Which phone to buy in 2020?

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6

Which phone to buy in 2020?

hardware

asked 2020-01-07 03:38:21 +0200

This post is a wiki. Anyone with karma >75 is welcome to improve it.

updated 2020-01-07 03:38:21 +0200

Vojta
1 ●2 ●4 ●4

Hi, I decided to buy my first Sailfish os phone, but I dont know which one to choose. First idea just buy the newest one, but I read about some bugs, is it better now? Then I found xperia x for good price a really like some hardware fetures, but then I found some info about cancelling support for this model, Is true? And then XA2, It looks like it has big battery, Is it better in any way, then 10 or X? Hope this is right place to ask (Dont have special requirments about phone, maybe just good camera, but its not priority)

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4

my xa2 has 3 days battery, the x only 2, x has better hw but only droid 4(which for some people is bad). some things are more fluent since i installed sf3 on xa2 compared to xx with sf2. best usability still on my j1 with sf1 ^^ all other phones are fat

NuklearFart ( 2020-01-07 10:34:27 +0200 )edit

I'm _very_ happy with my Sony Xperia X (I don't use Android support). I would love to buy a XA2 (not Ultra, it's far too big), but they're not around anymore. I can't find them anywhere. Form factor 21:9 is not for me (I'm totally fine with 16:9 or even 14:9), so that rules out Xperia 10. I would love to hear from Jolla, whether they have som plans or intentions to, within a foreseeable future, support other devices.

Lars Maria ( 2020-01-10 08:07:04 +0200 )edit

@NuklearFart You are lucky with your XA2 with battery life 3 days. My XA2 4111 attains only two days from 100 % down to 30-35 %. No sense to go lower in charge due to the battery physical condition. I use Android support. SFOS 3.2.1.20.

N9Sailfish ( 2020-01-11 09:32:26 +0200 )edit

i also use droid supp but only a few times a day and i shut it down overnight and sometimes during a day. 2 days until 35% makes one day left. my battery logger tells me i'm at 3.5 days when fully charged and in the morning it hops over 4 days. my x x had less consumption over day but less capacity, over night and when on standby my xa2 cosumes almost nothing where my xx consumed at least some mA. if battle net pages would work with stock browser again then i'd only use droid for a little game i used to play 10 minutes a day and my battery would even last longer :)

NuklearFart ( 2020-01-11 09:49:02 +0200 )edit

my xa2 has 3 days battery, the x only 2, x has better hw but only droid 4(which for some people is bad). some things are more fluent since i installed sf3 on xa2 compared to xx with sf2. best usability still on my j1 with sf1 ^^ all other phones are fat
NuklearFart ( 2020-01-07 10:34:27 +0200 )edit
I'm _very_ happy with my Sony Xperia X (I don't use Android support). I would love to buy a XA2 (not Ultra, it's far too big), but they're not around anymore. I can't find them anywhere. Form factor 21:9 is not for me (I'm totally fine with 16:9 or even 14:9), so that rules out Xperia 10. I would love to hear from Jolla, whether they have som plans or intentions to, within a foreseeable future, support other devices.
Lars Maria ( 2020-01-10 08:07:04 +0200 )edit
@NuklearFart You are lucky with your XA2 with battery life 3 days. My XA2 4111 attains only two days from 100 % down to 30-35 %. No sense to go lower in charge due to the battery physical condition. I use Android support. SFOS 3.2.1.20.
N9Sailfish ( 2020-01-11 09:32:26 +0200 )edit
i also use droid supp but only a few times a day and i shut it down overnight and sometimes during a day. 2 days until 35% makes one day left. my battery logger tells me i'm at 3.5 days when fully charged and in the morning it hops over 4 days. my x x had less consumption over day but less capacity, over night and when on standby my xa2 cosumes almost nothing where my xx consumed at least some mA. if battle net pages would work with stock browser again then i'd only use droid for a little game i used to play 10 minutes a day and my battery would even last longer :)
NuklearFart ( 2020-01-11 09:49:02 +0200 )edit

Answer 1

15

answered 2020-01-07 07:34:36 +0200

cartron

2577 ●12 ●20 ●25

Hi,

buying a Xperia X does not sound like a good idea - mainly because Android support is stuck to 4.x XA2 has a more modern Android support (8). Xperia 10 support is recent and there are still things not working properly.

I currently own a XA2 and am happy with it, so it really depends what you want to use:

if no Android support needed, then any device will do (between XA2 and X, even community ports)
if Android support needed, XA2
if you want a phone with a bigger screen, and are OK to beta-test, then 10.

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6

Sums it up pretty much.

However i can also recommend the Xperia X. The camera is OK'ish - not the best - not the worst. The basic android apps (Browser, Whatsapp, Osmand, Insta... ) will work, only the high tec stuff will have problems - especially games in my experience. And its in deed cheap. That can become important because its your first SFOS (Sailfish OS) phone and most likely you will buy a lot of challenges with it.

