Android phone for game development and everyday use

Miscellaneous Topics
#1

Hello, everyone.

I’m about to replace my old Iphone with an actually usable thing, i.e. an Android phone. What phones would you recommend? So far I’m torn between the HTC One M9+ and the Samsung S6.

HTC: Sweet design, cheaper, not sold in Sweden but available through Ebay so bonus points for being exotic here.
Samsung: Ugly, good reviews, a bit more expensive.

What I want:

  • Timely OS updates that don’t stop after 1 month.
  • Decent GPU for game development but doesn’t have to be top-of-the-line (I don’t game much on it on the move).
  • Not too buggy drivers (Intel doesn’t make phones, do they?!).
  • At least 1920x1080p resolution, but seems to be the minimum nowadays anyway.

My biggest problem with my current phone is how stupidly slow it has become over the years. Any tips for keeping my new phone healthy are more than welcome.

What phones do you guys have? Anything you’d recommend?

#2

I’d definitely recommend waiting for the new Nexus. Might not be top of the line GPU, but it’ll be far cheaper than those two phones you are currently looking at and it’ll get timely updates unlike most other Android phones.

Intel does make chipsets for some Android phones and tablets :wink:

#3

Any release date announced/leaked for that one?

#4

Supposedly there is an event on September 29th, but that means almost nothing in the world of Nexii because there are usually stock shortages for weeks after launch. If you get lucky and snag one then it will probably be a great phone, but if you’re looking for something that you don’t have to play the lottery to get then I’d say go with another phone.

#5

S6 has the best GPU of the current generation IMHO. I have it and the M9 (Snappy 810). I’d recommend getting at least an 810 if you are going with a Snapdragon SoC. For gaming and actual game development you can’t go wrong with an NVidia Shield albeit a tablet, but one you should be able to pick up on the cheap these days. The K1 is still up to ~3 times faster than the current generation of mobile GPUs. It’ll have full Vulkan support first (already does, just not released yet). Absolutely solid GL parsers and parity w/ the desktop in terms of quality. The big problem you’re going to run into w/ just one device is that there really are little differences between the shader parsers between all the major mobile GPU vendors. It’s a real pain in using GLES 3+. Rumors are the next Nexus phone is going to be underpowered. If you can wait though I’m not sure how long you’ll have to snagging a Snappy 820 is likely the next generation that Qualcomm is going to possibly have a comeback in the mobile space for a good product; not sure when the first one is coming out though as it could be next spring / summer. 810 kind of got slagged this gen. I’d say try to find a used Shield tablet for $125 or less used then check if it can be replaced via the battery recall and get a new one… :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

#6

1rs choice Nexus 6 (or the new Nexus 5), 2nd Moto (look Style and Play)

I’d stay away from Samsung (knox)

#7

Do the Moto Style and Play have good chipsets? Those names sound like they are cheap models… I haven’t really heard much about them yet.

#8

808
http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_moto_x_style-7229.php
615
http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_moto_x_play-7454.php

More than enough if he doesnt look for highest performances

#9

Thanks everyone.

@Opiop, I’m not entirely sure I can wait for something unconfirmed that long. The Nexus sounds pretty attractive, but I think I’ll roll with something that’s already released.

@Catharsis, although a Shield tablet sounds really attractive I really need something more portable than that. You say you own both an S6 and an M9. Is there a significant difference in performance between them in everyday use?

@elect, Moto X Style isn’t available in Sweden either, although it should be available online.

#10

Keep in mind the 810 does have heating issues. It may have the best GPU on the market right now, but I believe those phones have throttling issues so you might experience some undesired side effects from that.

Beyond that, though, S6 or M9 (or G4!) are the best on the market right now in terms of power. So long as price isn’t a concern then I would go with one of those three. Just from the small snippets of information I’ve heard/gathered, the G4 seems to be the most liked out of the three with the S6 close behind.

#11

Who cares about his own country? As long it is in eu and the phone is available throw another eu country I dont see any problem :smiley:

Anyway, I found it here, mate, take a look