Looking to replace a Nexus 4, overwhelmed by choices.
June 24, 2015 7:45 PM Subscribe
My Nexus 4 is getting a bit long in the tooth, looking for something similar but with updated specs. I've gone through the G1, G2, and Nexus 4, and would just hop right on up to the Nexus 5, but I get the feeling that options have opened up in the current + last gen of devices. My list of prioritized features inside.
My use:
- Lots o data (Multiple concurrent browser sessions, fair bit of twitter)
- Very little voice.
- Currently on t-mobile out of contract, was considering switching to ting.
- In NYC (Mostly Brooklyn, some Manhattan)
Care about:
- Speed, both in interface and data send/receive.
- < $300, new or used.
- I like the 4.7" Nexus 4. Could go a bit bigger, but the 6 is too big.
- I enjoy stock Android, but vendor customizations without a bunch of bloat are ok.
- Battery life.
Don't care about:
- Speaker quality
- Camera quality
- Construction & aesthetics, more or less.
- Display quality, as long it's legible.
I feel guilty asking such a mundane Q here, but I'm at my wits end.
My use:
- Lots o data (Multiple concurrent browser sessions, fair bit of twitter)
- Very little voice.
- Currently on t-mobile out of contract, was considering switching to ting.
- In NYC (Mostly Brooklyn, some Manhattan)
Care about:
- Speed, both in interface and data send/receive.
- < $300, new or used.
- I like the 4.7" Nexus 4. Could go a bit bigger, but the 6 is too big.
- I enjoy stock Android, but vendor customizations without a bunch of bloat are ok.
- Battery life.
Don't care about:
- Speaker quality
- Camera quality
- Construction & aesthetics, more or less.
- Display quality, as long it's legible.
I feel guilty asking such a mundane Q here, but I'm at my wits end.
Best answer: The nexus 5, honestly, sucks. It really totally rules and i love how it looks, but the battery life is SO BAD OH MY GOD. It has, definitely, the worst battery life of any phone i've ever used. That thing sucks down battery like a sega game gear.
Buy a used HTC one M8, especially since you don't care about camera quality. It's a 100% kickass phone, and will be under $300. Literally every review of it says it kicks both cheeks of the ass on everything but the camera, and having used it, i agree.
Stuff to not bother with: LG G3, samsung anything.
Other stuff to look at: Sony xperia Z2/Z3/Z3 compact, oneplus one(used, obviously), moto x, alcatel idol 3(new), asus zenfone 2(the 2gb ram simple model, but new).
A $300 moto x 2014/v2 deal comes up off and on. That would be a no brainer.
If you want max possible battery life, try and hunt down a used z2, z3/compact, oneplus one, or a droid turbo which is a verizon phone but ships unlocked(all the ones on my craigslist were $300~). Those phones crush all other android phones at battery life.
posted by emptythought at 8:01 PM on June 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
Buy a used HTC one M8, especially since you don't care about camera quality. It's a 100% kickass phone, and will be under $300. Literally every review of it says it kicks both cheeks of the ass on everything but the camera, and having used it, i agree.
Stuff to not bother with: LG G3, samsung anything.
Other stuff to look at: Sony xperia Z2/Z3/Z3 compact, oneplus one(used, obviously), moto x, alcatel idol 3(new), asus zenfone 2(the 2gb ram simple model, but new).
A $300 moto x 2014/v2 deal comes up off and on. That would be a no brainer.
If you want max possible battery life, try and hunt down a used z2, z3/compact, oneplus one, or a droid turbo which is a verizon phone but ships unlocked(all the ones on my craigslist were $300~). Those phones crush all other android phones at battery life.
posted by emptythought at 8:01 PM on June 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
I loved my nexus 5, until the screen broke. Its discontinued sadly. Otherwise I'd buy a new one.
