LG G2 the ~5" phone to get for under $300?

[senseamp]

I am still deciding what to upgrade my Galaxy Nexus on T-mobile to, and I don't want a 5.5" phablet, since that's too big.
I want something with a good camera for a change. My understanding is that phones have reached good enough specs (Snapdragon 800, 1080p screen, good OIS camera, 3000 mAh battery) with LG G2, and after that they've been growing size and pixel counts beyond what's needed.
Is LG G2 (D801) the one to get for under $300? I see they are about $240 new on BH Photo, and $200 new on E-bay (from Hong Kong and China, legit?)
My understanding is that screen, camera, and battery life are better on it than Nexus 5. I also saw MotoX for sale for $300 on Amazon, which I like design of, but that has 16GB instead of 32GB and a smaller battery for more money.

 

[gorb]

My G2 (on sprint) gives me tons of problems. It's very slow and the GPS is unreliable.

 

[paperwastage]

G2 doesn't have VoLTE or band 12 for T-mobile...

it's more of a side-grade from the Nexus 5, not an upgrade (since Nexus 5 and G2 are basically sister phones) it's an upgrade from galaxy nexus (LTE,/...), but future proof?

I've seen the T-mobile version of the Z3 on sale on/off for $300... if you can get around the possible backpanel/screen-cracking issue, i think that's an upgrade from the nexus 5 (has band 12, VoLTE, microSD, water-resistant, better battery life. camera can be coaxed to perform [auto = hit or miss... manual settings = good])


http://slickdeals.net/f/7980313-sony-xperia-z3-t-mobile-299-is-back-in-stock-at-sonyrewards

http://www.dxomark.com/Mobiles/Sony-Xperia-Z3-New-Sony-flagship-Smartphone-tested
http://www.dxomark.com/Mobiles/LG-G2-overview-Ambitious-challenger

 

[senseamp]

G2 doesn't have VoLTE or band 12 for T-mobile...

it's more of a side-grade from the Nexus 5, not an upgrade (since Nexus 5 and G2 are basically sister phones)

I've seen the T-mobile version of the Z3 on sale on/off for $300... if you can get around the possible backpanel/screen-cracking issue, i think that's an upgrade from the nexus 5 (has band 12, VoLTE, microSD, water-resistant, better battery life. camera can be coaxed to perform [auto = hit or miss... manual settings = good])


http://slickdeals.net/f/7980313-sony-xperia-z3-t-mobile-299-is-back-in-stock-at-sonyrewards

http://www.dxomark.com/Mobiles/Sony-Xperia-Z3-New-Sony-flagship-Smartphone-tested
http://www.dxomark.com/Mobiles/LG-G2-overview-Ambitious-challenger

Band 12 in my area is occupied by Spanish language HDTV station, so it's useless to me.
I have Samsung Galaxy Nexus, not Nexus 5. I am really old school :| Not even LTE.
Z3 seems to have locked bootloader and is significantly more (sale is expired). Sony camera is also 20 megapixels, which is more than 16 megapixel free Google+ storage limit.

 

[senseamp]

How is G2 with the stock Android (Nexus 5) ROM?

 

[s44]

Basically: yes

 

[paperwastage]

Z3 seems to have locked bootloader and is significantly more (sale is expired).

goes on-sale on and off... catch it at the right time...

but yeah, locked bootloader

How is G2 with the stock Android (Nexus 5) ROM?

https://www.reddit.com/r/lgg2/comments/2chidb/stock_roms_vs_aosp_roms_vs_g3_ported_roms/

(with non-stock G2 roms, you may lose some camera performance. highly recommend installing xcam). also, if you flash a non-tmobile ROM, you'll likely lose wifi calling (dunno if you use it)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2548974

there are tradeoffs... if you don't need band 12 and want unlockable/bypass-able bootloaders, g2 is fine for the price ($200 or so. bestbuy sometimes have sales that drop it down to $150)

if you want a true developer phone (fully unlocked, will be supported officially from AOSP for a very long time with few bugs), then nexus 5

 

[ThisIsChrisKim]

Might be worth considering the 2014 Moto X. The battery life isn't great, as the screen isn't particularly efficient, but it's a nice phone that feels good. Camera sucks, though. I think it's a lot better than the LG G2.

 

[Zodiark1593]

Closer to the $200 mark, yes, buy it ASAP. approaching $300, I'm quite iffy.

 

[senseamp]

What do you guys think about Pangea deals refurbs on Ebay?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LG-G2-D801-32GB-Black-Android-Smartphone-for-T-Mobile/201312659075

 

[paperwastage]

What do you guys think about Pangea deals refurbs on Ebay?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LG-G2-D801-32GB-Black-Android-Smartphone-for-T-Mobile/201312659075

i'm lazy, read whatever feedback the people have below

http://slickdeals.net/f/7887699-lg-...shed-150-fs-ebay-back-in-stock?src=SiteSearch

http://slickdeals.net/f/7894771-32g...-refurbished-150-free-shipping?src=SiteSearch

ymmv?

 

[senseamp]

Anyone using it on Harbor Mobile (T-mo reseller)? That's what I got. I have a full size SIM card that has perforations for microSIM conversion. Do I just convert it to microSIM and stick it into the G2, and it should work, or do I need to register the phone with the carrier?

 

[ImDonly1]

Anyone using it on Harbor Mobile (T-mo reseller)? That's what I got. I have a full size SIM card that has perforations for microSIM conversion. Do I just convert it to microSIM and stick it into the G2, and it should work, or do I need to register the phone with the carrier?

