Features to look for in your next sprint phone in 2015?

[twitch]

In no particular order:

 

1) Modem supporting LTE-A : Carrier aggregation - combine across and within bands (lte 25/26/41) for faster throughput 

 

2) Modem supporting LTE-A : 8x8 MIMO 

 

3) CPU supporting native h.265 encode / decode (for 4k video recording)

 

4) Support Sprint's upcoming 700 mhz band 12

 

5) Voice over LTE (VoLTE) - probably not functional for public use in 2015?

 

For Items 1-3, snapdragon 810 cpu which is a 64 bit cpu that would leverage android lollipop 64 bit os natively, support carrier aggregation through it's integrated 4g lte cat 6 (supporting upto 300 mbps) through 3 x 20mhz aggregation. It would also support h.265 natively? 4k display support (both in built and external) would be nice. 20 nm build should mean better power efficiency. LPDDR4 should get us faster ram. Not sure about support for band 12 support though. Anyone know?

 

TLDR: We should be looking for a sprint phone with snapdragon 810 for our next phone in 2015? Thoughts?

[Ascertion]

Since when did Sprint grab 700Mhz B12???

 

EDIT: Looks CCA compatibility.  My bad.

[JThorson]

I'm due for an upgrade, but nothing out there peaks my interests yet. Been waiting for the new phones so I can take advantage of the newer technology.

[gnoj]

My 2015 phone wishlist, listed generally in order of importance:

 

-5.2" screen size MAX for comfortable one-handed use. 4.7-5" preferred. 1080p resolution preferred, since I don't believe 1440p or 2160p displays can quite yet be incorporated without noticeably reducing battery life. IPS LCD or OLED, with very low black levels and 450+ nits for outdoor visibility.

 

-Easily unlockable (domestic + international; "easily" meaning via an official OTA update or unlock code that doesn't require the owner to hack into the baseband). Even if I never leave Sprint, this will increase the phone's resale value. I also enjoy periodically using my prepaid T-Mobile SIM to keep an eye on how their network is progressing locally, even if I currently can only connect up to HSPA+ with the S4.

 

-VoLTE-ready. This feature doesn't necessarily need to be usable upon release, so long as the hardware supports it (e.g. e/rSRVCC, EVS), and Sprint has publicly promised future compatibility for that model via an OTA update, presumably to be released after FIT-testing is completed and general deployment gets underway later in 2015.

 

-CCA/RRPP roaming (B2/4/5/12). Preferably also approved for all other bands used domestically and at least a few internationally, much like the iPhone 6 (B12 aside) and the Nexus line are.

 

-HEVC encode/decode + VP8/9 decode, for efficient recording and storage of 2160p video, and to ensure smooth playback of YouTube videos, after their conversion to VP9 is completed. However, I'm not sure if the SD 808/810 or any other chip yet announced for next year will include a VP9 decoder.

 

-32GB internal NAND + MicroSDXC

 

-3GB RAM (4GB preferred).. even with 2GB, with the number of apps and tabs I keep open, I still find myself frequently having to reload them.

 

-Carrier aggregation (Cat 7 or 10 modem for 3 downlink & 2+ uplink in B41)

 

-IR blaster- may sound gimmicky, but I actually use this feature all the time.

 

-Removable battery. I'd only be willing to sacrifice this if reviews have determined that the included battery is definitely large enough to get through an entire day of heavy use.

 

-IP67 or IP68-certified for peace of mind.

 

-2x2 AC WiFi w/ MU-MIMO + WiGig

 

-OIS for rear camera (MP count less important than other qualities like sensor size)

 

Optional, but would certainly be nice:

-Dual front speakers

-Engineering screens that allow individual LTE bands to be disabled for easier identification of other bands (like the HTC One M8)

-OIS in front camera

-Wacom digitizer (stylus need not be included within the device)

 

Would like to see, but may not realistically arrive until H2 2015 or later:

-Additional CA flexibility for configurations Sprint may deploy in the future, including 3x uplink (Cat 7/10 appear to only support 2), intra-band B25, and inter-band FDD-TDD (e.g. B25+B41). The new Gobi 9x45 does claim to support FDD-TDD aggregation to some degree.

-64/128 GB internal storage options without an excessive markup.