Using a moto g 2nd gen now and its far inferior, I can't recommend it. It's a great 180$ unlocked phone with almost stock Android, but the 1gb of ram is crippling, multitasking is painful, and only 3g radio. So while its great for $180, it can't compete with a $300 phone, and isn't for power users.
My advice is to wait and see if the 3rd gen moto g expected to be announced in July has more ram.
There's also rumored to be a new nexus 5 this fall, which I really hope happens.
posted by TheAdamist at 8:18 PM on June 24, 2015
Using a moto g 2nd gen now and its far inferior, I can't recommend it. It's a great 180$ unlocked phone with almost stock Android, but the 1gb of ram is crippling, multitasking is painful, and only 3g radio. So while its great for $180, it can't compete with a $300 phone, and isn't for power users.
My advice is to wait and see if the 3rd gen moto g expected to be announced in July has more ram.
There's also rumored to be a new nexus 5 this fall, which I really hope happens.
posted by TheAdamist at 8:18 PM on June 24, 2015
To counter emptythought's comment, I went from the Nexus 4 to the G3 earlier this year. I think it's great, and I got a good deal on it. The Nexus 4 is my ideal smartphone size, and while the G3 is a bit bigger, I have had zero issues with it related to size (I also had a Note 2 for a while a few years ago, and that was way too big). It has the same screen as the iphone 6+ but in a smaller body. The main knock on it is battery life but it certainly beats the crappy nexus 4 and 5 batteries easily.
posted by MillMan at 8:30 PM on June 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by MillMan at 8:30 PM on June 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I just replaced a 1st generation Moto X with a new Z3 Compact (which I found as a grey-market import for $350 or so). Both are large for my taste, yet among the smallest on the market.
I liked everything about the Moto X, except the camera. The only thing that would kill the battery in less than a day is Ingress (which is a notorious pig). Build quality is excellent, speed more than adequate, interface is quite close to stock Android.
I have a 1 year old at home. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't care about the camera (and lack of expandable storage), and I'd still be a very satisfied Moto X user. The Motorola camera + low light + motion = worst I've seen in ages.
I'll bet they're available for <$300 in good shape. I'm keeping mine as a sonos/chromecast controller for the living room, or else I'd be selling for less than that.
posted by toxic at 8:46 PM on June 24, 2015
I liked everything about the Moto X, except the camera. The only thing that would kill the battery in less than a day is Ingress (which is a notorious pig). Build quality is excellent, speed more than adequate, interface is quite close to stock Android.
I have a 1 year old at home. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't care about the camera (and lack of expandable storage), and I'd still be a very satisfied Moto X user. The Motorola camera + low light + motion = worst I've seen in ages.
I'll bet they're available for <$300 in good shape. I'm keeping mine as a sonos/chromecast controller for the living room, or else I'd be selling for less than that.
posted by toxic at 8:46 PM on June 24, 2015
I have a Moto G and I'm very happy with it; another option would be a 2nd hand Samsung s4.
posted by Sebmojo at 9:00 PM on June 24, 2015
posted by Sebmojo at 9:00 PM on June 24, 2015
The nexus 5, honestly, sucks. It really totally rules and i love how it looks, but the battery life is SO BAD OH MY GOD. It has, definitely, the worst battery life of any phone i've ever used. That thing sucks down battery like a sega game gear.
The Nexus 5 never won any awards for battery life, but the battery life on my Nexus 5 was always vastly superior to the battery life on my Nexus 4. (It admittedly did get worse during the Android 5.0.x era, but those days are thankfully over, and things seemed to recover with Android 5.1.)
That said, the phone all of the vanilla Android lovers, ROM flashers and cheap no-contract SIM holders - including myself - jumped over to after the collective sigh of disappointment with the Nexus 6 was the OnePlus One. It fits all of your requirements - it's fast, cheap, big but not as big as the 6, nice big battery. The problem people seem to have is construction - I've had great luck after a good 9 months or so with nary an issue except for the occasional weird Cyanogenmod build, but others have had breakage and touchscreen problems. (I have also avoided the dreaded Android 5.0.x on the OnePlus, which may have something to do with my good experience - many who have had trouble stuck with the official 5.0.x releases rather than jump to the 5.1 nightlies.)
