Alternatives to Desire for a 'Lite' user

[Eris Ed]

I can name plenty of Android handsets that do internet, wi-fi, widgets, newsfeeds, twitter, facebook, etc, etc, etc, but I'm looking for something different.

My girl is ditching her Samsung Tocca Lite for a new phone, and she likes the general Android/Touchscreen way of doing things. She needs to make calls, send texts, and maybe the occasional MMS or webpage - a VERY 'lite' user!

Battery life IS important because her job often means she has the phone on standby (with minimal calling and texts) for upto 48 hrs, sometimes without being able to recharge.

I'm sure there must be some Android phones out there that we could take a look at, but the reviews focus entirely on speed, processing power, and how many things the handset can do.

So, touchscreen upto 3.5", good battery life, any flavor Android. That's all she needs!

Does anyone have any suggestions what I could look at?

 

[JimmiG]

Well the HTC Wildfire has got better battery life than the Legend or Desire. That's because it has a smaller, lower resolution screen, slower processor etc. That might be something to look into.

 

[mbatson89]

HTC wildifre, pretty much a mini Desire. Can't go wrong

 

[jay_kay]

I was going to get my Mrs the HTC legend but she changed her mind when she saw the desire. Its a gorgeous looking phone though and will do exactly what she needs.

There is also the HTC Wildfire or the Sony Ericsson x10 Mini. The mini is still running on Android 1.6 I believe but should get an update soon. Whether thats straight to 2.2 or just 2.1 I'm not sure.

 

[Tunga]

Wildfire seems like the right option here.

Edit: Well I'm not sure of the battery life exactly but it's better than the Desire.

Alternatively there are some PAYG targeted Android handsets around now like the T-Mobile Pulse, they might be worth a look.

 

[MrCave]

A few of my friends have Wildfire which they are happy with although they do sometimes envy the speed of my Desire over theirs, and i show off my live wallpapers when im feeling evil

However, you could consider getting a second hand HTC Magic which my OH has had for more than a year and she is totally happy with it. You dont mention internet as a requirement, so HTC Magic and a cheap sim card PAYG sorted.

 

[PsychoMania]

My missus has the wildfire and it can easily go for 48 hours + of light use. She keeps wi-fi off, data disabled and sets it to GSM only due to poor 3G at home. Only enables those features when she's actually using them and has nothing set to auto update.

Not sure if it could do 48hours with those enabled though, not tested it.

 

[Eris Ed]

Wildfire seems like the right option here.

I agree, although it still bothers me about the battery life. The detailed review on TechRadar said that they only got about 24 hours with light use, then confessed that they had several apps running in the background at all times during the test! There's no information about performance under the kind of minimal use her next phone will be getting (which is understandable, from a product review perspective!)

 

[Eris Ed]

My missus has the wildfire and it can easily go for 48 hours + of light use. She keeps wi-fi off, data disabled and sets it to GSM only due to poor 3G at home. Only enables those features when she's actually using them and has nothing set to auto update.

Not sure if it could do 48hours with those enabled though, not tested it.

Thanks for that! There's no substitute for personal experience

She would have it on 2G 99% of the time, with no app updates worth mentioning. The Wildfire is on the list.......

 

[MrCave]

Dont most people charge their phones every day?

 

[Eris Ed]

Most people do, but the proson who needs the phone sometimes won't be able to charge it for 24-48hrs because of her job.

 

[PsychoMania]

Wildfire + pink silicone gel case = in the good books for at least a week

 

[Anthony1]

I played around with a wildfire last week and I was pretty impressed with it.

To be honest I'm not sure she'll get 48 hours out of it. It's a new phone, she'll be playing around with it a fair bit, especially when she discovers what cool things it can do.

Might be worth buying a 2nd battery for her too, or something like a pebble charger.

 

[willis]

I would've loved the Legend's looks and build with the desire capability.
Anyways Wildfire + spare battery = job done.

Although pardon my ignorance but with her actual requirements is it necessary to sacrifice anything just for an android phone?

 

[RedBob62]

2 of my neighbours have opted for the Wildfire having seen my Desire but wanting a slightly cheaper option. Both of them love their new phones and have quickly got to gribs with it despite not being mobile 'savvy'. I have had a go with the Wildfire and while it is not up to the Desire, for the price they paid on T-Mobile as an option it takes a lot of beating.

 

[Eris Ed]

Although pardon my ignorance but with her actual requirements is it necessary to sacrifice anything just for an android phone?

You mean why get an Android phone if she won't be able to use most of the features that make Android so good? If that's what you're saying, then it's not really a problem. She's quite tech savvy but "a phone is a phone" The big selling point is the screen and the touch controls, after spending a little time with my Desire. She's not interested in the widgets and apps that most smartphone users enjoy so she's not missing out.

The screen on her Samsung is quite unresponsive and needs a fingernail or stylus to make things happen, and she hates it. I had similar feelings to the screen on the Nokia 5800.

I'm sure she would be happy with any handset from any manufacturer that had touch control similar to the Wildfire/Desire. The Android OS would be an added bonus because it works well and I know how it generally works.

 

[franchise]

I think I'd be tempted by the X10 mini just because it looks so nice. 1.6 is a problem but I would guess an update is in the works?

 

[Eris Ed]

1.6 would be fine, considering what it would be used for. I looked at the X10 Mini and it's a bit too 'Mini' to be honest! Screen around 3" would be ideal.