Best Smart Phones for Cruisers

[rossdv8]

Knowing what I do now, if I was replacing a smartphone for on-board use, my priorities would be:

GPS (just about all of them these days have it)

The largest screen I could comfortably hold, which means close to 7 inch in my case, and with a screen that is clear and bright in good sunlight. iPhone is usually good in that regard, and some Samsung and a few others.

Water resistant to the standard mentioned in an earlier post - if affordable.

A decent case in case you drop the thing.

Sufficient memory (I have 128GB on a relatively cheap Oppo phone), to store Maps for the best Navigation program you can get that covers the areas where you do or will sail. In my country I've always used Navionics because I live and sailed among reefs a lot and Navionics was great with depths and showing the actual reefs accurately. It also covered another country where I also keep a boat, in good detail.
There are other Nav programs that are as good or better.

A Micro SD card slot - in case you are taking photos.
A decent camera

And I would add a screen protector again.

As much as I like having a dedicated chart plotter, there have been so many times that having the phone as a backup has been useful.
And the ability to use Maps ashore (Google Maps and Google-Earth) when ashore in unfamiliar places can be a godsend, especially if the screen is big and bright enough to read easily outdoors.

[Wotname]

iPhone 4s purchased 2011/2012 still going strong.

[flyingfin]

Why not just buy two inexpensive Galaxy phones, that way you always have a quick backup in the event the first one dies and you do not want to spend time finding a dock or mooring, then getting a ride to a phone store. Biggest issue is selecting a carrier with the most coverage in rural areas

[Stu Jackson]

Still seems to be the same answer as when you foolishly asked your mom which girl would be the best to marry.


Blonde, brunette or redhead.


Why do people ask these kind of questions.


What's the best anchor...duck!!!

[Juggerknot]

Originally Posted by dadster3

My phone has just died so I need to replace it. Since I hope to be heading south at the end of November, upgrading to one that will be the best compromise between service (i.e. apps) and cost seem like reasonable criteria. I'm sure this has been covered elsewhere, but I am unwilling to search through nearly 400 pages of threads to find this particular needle in this particular haystack. Two simple questions:

(1) I-phone or Android?
(2) Best/favorite models in both categories.

Thanks,

William Clark
Fredericksburg, VA

Go to GSMArena.com and you'll have the world of phones at your fingertips, easy to search and narrow down your must haves and price point. I'm partial to the new Xiaomi phones, killer performance, awesome cameras big memory and huge battery life.

[Juggerknot]

Wigs are a man's best friend!

[Tonali99]

apples and oranges, pick the best for you and the cost.
I prefer the Samsung galaxy (android) and limit the apps.
But here's on the everybody can use. cool niks makes a great one that uses GPS. Seriously, no other service required. Use the sat photos and it'll track you within a metre. Speed & distance, save trips.
I use it in the dink, on the bike.
And no I'm not selling it 'cause it's free.

[Gonsena]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

You must be hard on phones.
$40 ZTE zip bought in 2017 still going strong
$50 ZTE blade qlux bought in 2015 still going strong
$50 LG Optimus spirit bought in 2012 still going strong

Yes, i work with the PC and phone so I need an up and running phone .
The lifespan i gave was in reference as Android or iPhone updating their oOS and your phone being included .

If the idea is to just use it for emergency calls and done mails why not think of a tablet or ipad with sim included.
Or one of the old phones with long lasting battery (if internet is not needed).
Also if calls and sms are not needed. It could be an alternative to get a 4g or 5g router instead of a phone. I have my 3g router since 2014 and still works when I travel.
That can help with reading mails and maps

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by flyingfin

Why not just buy two inexpensive Galaxy phones, that way you always have a quick backup in the event the first one dies.

The problem is, my cell phones generally elect to go swimming long before they "die" on their own. At that point you've lost the SIM card and the associated service plan, not just the phone.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by CaptTom

The problem is, my cell phones generally elect to go swimming long before they "die" on their own. At that point you've lost the SIM card and the associated service plan, not just the phone.

My iPhone 3G died from drowning. My iPhone 4 failed from a very bad drop and wasn't worth fixing. My iPhone 6 failed just two weeks ago from a failed memory chip and wasn't worth fixing. I hope to get six-plus years from my new iPhone 12 mini (I like phones I can button into a pocket).

I have an Android tablet so am somewhat ambidextrous. Too much invested in apps to leave Apple for my phone.

Never lost a service plan from a drown or damaged or otherwise dead phone. Same plan and indeed number since my first cell phone bolted in the trunk of my car in about 1986. Lots of ancillary numbers from local SIMs and VOIP but that number is MINE. *grin*

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

Never lost a service plan from a drown or damaged or otherwise dead phone. Same plan and indeed number since my first cell phone bolted in the trunk of my car in about 1986. Lots of ancillary numbers from local SIMs and VOIP but that number is MINE. *grin*

Right, but the comment was made about buying 2 cheap phones, and using the second as a backup. Good advice, but in my experience the problem is getting the replacement SIM card so you can keep the same account and phone number.

I most recently had this discussion with the Google FI support folks. They'd happily sell me a second SIM card, but it would have a different number. They couldn't figure out how to get me a "hot swappable" backup phone (and SIM) which wasn't used until needed, but then picked up with the same account (and number) as the one which went for a dive.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by CaptTom

Right, but the comment was made about buying 2 cheap phones, and using the second as a backup. Good advice, but in my experience the problem is getting the replacement SIM card so you can keep the same account and phone number.

I most recently had this discussion with the Google FI support folks. They'd happily sell me a second SIM card, but it would have a different number. They couldn't figure out how to get me a "hot swappable" backup phone (and SIM) which wasn't used until needed, but then picked up with the same account (and number) as the one which went for a dive.

The solution we've used since 2004:

Sign up for a VOIP such as skype (the one we have used, others may be better for 2 factor authentication). Now we have had this number (a local Seattle number), and account for at least 17 years. Anybody can call us by dialing our Seattle number.

Forward all incoming VOIP calls to that number to one of your local phones (with a local number), the one you carry around. BTW, if you are online its a free call, via skype.

When you drop it into the bay change the forwarding to the other phone (with its local number).

Buy a new spare.

All of this is transparent to callers, and when you call outbound from your computer using skype, it shows on caller ID that it's coming from Seattle.

For a further enhancement, we also carry a phone which roams everywhere in the world. Its calls are expensive but the account is cheap, so we don't use it much, but when we are going to a new country where we don't yet have a local sim card, we switch the forwarding to the world phone. So the moment we are in cell range anywhere, incoming and outgoing calls are working. (all still using the original Seattle Skype number). When we get a local sim card, if we do, we switch the forwarding to that phone, saving call costs on the world phone.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by wingssail

we also carry a phone which roams everywhere in the world.

^^ This.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

^^ This.

The problem is that a phone which will roam all over the world (which means the home company has arranged roaming agreements with every other phone company) will have higher costs for calls than a local company, they will all be "roaming" calls.

So to keep your monthly phone bill down, just turn off that world phone and use a phone with a locally sourced sim card as much as you can.

Our monthly phone costs while circumnavigating was around 1-2% of our monthly budget, or $35 to a high of $195 and that often included all of our Internet access.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by wingssail

The problem is that a phone which will roam all over the world (which means the home company has arranged roaming agreements with every other phone company) will have higher costs for calls than a local company, they will all be "roaming" calls.

Absolutely agree. The point is that a world phone that works when you make landfall is valuable. It's part of a solution, as the person I quoted explained.