Mobile Phone / Phablet

andyrr

I'm in the market for a new mobile - no real reason as such but the arrangement with my phone contract is linked with my wife's plan which means she has been offered an upgrade and she herself pretty recently got a Nokia 625 which she likes so has no need to take on the upgraded phone. I however have a couple of year old Nokia X6 so I was going to take it. The X6 is relatively small but not wafer thin like more modern phones so it's weight is similar to the current ones with the nice big screens of around 5". For surfing etc it's quite a bit behind the times,relatively speaking.
Bigger screen would be good for the occasional surfing etc I do, camera will be better and as the X6 can't run Strava I fancy getting involved in that little game !
Also I don't really want to pay any/much at all for the phone itself - a decent number of pretty new ones are being offered with zero extra payment within the plan so I'm trying to stick to that.
Couple of guys at work have LG G2s which I quite like - a bit bigger than I initially thought I'd go for bit balancing the increased size is of course the bigger screen plus the G2 makes use of the size to have a 3000mah battery and should last me a few days between charges - that's one bugbear I have, charging a phone too frequently. However the provider, EE, have indicated this is out of stock so I'm looking at alternatives in case it the wait continues.
Comments please on some similar phones -

Nokia 1320 - Biiig, nice 6" screen tho and big battery.
Nokia 625 - Wife has this, is happy with it.
Sony Xperia ? I tend to like Sony stuff.

I went into a couple of shops and handled the following which I quite liked : these unfortunately seem to be new models so might be more costly
HTC One m8
Sony Z2
Nokia 1020

I not a great fancier of iPhones but recently got an ipad so if there is a great benefit from also having an iPhone (5c) then I'd maybe reconsider.

nathancom

Sony Z1 compact is worth looking at if you want to avoid some of the huge phones. It also has a very capable camera, with Sony probably the most innovative digital camera manufacturer currently. Also unlike most 'compact' versions of the larger phones, it is not underpowered, has a leading SoC and good amount of ram. It would be my choice if I was upgrading at the moment.

The Nexus 5 is well worth looking at. I believe it was manufactured by LG, is easily best bang for your buck currently. you buy up front so you get a sim only contract instead.

morstar

I'm in a similar position but probably going to forego a new phone for a really cheap sim only deal. However, I do like new technology despite not actually spending a lot of money on it.

I'd suggest the following considerations given what you've short listed.
Nokia 1320 has a poor camera. Apparently too big a compromise for some although that aside it is amazing value and has a powerful battery. I like this phone a lot and have tried to decide if the camera is a deal breaker. 1520 resolves that issue at a much higher price.
Nokia 1020 has an amazing camera but if you don't need that, then 925 is probably a better better bet as it is a nicer form factor.
Sony, Z2 is overkill for your budget. Only minor improvements over Z1 which is now obviously decreasing in price. Z1 Compact great for a smaller form factor.
iPhone not for me but as you have an iPad and like it, there is a lot of sense in sticking with Apple.

Others to consider. Moto X. Comparable to G2. At forefront of voice control and a durable handset. Great form factor too.

CXrider

I bought a Samsung Note when it first came out. Still have it.
Briliant.

Pross

I recently switched my Galaxy S2 for a Lumia 625 and I'm not a fan of it. There's nothing massively wrong with it and it does what I want but it just looks and feels a bit cheap. It's also a bit too big for my liking but then I use a tablet for web browsing usually so the phone doesn't need a massive screen for me.

secretsam

I have a Samsung S3mini (me) and an Iphone (current contract client) - and I utterly, utterly hate the Iphone, it's heavy, clunky to use and over-rated. I met with a couple of friends who also have Iphones as work phones, and both loathed them.

So: Iphones are cack. Bring it on, Apple suckers!

morstar

Phoned Virgin to cancel my contract which has ended. The retentions dept did their usual unmissable deal so I now have a 1320 for a mere £11 per month. Screen and OS are great. Mobile Excel not quite as powerful as I was hoping for but still more seamless than all alternatives.
If you can live with a low spec camera, it's a great phone and battery dies two full days with regular usage. You can also see the screen in bright sunlight.
Loving the OS so far. So much functionality available as standard and does not slow the operating system in the way apps do to Android.