Looking for a small phone

Discussion in 'Tablets and Smart Phones' started by SentinelAeon, Oct 4, 2016.

  1. SentinelAeon

    SentinelAeon Guest

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    Hi there,

    I am using xperia mini st15i from year 2011. It is an awesome phone, sadly my power button isn't working well anymore, it keeps pressing itself, also i could use faster phone and better camera. The only thing i am using my phone for is calls, messages and camera - my phone is and will remain my only camera, so i need a good one. I don't use phone for games, browsing or anything else, nor do i plan to in the future, except maybe use GPS and check mail few times a year. I need a small phone that fits nicely in my pocket and my hand. So i went searching for cheap second hand phones.

    Right now the best i could find was xperia U:
    - dual core processor
    - great camera (both image and video)
    - very small

    xperia mini size: 88 x 52 x 16 mm (3.46 x 2.05 x 0.63 in)
    xperia U size: 112 x 54 x 12 mm (4.41 x 2.13 x 0.47 in)

    Xperia U is only slightly wider then my xperia mini, which is the most important thing. It is higher but that i can deal with, it is also a bit thinner which is also good.

    So before i go ahead and buy this phone, is there any other similar phone i should consider looking at ? Preferably dual core processor because i want it to be faster then xperia mini, better camera then xperia mini and small dimension, width being the most important thing, preferably no more then 55 cm (2.2 inch)
     
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2016
  2. Extraordinary

    Extraordinary Guest

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    They're both pretty old, low spec'd phones running really old versions of Android

    What's your budget?
     
  3. scoter man1

    scoter man1 Ancient Guru

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    Edit: Misread how small you wanted. That's reaally small.
     
  4. SentinelAeon

    SentinelAeon Guest

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    Yep, very small indeed but that is exactly what i need. Xperia U looks perfect, problem is i can't find a single second hand xperia U in my country, i was thinking of ordering this:

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Unlocked-So...56d7586&pid=100623&rk=1&rkt=6&sd=272360431146

    As for budget, we have euros here so i guess the budget would be about 50 euros (55 dollars), speaking about second hand devices. I bought samsung s4 mini for 50 euros and xperia S for 40 euros, so that money should be plenty for xperia U if i actualy find it somewhere in my country. Hell, i would even switch my samsung s4 mini or xperia S for that xperia U i am looking for. I am afraid the one on ebay will not be working and also it is from China which means i will probably have to pay extra for customs.

    ps: i know xperia U is old and low spec, but surely i will feel some performance boost from xperia mini which only has 1 core ... and more importantly, it has better camera (i compared the video recording capacibility, they are both 720p but xperia U is a LOT better)
     

  5. Phatzy

    Phatzy Guest

  6. SentinelAeon

    SentinelAeon Guest

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    I ordered this:

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Unlocked-So...80aced3&pid=100623&rk=3&rkt=6&sd=311688373406

    I really hope that everything will be ok, meaning the phone will be in working order, i would hate to have to send it back for refund, etc. It will take some time to get used to it since it is bigger then my current phone, but its UI is similar to the awesome one i have on xperia mini ICS. I will let you know if all goes well, or if i got burned yet another time.
     
  7. sutty86

    sutty86 Guest

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    you can pick up refubished iphone 5c pretty cheap now
     
  8. Labyrinth

    Labyrinth Ancient Guru

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    Probs would have been better off getting a Nexus 4 or 5, they are pretty cheap now and can be unofficially updated to latest versions of Android

    Good god, you know it's good when they advertise FM radio and Adobe Flash.
     