That said, the OnePlus 2 (yes, they inexplicably went from One to 2) is expected to be announced shortly.
posted by eschatfische at 9:53 PM on June 24, 2015 [3 favorites]
The Nexus 5 never won any awards for battery life, but the battery life on my Nexus 5 was always vastly superior to the battery life on my Nexus 4. (It admittedly did get worse during the Android 5.0.x era, but those days are thankfully over, and things seemed to recover with Android 5.1.)
That said, the phone all of the vanilla Android lovers, ROM flashers and cheap no-contract SIM holders - including myself - jumped over to after the collective sigh of disappointment with the Nexus 6 was the OnePlus One. It fits all of your requirements - it's fast, cheap, big but not as big as the 6, nice big battery. The problem people seem to have is construction - I've had great luck after a good 9 months or so with nary an issue except for the occasional weird Cyanogenmod build, but others have had breakage and touchscreen problems. (I have also avoided the dreaded Android 5.0.x on the OnePlus, which may have something to do with my good experience - many who have had trouble stuck with the official 5.0.x releases rather than jump to the 5.1 nightlies.)
That said, the OnePlus 2 (yes, they inexplicably went from One to 2) is expected to be announced shortly.
posted by eschatfische at 9:53 PM on June 24, 2015 [3 favorites]
I have a nexus4 as well (tmobile off-contract as well) and am looking to replace it. My priorities are similar. I'd love to get an LTE phone.
MotoG doesn't really seem like a "step up" - especially if you're a big data user since it has no LTE.
I've always been a nexus gal, but the 6 too expensive, too poor on battery, and for a big phone, I can't believe you cant lay it down flat and use it (rounded back wobbles).
I'd buy a nexus5, but it's still super expensive - isn't this phone a few years old now?
posted by sarah_pdx at 10:00 PM on June 24, 2015
MotoG doesn't really seem like a "step up" - especially if you're a big data user since it has no LTE.
I've always been a nexus gal, but the 6 too expensive, too poor on battery, and for a big phone, I can't believe you cant lay it down flat and use it (rounded back wobbles).
I'd buy a nexus5, but it's still super expensive - isn't this phone a few years old now?
posted by sarah_pdx at 10:00 PM on June 24, 2015
Best answer: Another vote for the oneplus. Try the bigger size. I felt the same as you about my n4 but I got over it.
posted by k8t at 10:05 PM on June 24, 2015
posted by k8t at 10:05 PM on June 24, 2015
I love my Nexus 5. Battery life was OK on 5.1 but since 5.1.1 it's much less good and seems to charge much slower too (and the "minutes until full" seems to be a lie with 5.1.1).
posted by anadem at 10:50 PM on June 24, 2015
posted by anadem at 10:50 PM on June 24, 2015
Best answer: I love my Oneplus One running Cyanogenmod. You no longer need an invite to purchase.
posted by namewithoutwords at 11:24 PM on June 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by namewithoutwords at 11:24 PM on June 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Bought a OnePlus One (64GB) for $300 last month, and love it. I was tempted to wait for the Two which will be released later this year, but apparently it won't be running Cyanogenmod, which I really like. And it certainly won't be as cheap. I can't think of anything I don't like about the phone, actually, and the screen size seems about perfect.
posted by Auden at 11:41 PM on June 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Auden at 11:41 PM on June 24, 2015 [2 favorites]
If you can find a used Moto X 2014 for around your price range, I would highly recommend it. It is the perfect size, very speedy and is about as close to stock Android as you can get outside of the Nexus line. The only downside is that the battery life isn't the best (but it does charge very quickly!)
posted by thebots at 12:03 AM on June 25, 2015
posted by thebots at 12:03 AM on June 25, 2015
1st gen moto g has an lte variant. It gives up very little to much more expensive phones. I still have mine and actually prefer its form factor.