Carrier doesn't care what phone you are using as long as it is unlocked and compatible. Convert the sim to whatever size your phone takes and put the sim in.

 

[kaerflog]

You've answered your own question.
The G2 for $200 is the best deal, nothing else is close.

 

[Excelsior]

I'm currently using a LG G2 I got for around $215 new in lieu of my Z3C and I have to say, I'm impressed for the money. Here is a phone that is a bit less than half the price, but has a lot going for it. So much so that I'm looking forward to the 5.2" LG built Bullhead Nexus.

 

[elitejp]

have you considered windows phones still known for very good pic quality

 

[Jester666]

I was kind of in the same boat with you as I did not want huge phone and wanted to stay with something around 5". I purchased a G2 (AT&T) for $175 and have overall been pretty pleased with it for that price. The battery life has been very good and performance is generally fine for me although I don't game much. The one area that is slightly disappointing is the camera. While it has been good, it is not great. Another thing, this is a replacement for a Galaxy s4. I actually preferred the Samsung in most aspects so I would consider that if you can snag one cheap.

 

[Zodiark1593]

I was kind of in the same boat with you as I did not want huge phone and wanted to stay with something around 5". I purchased a G2 (AT&T) for $175 and have overall been pretty pleased with it for that price. The battery life has been very good and performance is generally fine for me although I don't game much. The one area that is slightly disappointing is the camera. While it has been good, it is not great. Another thing, this is a replacement for a Galaxy s4. I actually preferred the Samsung in most aspects so I would consider that if you can snag one cheap.

Between the SOC performance and battery life metrics, the G2 blows away the S4 in both metrics.

Pay for the S5 if you want Samsung.

 

[Jester666]

Between the SOC performance and battery life metrics, the G2 blows away the S4 in both metrics.

Pay for the S5 if you want Samsung.

Sorry I should have clarified. I had the international i9506 version of the s4 that has the snapdragon 800 proc which is same as G2. I am sure you can search for specific benchmarks, but in real world there was no difference at all. Agree battery is better in G2 I almost never need to charge during the day as I needed to do a fair amount with S4. I guess the removable battery partially offsets this, but it's a pain to carry an extra around. IMO, this is more than offset by superior camera and microSD slot.

As someone that has had both, I prefer the s4. That's my .02

 

[senseamp]

I am looking for only Android at this point, not WP.
Has there been progress on performance side since SD800?
My understanding is most phones are still on 28nm at this point, with exception of some flagships here and there, and that improvements since SD800 have been incremental, and that for 1080p screen, it's still a very powerful device.
I would actually prefer to buy a new Nexus device, but it's slow in coming from Google, and Nexus 6 was too big and too expensive.

 

[Zodiark1593]

I am looking for only Android at this point, not WP.
Has there been progress on performance side since SD800?
My understanding is most phones are still on 28nm at this point, with exception of some flagships here and there, and that improvements since SD800 have been incremental, and that for 1080p screen, it's still a very powerful device.
I would actually prefer to buy a new Nexus device, but it's slow in coming from Google, and Nexus 6 was too big and too expensive.

There are plenty of chips more powercul than thw SD800 though software has hardly caught up to the SD800 anyway.

 

[jdoggg12]

I got my G2 on Swappa a year ago for about $250, it was a huge upgrade from my Galaxy Nexus (which I hated).

My G2 is starting to feel a bit dated/sluggish (minimal installed apps, factory reset only a couple months ago).

If I were you, I'd consider waiting a short amount of time and saving a little extra coin for a Droid Turbo... if you wait about a month or so, you should find it for at/under $300 on swappa (it's at 325+ now for mint OR from a trusted seller... mint from reputable swappa user is about $350+ currently)

My roommate has the Turbo and I'm kinda jealous. His battery lasts way longer and it's moderately faster than mine. The screen is gorgeous too.


As for G2 on stock 5.0+... it's OK. It got slower with the update but it's not terrible. I prefer the old UI but there's some cool new features.

 

[Zodiark1593]

I got my G2 on Swappa a year ago for about $250, it was a huge upgrade from my Galaxy Nexus (which I hated).

My G2 is starting to feel a bit dated/sluggish (minimal installed apps, factory reset only a couple months ago).

If I were you, I'd consider waiting a short amount of time and saving a little extra coin for a Droid Turbo... if you wait about a month or so, you should find it for at/under $300 on swappa (it's at 325+ now for mint OR from a trusted seller... mint from reputable swappa user is about $350+ currently)

My roommate has the Turbo and I'm kinda jealous. His battery lasts way longer and it's moderately faster than mine. The screen is gorgeous too.


As for G2 on stock 5.0+... it's OK. It got slower with the update but it's not terrible. I prefer the old UI but there's some cool new features.

Odd, seemed like Lollipop was actually a bit faster for me in Kit Kat. And I have the phone underclocked to 1.2 GHz most of the time for battery (because the stock governor always pegged it to 2.3 when it's not needed and that hit battery life when web browsing).

 

[senseamp]

Seems like I should wait for the new Nexus Bullhead at this point, better not be Nexus Bullshit

 

[paperwastage]

Seems like I should wait for the new Nexus Bullhead at this point, better not be Nexus Bullshit

I don't expect the nexus phones to be below $300 though

(nexus 6 was $650, nexus 5 was $350)

probably going to be $450/$500 (and $550/$600, if we have two nexus devices)