Looking for a good web browsing phone

Magnumwolf · 2 Oct 2009 at 22:39

Hi,
Im looking for some suggestions about a new phone, ive had a quick look around and theres so much to choose from i really dont know where to start.

Ive had the same phone for about 4 years now :< so its really time for an upgrade.

The main thing im looking for in a new phone is web browsing, to check up on emails and google from time to time etc etc.
It can be "pay as you go" or contract

Im not really sure how much im willing to spend at the moment, but i can definatly say that the iPhone is to expensive.

If anyone could suggest some decent phone it would be very helpful.

Thank you,
Magnumwolf

Raikiri · 2 Oct 2009 at 22:51

A used iPhone 3G?

It really is miles ahead of any other phone I have used for web browsing, I say that as an owner of the Omnia HD.

There's also the Android based phones, such as the new Pulse for about £170 or free on a £20 a month contract.

RSR · 2 Oct 2009 at 23:29

Raikiri said:
A used iPhone 3G?

It really is miles ahead of any other phone I have used for web browsing, I say that as an owner of the Omnia HD.

There's also the Android based phones, such as the new Pulse for about £170 or free on a £20 a month contract.

Id disgree with that. Normally as much as i hate the iPhone, thats not one of its strong points due to the poor screen resolution and browser.

Id look at ether a S60v5 device as they have a far better screen res or a Windows Moblie phone as they have the high screen resolutions on the market. However on both devices i would use the opera moblie browser.

I am not 100% sure on what the web browser functions are like on a Android device.

Resolution on the screen though is key for moblie web use.

Andy

clv101 · 2 Oct 2009 at 23:31

For sure Opera mobile with a 640x480 screen on a Windows Mobile phone is a far better web experience than iPhone.

Raikiri · 3 Oct 2009 at 00:07

Having used all of them I disagree completely, it's just far far smoother on the iPhone.

Yes the resolution is quite low but it's still a far more enjoyable experience than any others I have used: HTC Touch HD (WM 6.1, 800x480), Omnia HD (S60V5, 640x360, stock browser and opera used) and the HTC Magic (Android).

The Android phone was the only one that came close, hence the T-Mobile Pulse recommendation. It's cheap with a large screen and slightly higher res than the iPhone.

Columbo · 3 Oct 2009 at 11:13

Gotta agree with Raikiri. I dont like the iphone as a device but simply from a web browsing perspective nothing comes close.

Its nothing do with with screen res, its about how the browser displays the page on the device and Safari does it with ease and speed.

Navigating pages is right on the money and the multitouch stuff really does come into its own when surfing around.

Android is close but no cigar and Opera (what I use) is simply a division down from Safari.

Ive owned a Touch HD, HTC Magic, iphone 3g and now got an N97 and nothing comes close the apple.

Scottland · 3 Oct 2009 at 11:34

Try and have a play with a T-Mobile Pulse in a store and see how you find it, £180 Pay&Go.

AFAIK it uses the standard android browser, & there's plenty of footage online of the android browser.

Yas786 · 3 Oct 2009 at 11:42

Ill put in a vote for the iphone as well...im no big fan of them but web browsing wise nothing can come quite close to what the iphone does web browsing wise...although the android is pretty good but not as good as the iphone.

LOL@ the people who have said Symbian and Winmo...honestly they may have better resolutions etc but what use is that res when the damn OS is **** slow and clunky as hell.

clv101 · 3 Oct 2009 at 11:50

Sure the OS is slow and clunky - but the web browsing is better than iPhone. That's the point.

InvaderGIR · 3 Oct 2009 at 12:03

I found web browsing on WinMo to be pants to be honest, I used IE and Opera and some other ones too, all were naff. The Android browser is MUCH better than WinMo ones.

Not a clue about the iPhone one though, not used it.

Scottland · 3 Oct 2009 at 12:14

InvaderGIR said:
Not a clue about the iPhone one though, not used it.

As a browser, Safari on the iPhone is better than the Android browser. It's also better than the HTC version on the Hero, which is the marginally better than the standard Android one - if only for multitouch.

Still waiting on a mobile browser to support either ad blocking or some sort of addons so I can install an ad blocker

Psypher5 · 3 Oct 2009 at 12:40

coming from an omnia, ive gotta say web on the iphone is so smooth and nice. Big thumbs up from me

Yas786 · 3 Oct 2009 at 12:44

clv101 said:
Sure the OS is slow and clunky - but the web browsing is better than iPhone. That's the point.

