urgent - help me choose!

[Big Aura]

Howdy. The camera lens on my Samsung S5 shattered last week (there was a small crack for months, which didn't impair much, then it just shattered in my pocket). I've replaced the lens (twice) but there is a problem with the camera now - it refuses to focus properly. PITA...

Given the phone is a constant record of my kids, a working camera is a must for me.

My contract with EE has 12 months to run. I'm not eligible for an upgrade (and the in-contract options are, understandable, extortionate).

I've seen that topcashback.co.uk are doing a one-day only sale - 10% off handsets more than £300 at Argos.

My criteria are: Must have a micro SD, removable battery is good, but not a deal breaker.

Cost is a motivator too, obviously!

Options are (with 10% discount applied):

SONY Xperia Z3 - £296

SONY Xperia Z3 plus - £450

SONY Xperia z5 Compact - £395

SONY Xperia z5 - £485

Samsung S5 - £332

HTC M9 - £450

The Z3 looks a clear winner, but would welcome feedback from you lot!

Also - Samsung S6 is an abolute steal at £314 - might it be worth the loss of MicroSD then going to some sort of horrid cloud thingy??? (I've no idea how that works...)

 

[daveh75]

The Nexus 5X and 6P are within budget and should be on your list IMO.

https://store.google.com/category/phones

As for the 'horrid cloud' if your photos are that important to you, you should be using it as a back up anyway!

I would also use multiple services as a back up to each other.

Once you've signed up/installed whichever services you've chosen, just enable Camera backup and forget about them

 

[Big Aura]

thanks - the horrid cloud is for ease of access. I've backed up my photos/videos onto my laptop, but I do like to browse through old photos often, and like the convenience of my phone's photo viewer, and then casting a screen on chromecast.

I've about 30gb of photos/videos currently, so the 32GB S6 would be maxed out and then some - so if I was going that way I'd have to have a cloud option. I think the Nexus5 is outclassed by both the Samsung S6 and the Sony Z3, and the Nexus 6 is too big (I already carry a Nexus 7 around at work for email/working from meetings).

 

[bigboss]

I've had the Z3 since over a year (had pre-ordered before launch). It's certainly the best phone I've had to date. Waterproof, dustproof, long battery life and expandable storage. The microUSB port flap is a little annoying but hardly a deal breaker.

 

[Big Aura]

thanks BB. I bought the Z3 last night. I spent 3hrs last night setting it up and logging into various apps etc to have it as I like it. It didn't occur to me to make a call on it until this morning - sign of the times!

A few niggles - My facebook contacts' photos aren't showing up in my phone contacts (the names are there, and they're linked and synced, but without photos). May need to reinstall...

The swipe type isn't quite as good as the samsung's, and the samsung keyboard is better. But there are a few things that feel better than Samsung. I've now had HTC, Samsung and Sony (and a Nexus tablet). I think HTC is my preferred device of all, but each has its merits...

 

[bigboss]

Yes, HTC phones are excellent and used to be my preferred brand after the brilliant HTC Desire. But I wasn't impressed with HTC Sensation and HTC One with frequent dropped calls. I haven't faced that with the Sony.

It may take a bit of time for photos to show up while syncing is completed in the background. It will come.