[isleaiw1]

I know, been asked a dozed times, everyone has a strong opinion, you are an apple fan boy or not.... but who has got a new phone recently, what is it, what did it replace and what do you think?

Mine has finally died today so need to get a new one asap - currently have a Samsung Note 8, replaced an Iphone 6 plus..... Dont really use it for anything special, but hope it will last 3 years like the current one so try to go vaguely up to date when I swap....

So fire away.

Oh and who with as EE seem f*****g expensive compared to everyone!

[SuperHamz]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

I know, been asked a dozed times, everyone has a strong opinion, you are an apple fan boy or not.... but who has got a new phone recently, what is it, what did it replace and what do you think?

Mine has finally died today so need to get a new one asap - currently have a Samsung Note 8, replaced an Iphone 6 plus..... Dont really use it for anything special, but hope it will last 3 years like the current one so try to go vaguely up to date when I swap....

So fire away.

Oh and who with as EE seem f*****g expensive compared to everyone!

Depends how much you want to spend, the Samsung S20 and iPhone 12 are going to be pretty much on par with each other in features, it's whether you prefer Android or iOS.

This debate is never ending tbh.

What's your budget? Are you looking to buy it out right or on a contract?

I'm with EE btw, never had a problem with them and usually phone them up for better deals/offers.

[Ennoch]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

I know, been asked a dozed times, everyone has a strong opinion, you are an apple fan boy or not.... but who has got a new phone recently, what is it, what did it replace and what do you think?

Mine has finally died today so need to get a new one asap - currently have a Samsung Note 8, replaced an Iphone 6 plus..... Dont really use it for anything special, but hope it will last 3 years like the current one so try to go vaguely up to date when I swap....

So fire away.

Oh and who with as EE seem f*****g expensive compared to everyone!

No help on phones as I tend to keep them for 3-4 years unless they meet an untimely end in a mud bath/trodden on in the workshop etc.

It depends on who your employer is you may have access to some good discounts through them - my previous employer was 25% off Vodafone and may current place offers 30% off O2 and EE which makes it quite a good deal if you're looking at the bigger contracts. For my XR 256gb I think I'm about £50 a month for the max contract which will drop down to £20 once the contract ends in February. Can't complain too much at that.

[Armaan]

I recently waited for the 12 release and got a good deal on an iPhone 11. Not going to pay silly prices and don't need the latest to do what it needs for me.

Happy to send you the details if you'd like to PM, found an even better deal since for under £30 a month.

Armaan

[Tengocity]

I didn't want face recognition when it came out and I don't like it even more now with wearing a face mask. I have an iPhone 11 through work amd it's good apart from that.

For my own phone I was pretty happy with thr iPhone 8, so upgraded to a SE, as it was effectively the same with a faster chip and I maxed out on memory, as that's more useful to me.

[un1eash]

Xiaomi Mi8 here, had it for about 18 months now and only cost £200. Does everything I need and has fingerprint and face recognition.
Will replace it with something like the Mi10T Lite or Poco X3.

[MY340i]

iPhone if you value privacy. Android is bang for buck better for features.

[goodbyalfa]

Got the new iPhone 12 pro, upgraded from the 11 pro.
I'm a serial upgrader, via the apple upgrade programme. The one thing I will say is that the camera system is awesome this year. A real step up in focus quality esp in dodgy light.
As they say, the best camera you have is the one in your pocket, I use it to capture the kids etc so feel it is worth it to me.
The phone is very fast, as you would expect for these prices. The additional 0.3 inch screen was most welcome coming from the 11 pro too.

[dopper99]

I was all set to get a 12 Pro, mainly for the camera and video capability ....... but then watched this.

Its not bad, but I expected better TBH. IMO, in the first few seconds Rory's face looks washed out to me with almost what looks like a bluey haze.

Is it just me that thinks this?

I'm probably expecting too much, suppose its ok for a phone.

[ZedsRedBaby]

Originally Posted by dopper99

I was all set to get a 12 Pro, mainly for the camera and video capability ....... but then watched this.

Its not bad, but I expected better TBH. IMO, in the first few seconds Rory's face looks washed out to me with almost what looks like a bluey haze.

I never realised the Volante had such a big grille

[Sanso]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

I know, been asked a dozed times, everyone has a strong opinion, you are an apple fan boy or not.... but who has got a new phone recently, what is it, what did it replace and what do you think?