Ermmm no it isnt...but carry on flogging that dead horse...ive used plenty of Winmo devices and i found the web browsing to be frankly quite uninspiring...even my Blackberry Bold which isnt great at web browsing by any great means is still more satisfying web browsing wise than Winmo devices.

I know its hard for you get your head around but honestly the iphone is the best mobile web browser around...only other platform that comes close would be the Android platform but even they arent that great.

Columbo · 3 Oct 2009 at 13:44

Spawn said:
Ermmm no it isnt...but carry on flogging that dead horse...ive used plenty of Winmo devices and i found the web browsing to be frankly quite uninspiring...even my Blackberry Bold which isnt great at web browsing by any great means is still more satisfying web browsing wise than Winmo devices.

I know its hard for you get your head around but honestly the iphone is the best mobile web browser around...only other platform that comes close would be the Android platform but even they arent that great.

Indeed, Winmo just takes soooo sodding long to render the web pages it beyond belief.

Nokia's in built browser on my N97 beats Opera on the Touch HD I had hands down, and its cack..!

Amp34 · 3 Oct 2009 at 14:04

clv101 said:
Sure the OS is slow and clunky - but the web browsing is better than iPhone. That's the point.

Not really, it's pretty fast on modern phones, i'm not left wanting for one.

As for Web browsing i'm afraid to say WM IS the best out there at the moment, full resolution so no need to multitouch to navigate around the page, fast rendering with Opera (which is regarded as better than Safari on mobiles). It also supports flash unlike the iPhone, the full facebook website as well for example, unlike the iphone which needs the mobile one (lets face it, using the iphone facebook on a wm device is almost identical to using the real mobile FB, not that I particularly use FB).

As for rendering, my HD takes about a second to render a page, unless it's still loading the data down a slow connection... Obviously that's slow... (yet pretty much as fast as IE8 and FF on my desktop)

Having used both I can only say there is one winner, and as usual when WM is brought up the usual crowd come in and slap it down, with their experience from seemingly years old phones, with no experience of modern ones...

Beansprout · 3 Oct 2009 at 14:08

I like my 3G S, panning around pages is easy and using the touchscreen is child's play

But a higher res would be nice...

Columbo · 3 Oct 2009 at 14:38

Amp34 said:
Not really, it's pretty fast on modern phones, i'm not left wanting for one.

As for Web browsing i'm afraid to say WM IS the best out there at the moment, full resolution so no need to multitouch to navigate around the page, fast rendering with Opera (which is regarded as better than Safari on mobiles). It also supports flash unlike the iPhone, the full facebook website as well for example, unlike the iphone which needs the mobile one (lets face it, using the iphone facebook on a wm device is almost identical to using the real mobile FB, not that I particularly use FB).

As for rendering, my HD takes about a second to render a page, unless it's still loading the data down a slow connection... Obviously that's slow... (yet pretty much as fast as IE8 and FF on my desktop)

Having used both I can only say there is one winner, and as usual when WM is brought up the usual crowd come in and slap it down, with their experience from seemingly years old phones, with no experience of modern ones...

Couldnt disagree more buddy. Ive sold my iphone 3g (hated it as a device) but browsing was simple and pages rendered brilliantly.

However my Touch HD is sat in my draw doing nothing and where browsing was concerned its simply dreadful. Multiple taps required to to register a link, scrolling is awful and waiting what felt like and age for pages to load over wi-fi was the norm.

I found the device improved somewhat when I hard SPL'd it and flashed it to a Dutty's 6.5 rom but I still felt like smashing it up most of the time.

Each to their own I guess but WIndows Mobile is as bad today as it was 5 years ago when I got my first XDA Mini S and no amount of TouchFLO trying to hide the OS will ever fix it.

arigold · 3 Oct 2009 at 15:18

Iphone is worthy is it

))

clv101 · 3 Oct 2009 at 15:42

clv101 said:
...Opera mobile with a 640x480 screen on a Windows Mobile phone is a far better web experience than iPhone.

InvaderGIR said:
I found web browsing on WinMo to be pants to be honest...

Spawn said:
...ive used plenty of Winmo devices and i found the web browsing to be frankly quite uninspiring...

Amp34 said:
As for Web browsing i'm afraid to say WM IS the best out there at the moment...

ManCuBuS said:
However my Touch HD is sat in my draw doing nothing and where browsing was concerned its simply dreadful.

That's clear then!

Columbo · 3 Oct 2009 at 15:44

clv101 said:
That's clear then!

Indeed.