[Question] Help me choose right smartphone

[ivan495]

Hello guys. First of all, sorry for my bad english.

So, I'm looking for a 4.5" - 5" smartphone, with good camera and speaker. And of course, good build quality and battery. I'm not planning to pay over 190-200 US $.

I will use this smartphone for lot of things. Mostly for browsing the internet, calls, taking few photos and little bit of games.

Thing is, there are really a lot of smartphones, and the worst part is, I can't find decent review for most of them.


So I searched and found some interesting smartphones:

iNew V3 - this thing seems good. Thoughts? Battery seems kinda small if comparing to other similar smartphones.

Cubot GT99 - at first it seemed like a good choice, but then I read some topics and found out that there are some GPS problems, noise when talking on a phone, bad plastic. But camera is good.

Timmy E82, THL W200. iOcean X7 Young, Cubot One, something else?

iNew V3 seems like a really good choice. But because it's a new phone, there aren't any reviews of it.

Thanks!

[pufferaway]

Greetings, ivan495, and Welcome to the Forum!

If you want to know more about the iNew V3, Gizbeat (forum founder) will be receiving one soon for testing and review. You can read about it and/or subscribe to the newsletter here.

Just to be sure you have a clear understanding, the biggest problem people experience relates to the Android systems installed on the China phones and lack of software updates, support or custom ROM options. So, if you want the best support then you should purchase an established brand and investigate manufacturer support prior to any purchase. You may have to invest a little more money, but it may be well worth it to avoid headaches.
Right now there is a major transition period occurring because of the introduction of 8 core processor chips and LTE 4G networking. Manufacturers are working to integrate them into new model releases and we should see a wave of them flooding the market in 2014, so keep that in mind before you make a purchase now.
There are many discussions in the model specific sections of this forum you can look over.
Regardless, Best Wishes and we hope to see you participate in forum!

[ivan495]

Thanks!

I'm kinda tight on budget so unfortunately, I won't be going on anything above 200 US$.

I think I will go with iNew V3. Seems like a good choice. I just hope battery and camera will be fine.

[pufferaway]

Thanks!

I'm kinda tight on budget so unfortunately, I won't be going on anything above 200 US$.

I think I will go with iNew V3. Seems like a good choice. I just hope battery and camera will be fine.

You're welcome and I understand need to stay within budget.
Just some words of realistic caution for your consideration.
* The iNew i6000 I purchased about 4 months ago came with an Android 4.2.1 factory build that was the 7th build version used for the model and it's proved very stable for my use, but other people have experienced trouble with certain functions or desired compatibility with apps, games, etc.. You're likely to be in the very early Android build 4.2.2 period with the iNew V3 which just increases the likelihood of glitches or bugs in the system. iNew has uploaded ROM packages for most of it's phones, but it has taken them quite a while and the i6000 ROM they uploaded has proven to be faulty to those who have tried using it. You may not wish to wait because you need a phone and it's on sale now for $199 which most likely will go up to $250+ at some unknown time. But if it was my decision, knowing what I now know about iNew, I would wait for Gizbeat to receive his phone, test it, review it and ask him any questions before I make the investment. He should have it very soon and it may save you alot of frustration and/or waste of money. If you're outside of China and need warranty repair service, you may have to pay for shipping back and forth to China plus wait while they repair it... that could take a while.
Regardless of your decision, I wish you the best!