  9. SentinelAeon

    SentinelAeon Guest

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    I am probably getting my new phone today, well, refurbished xperia U. I will let you know how it goes ^_^
     
  10. SentinelAeon

    SentinelAeon Guest

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    I finaly got my brand new refurbished xperia U and so far i am really happy. Unlike the stupid samsung s4 mini, phone is firmly in my hand, samsung s4 mini felt like holding a soap - i simply couldnt hold it without it slipping from my hand. And also it fits into my pocket nicely without feeling that i am carrying an ipad in my pocket.
    Now i have to sell the samsung s4 mini and Xperia S, i doubt i will be able to sell xperia mini due to bad power button. And in the future years i hope i will be able to buy a new phone that will have good hardware without it being as big as my shoe. And in time i guess i will get used to a bigger phone since xperia U is bigger then Xperia mini. Going from Xperia mini directly to xperia S or samsung S4 mini was just to much.
    ps: it is funny ... xperia S is bigger then samsung s4 mini but i found xperia S easier to hold and handle. It wasn't sliping from my hand. I simply cannot get my head around samsung s4 mini being so pricy when it was new and at the same time it having the feel of a soap. Or maybe my hand is just unable to properly hold such a phone.
     

  11. SentinelAeon

    SentinelAeon Guest

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    Well, i guess some things just aren't meant to be. One of them being me having a small compact phone. Xperia U broke down after a few days, basicly it crashes everytime phone tries to connect to 2G. I had no choice but switching to samsung S4 mini. Going to it from Xperia U was easier then going from xperia mini. I have to say its a very good phone, i like it. I just wish it wasn't so slippery, i might have to use sandpaper on it.
     
  12. Extraordinary

    Extraordinary Guest

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  13. SentinelAeon

    SentinelAeon Guest

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    I thought about that but i really dont like cases :/
     
  14. dcx_badass

    dcx_badass Guest

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    I have an old Xperia U that I use for nights out as it doesn't smatter if I lose/smash it. It's alright for very basic usage but I couldn't ever use it as a daily phone, it barely works with Chrome with 512mb ram, hell my normal Galaxy S3 with 1GB ram is barely usable these days.

    If your Xperia U is bootloader unlockable then there are some decent roms on XDA, not amazing but work a little better than Stock, mines running a 4.4 Kitkat rom.
     
  15. SentinelAeon

    SentinelAeon Guest

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    I already sent Xperia U back, i hope i will get a refund as they said. Now i am getting used to that big thingy :)
     

  16. vbetts

    vbetts Don Vincenzo Staff Member

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    Honestly, the iPhone SE is 4" with an amazing camera with awesome processing affects, snappy SoC, and great support. I will have to find a picture I took on it that Ford used before, but you can easily find the iPhone 5S cheaper which is what I used before. Small, fits in my hand, lightweight but still solid, and overall a good experience.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    These are unedited photos on an iPhone 5S I took on a trip awhile back. Amazing quality for a phone camera.
     
    Last edited: Dec 2, 2016
  17. boodikon

    boodikon Ancient Guru

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    My ant is selling his phone for a small amount but it's the size of an ant's contact lens.
     
  18. Glidefan

    Glidefan Don Booze Staff Member

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    Yeah, i also like my iPhone SE. It does have some stuuuuuupid stuff with iOS sometimes, but i'll just say that it gives it character :p
    (Though i liked my old BB better)
     
  19. Mannerheim

    Mannerheim Ancient Guru

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  20. SentinelAeon

    SentinelAeon Guest

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    vbetts: did something go wrong when u were posting this pics ? Because in my browser they look horrible :S

    I am getting used to samsung s4 mini. It is still hard to handle it because its edges are damn slippery. Both xperia phones had tiny rubber thing all around the phones plastic. I wonder if there is a phone case for s4 mini that would be ruber but as tiny as a piece of paper. Phone is working quite fast, i tweaked it a bit so its even better. The only thing really dissapointing is the camera. It is simply horrible, either that or i just dont know how to use it. I think sometimes it is worse then my xperia mini 5MP camera. Sometimes i have to write something in piece of paper for my college and then take a picture of it. Here xperia mini was a lot better. Also just as xperia mini, it is horrible at using flash. It uses it when there is no need, and when there is a need it doesnt. In a normal bright room it uses the flash and the result is that the whole picture is basicly BLACK, only the middle of screen is flashy. I will give you a few examples. It is really horrible, i think making a video recording of things and then taking a screenshot would give me better results.
     

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