia 6310? track me now you cunts.

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    1. Dave 126 Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: yawn

      [A CCTV slowly pans from left to right. Pauses. Zooms in. Zooms in again. Unusual: A man with an old Nokia. The camera follows him. The camera alerts its neighbour...]

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    2. Piro Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: yawn

      OK, fine, because most of it does done through the network anyway, seeing what device is registered with which base station..

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  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    iphone 5....

    iphone five.....

    the perfect phone for all those people that read the spam emails and are getting an enlargement from 3.5 inch to 4 inch....

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  7. PassiveSmoking
    Thumb Down

    What about accessibility?

    My first foray into the world of post-iPhone (as in phones that released since 2007) smartphone was a HTC Desire.

    It put me off Android for life. Six months into the 2 year contract the phone came with I sold it to envirofone and put the proceeds towards an iPhone 4.

    The particular phone I got was a lemon and cooked its logic board, but I'm prepared to put that down to a bad batch that isn't typical of HTC build quality.

    The battery life was terrible but I'd have considered another Android device with a better battery.

    Except Android is fucking horrible if you're partially sighted.

    The Desire's font was microscopic and the lines were painfully thin with almost no contrast against the retina-searing white background. Worse, you couldn't change it. It made the phone basically unusable unless I carried a magnifying glass around with me as well.

    The iPhone OS, on the other hand, lets you three-finger tap to zoom in, even if the app developer was thoughtless enough to not bake zooming into his app so you could at least use it (albeit rather awkwardly compared to an app that did let you zoom). It also has a bolder default font, screen invert so you can make the text white on black if the eye strain is getting too much and all kinds of voice-navigation options if your eyesight happens to be even worse than mine. In fact it's the only smart phone I could imagine a blind user being even remotely capable of living with.

    Unless Android has undergone massive improvement from an accessibility standpoint since Froyo (has it? I've ceased keeping up with Android developments since ditching the Desire), I'm never going near another Android phone. Apple seems to be the only company that gives a damn about my needs as a partially-sighted user.

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    1. dcd
      Reply Icon
      Alert

      Re: What about accessibility?

      Yes it has undergone massive improvement as you put it. I too, am partially sighted, and am glad I shifted from Symbian to Android.

      One of the many reasons is that since Gingerbread the accessibility features (from a PS persons point of view) have improved by leaps and bounds.

      Install your own fonts, text whatever size you want, audio transcription, various contrast schemes, you name it.

      Take another look comrade, you may be plesently surprised!

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      1. PassiveSmoking
        Reply Icon

        Re: What about accessibility?

        Did some research regarding your claim here, and I honestly can't find any proof that Android has gotten significantly better with accessibility. In fact the articles I've found blast Android for its lack of accessibility.

        I'd only ever look at an Android handset again if there was genuine progress made in this area.

        Android's developers or the OEMs that use it don't care about my accessibility need, Apple does, so purely on pragmatism Apple wins.

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  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    have to disagree with one x / s3

    I had the one x for about a week, tried someone else's s3 and decided it was better than the one X.

    Contrary to the reviewers opinions, I find HTC a bloated implementation of Android.

    On my old HTC desire, I slapped Cyanogen mod on it just as soon as I could and the speed increase with a stock standard Android GUI was very noticable.

    Samsung have stayed far truer to the the stock standard Android UX - it's more intuitive and above all, at least keeps with a standard for Android devices. In other words, I feel it is HTC that have messed with Android, not Samsung.

    I'm not biased either way - had my HTC desire for 24 months and it's now a very capable second phone for my wife - albeit with Cyanogen mod running on it!

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    1. Ian 55
      Reply Icon

      Currently on Desire+CyanogenMod here too

      Yes, the other thing that the reviews need to mention is how easy it is to root the phone so you can put something like CyanogenMod on it.