I'm currently using a z1 compact. Price/performance sweetspot right now is snapdragon 800 ($200-300) if you've got the cash, snapdragon 400/410 ($100-150) if you don't. Both have great battery life but the sony's is better. Also consider the moto e 2015.
posted by NoRelationToLea at 12:25 AM on June 25, 2015
I'm currently using a z1 compact. Price/performance sweetspot right now is snapdragon 800 ($200-300) if you've got the cash, snapdragon 400/410 ($100-150) if you don't. Both have great battery life but the sony's is better. Also consider the moto e 2015.
posted by NoRelationToLea at 12:25 AM on June 25, 2015
Moto G is the cheap, but great for the price option but it’s slower & has less memory than your Nexus 4.
I saw the LG G4 get very good reviews if you want a top-end smartphone to replace your current one.
The WireCutter’s reviews of the best current Android phones might be useful, although I wouldn’t get the Samsung S6 if you want stock Android. Moto X or One+One look like good mid-range choices.
posted by pharm at 12:41 AM on June 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
I saw the LG G4 get very good reviews if you want a top-end smartphone to replace your current one.
The WireCutter’s reviews of the best current Android phones might be useful, although I wouldn’t get the Samsung S6 if you want stock Android. Moto X or One+One look like good mid-range choices.
posted by pharm at 12:41 AM on June 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: +1 for the One Plus One.
I have had mine since January and love it. I actually would not wait for the One Plus 2 even though it will be announced shortly. It will be running the proprietary OP OS Oxygen. Meh. Also will have the 810 chip which is known for overheating.
The One Plus One has great battery life, fast, good screen size and the Cyogenmod OS is very customizable and pretty much bloat free.
posted by AugustWest at 4:55 AM on June 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
I have had mine since January and love it. I actually would not wait for the One Plus 2 even though it will be announced shortly. It will be running the proprietary OP OS Oxygen. Meh. Also will have the 810 chip which is known for overheating.
The One Plus One has great battery life, fast, good screen size and the Cyogenmod OS is very customizable and pretty much bloat free.
posted by AugustWest at 4:55 AM on June 25, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I asked a similarly-mundane question recently.
+1 OnePlus One. I had a Nexus 4 that I loved, then moved to a Nexus 5 that I also loved, but the battery life on the N5 was pretty bad and I eventually needed something better. The OPO's battery life is incredible - by some measures, better than the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
Even though the OPO was released over a year ago, to me it doesn't seem to be showing its age - everything is snappy, and it does everything I want. Also, it's very affordable off-contract so you won't be locked in if you want to switch carriers.
posted by Tehhund at 5:30 AM on June 25, 2015
+1 OnePlus One. I had a Nexus 4 that I loved, then moved to a Nexus 5 that I also loved, but the battery life on the N5 was pretty bad and I eventually needed something better. The OPO's battery life is incredible - by some measures, better than the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
Even though the OPO was released over a year ago, to me it doesn't seem to be showing its age - everything is snappy, and it does everything I want. Also, it's very affordable off-contract so you won't be locked in if you want to switch carriers.
posted by Tehhund at 5:30 AM on June 25, 2015
I have a Nexus 4 and had a Nexus 5 which I loved until I bricked it and it won't get past the bootloader (anyone that thinks they can help me with that MeMail me). I thought the Nexus 5 was pretty great save for the slippery back which resulted in a screen break as it slid out of my pocket. The camera wasn't fantastic but I thought the battery life was fairly decent and I loved the pure Android experience. With that said, the connector on the bottom of my Nexus 4 is starting to get to the point where I have to be careful about how the phone is plugged in to get a charge so I decided to break down and get a new phone before I am stuck somewhere with a phone I can't charge.