Mine has finally died today so need to get a new one asap - currently have a Samsung Note 8, replaced an Iphone 6 plus..... Dont really use it for anything special, but hope it will last 3 years like the current one so try to go vaguely up to date when I swap....

So fire away.

Oh and who with as EE seem f*****g expensive compared to everyone!

iPhone 6s becomes old so better get iPhone 11 or 12 so you can use it for minimum 4 years!
I have iPhone 8 Plus, got it 3 years ago and still good condition and I'll use this for another 2-3 years depending on my mood

[gangzoom]

Just ordered the Note S20 Ultra for my wife in the black Friday sale recently as a speical birthday/Xmas present after a hard year at work, it'll replace a Samsung A7.

Actually initially ordered the iPhone 12 pro max but its now heading back to Apple, in the end I couldn't justify paying £1100 for a phone and than still having to pay for a charger. Staying with Samsung also means no need for another different charging cable, and all the software remains the same.

The camera on the iPhone is better but she uses her phone to read quite a lot of work emails and the Note is going to be better especially with the S pen.

Am still on my S9 and wouldn't be replacing it any time soon, my last iPhone was the 5, don't really miss it.

We are both on O2 sim contracts, £8 and £6/month for unlimited calls with 4 and 2 gigs of data which is more than enough for us.

I have to say if it wasn't for the special present no way would I have spent £925 on the Note, crazy money for a phone, even the 'cheap' S20 FE was £600 on the Black Friday sale. Google actually seem to do the best 'value' for money phones with the Pixel, IF it was just a case of needing to replace a phone rather than a special occasion present a Pixel 5 is probably what I would have bought.

Phones are far too expensive these days, my S9 was £200 on a £15/month 2 year contact back in 2018 when it was still the 'Flagship' device from Samsung, nothing close to those kind of deals these days on flagship devices .

[isleaiw1]

Thanks everyone.

I have no fixed views on any of the things like op system or brand, or indeed buy or contract. Interesting to see that many of you, despite being serial car changers with top end motors arent so fussed about phones...

I'll go into town now the shops are open today, see what is what and find a balance - then phone EE for best price and see if O2 are cheaper.

No deals through my work I dont think but I will check...

(if my experience with cars is anything to go by it will be way more than I need!)

[un1eash]

Originally Posted by Barsj111

iPhone if you value privacy. Android is bang for buck better for features.

Funny you should say that as nearly all my friends have iPhones and are always getting targeted adverts on Facebook based on conversations we have in our WhatsApp group. I don't being on android.

Google maps is fun to trick your friends. Go into their timeline and it will show you a history of everywhere they've been, what time and for how long. You can turn this off but it's on by default. This goes for Android and iPhone.

[335dX]

EE is very expensive for phone + contract, but we found best value for sim only. I pay £21 a month for unlimited/unlimited with 100gb data as our WiFi is shit at work so use 4g. I’ve yet to go anywhere including deepest parts of Cornwall and not get 4G. That includes home as in the village voda and 02 are awful.
So sim only with EE and I buy my phone.
Always had apple. But have just gone from an XS, which I think is 3 years old now to a Note 20 Ultra based on features. I take a lot of pics for work and use e-Mail to send pics what seems like hourly and having the larger screen and S pen is great.
Apples 12 pro max is equivalent I guess to the Note but feels huge in the hand and is heavy...but this is all personal preference.
Good luck ;-\0

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by 335dX

EE is very expensive for phone + contract, but we found best value for sim only. I pay £21 a month for unlimited/unlimited with 100gb data as our WiFi is shit at work so use 4g. I’ve yet to go anywhere including deepest parts of Cornwall and not get 4G. That includes home as in the village voda and 02 are awful.
So sim only with EE and I buy my phone.
Always had apple. But have just gone from an XS, which I think is 3 years old now to a Note 20 Ultra based on features. I take a lot of pics for work and use e-Mail to send pics what seems like hourly and having the larger screen and S pen is great.
Apples 12 pro max is equivalent I guess to the Note but feels huge in the hand and is heavy...but this is all personal preference.
Good luck ;-\0

Given I am a Note user now and have an iPhone as a work phone, I'm comfortable with either of those, but have to say I like the pen for making notes in meetings...