E.g. you can brick the phone attempting to install the OS, the OS has some flaws in general, and lacks google services on default and deciding to replenish them could be a huge fun. Also the us of SD-Cards for android apps can provide some entertainment....

Although most of the problems are solvable and the community is great - not every user is willing to bear that kind of hassle and in that case it could be a great feeling to own a cheap phone. :)

BlaeX ( 2020-01-07 10:29:59 +0200 )edit

however, if android support should involve android calendar or android to-do lists, the XA2 fails but the X works.

danfin ( 2020-01-08 04:48:14 +0200 )edit

1

The Xperia 10 is quite mature, no significant regressions compared to XA2.

attah ( 2020-01-08 16:39:22 +0200 )edit

Answer 2

8

answered 2020-01-08 13:57:35 +0200

sunburnedpenguin
841 ●12 ●25 ●27

updated 2020-01-08 13:58:50 +0200

If you're patient enough, you could hold out to see if the PinePhone will be officially supported. I'm hoping Pine64's mention of Sailfish OS will translate into official support by Jolla (thus the ability to run Android apps requiring >= 8.1) and perhaps even pre-installation by Pine64. The hardware isn't bleeding edge, but it should be able to handle Sailfish without difficulty. Or did I miss something where Jolla has stated they will not officially support? Sure hope not!

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4

I will use the PinePhone with Sailfish OS even if it doesn't get official status. ...but I would pay to get Sailfish X for it.

vattuvarg ( 2020-01-08 17:05:58 +0200 )edit

I also would be happy to purchase a license!

sunburnedpenguin ( 2020-01-08 17:41:14 +0200 )edit

1

I am going to buy pinephone but I think its hardware (and for some time also software) is litlebit limiting (in terms of power) so I ll buy probably xperia x and put sailfishos on it and I will use it until Pinephone will be ready (I am more curious about other systems then sailfishos on it)

Vojta ( 2020-01-08 19:27:42 +0200 )edit

1

I don't think the PP will get official. Its a dev phone and not a customer phone.

makarch ( 2020-01-09 21:17:26 +0200 )edit

3

@makarch - All Xperia phones are currently dev devices. The pinephone and the pinetab are easier targets for porting as all hardware has open-source drivers available.

...and it would possibly be easier for Jolla if Sailfish OS is factory installed.

vattuvarg ( 2020-01-10 11:34:13 +0200 )edit

Accepted Answer

2

answered 2020-01-10 21:26:12 +0200

WedgeStratos
136 ●5 ●7

One thing you need to ask is if you need Android support at all. The good news is there's a large number of community ports to devices like OnePlus and Motorola, though whether they have an up-to-date Sailfish version is its own question. Of the officially supported devices, the ones you should look for are sourced from here

Sony Xperia 10 series (since SailfishOS 3.2.0.14); all Xperia 10 models, i.e. regular and "Plus", each in their single- and dual-Sim versions: I3113, I3123, I3213, I3223, I4113, I4193, I4213, I4293
Sony Xperia XA2 series (since SailfishOS 3.0.0.8); all XA2 models, i.e. regular, "Ultra" and "Plus", each in their single- and dual-Sim versions: H3113, H3123, H3133, H3213, H3223, H3413, H4113, H4133, H4213, H4233, H4413, H4493
Gemini PDA – See TJC wiki about this device. Press Release Note that the current (as of 2019-11-22) SailfishOS releases for the Gemini PDA still lack the "AlienDalvik" Android runtime environment.

I would not recommend an Xperia X, nor the original Jolla mobile devices, due to their age and specs being subpar in today's market.

I personally use an XA2 non-Plus non-Ultra and it's a fantastic device. A bit thicker than some flagship devices, but great battery life, a solid 1080p display, decent cameras (not that Sailfish camera processing exists in any form), and modern USB-C connectivity. You can readily find the XA2s for $250 or less. The Xperia 10 is basically a budget version of Sony's Xperia 1, but runs on the same specs as XA2, so if you want a smartphone that looks more like a 2019 flagship compared to the XA2's 2015 looks, the Xperia 10 will be a beautiful SFOS phone.

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Answer 4

1

answered 2020-01-09 20:21:32 +0200

manu
518 ●12 ●18 ●21

one of the most important points might be the kernel version (for future compatibility of devices): gemini pda: 3.18 xa2: 4.4 x10: 4.9 btw, which kernels run on the x and fxtec?

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2

uname -a says 3.10.84 on my X. 😱

lispy ( 2020-01-10 20:34:16 +0200 )edit

F(x)tec Pro¹ has

4.4.153-perf+ #11 SMP PREEMPT Sun Dec 22 15:11:10 CET 2019

mosen ( 2020-01-14 19:56:08 +0200 )edit

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