samsung s5 mini unlocked

Original post by only1united

I need a new phone and want something mid-range. I currently have a samsung and like the operating system it uses with android so am reluctant to change- my friend had a moto g and I found it very unintuitive to use despite the great spec for the price.

What are your thoughts on the Samsung s5 mini at £220.

Samsung selling it direct from their website at that price, rrp is around £350 and best I can find it from other retailers is around £270. Amazon price is around £230 but from Samsung I get 2 year warranty which and pretty hassle free purchase/ delivery.

Is it a reasonable deal? Main use will be emails, texts, news sites and facebook and camera so doesn't need to be the fastest processor or RAM but 16 GB storage should be plenty for me.

What I will say is that you won't actually get 16GB storage that is usable on your phone. I have the Galaxy S4 and can only use 9GB of storage, the rest is used by system apps. However I would thoroughly recommend the phone. :smile:

If you don't mind a slightly smaller screen than the big flagship phones, the S5 Mini will almost certainly meet your needs - it'll do pretty much anything you want, plus more.

I wouldn't risk getting the Amazon version; getting it direct from Samsung would be a good idea, or anywhere else you can get it for a reasonable price.

Samsung OS doesn't seem to change much, so if you owned a Samsung before, you'll be best suited for another Samsung. :smile:

I had the Ace Plus and then went for the S4 after a couple of years.

Of course if you think storage will be an issue (i.e. you need more space for music and videos) you can buy an external SD card. :smile:

Overall, I think the S5 mini will be perfect for what you need. :smile:

P.S. Have you decided what network SIM you would use? An unlocked phone means you can use any SIM in it. I'd recommend EE but it depends on who will give you the best deal/coverage.

Reply 2

only1united

OP

Original post by spotify95

What I will say is that you won't actually get 16GB storage that is usable on your phone. I have the Galaxy S4 and can only use 9GB of storage, the rest is used by system apps. However I would thoroughly recommend the phone. :smile:

If you don't mind a slightly smaller screen than the big flagship phones, the S5 Mini will almost certainly meet your needs - it'll do pretty much anything you want, plus more.

I wouldn't risk getting the Amazon version; getting it direct from Samsung would be a good idea, or anywhere else you can get it for a reasonable price.

Samsung OS doesn't seem to change much, so if you owned a Samsung before, you'll be best suited for another Samsung. :smile:

I had the Ace Plus and then went for the S4 after a couple of years.

Of course if you think storage will be an issue (i.e. you need more space for music and videos) you can buy an external SD card. :smile:

Overall, I think the S5 mini will be perfect for what you need. :smile:

P.S. Have you decided what network SIM you would use? An unlocked phone means you can use any SIM in it. I'd recommend EE but it depends on who will give you the best deal/coverage.

Thanks for the reply.

I'd probably stick with O2 for now on my £10 big bundle. Coverage is OK and seems pretty good value and I rarely go over the allowances.

Will need to order a 4g sim though.

Reply 3

Original post by only1united

Thanks for the reply.

I'd probably stick with O2 for now on my £10 big bundle. Coverage is OK and seems pretty good value and I rarely go over the allowances.

Will need to order a 4g sim though.

No problem at all, glad I can help :smile:

If O2 works for you then stick with them, it's just a case of which network works for different people in different places. :smile:

Will your current SIM pick up 4G/is it 4G enabled? I would try it with your old sim, see if you can get 4G, if you can't then you will need a new SIM from O2.

You want to make sure that you don't go over your allowances! :biggrin:

Out of interest, what will the £10 get you on O2, in terms of mis/texts/data?

Reply 4

username612415

Original post by only1united

I need a new phone and want something mid-range. I currently have a samsung and like the operating system it uses with android so am reluctant to change- my friend had a moto g and I found it very unintuitive to use despite the great spec for the price.

What are your thoughts on the Samsung s5 mini at £220.

Samsung selling it direct from their website at that price, rrp is around £350 and best I can find it from other retailers is around £270. Amazon price is around £230 but from Samsung I get 2 year warranty which and pretty hassle free purchase/ delivery.

Is it a reasonable deal? Main use will be emails, texts, news sites and facebook and camera so doesn't need to be the fastest processor or RAM but 16 GB storage should be plenty for me.

I wouldn't say the S5 Mini is mid range, it's essentially a mid tier spec sheet from late 2013 with a superAMOLED screen tacked on. Mid tier at this point is the flagship-tier stuff from last year which is available for a similar ( the LG G3 is regularly as low as £230 on Amazon) or even a good chunk cheaper (16GB OnePlus One) than the S5 Mini would cost you. The specs of the S5M are very similar to the aforementioned Moto G line, aside from an extra 500MB of RAM and a marginally higher clock speed chipset, and the G can be had for as little as half the price. The Moto G also runs Android in its purest form and is very similar to Samsung's skinned Android interface when it comes to navigation when it's straight out of the box, if you found it unintuitive your friend may have been using a custom launcher (on my Android phones, including the Moto G, I use Nova Launcher so that I can focus heavily and swipes and gestures for navigation- works great for me, nobody else I give the phone to can figure it out without being told howe it works though). There's a new version of the Moto G on the way too (rumoured for announcement/release by the end of the month) which could potentially be really well spec'd for under £150, which would put it firmly ahead of the S5 Mini.