I also dislike the way EE dont separate the phone and airtime if you buy through contract in the way O2 do - so with O2 the phone is paid for after 2 years and you dont have to remember to change your contract as you do with EE.....

I'll put my negotiating head on and see how I do....I now have a discount code thanks to a very kind member on here so that should help!

[mcscoobs]

I work for EE. EE and Vodafone are by far the 2 biggest market leaders... we've been number 1 for a long time, but Vodafone have way more money, and are likely to overtake us in the near future. EE have better coverage outdoors - since taking over the Emergency Services contract, they are obliged to by the Home Office. Vodafone has much better signal indoors, as the frequencies they use penetrate buildings far better than EE's.

As for any tips... I'd maybe suggest find what suits you on the EE website, but then call up and haggle... say that Vodafone or O2 are offering the same deal for x amount cheaper and see what they can do.

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by mcscoobs

I work for EE. EE and Vodafone are by far the 2 biggest market leaders... we've been number 1 for a long time, but Vodafone have way more money, and are likely to overtake us in the near future. EE have better coverage outdoors - since taking over the Emergency Services contract, they are obliged to by the Home Office. Vodafone has much better signal indoors, as the frequencies they use penetrate buildings far better than EE's.

As for any tips... I'd maybe suggest find what suits you on the EE website, but then call up and haggle... say that Vodafone or O2 are offering the same deal for x amount cheaper and see what they can do.

Thanks very much for the inside track (and good luck with getting you car sorted after your KF debacle..)

[mcscoobs]

Cheers! The best analogy I'd use for network providers, would be to say EE and Vodafone are like Liverpool and Manchester City... O2 and Three are more Crystal Palace and Fulham

[SkyJawa]

Originally Posted by un1eash

Funny you should say that as nearly all my friends have iPhones and are always getting targeted adverts on Facebook based on conversations we have in our WhatsApp group. I don't being on android.

Google maps is fun to trick your friends. Go into their timeline and it will show you a history of everywhere they've been, what time and for how long. You can turn this off but it's on by default. This goes for Android and iPhone.

Facebook own WhatsApp so no big surprise, strange it effects iPhone and not Android though, maybe it does and it’s a settings thing....

[AyrshireColin]

Had an iPhone 12 Pro Max for a couple of weeks now, came from an XS Max - honest opinion is that it does what I want it to which is not much more than the last one but I bought it to help my wife out of a wee pickle that Currys had put her in (she had ordered her 12 Pro with Currys using a £1,000 voucher bought through a works scheme (7% discount), Currys couldn't fulfil the order or say when they would have stock so cancelled and issued a refund to the voucher - great stuck with a £1,000 Currys voucher! I said I'd use the voucher to buy a phone and free her up to just buy from Apple).

Wife thinks the upgrade from the 11 Pro to the 12 Pro was worthwhile for the camera if nothing else, she takes lots of pictures of the kids. The night vision is quite impressive when taking pictures.

We both just blindly stick to Apple as we both like how everything just talks to each other and the IOS is pretty flawless.

Can't comment re. cost/deals as always just buy outright.

One thing I would say is that if you can buy for the right ££ and swap every year the cost isn't bad at all. I normally buy a new one every year but lost interest as the changes were so small and skipped last years. Taking my wife for example she paid £930 for an 11 Pro last year on launch and when buying the 12 Pro this year sold the old phone for £600 so cost £330 for the year/£27.50pcm, her sim only contract (12gb with EE) costs £8.50pcm so 'pays' £36pcm and gets an annual upgrade. Seems better than circa. £50pcm and tied to a contract for 2 years.

For comparison I sold my XS Max for £400, the new phone worked out at £1,023 - £623 for 2 years with me/£26pcm and my sim only contract costs £9pcm (12gb with three)…..so the numbers basically work out the same.

[Eddamoo]

Currently have a Xiaomi Mi10 Pro and had the flagship Xiaomi/OnePlus annually for a few years before. You get a top-end phone with an awesome camera for £400-450. Pair it with a £10 SIMO and you're averaging £45/month for a new cutting edge (well i usually wait 4 months for the prices to drop) phone every year.

Slight downside is that they depreciate a little more than Samsungs, but I usually flog them for around £170 so that brings it down to about £33/month! Not bad!