Advice on which Smart Phone to buy for hacking out.

[PeterNatt]

I do not have a smart phone and would like to get one which will include using it when hacking out and using it with the appropriate associated with this such as 'What3Words'. What would you recommend a Samsung or an I Phone and which model? Many thanks.

 

[Skib]

I have always used a Samsung -Galaxy cheaper than an apple and I like Android because it carries Google maps. Advice came via an IT adviser who told my friend to get Android. But i phones led the way and cost more.
Initially I did not hack with my expensive Samsung phone. But kept a cheap basic phone as well. But it became so much bother to keep both charged up and to make sure I had service paid for on both that I began to use the expensive one all the time.
If one cracks the glass which I did as a tourist taking pics, it is expensive to mend. So the sensible advice is to ride with a cheap phone but in real life that doesnt work out for me. Most young people are wed to their best phone. And so it seems am I.

 

[Sealine]

Personally I'm an iphone person - clever phones for stupid people i.e. me iphones are more expensive although I don't go for the most expensive models - current phone is an iphone SE. I have an ipad too and the phone and ipad sync up.

Note: iphones do have google maps.

If I had to choose something else I'd go for a Samsung.

Whatever you choose make sure you get a bumper cover and screen protector.

 

[rextherobber]

I've got a Samsung S20, it's great, really user friendly, and my son, who is an iPhone person, cannot believe the quality of the camera.

 

[Steerpike]

I have a Huawei, great phone, easy to use, I've got what3words and a few other apps, it also has a great camera and really good battery life.

 

[Jeni the dragon]

I've got a Samsung, had a Huawei before it, but wasn't sure about going for another two years with them.
I do love it! It's far too clever for me, and does loads more than I ever will!

 

[Red-1]

I have had Samsung, but they always seem to slow down and the battery isn't great after 2 years. I'm not bothered about being trendy, so last time bought a Huawei P20pro. The camera is great, and I am now out of contract on a sim only as the phone is still as fast as ever and the battery life is great.

It has all the apps I have looked at available. It is also water resist, I have dropped it in a bucket twice and it was not affected.

I do use a good case, but tbh, it is into its third year and if I take it out of the case and give it a rub, you could mistake it for new.

 

[PeterNatt]

Many thanks for your replies - most useful.

 

[Littlewills]

I had an Huawei P20 pro. Amazing phone, but the newer ones do not have access to google services and arent worth buying because of that sadly. You should be able to pick up a P20 pretty reasonably though.

 

[Rowreach]

I've gone backwards and just got an iphone SE because it is little and much easier to fit in a pocket for riding. You can get an A grade reconditioned one on eBay for not a lot of money. Mine is an immaculate 128gb with a brand new battery and cost just over £100. I much prefer it to the newer ones.

 

[phizz4]

Motorola G7 Power. Long battery life (essential if using mapping apps like Viewranger), robust and less than 150 pounds. Why spend more, it does everything I need and I wouldn't cry too much if it got broken.

 

[vhf]

I've also got a Huawei (a P smart I think?) I am very untechy, wanted something easy, cheap with a decent camera. It has ticked all those boxes for over a year now, stays charged for a couple of days at a time (I don't use it huge amounts) and fits in pockets. Made my OH's iphone look like an expensive option.
Most important thing to do is get a decent case so that when it falls out of your pocket when trotting along a road, someone can find it and ring your OH to say it's fine and do you want it back...

 

[Winters100]

I plan to switch to the Apple Watch for riding. I'm afraid I can't yet say how this will work out as it arrived today and I have not yet opened it, but I tried a friend's and liked it. I suppose tomorrow I will be able to say how it is!

 

[hobo]

Personally I'm an iphone person - clever phones for stupid people i.e. me iphones are more expensive although I don't go for the most expensive models - current phone is an iphone SE. I have an ipad too and the phone and ipad sync up.

Note: iphones do have google maps.

Whatever you choose make sure you get a bumper cover and screen protector.

Love the clever phones for stupid people which is basically what chap in shop recommended for me as I had never had a mobile that I could get to work! I love mine it is about 4 models old and very easy to use.

 

[Dave's Mam]

I have had Samsung, but they always seem to slow down and the battery isn't great after 2 years. I'm not bothered about being trendy, so last time bought a Huawei P20pro. The camera is great, and I am now out of contract on a sim only as the phone is still as fast as ever and the battery life is great.

It has all the apps I have looked at available. It is also water resist, I have dropped it in a bucket twice and it was not affected.

I do use a good case, but tbh, it is into its third year and if I take it out of the case and give it a rub, you could mistake it for new.

My P20 took a dunk in the river at Somerford & survived.

 

[Keith_Beef]

I replaced my Foxconn M512 with a Fairphone 3+ a few months ago. The difference is enormous.

The Fairphone has a much better camera, the GPS receiver is more sensitive and the phone has much more memory.

The review here says that the phone is a bit slow and that the camera is not great, but I found that compared to my old phone it is better and OpenCamera that I installed is better than the stock software.