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    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: have to disagree with one x / s3

      Then why not try CM10 + HTC One X

      That's what I have, and it's blisteringly fast (albeit only an alpha release so far). My wife prefers the phone with Sense, so her One X is still on stock. We're both very happy with our phones :-)

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  9. ifraser

    No Blackberry Dev Alpha!!! Better screen than the IP5 straight away.

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  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Pay attention at the back!

    "...plastic body also feels just a bit cheap compared to the HTC One X’s polycarbonate shell."

    They're both polycarbonate shells and as such, both plastic - has the marketing hype distracted you so?

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  11. Ian 55
    Unhappy

    I'd quite wanted a PadFone too

    Then I saw the price and went HOW MUCH?!?

    I'd accept anything other than the Sony in this list though.

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  12. The Original Steve
    WTF?

    Shockd at no Lumia 820 / 920.

    Fair enough there's no firm release date (Oct so they say) or price / carrier but honestly I thought the 920 would be worth a mention at least.

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  13. Richie 1

    Are there any smaller high-end phones?

    It seems that all the high-end Android phones have a screen size of 4.3" or more. Are there any well-specced phones with a screen size of 4" or less? (Other than the iPhones, natch.)

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  14. Rob Davis

    But are they all 4G / LTE capable?

    ...did I miss something but I couldn't see any mention of 4G / LTE compatibility. The iPhone 5 supports one of the standards.

    If these phones don't support at least one of the 4G / LTE standards then the claim that these are equivalent iPhone 5 alternatives is incorrect. Preferably for them to have a real edge over the iPhone I think they should support the same standard that the iPhone 5 supports AND the other standards -- for when O2, Vodafone etc. eventually catch up with Everything Everywhere in offering 4G / LTE faster mobile broadband.

    (Not an Apple/iPhone fanboi, a HTC Desire Z owner)

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    1. Mark .
      Reply Icon

      Re: But are they all 4G / LTE capable?

      There are loads of phones (Android included) that are 4G / LTE capable, including the S3 and Galaxy Nexus. The main catch is that so far the 4G versions haven't been sold in the UK, and this won't happen here until the 4G networks start up. But this certainly isn't something Apple have any lead on, on the contrary, once again they're late to the party.

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  15. Piro Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    Panasonic Eluga Power

    Maybe not the sexiest name, but by Christ that's a nice looking device, and it was build with a certain amount of ruggedness in mind; AND has a microSD slot? It also has a larger screen than a Galaxy SIII while being 0.6mm smaller in x and y dimensions.

    Sign me up.

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  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    A bit OT, but...

    Let's say that you want to convince your iPhone-toting brethren to jump ship to Android. In other words, escape the walled garden. Are there any resources that can help them make the switch?

    People with long memories will remember when Linux fans used to post lists of alternatives to Microsoft packages to help people switch, eg. http://www.kmfms.com/alternatives.html. That would be useful, as would comments on how mere mortals can convert as much of their music as they can from their iTunes library to whatever Android has.

    Any tips?

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    1. JEDIDIAH
      Reply Icon
      Devil

      Re: A bit OT, but...

      "Converting" the iTunes library?

      Assuming they don't have a pile of DRM encumbered books, audio books, and movies they can just copy their music files to their phone. Just plug it in and Drag & Drop.

      The fact that Apple likes to scramble things can make is more complicated though.

      Content with Apple DRM only plays on Apple devices. If you have been an Apple-only media glutton then you're kind of out of luck. Apple has helped turn something like a VHS tape into something that would keep you trapped with a single hardware vendor.

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      1. rho
        Reply Icon

        Re: A bit OT, but...

        Assuming they don't have a pile of DRM encumbered books, audio books, and movies they can just copy their music files to their phone. Just plug it in and Drag & Drop.

        One can do, but intelligent syncing offers quite a lot. The Apple ecosystem may be a walled garden, but it is actually nice in there. Drag & drop works fine for largely static music MP3s, but not so well for listen-once podcasts, contacts, calendars and photos.

        Folks forget, but iTunes began life as SoundJam, which was the WinAmp for Macs. iPhones and iPods have at the root of their DNA a sync conduit to a really good media library app.

