So what is the best phone for reliable GPS and in particular inside London.
I have a Pixel 4 which does suffer in London especially when surrounded by tall buildings. Never tried an Iphone but I’d be willing to if it is better.
I tried googling this though and usurpingly very little in the way of results. I thought this would be a pretty big thing for Uber/Cab/Delivery drivers.
Like most things it will probably come down to price, the cost of the device and the cost of the hardware inside it.
So no idea how to answer such a question.
Your pixel GPS specs are
PositioningGPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
My Oppo find x 3 pro specs are
PositioningGPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5)
Both according to gsmarena assuming the info is 100% correct on each devices specs.
So looks similar up to a point.
Prices ar time of release as far as I can tell
Pixel £699
Oppo find X3 pro £1099
Not a massive difference in phones prices.
My previous Huawei P30 pro shows the exact same god specs as my Oppo find X3 pro on gsmarena.
That’s just searching a few phones and results may vary depending on spec of the phone, materials it’s made of etc and locations it has been used. But every GPS device in very built up areas will have some issues and lose its location.
Google says
Since four satellites must be visible from any point on the planet and the satellites are arranged into six orbital planes, the minimum number of satellites needed to provide full coverage at any location on Earth is 24.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of … Satellites
31 satellites currently orbit the earth. According to the wiki link above. You need a minimum of 4 satellite’s in view for GPS to work. The more it can see the better.
That’s the best I can do to quantify your gps question. But how the specs on different devices can translate into a more reliable GPS device who knows. It all depends on how many satellites are visible and on built up areas no matter what device if there isn’t at least 4 visible then nothing it going to work until it can see at least 4 satellite’s again.
I guess the higher the specs as shown above should make it more reliable in theory. And if it uses L1 and L5 again it should be more reliable and accurate.
And that’s all I can figure out but I’d expect black spots in any dense city with lots of tall buildings around. Older devices will obviously be less reliable due to older tech. Newer devices should be more reliable due to newer tech.
Sent from my CPH2173 using Tapatalk
I am not sure about getting an Oppo. I just dont want to blow money on a phone that is not well known. So yours makes use of Japanese satellites as well interesting. Apparently NavIC is another one by India.
I do want to look into iPhones because generally the hardware and software is pristine compared to android.
Just sometimes my phone will get completely lost and I have to reboot it to fix the sat nav which is a pain if I am in central London with nowhere to stop.
But as for gps issues in London in particular apparently it is called Urban Canyoning.
Maybe some interesting reading if you want to spend the time.
medium.com/@importanttech/we-te … ec35873e2e
Sent from my CPH2173 using Tapatalk
I never said buy an Oppo phone I was merely trying to give some comparisons on some devices. I love my Oppo tbh and they are hardly an unknown phone manufacturer. 2 of the best phones I have ever owned are my old Huawei P30 pro and this Oppo Find X3 pro.
Given nearly all phones are made in China, and most parts are made in China Taiwan and Japan, the brand is largely irrelevant. But based on previous experience with iPhones I’d steer well clear of expecting it to be superior.
That site Iinked for reading showed the accuracy of iPhones to be the worst of the phones they tested.
And yes I assume that the more specs it has it can use more of the satellites although that may be just country dependent specs for devices made to work in those regions.
Sent from my CPH2173 using Tapatalk
iPhone 14 specs
PositioningGPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS
So much the same but doesn’t state dual frequency.
Sent from my CPH2173 using Tapatalk
It’s not a simple subject it seems.
But Galileo is supposedly more reliable in urban canyons. So maybe that is the most important thing you are looking for Galileo L1 and L5.
Sent from my CPH2173 using Tapatalk
So basically find a phone that is dual frequency gps. got it. Well with Apple products I think only the iphone 14 Pro/Max have that. Samsung Galaxy has it from S20 onwards I think. so something to look into.
adam277:
So what is the best phone for reliable GPS and in particular inside London.I have a Pixel 4 which does suffer in London especially when surrounded by tall buildings. Never tried an Iphone but I’d be willing to if it is better.
I tried googling this though and usurpingly very little in the way of results. I thought this would be a pretty big thing for Uber/Cab/Delivery drivers.
If using google maps you can download ‘‘offline maps’’ that kick in when the signal is sketchy, I use them all the time along with a separate truck sat nav to help keep me on route, you should also check a low bridge atlas and have a good idea of the route you are going to take before you take it.
adam277:
Samsung Galaxy has it from S20 onwards I think. so something to look into.
The best phone…
I’ve ever had. It rarely has no signal and I live in the middle of nowhere. On 5G it’s lightning fast. Got mine at Argos when they had a deal on. I actually made £50 by selling my old Samsung and then taking advantage Samsung’s cash-back offer for any old smart phone. I found an old working Microsoft phone on Ebay for £9.79 inc postage. Much to my surprise Samsung accepted it and gave me £100.
Winner winner chicken dinner.
it opens files that iphones cant too
shullbit:
adam277:
So what is the best phone for reliable GPS and in particular inside London.I have a Pixel 4 which does suffer in London especially when surrounded by tall buildings. Never tried an Iphone but I’d be willing to if it is better.
I tried googling this though and usurpingly very little in the way of results. I thought this would be a pretty big thing for Uber/Cab/Delivery drivers.
If using google maps you can download ‘‘offline maps’’ that kick in when the signal is sketchy, I use them all the time along with a separate truck sat nav to help keep me on route, you should also check a low bridge atlas and have a good idea of the route you are going to take before you take it.
Never needed a low bridge atlas in my life dont intend to start now 
. If the road signs fail me then I should pack in driving haha.
My only concern with bridges has been diversions… I think road workers / Police generally are taught to make sure any diversions should be safe for all vehicle sizes… but I rarely trust them so often find a place to pull in if I do not know the roads to double check.