I've got Waze, what3words, Open GPS Tracker and GPS Status for navigation; QR Scanner, Unit Converter, Adobe Acrobat, Anti Covid, ASM Heat Treatment guide and a few other tools, the Economist and the older version of Economist Espresso (I find it better than the reader in the Economist all-in-one app).

I've added a 256GB micro SD card; something to watch out for is that when you install a card, Android will ask if you want to unify the card with the internal memory or if you want to use it as external storage... if you "unify" (or whatever the exact term is) there is a chance that any data on the card can be corrupter if you connect the phone to a computer using a USB cable. I spent hours trying to figure this out, thinking that it was the phone or the camera software causing the problem, before finding articles describing the problem I was facing.

 

[quizzie]

I plan to switch to the Apple Watch for riding. I'm afraid I can't yet say how this will work out as it arrived today and I have not yet opened it, but I tried a friend's and liked it. I suppose tomorrow I will be able to say how it is!

You need an iphone to pair it with...but it works really well...don't need to carry a phone at all..

 

[Cutgrass]

You can share your live location via WhatsApp as well as using What3Words. My husband 'follows me' on hacks in that he can see wherever I am. (In reality he never looks, but if I didn't turn up when expected he could see where I'd got to). I'd say that unless you're an Apple person then an Android does all the same things but represents better value and offers more flexibility/customisation.

 

[PeterNatt]

Many thanks again - lots to think about!

 

[Littlewills]

My P20 took a dunk in the river at Somerford & survived.

They are waterproof:

The phone is water resistant to IP67, meaning it can handle submersion in one meter of fresh water for 30 minutes.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

I have a Samsung Galaxy S10 and have gone with them every 2 years when my upgrade is due since the S2 lol. I absolutely love mine, my friend always has IPhone but is changing to Galaxy next upgrade.

 

[DirectorFury]

I plan to switch to the Apple Watch for riding. I'm afraid I can't yet say how this will work out as it arrived today and I have not yet opened it, but I tried a friend's and liked it. I suppose tomorrow I will be able to say how it is!

I got one for this purpose, but unless you have wireless headphones with you you can’t take or make emergency phone calls. I always carry AirPods (due to being a massive saddo) but if I had a hard fall I’m not sure how I’d manage to get them out of the case and into my ears. With my phone I can just shout at Siri to call OH and she does.

 

[Winters100]

I got one for this purpose, but unless you have wireless headphones with you you can’t take or make emergency phone calls. I always carry AirPods (due to being a massive saddo) but if I had a hard fall I’m not sure how I’d manage to get them out of the case and into my ears. With my phone I can just shout at Siri to call OH and she does.

I have just set it up and seem to be able to make calls without headphones. The 'hey siri' doesn't work, but pressing on the side button seems to do the trick. Anyway will see how I get on!

 

[Splash2310]

If you are looking for a cheaper smart phone, my partner has this one: Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Phonehttps://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08C9XWTHF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_Mb.0FbPPKAV3R

To be brutally honest, other than the camera and occasionally the speed it’s not much different to my iPhone 11. WhatsApp works and What3Words would work perfectly well on it.

 

[DirectorFury]

I have just set it up and seem to be able to make calls without headphones. The 'hey siri' doesn't work, but pressing on the side button seems to do the trick. Anyway will see how I get on!

Ooh, it is possible then! I’ll see if I can figure it out on mine. Thanks!

 

[SpotsandBays]

I think both Samsung and iPhone are very good. Typically iPhone is more expensive, but you don’t need the latest model. I consider switching to Samsung but I’ve been an iPhone person for years and am happy with how it all works. If a friend hands me their Samsung phone I never know where or what anything is ?

 

[Equi]

Im an iphone person...not because im techy at all but iphone to me is idiot proof, i can't even use a samsung its too complicated.

 

[Caol Ila]

I ran Android phones for years, most recently a Samsung S7 which did well for me for four years. But it was getting slow and glitchy, so I upgraded to iPhone 12 mini a couple weeks ago. I changed to iPhone because they started making them waterproof a couple years ago, finally. The 12 is IP68. After a couple days of panic as I learned a new operating system, I'm loving it. It's fast and easy to use, and it integrates seamlessly with my Macbook. Moving files from my laptop to Android phone used to be a source of pain and misery, but now it's super easy. OH, who has a PC and also changed to the iPhone, gets to suffer now. That's something to consider.

Obviously it lives in a hardcore case. I mainly use Waze, the internet, messenger apps, Facebook, stalk my old cars on the MOT checker (doesn't everyone?), but I'm old skool and don't believe in GPS mapping when you can use an OS map and compass. But any smart phone with GPS (all of them) will do that stuff.

 

[Winters100]

Ooh, it is possible then! I’ll see if I can figure it out on mine. Thanks!

Yes, it is possible if you have the cellular model.

 

[Winters100]

Sorry, I was thinking about what someone else wrote about having the iphone in range. If you have the cellular model you don't need it. Regarding making calls without earphones it appears to be the default setting on the one I have.