        My mobile is a Blackberry, and has been for many years, but I don't use it as a media player. I carry a separate iPod Touch for that, because it's far and away the better device for such things.

        With the iPhone 5 I'm considering dropping the BB for the first time. Partially because RIM seems to have imploded, and partially because carrying two devices instead of one seems daft. I hesitate only because I like physical keyboards (and BBs have the best).

        I considered going to an Android phone, but I can't find a real reason to do so. I use a Mac as my primary machine; I keep my contacts in Apple's Address Book and my schedule in Apple's iCal. I use Apple's Mail, and iTunes. I've used other versions of all of these apps, and Apple's versions work at least as well, and often better. So, in that case, why wouldn't one move to an iPhone rather than an Android phone?

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        1. Richard 12 Silver badge
          Reply Icon

          Re: iTunes

          It's such a shame then, that iTunes has become such a bloated hog with hideous GUI making it damn near impossible to use as a music library.

          It used to be really good, but they destroyed it with so many changes, it has suffered a death by a thousand cuts.

          Now I don't even start it up, and I simply uninstalled it last time it wanted to update. It went from slick and useful, to nagging utter crap in a few short years.

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        2. Mark .
          Reply Icon

          Re: A bit OT, but...

          Whilst at first I was a bit surprised that my Galaxy Nexus didn't come with any PC software, the point is that it supports the open standard of MTP. So you can drag and drop, but if you prefer software that syncs, you can do that - using any software you like.

          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_Transfer_Protocol has some details. So you can use Windows Media Player to sync for example, and I'm sure there's plenty of other software if you don't like what MS offer.

          As far your last question, I don't see why one should have to buy everything from one single company. Unless you like locking yourself in. Why wouldn't one move to Android like most other people, rather than an Apple phone?

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        3. JEDIDIAH
          Reply Icon
          Linux

          Re: A bit OT, but...

          > One can do, but intelligent syncing offers quite a lot.

          No it doesn't. If your library is larger than your device then you are stuck with an interface that is shockingly primitive for what it needs to do. It's pretty much a crude 80s style file manager that insulates you from your actual files. This yields something that is unsophisticated and inconsitent with interfaces the user may be familiar with. It also yields something that is less flexible and needs to be "hacked" around.

          Non-Apple products in general handle photos better because they don't try to second guess your sense of organization. The rest represent an outdated notion of what mobile device is. They have no real place in iTunes anymore.

          So iTunes becomes this bloated monstrosity suffering from feature creep standing in the way of alternate approaches.

          It's the least Unix thing you could possibly come up with.

          If I can't manage a device myself that also means that developers can't do it for me either. There is no escape from Apple mediocrity or the community group think that tends to shout down more creative uses.

          iTunes is a dinosaur from a time before when a mobile device could fend for itself. The first versions ran on hardware LESS powerful than current devices. The gatekeeper/crutch role no longer makes any sense.

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        4. JEDIDIAH
          Reply Icon
          Linux

          Re: A bit OT, but...

          > One can do, but intelligent syncing offers quite a lot.

          Like I said. The rest of us aren't Shallow Alto Hipsters.

          Most people haven't drunk the Kool-Aid, never mind swimming in it. They're like the youth of today. They don't get platform wars. They don't even get platforms. They don't even view Windows as special or distinct. Never mind Apple products.

          The more you use Apple products, the more you are trapped by them.

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        5. Anonymous Coward
          Reply Icon
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: A bit OT, but...

          Well, yes, the garden is nice, but some of us are just contrarian. Mrs. Zongo has a NAS with 100,000 songs on it ranging from archaic wavs she ripped in 1998 to mp3s to aacs and god knows what else. I just want a system that lets me, the consumer, choose what program to use to view, organize and play this monstrosity.

          Perhaps there is no alternative but to spend a weekend playing with a dozen winamp clones and whatnot. Ah well.

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  17. Nanners
    Devil

    To move from iPhone

    I better be able to do more than check email.

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