If you're determined to get a Samsung phone, you'll get better value out of a second hand Galaxy S4 or S5, if you're willing to buy used and depending on what your exact budget is. If not, or you want a smaller handset, the S5 Mini for that price is probably the best you'll find- most of Samsung's other low priced phones are crap.

Reply 5

only1united

OP

Original post by spotify95

No problem at all, glad I can help :smile:

If O2 works for you then stick with them, it's just a case of which network works for different people in different places. :smile:

Will your current SIM pick up 4G/is it 4G enabled? I would try it with your old sim, see if you can get 4G, if you can't then you will need a new SIM from O2.

You want to make sure that you don't go over your allowances! :biggrin:

Out of interest, what will the £10 get you on O2, in terms of mis/texts/data?

250 minutes, 1000 texts and 500MB of 4G ready data apparently. I mostly text so 250 mins a month is fine for me.

750 minutes, 2000 texts and 1GB of 4G ready data for £15 a month is the next one up.

Reply 6

only1united

OP

I was thinking along the lines of pretty much everything you said. Though I like buying new from supplier for the reassurance and hassle-free nature of it so I probably won't be looking at ebay/ amazon used.

S5 isn't too expensive these days now the s6 is out but just find them too big. The s5 mini is perfect size, just wish they kept the flagship spec on it! even for a bit extra money.

I agree bang for buck moto g is probably miles ahead of the rest of the cheaper smartphones but theres something very attractive about samsung phones imo, especially the screen.

I've also looked into LG, HTC, huwei and sony, all have OK spec for the prices. theres too many phones out there now! Good for the consumer I guess, but makes choosing the right one a nightmare

Reply 7

In which case the full sized S5 may be better for specs but if the OP just wants emails, texts, internet, facebook and camera then the S5 mini would be fine.

Failing that an S4 or S5 (full sized) would probably be better. And the OP liked samsungs so probably wouldn;t want to swap to a different make.

@only1united: if the normal S5 is too big (in terms of the screen), definitely get the S5 mini. If you don't mind about the screen, get the full sized S5. Once you've had it for a while you'll get used to it. :smile:

Reply 8

Original post by only1united

250 minutes, 1000 texts and 500MB of 4G ready data apparently. I mostly text so 250 mins a month is fine for me.

750 minutes, 2000 texts and 1GB of 4G ready data for £15 a month is the next one up.

It depends on what you use your phone for the most. If you use a lot of internet 500MB won't be enough.

For £15 you can get 300 minutes, 3000 texts and AYCE data on Three PAYG:
http://www.three.co.uk/Support/Pay_As_You_Go/Phone_tariffs

Reply 9

username1118458

Original post by only1united

I need a new phone and want something mid-range. I currently have a samsung and like the operating system it uses with android so am reluctant to change- my friend had a moto g and I found it very unintuitive to use despite the great spec for the price.

What are your thoughts on the Samsung s5 mini at £220.

Samsung selling it direct from their website at that price, rrp is around £350 and best I can find it from other retailers is around £270. Amazon price is around £230 but from Samsung I get 2 year warranty which and pretty hassle free purchase/ delivery.

Is it a reasonable deal? Main use will be emails, texts, news sites and facebook and camera so doesn't need to be the fastest processor or RAM but 16 GB storage should be plenty for me.

S5 Mini sounds just fine for your needs imo. :smile:

Sounds like you use social media a lot, so it's perfect. Not a fan of the camera on Samsungs personally but pretty decent for it's price and for regular use. However I found taking selfies with the S5 they looked hideous, S5 Mini being of a lower spec I'm assuming the picture quality would be the same if not worse. Back camera was fine for me, however.

For those saying full size S5 I'd only recommend that if you like and want a bigger screen, for example if you're someone who plays a hell of a lot of mobile games you'll absolutely love the huge screen. The S4 is a bit outdated, would rather get the S5 Mini instead for the same price for better internal specs, however if you're really desperate for a bigger screen then maybe I'd say S4 > S5 Mini but still don't recommend it.

16GB storage is more than enough, even for very heavy users such as myself, so long as you don't download tooo many apps (though a fairly large amount will still fit) and you clear out your pics once in a while.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 10

username1226161

15

Anyone know the if there are any major differences between the S5 and S6?

Reply 11

Original post by lightningdoritos

Anyone know the if there are any major differences between the S5 and S6?

Not enough to warrant the higher selling point, the removal of the removable battery and the absence of a micro SD card slot. Stick with the S5.

Reply 12

username612415

Original post by lightningdoritos

Anyone know the if there are any major differences between the S5 and S6?

Quad HD display that is probably the best smartphone display on the market, much more powerful, much better design and uses better materials, better camera, and being a year newer means you can be fairly certain it will receive major Android updates for at least another year after the S5. On the downsides the battery life is more inconsistent, it's not waterproof and doesn't have expandable storage or a removable battery.

I very much disagree with the above poster that there isn't enough to warrant the extra price, it's a far superior phone in my opinion (it's the first time I've been genuinely considering purchasing a phone from Samsung, ever), unless the waterproofing and expandable storage are really appealing to you. There's nothing wrong with the S5 if you don't mind the plasticky design, the S6 has just made several significant improvements.

Reply 13

username1226161

15

Regarding the battery, how 'bad' is it? I've heard mixed comments on how long it lasts and supposedly the new Android Lollipop update has made it last longer? I'm just expecting to listen to Spotify on it and use facebook so no videos or games...

Reply 14

username612415