I'm currently using my old faithful Nextel i325, however with Sprint announcing their shutting down of the network next year, I'm on the lookout for options. I figure the easiest way to find a phone that is most similar to what I had before is to go with a GSM one, this way I have a carrier choice
So the question is, which GSM phones (old ones I'm guessing) have "good RF" and a nice antenna?
I think that my years-old Nokia 2855i is one of the last handsets made with an extendable antenna. It's fantastic in the forest!
The top brands for reception are Motorola, Nokia and Blackberry. However, it's not universal and you'll have to research individual models. Only a few reviewers do head-to-head tests against reference models to determine actual reception quality. So much attention is paid to the latest high-end smartphones that it is difficult to get such information on more basic handsets. For example, Howard's review (http://www.howardforums.com/content....ola-RAZR-XT910) notes strong RF performance. I think that there is another article where he went out of his way to compare it to another handset.
The problem with old phones is that their batteries are often shot. Or, they have been dropped and may fail unexpectedly. Most handsets won't be as suited for years-long use as your i325.
If you can find an old Nokia 3595 (nearly 10 years old now) and a fresh battery for it, it's pretty much the king of 2G GSM reception in a handheld unit.
If you are wild about reception, you can still get a Motorola M900 bag phone!
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