-UHS-I/II support for microSD

-USB 3.1 type-C w/ MHL 3.0 & 5A charging

-Full "wave 2" 802.11ac w/ support for wider 80+80 & 160 MHz channels.

 

Assuming there is the usual amount of screen creep in the next wave of releases this spring, regular flagships like the S6 and M9 Prime may unfortunately be out. From what I can gather, the best hope to fulfill most of this list in H1 2015 lies with the Z4 Compact (assuming it also creeps up a bit to 4.7-4.8"), even though I'd be giving up a removable battery. Hopefully Sprint will decide to carry the Z4 line next year, and make them among the first devices certified for VoLTE.

 

If anyone reading this would also like to see this happen, be sure to tweet Marcelo or mention during a Sprint chat that you'd like to see them carry the Z3. Even if it's too late for them to develop and market that particular phone, hopefully they will take all that feedback into account when deciding whether or not to sell any Sony devices next year.

[MrZorbatron]

8x8 MIMO is not going to happen.  The requisite antenna separation is not possible on a phone.  8x4 is the best you will likely be able to hope for.

[nexuss4g]

Probably smaller screen phones for one-handed use

 

Stock android phones 

[Yuhfhrh]

-Minimum IP67 certified

-Minumim LTE bands: 12/25/26/41

-3X carrier aggregation on B41

-Minimum screen size of 6", maximum of 7".

-Minimum screen resolution of 1080P, maximum of 4k.

-Micro SD card slot, or a minimum of 128GB internal storage.

-Maximum price of US $900

 

Instant buy to whoever makes it.

[Ascertion]

I honestly wouldn't mind sporting a flagship spec's phone with 720p display. Better performance and battery overall and not much difference in screen quality on a sub 5" phone.

 

I feel like the GS6 and next HTC One will be even bigger than last year. It'll get to the point where bigger will not be better. Just wait and see.

 

Sent from my LG-LS980

[gnoj]

You forgot something...the SD card slot! The future expansion is crucial when stock ROMs are becoming 5+GB.

Nope, it's in there, in a couple places.

[S4GRU]

I honestly wouldn't mind sporting a flagship spec's phone with 720p display. Better performance and battery overall and not much difference in screen quality on a sub 5" phone.

 

I feel like the GS6 and next HTC One will be even bigger than last year. It'll get to the point where bigger will not be better. Just wait and see.

 

Sent from my LG-LS980

 

The 720p display on my Sharp Aquos Crystal and BlackBerry Z30 are fantastic.  The displays are not the issues with these phones.  I'm with you.  I don't put anything in increased pixel density in a flagship device.  Give me a high quality 720p display, and I'm happy.  Battery life and other specs are far more important to me.

[jamisonshaw125]

For me in 2016 itll be a good screen (I'd probably be fine with the same screen in this phone), better battery life, OIS and CA that actually works on Sprint....

 

I don't care about wireless charging, don't care about other doodepdoples like a heart rate sensor. And 4.7" is the perfect screen size for me. Anything bigger and I'll stick with my 6.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6 on Crapatalk

[Yuhfhrh]

1080p is great on the Nexus 5, but the 720 wasn't pleasant for me on the galaxy mega. I think 1440p is great for the phablets.

[chappo2000]

My 2015 phone wishlist, listed generally in order of importance:

 

-5.2" screen size MAX for comfortable one-handed use. 4.7-5" preferred. 1080p resolution preferred, since I don't believe 1440p or 2160p displays can quite yet be incorporated without noticeably reducing battery life. IPS LCD or OLED, with very low black levels and 450+ nits for outdoor visibility.

 

-Easily unlockable (domestic + international; "easily" meaning via an official OTA update or unlock code that doesn't require the owner to hack into the baseband). Even if I never leave Sprint, this will increase the phone's resale value. I also enjoy periodically using my prepaid T-Mobile SIM to keep an eye on how their network is progressing locally, even if I currently can only connect up to HSPA+ with the S4.

 

-VoLTE-ready. This feature doesn't necessarily need to be usable upon release, so long as the hardware supports it (e.g. e/rSRVCC, EVS), and Sprint has publicly promised future compatibility for that model via an OTA update, presumably to be released after FIT-testing is completed and general deployment gets underway later in 2015.