I tried the LG G3 and G4 but they are too big for me. They aren't quite as big as the Nexus 6 but still too big for me to use one handed. I thought the HTC One M8 was a bit smaller but it was too slippery and I feared the screen breaking. I eventually went with the Galaxy S6 since it essentially has the same dimensions as the Nexus 5. The camera is noticeably better. I am slowly finding and turning off all the Samsung things (launcher, keyboard, etc.) and replacing them with the Google default equivalents but I still haven't gotten all of them. I'm intrigued about by the better security of the fingerprint reader but at the same time its more irritating to use while on the treadmill. I'm also not jazzed by a physical button for the home screen.
There are rumors that an updated version of the Nexus 5 is going to be released late this year. If I thought I could make it until then, I'd probably hold out hope for that.
posted by mmascolino at 8:19 AM on June 25, 2015
I tried the LG G3 and G4 but they are too big for me. They aren't quite as big as the Nexus 6 but still too big for me to use one handed. I thought the HTC One M8 was a bit smaller but it was too slippery and I feared the screen breaking. I eventually went with the Galaxy S6 since it essentially has the same dimensions as the Nexus 5. The camera is noticeably better. I am slowly finding and turning off all the Samsung things (launcher, keyboard, etc.) and replacing them with the Google default equivalents but I still haven't gotten all of them. I'm intrigued about by the better security of the fingerprint reader but at the same time its more irritating to use while on the treadmill. I'm also not jazzed by a physical button for the home screen.
There are rumors that an updated version of the Nexus 5 is going to be released late this year. If I thought I could make it until then, I'd probably hold out hope for that.
posted by mmascolino at 8:19 AM on June 25, 2015
Response by poster: Thanks all. Had looked at the OPO before, and even trolled twitter for an invite once, but didn't know it was now open season.
posted by Jack Karaoke at 8:22 AM on June 25, 2015
posted by Jack Karaoke at 8:22 AM on June 25, 2015
Best answer: Z3c is the answer, used, from swappa.com
Battery life is SPECTACULAR: 3 days moderate use, >8h SoT
Must get a case and screen protector; glass back and front are prone to cracking unprotected
slim, small.
usb charging awkward (have to open a waterproof port); need a magnetic charger
waterproof but I wouldn't trusty it. certainly more spalshproof than other phones
Camera OK
fast as crap
2GB ram, 16GB storage, ssd card slot! (expand file memory to 128GB!)
sony version of android similar to stock, may have to play with it for 2h to debloat
7/10! The only game in town for a modern small onehanded android phone
posted by lalochezia at 9:29 AM on June 25, 2015
Battery life is SPECTACULAR: 3 days moderate use, >8h SoT
Must get a case and screen protector; glass back and front are prone to cracking unprotected
slim, small.
usb charging awkward (have to open a waterproof port); need a magnetic charger
waterproof but I wouldn't trusty it. certainly more spalshproof than other phones
Camera OK
fast as crap
2GB ram, 16GB storage, ssd card slot! (expand file memory to 128GB!)
sony version of android similar to stock, may have to play with it for 2h to debloat
7/10! The only game in town for a modern small onehanded android phone
posted by lalochezia at 9:29 AM on June 25, 2015
Response by poster: And holy crap, swappa.com is looking kinda fantastic.
posted by Jack Karaoke at 5:08 PM on June 25, 2015
posted by Jack Karaoke at 5:08 PM on June 25, 2015
The LG G2 is basically a Nexus 5 with a better camera, much bigger battery and LGs slightly crappy skin. It's two generations old now, but if you where considering a N5 it might be worth a look. They are crazy cheap, and you can flash CM if you are up to that, or cover up 95% of the skin just by installing all the default Google Apps.
posted by markr at 6:08 PM on June 25, 2015
posted by markr at 6:08 PM on June 25, 2015
Another vote for OnePlus. I've had N4, N5, Note 2 and Note 3. Oneplus is the best phone I've ever owned.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 3:55 PM on July 5, 2015
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 3:55 PM on July 5, 2015
Response by poster: Reportback:
Quite pleased with the Z3c, despite it having a fair bit of Sony crap on it.
