[H] Suggestions wanted - older 'flagship' droid WTB ASAP (NZ)

N4CR

N4CR

Supreme [H]ardness
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Hello [H]

The reasonably faithful SGS2 w/omega24 finally bit the dust tonight. So want to buy a used phone and as you have noticed, if that's fast enough for me (SGS2 - outside of snapchat), I don't really care about having the latest and greatest, nor do I keep up to date with latest trends in phones. Anything few years newer feels like a rocketship... so;
As long as it can call/text well, take decent pics, GPS/maps and be flashed/rooted as necessary for a speed/functionality upgrade later, it's fine.

Figured some of you [H]phone enthusiasts might be a better crowd to ask.

What I'm looking for
  1. Droid (any variant as long as #4) - no windows phones
  2. Good call quality, good text entry
  3. Decent(ish) camera (lower light/quick focus bonus)
  4. Flash/rom support reasonably important
  5. 1080p
  6. 16gb would be nice and microSD support
  7. Good audio/dac (wolfson etc entry level is fine) is bonus
  8. MUST HAVE AUX/LINE OUT (god damnit!)
  9. Battery lasting a day or so with moderate use, e.g. not dying after 2 hours of maps
  10. Removable battery!
  11. If it plays games all good.. not really fussed.

Also to note, here we have unlocked phones typically, no bullshit loaded on them beyond what manufacturer puts on.

So far have briefly checked out
HTC M8 (going surprisingly cheap)
Nexus 5 with a few cracks on edge of casing up for grabs tomorrow (keen on this but wondering about bootloop issue..)
SGS4 and SGS5 (overpriced considering above are half the cost often..)
Nokia Lumia only 520/635 available in short term which isn't up to spec - are there any non windows phones?
Motorola G2 little pricey (only one available)
Huawei P8 - little pricey also as above


Or if any kiwi [H]'rs want to move a suitable phone in Auckland tomorrow, I'm game! Cheers and thanks [H]
 
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Most everything you're asking for is easy to find except for #8 because no smartphone that's ever been made has such a thing in my experience. Sure the older iPhones had that 30-pin dock connector and you could Jerry-rig a Line Out from some of the pins but, aside from that, I've never seen or heard of any other brand or model of smartphone that offers such capability.

Actual DROID devices from Verizon have never had custom ROM support because of locked bootloaders EXCEPT for the Developer Editions of some specific devices: the original Moto X had such capability but it's like 4+ years old now (still a fantastic device, however). There was a DROID Turbo 2 model called the Moto Force which was available outside the US that had an unlockable bootloader and a microSD card slot but I doubt you'll find that for a cheap price anywhere in your area.

There's just too many potential devices to get specific if you're in that kind of hurry. I'd say find something that you like and if it's something you can afford grab it and go.
 
Since NZ means New Zealand, I don't think the OP has to worry about Verizon...

For the best audiophiles phone, I would set an old HTC10 as the baseline of an audiophile smartphone device.
  • A new HTC U11 should be similar to the HTC10.
  • The new LG V30 is better than the HTC10. So would the LG G6 if you get the right model. (Dunno if that model would be easier to find in NZ.)
  • Another brand to look at that is known for having great hifi audio chips is Vivo. But good luck getting updates on those phones. (It's current flagship is the Vivo V7+, listed around 400NZ/300USD.)
Let me know how the search goes, OP.
 
Yes, I realize that geographic aspect but the OP mentioned "Droid" and to me that means the DROID line of devices specific to Verizon only. He/she could have meant (An)Droid but I didn't read it that way on the first read of the post so that's why I mentioned DROID and Verizon as I did.

Also I'm pretty sure he/she wants something cheap and that's why the post mentions such older devices and not current flagship $800+ kind of hardware. The OP wants a phone that works but isn't the latest and greatest and obviously not the most expensive thing out there, that's my take on the post hence my suggestion(s).
 
Tiberian said:
Yes, I realize that geographic aspect but the OP mentioned "Droid" and to me that means the DROID line of devices specific to Verizon only. He/she could have meant (An)Droid but I didn't read it that way on the first read of the post so that's why I mentioned DROID and Verizon as I did.

Also I'm pretty sure he/she wants something cheap and that's why the post mentions such older devices and not current flagship $800+ kind of hardware. The OP wants a phone that works but isn't the latest and greatest and obviously not the most expensive thing out there, that's my take on the post hence my suggestion(s).
Click to expand...

You got it! Looking for older flagships that still hold up well and won't break the bank. Happy to spend on a phone next year but right now would rather upgrade my CPU or go to a Ryzen rig. Sorry I should have clarified with Android, wasn't aware there is a 'Droid' line.

Aux/Line out sorry, should have also written 'headphones' output. Same thing in my books. I do hate modern jack sense though..

P.s. How dare you assume my gender! I identify as an A10 ground attack aircraft!

CHANG3D said:
Since NZ means New Zealand, I don't think the OP has to worry about Verizon...

For the best audiophiles phone, I would set an old HTC10 as the baseline of an audiophile smartphone device.
  • A new HTC U11 should be similar to the HTC10.
  • The new LG V30 is better than the HTC10. So would the LG G6 if you get the right model. (Dunno if that model would be easier to find in NZ.)
  • Another brand to look at that is known for having great hifi audio chips is Vivo. But good luck getting updates on those phones. (It's current flagship is the Vivo V7+, listed around 400NZ/300USD.)
Let me know how the search goes, OP.
Click to expand...


Thank you for the suggestions, no Vivo here unfortunately :(

HTC 10 is but more than I want to spend at this point. Are most of the older HTCs also well regarded? The M8 is looking quite attractive to be honest and seems to review very well in the DAC department. As long as the audio has fine graduations, find minimum volume too loud on some phones with cans. I just hope they don't do the 'limit output' BS when using line/aux due to poor detection, as they think line/aux is instead plugged in to a set of headphones. That really gets on my goose.
 
What is your price range? Cause the only "[H] enthusiast audiophile phones with removable battery" that I could even think of at about $150USD are LG V10 and LG G5.

HTC M7, M8, and M9 are well-regarded that for sure, but no removable battery.

Ever thought about getting any cheapo phone and use a headphone DAC/amp? Something like this might interest you.
 
Realized I'll have to forego the removable battery :( not many options otherwise.

Ended up with the Nexus 5. Just needs to get me through a few weeks and I can look at an M8 or M10 perhaps as I like your suggestions, as I do like the idea of a more rugged phone. Wasn't prepared to wait the extra two days for an M8 currently. V10 could also be an option as with the G5. Now I have more time to research for a better long term phone and I am very grateful for your suggestions.
Problem with cheapo phones is it'd be less mod supported and external dac would drive me nuts. I do like the idea though but have a beautiful hifi at home, when out and about I don't want to have the hassle of an external. Have big old cans to deal with as it is lol.

Thank you everyone for the input.
Perhaps next year I can even look at getting a W2018 for novelty sake.. I love flip phones.
 
Nexus 5 has a really replaceable battery. So that should help extend the life of the phone. I still have one myself.
 
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