Smart Phone (which?) with PAYG Card Instead of MP3 Player & Dumb Phone?

Rayzilla · 27-10-2012, 08:18 PM

I currently use a 3rd gen iPod Touch with E17 for my music and a cheap/"Dumb" phone as my mobile. I only use a Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) sim card because I don't use the phone much so I spend about $200/year for my mobile services.

I was thinking about updating/upgrading my portable source and I was thinking about the Sony NW-Z1070 (or something like that) and continuing with the dumb phone. After checking out a mobile phone mall in Mong Kok today, I saw loads and loads of Sony Xperia, HTC, Samsumg, etc.

Here is my question: So instead of getting an upgraded MP3 & apps. player (like a Sony NW-Z1070) and having to carry around my dumb phone with PAYG sim card, could I just get a smart phone like Sony Xperia (or similar) as my MP and still use a PAYG sim card?

If I can use a PAYG sim card on a smart phone, which smart phone has the best sound quality?

I'm not sure what else I need to ask so I will start with this simple question for now.

Thanks for any tips!

imparanoic · 27-10-2012, 09:19 PM

Originally Posted by Rayzilla:

I currently use a 3rd gen iPod Touch with E17 for my music and a cheap/"Dumb" phone as my mobile. I only use a Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) sim card because I don't use the phone much so I spend about $200/year for my mobile services.

I was thinking about updating/upgrading my portable source and I was thinking about the Sony NW-Z1070 (or something like that) and continuing with the dumb phone. After checking out a mobile phone mall in Mong Kok today, I saw loads and loads of Sony Xperia, HTC, Samsumg, etc.

Here is my question: So instead of getting an upgraded MP3 & apps. player (like a Sony NW-Z1070) and having to carry around my dumb phone with PAYG sim card, could I just get a smart phone like Sony Xperia (or similar) as my MP and still use a PAYG sim card?

If I can use a PAYG sim card on a smart phone, which smart phone has the best sound quality?

I'm not sure what else I need to ask so I will start with this simple question for now.

Thanks for any tips!

as much as i love sony, nwz1050 is basically and expensive ipod touch competitor but a phone can do better that this, performance in music will be better than phones due to decent dac (digital to analog) converter and s -digital amp, but without the noice cancellation of the superseded model which it replaces ( nwz-x1050, which i am using) it's not worth the price, a 7 ' tablet is better value

xperia s phone at HK$3990 ( as cheap as HK$3500 some places ) is a better bet or even the older xperia arc s ( as cheaper as HK$2700) is better value as a smart phone, ttpod app is excellent for any android phones, better than stock player

in regards to data, just wifi will be fine, mobile data will be better, but not essentil

Rayzilla · 27-10-2012, 09:47 PM

Thanks imparanoic. A few more questions for you or anyone else that knows...

1) I have a CSL PAYG sim card. Can I use this or transfer this number to a PAYG card that will work on one of these Sony (or other) smart phones? Therefore, a PAYG sim voice card can be used on smart phones? (I like the idea of using the smart phone only for voice and waiting until I get to wifi territory to use data.)

2) So the sound quality of the Xperia will be close enough to the sound quality of the NW-Z1070? Well, I guess as long as it is an upgrade to the 3rd Gen iPod Touch.

3) Are there other smart phones I should consider instead of the Sony Experia line in terms of sound quality first?

4) Will I be able (or will it be easy) to transfer all of my music from my iTunes/Touch onto the Android smart phone? Even though I have a bunch of Apple products, I would really like to try something that is Android. (I am a little bit upset that Apple changed the power connection on the new MBA so that last year's extra connector cannot be used on it. Not sure why it was necessary since it is so similar in size.)

Thanks again.

imparanoic · 27-10-2012, 11:04 PM

Originally Posted by Rayzilla:

Thanks imparanoic. A few more questions for you or anyone else that knows...

1) I have a CSL PAYG sim card. Can I use this or transfer this number to a PAYG card that will work on one of these Sony (or other) smart phones? Therefore, a PAYG sim voice card can be used on smart phones? (I like the idea of using the smart phone only for voice and waiting until I get to wifi territory to use data.)

why not just use the csl payg sim xperia, far more simpler

2) So the sound quality of the Xperia will be close enough to the sound quality of the NW-Z1070? Well, I guess as long as it is an upgrade to the 3rd Gen iPod Touch.

ipod touch is ok at best, xperia

3) Are there other smart phones I should consider instead of the Sony Experia line in terms of sound quality first?

galaxy s3 is also rated, htc beats are ok, but apparently too bass dominated, i prefer netural sounding

4) Will I be able (or will it be easy) to transfer all of my music from my iTunes/Touch onto the Android smart phone? Even though I have a bunch of Apple products, I would really like to try something that is Android. (I am a little bit upset that Apple changed the power connection on the new MBA so that last year's extra connector cannot be used on it. Not sure why it was necessary since it is so similar in size.)

Thanks again.

see above

the discontinued nwz-x1050/1060 is one of the best sounding

http://www.head-fi.org/t/555971/sony...phone-4-for-sq

http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1740541

Rayzilla · 28-10-2012, 09:53 AM

Originally Posted by imparanoic:

see above

the discontinued nwz-x1050/1060 is one of the best sounding

http://www.head-fi.org/t/555971/sony...phone-4-for-sq

http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1740541

Thanks again. Now you've got be very interested in the Xperia (or possibly the Samsung). I just need to find out if the Experia is close to the Z series in sound quality and if I can transfer my CSL PAYG into that smartphone. I am told that smartphones have a smaller size sim card than my dumb phone.

imparanoic · 28-10-2012, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by Rayzilla:

Thanks again. Now you've got be very interested in the Xperia (or possibly the Samsung). I just need to find out if the Experia is close to the Z series in sound quality and if I can transfer my CSL PAYG into that smartphone. I am told that smartphones have a smaller size sim card than my dumb phone.

how much is your budget?

test, the sound quality at sony centre, east point centre, cwb, harbour city, tst or wai fung centre, mk

microsim can be cut from standard mini sim, 20hk$ job at any phone shop ( not carriers)

Rayzilla · 28-10-2012, 04:34 PM

I don't really have a budget. I guess as long as I am not paying more than the market price and ideally getting a decent discount from the market price. I just don't want to get something and find out later that there is something out there that I would have rather bought. In this case, there is not a lot of customer reviews on the Xperia phones from primarily a SQ point of view. A lot on the Sony Z and F series DAP/MP3 but not on the various Xperia phones.

Thanks for the tip on the microsim. At least now I know I can get my existing CSL PAYG sim card to work on the Xperia/Samsung smart phone.

Rayzilla · 28-10-2012, 05:28 PM

I was at Sincere Podium (Centre) yesterday and was amazed at the number of mobile phone vendors. There was A LOT!!! I saw a lot of Xperia phones but there were so many different models and I hadn't done any research on them at the time so I didn't know what to look out for and what prices to compare. So far, it sounds like the Xperia U is the best for sound quality. Are any of the Samsung phones as good?

Rayzilla · 28-10-2012, 09:47 PM

OK. Forget about the Xperia U. It only has 8GB of storage and only half of that can be used. The Xperia LT25 sounds promising with something called ClearAudio+ but I do not have any idea how much this is going for without a plan.

imparanoic · 28-10-2012, 10:58 PM

lt25i xperia v, not official availble in hong kong, import only, LT22i is xperia s, lt29 is xperia tx ( the flagship at HK$4300-4600 has 16 gb built in and sd card, audio wise, best to not use dsp settings such as clear audio, good mp3 sources don't need.

they these phones and walkman for differences