Hello from the UK

[GraemeT]

Hi everyone. Another Windows Phone refugee here. Nokia Lumia 820 for the last five years. WP8.0 then stranded on WP8.1 of course. Didn't mind that as I didn't think much to WM10. Not a heavy user but lack of support and lack of apps started getting to me. When M$ bailed out I thought I would too. Android was the only option for me. I have to say I'm impressed with what little I've seen of it so far. It's certainly not the jumbled mess that I was led to believe it was.

What phone to go for? I've spent weeks researching. Looked at the flagships but they're pricey and too big for me. Smaller form-factor and good battery life are my requirements. The XZ1 Compact caught my eye. I was put off by the reports of its camera distortion but I see there's a fix now. I started looking at mid-range options and there's some great value stuff out there, particularly the Chinese models, but I guess you always take a chance with those. The A5 (2017) kept popping up in my searches but I see so many smashed glass phones I wondered how durable it might be. With its camera fix, I think I'm swaying towards the Sony.

Anyway, thanks for having me in the community. I'm excited about exploring and using Android. If I'd known, I'd have done it years ago!

 

[belodion]

Welcome aboard!

There is a vast range of Android devices from which to choose. We may be able to steer you in the right direction if you list your main requirements.

 

[Almeuit]

Welcome !

 

[Javier P]

Welcome to the forums!

 

[Golfdriver97]

Welcome to the forums. What is your budget for a new device?

 

[Mike Dee]

Welcome from New York

 

[GraemeT]

Thank you for the warm welcomes. I guess my budget would be 500GBP/650USD (lousy exchange rate). Good battery life is important to me as is not too big a form-factor (two requirements that are difficult to reconcile). Dimension-wise I wouldn't really want to go above 150mm/5.9" x 72mm/2.8". I'd need the usual UK phone network bands including 4G/LTE B20(800). Given those, I'm open to suggestions.

I visited a phone shop this afternoon and had a play with the XZ1C. Beautiful device but my, the screen seemed a bit on the small side. I was surprised. Everything seemed cramped. Playing with the display and font sizes helped but I'm not so sure about it now. Not far away from it was an A5 (2017) with its larger screen just looking fantastic. It seemed much more suited to the job. I guess if a phone can easily fit into a jeans front pocket then that's a good yard stick for me.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Is the Moto G5S Plus available in your area? Like the G5 Plus before it, it's supposed to be like a flagship phone at a near-budget price. A tiny bit bigger than you requested, though. From what I've heard, it has great battery life (again, like the G5 Plus before it).

 

[GraemeT]

Hi B. Diddy. Thanks for the tip. You can get the Moto G5S Plus in the UK but it's bigger than I wanted to go. I think I'm leaning towards the A5 (2017). I'm in no hurry, though. I thought I'd wait until Black Friday and see what prices do and make a move then.

 

[Morty2264]

Welcome to the forums! Have you looked at the OnePlus 5? Good battery life, 5.5" (a little smaller than you wanted though, yes?), and it is at a good price point; especially for a midrange device.

 

[STARGATE]

Hello and welcome to the forums at Android Central!

 

[GraemeT]

I've looked at the OnePlus 5 and probably just about every other smartphone on the planet. I've uncovered makes that I'd never heard of. There's not a lot that meets my requirements of smaller form factor, very good battery life and 4G B(20). A few of the Chinese models meet the former two but not the latter.

Everything kept pointing back to the A5 (2017), then this happened. I looked at the J5 (2017) again. I'd previously dismissed the J series as too down-market but then I reconsidered. Same size as the A5 but with a much more robust metal body. That appeals to me. Okay, it's a bit lower spec than the A5 but for the prices I'm seeing in the UK (240 GBP/310USD) it seemed it might be worth a punt. Reviews were good but with a few just adequate. The system memory and user storage of 2GB and 16GB seemed to be an issue. Then, a bit of poking around revealed the J5 Pro (2017) with 3GB and 32GB. Otherwise it's the same spec as the basic J5 (with some Asian 4G bands thrown in).

I'd have to import it. They're not marketed in the UK as they're for Malaysia (apparently). I found some in Hong Kong. I was a bit dubious but that seemed my only option. Some fortuitous web searching uncovered some on eBay, in London, for slightly cheaper than I'm seeing the regular J5 being touted for. I'm much happier with that. So, that's where I'm going. A J5 Pro (2017) off eBay from an importer in London. For 225 quid/295 bucks I don't think I can go wrong. It'll be my first Android phone. I can have a play and take it from there. I wouldn't mind having a deeper tinker with it as well, so if I brick the thing there's not too much lost. I won't be placing an order until early next week so if you think I'm crazy there's still time to tell me!

 

[anon(9602380)]

Welcome to Android Central.

Enjoy the site and post often!