 

-CCA/RRPP roaming (B2/4/5/12). Preferably also approved for all other bands used domestically and at least a few internationally, much like the iPhone 6 (B12 aside) and the Nexus line are.

 

-HEVC encode/decode + VP8/9 decode, for efficient recording and storage of 2160p video, and to ensure smooth playback of YouTube videos, after their conversion to VP9 is completed. However, I'm not sure if the SD 808/810 or any other chip yet announced for next year will include a VP9 decoder.

 

-32GB internal NAND + MicroSDXC

 

-3GB RAM (4GB preferred).. even with 2GB, with the number of apps and tabs I keep open, I still find myself frequently having to reload them.

 

-Carrier aggregation (Cat 7 or 10 modem for 3 downlink & 2+ uplink in B41)

 

-IR blaster- may sound gimmicky, but I actually use this feature all the time.

 

-Removable battery. I'd only be willing to sacrifice this if reviews have determined that the included battery is definitely large enough to get through an entire day of heavy use.

 

-IP67 or IP68-certified for peace of mind.

 

-2x2 AC WiFi w/ MU-MIMO + WiGig

 

-OIS for rear camera (MP count less important than other qualities like sensor size)

 

Optional, but would certainly be nice:

-Dual front speakers

-Engineering screens that allow individual LTE bands to be disabled for easier identification of other bands (like the HTC One M8)

-OIS in front camera

-Wacom digitizer (stylus need not be included within the device)

 

Would like to see, but may not realistically arrive until H2 2015 or later:

-Additional CA flexibility for configurations Sprint may deploy in the future, including 3x uplink (Cat 7/10 appear to only support 2), intra-band B25, and inter-band FDD-TDD (e.g. B25+B41). The new Gobi 9x45 does claim to support FDD-TDD aggregation to some degree.

-64/128 GB internal storage options without an excessive markup.

-UHS-I/II support for microSD

-USB 3.1 type-C w/ MHL 3.0 & 5A charging

-Full "wave 2" 802.11ac w/ support for wider 80+80 & 160 MHz channels.

 

Assuming there is the usual amount of screen creep in the next wave of releases this spring, regular flagships like the S6 and M9 Prime may unfortunately be out. From what I can gather, the best hope to fulfill most of this list in H1 2015 lies with the Z4 Compact (assuming it also creeps up a bit to 4.7-4.8"), even though I'd be giving up a removable battery. Hopefully Sprint will decide to carry the Z4 line next year, and make them among the first devices certified for VoLTE.

 

If anyone reading this would also like to see this happen, be sure to tweet Marcelo or mention during a Sprint chat that you'd like to see them carry the Z3. Even if it's too late for them to develop and market that particular phone, hopefully they will take all that feedback into account when deciding whether or not to sell any Sony devices next year.

 

The above list represents my list well.

 

The only thing I'd add is:

 

1. A fingerprint scanner. - I think it's handy in certain circumstances.

2. Wireless charging - I had USB charging port issues with my current phone and will likely use this a lot.

3, The snapdragon 810.

4. A battery as close to 3,000 (units of measurement) as a 5" phone will allow,

5. Still has NFC.

6. LED notification.

 

Things I care not to see -

 

1. 16 gig internal phones.

2. More phablet options. It's time to make a decent 5"ish device. 

3. Heartbeat sensor. - Just the thought of paying for it to be in the device makes me cringe.

4. Anything more than 1080p. - This isn't a deal breaker but don't want to take the battery hit.

[S4GRU]

1080p is great on the Nexus 5, but the 720 wasn't pleasant for me on the galaxy mega. I think 1440p is great for the phablets.

 

I agree on the Mega.  My son used it.  And I have a daughter also using the Mega.  But it also just doesn't seem like a high quality 720p display either.  Sheer size plus lesser quality likely resulted in less than ideal screen quality in the Mega.  1080 is likely required on 6"+ size screens.

[P_M_G]

I'm in the less is more camp - my M7 is to me the perfect size. The M8 really seems to have a lot of unusable real estate. I'm not a fan of the phablet or QHD.

 

Bigger battery (especially if not removable), SD Slot, and better RF.

 

Honestly, I'd love a triband M7 with an SD slot.