Saturday 22 March 2014

Preference or performance : Part 1


When I first saw Samsung GALAXY Note advertisement in TV, it was about time for me to change my handphone (again).  I think it was somewhere 2011.  I've been using my Nokia E66  for about 3 years and it started to show signed of exhaustion.   The idea of using your smartphone/android to perform all sort of tasks (play games, web browsing, viewing photos or videos, modifying your hard work charts) on the go, really attract me.


"Okay, I've been using Nokia model for quite sometimes now, so how about switching to other brand?"(My last 4 models were all Nokia) and all at the size of my palm.  I started browsing for the information.  The first thing that came out in my mind that time was, how big is this GALAXY Note? From the advertisement I saw earlier, it did not look big.  5.3 inches? Oh, that is big for my hand. Never mind, maybe other features will be interesting enough for me to decide on the Note later.  It has many other interesting features though, but still I continue to search for other smaller size phone and end-up with Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray, which I know not as latest as the Note but much more smaller than the Note.

But, how about performance? Despite all the interesting and captivating features (at that time) of  GALAXY Note, what stopped me from choosing it was 'the size'.  At 5.3 inches, it require me to use both my hands to operate it. I am particularly choosy when it comes to the size of the phone.  Does it necessary for all the smartphones, androids to have big screen to give better performance?  It is pretty obvious that the phone/handphones manufacturers think that the bigger the phone size, the better and we've seen the phones size now are getting bigger and bigger, and it can be considered as tablet.   I do sometimes feel left out as I still prefer smaller screen phone, but not many models to choose from.  It is unlikely for me to put the size of tablet phones to my ears and talk!  I've seen that, and it just look funny at least on me.

Samsung GALAXY Note vs Xperia Ray




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Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray
Close
Samsung Galaxy Note
Design
ManufactureSony EricssonSamsung
ModelXperia RayGalaxy Note
Form factorBlockBlock
Weight100 gram176 gram
Size (HxWxD)111 x 53 x 9.4mm146.85 x 82.95 x 9.65mm
Operating SystemAndroid 2.3Android 2.3

Communication
Networks2G
850, 900, 1800, 1900
3G
850, 1900, 2100
2G
850, 900, 1800, 1900
3G
850, 900, 1900, 2100
HSCSDNoNo
GPRSYesYes
EDGEYesYes
UMTSYesYes
HSDPAYesYes
HSPA+NoYes
WiMAXNoNo
LTE (4G light)NoNo
WLAN / Wi-FiYesYes
Wi-Fi HotspotNoNo
Wi-Fi DirectNoNo
SMSYesYes
MMSYesYes
EmailYesYes

Connectivity
HDMI outNoNo
USB portYesYes
MHLNoNo
BluetoothYesYes
Bluetooth version2.0NA
DLNAYesNo
GPSYesYes
GlonassNoNo
ANT+NoNo
IrDANoNo
NFCNoYes

Camera
3.5 mm audio connectorYesYes
CameraYesYes
Camera resolution8.1 megapixel, autofocus, face detection, geo tagging8 megapixel
Image StabilizationYesNo
BSI sensorNoNo
Camera Flash/LightYesYes
Flash typeNANA
Video recordingYesYes
Video capture resolution720pNA

Display
Second CameraNA2 megapixel
Display size3.3 inches5.3 inches
TouchscreenYesYes
Colour displayYesYes
Number of colours16,777,216NA
Display resolution (WxH)480 x 854 pixels800 x 1280 pixels
PPI297285
Second DisplayNANA

Hardware
CPU1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM82551.4 GHz dual core
GPUNANA
Memory512 MB RAM. 1 GB storage where 300 MB is availble to user. Expandable up to 32 GB with microSD card. 4GB card included16/32 GB internal. Expandable up to 32 GB with microSD card
Micro SIMNoNo
Dual SIMNoNo

Multimedia
MP3YesYes
Ringtones / Music file formatMP3MP3, AAC, AMR, WMA, FLAC, OGG
JavaYesNo
GamesYesYes
FM RadioYesYes

Power management
Battery1500 mAh2500 mAh
Standby time (h)430570
Talktime (m)420780

Features
Wireless ChargingNoNo
BrowserNAAndroid HTML Webkit
CalendarYesYes
VoicedialingYesYes
IP CodeNANA
Predictive textYesYes
RSS readerYesNo
VoicememoYesYes
PC SynchronizationYesYes
SyncMLYesYes







Clear enough, the size of the phones determine the decision I made.  It has to be big enough just to fit my small palm/hand. And  it must be able to be operated with single hand.  Later, I will look at other features, specifications, practicality etc.

Furthermore, I already have a tablet, so why should I get bigger size phone? I am not a gadget freak, hence I do not really care about the software, applications, IOS, whatsoever.  I used the phone to make calls, messaging, viewing/reading emails and light web browsing. And, if the smaller phone functions better or at least at par with bigger screen phones,  might as well I choose smaller screen phone.  Many might not agree with me, but hey, this is a free world!
 
Performance of the phones not a determinant factor for me to choose a phone.  My preference over the smaller screen size does.

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