Some features like "small apps" are mind-numbingly useless, but overall I'm happy with it.
- It's a nice size, speedy, has good battery life and power management options.
- Gives me 3MB up/down on LTE when in Manhattan, typical crappier speeds in Brooklyn, but that's nothing new.
- Most unwanted Sony stuff can be disabled via app management. I'd like to fully replace the media gallery app in such a way that it's integrated with the camera (i.e. tap the thumbnail to launch a 3rd party gallery from the stock camera app) but it's totally tolerable.
- Got it for $350 NIB.
- Bought two cases (1,2), ended up liking the Incipio.
The biggest negative is that most cases aren't designed to support the magnetic charging thingy, and that accessing the USB charging port requires popping open a little waterproof access panel. But in the overall scheme of things, that's really not a big deal. I'm using the Incipio case as-is for now, but will probably get out a sharp knife and make a little slot for the magnetic charger, which will actually be pretty great for hooking up to an external battery pack in my bag, and not worry about the port getting bent up.
Oh, and I bought this magnetic charger, after reading a bit on various android forums. It doesn't fit in the dock with a case, but I might hack the stand. You can also buy the magnetic bit w/o the stand unit.
posted by Jack Karaoke at 4:36 PM on July 23, 2015
Quite pleased with the Z3c, despite it having a fair bit of Sony crap on it.
Some features like "small apps" are mind-numbingly useless, but overall I'm happy with it.
- It's a nice size, speedy, has good battery life and power management options.
- Gives me 3MB up/down on LTE when in Manhattan, typical crappier speeds in Brooklyn, but that's nothing new.
- Most unwanted Sony stuff can be disabled via app management. I'd like to fully replace the media gallery app in such a way that it's integrated with the camera (i.e. tap the thumbnail to launch a 3rd party gallery from the stock camera app) but it's totally tolerable.
- Got it for $350 NIB.
- Bought two cases (1,2), ended up liking the Incipio.
The biggest negative is that most cases aren't designed to support the magnetic charging thingy, and that accessing the USB charging port requires popping open a little waterproof access panel. But in the overall scheme of things, that's really not a big deal. I'm using the Incipio case as-is for now, but will probably get out a sharp knife and make a little slot for the magnetic charger, which will actually be pretty great for hooking up to an external battery pack in my bag, and not worry about the port getting bent up.
Oh, and I bought this magnetic charger, after reading a bit on various android forums. It doesn't fit in the dock with a case, but I might hack the stand. You can also buy the magnetic bit w/o the stand unit.
posted by Jack Karaoke at 4:36 PM on July 23, 2015
I'd like to fully replace the media gallery app in such a way that it's integrated with the camera (i.e. tap the thumbnail to launch a 3rd party gallery from the stock camera app) but it's totally tolerable.
Llama would do this. Basically just set something like "when the defaultgallery is launched, open customgallery2000". I've used it for a lot of stuff like this, and even use it to do that on my firetv.
posted by emptythought at 12:40 PM on July 24, 2015
Llama would do this. Basically just set something like "when the defaultgallery is launched, open customgallery2000". I've used it for a lot of stuff like this, and even use it to do that on my firetv.
posted by emptythought at 12:40 PM on July 24, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
The Moto G is the best cheaper phone you can get. My daughter has one and it's pretty good. But it's not LTE. And it's <$200.
The Sony Z3 Compact is the best sub-5" phone out there. But it's more like $400+ Other than price I think it's probably exactly the phone you want. LTE, fast processor, claims of a 2-day battery life, under 5".
posted by GuyZero at 7:55 PM on June 24, 2015