[Question] which MTK phone has strong GPS working out of the box ?

[k89]

I am one of the many who buy MTK dual-sim phones for GPS use as well.

Nowadays, with cheap 5, 5.3, 5.5. 5.7. & 6 inch android MTK phones, it makes a lot of sense to use the GPS functionality in addition to the camera funcions.

However, I find, after spending a lot of time and money buying many different brands of mtk phones, that most of these mtk phones don't have strong GPS working out of the box.

suddenly i now found these phones have strong working GPS out of the box and wish to share with all of you looking for GPS function - and i am using them now:

1. zhiduoxing S5 and zhiduaxing S4 - both have strong GPS & ompass

2a. Guophone G9589 - no compass

my question is how come these 2 relatively unknown brands can get their GPS working well but not the more popular brands like iocean, zopo, star, thl, hdc etc ?

Please share your experiences here ...

[GizBeat]

My h7500+ had decent GPS. I could get a signal indoors. Always a lock within 2 minutes and it held the lock well. With an internet connection and AGPS turned on it would connect much quicker.

I also have a MSM8226 K-W806 that locks literally within a couple seconds every time, but it doesn't hold the lock very well while driving.

My guess is this has a lot to do with antenna issues more so than firmware. Bad design of the way the antenna is laid within the phone. Many people have had success with fixing GPS by doing antenna surgery. stevenma61 has a fold out antenna

[MaxP101]

I haven't heard about those brands but I do know earlier mtk6589 models had bad GPS performance due to crappy antennas.
Later models don't suffer as much as manufacturers have learnt to implement better antennas

My Zopo C2 for example works fine with GPS out of the box.

[GizBeat]

I like this thread. It's a good reference for people who need the best GPS performance. Very interested to see what MTK6592 has in store for us regarding GPS. Hopefully they've improved the situation, but not disappointed at all with MTK6589 H7500+ GPS.

k89s, your zhiduoxing S5, zhiduaxing S4 and Guophone G9589... How long to get a lock normally?

[stevenma61]

i had two HTC phone before
incredible S and Sensation XL

The GPS did not work very well also, i had to do some work on it, just like china phone, sometime it worked, other time it did not work, but i know the samsung phone work quite good.

now, i know my INew GPS work like samsung gps, it can lock so fast as long as i pull out the modified antenna

[k89]

gps working out of the box meaning you don't have to meddle with anything like antenna or trying software fix.
my zhiduoxing s4 , zhiduoxing s5, and guophone usually have strong gps lock in under 20 secs. and they remain strong under all driving conditions in city or country surroundings. that is because i drive a lot .
i have thrown away my umi, zopo, thl, hdc, etc in frustrations.
samsung usually use snapdragon which are reputed to have strong gps capability
we want chinese phone manufacturers to mature in making phones with good gps with proper antenna and software using mtk soc

[benbassa]

Any recommendation for a cheap phone with working GPS ?
4 inch screen up to 120$ ?
GPS is the most important feature for me.

Thanks.

[k89]

Any recommendation for a cheap phone with working GPS ?
4 inch screen up to 120$ ?
GPS is the most important feature for me.

Thanks.

TRY lenovo A390 or the newer cheap MTK6582 models

[GizBeat]

Any recommendation for a cheap phone with working GPS ?
4 inch screen up to 120$ ?
GPS is the most important feature for me.

Thanks.

MTK6582 is a good suggestion. Be aware of frequencies when purchasing MTK6582 if you're in the Americas. If you're in Europe / UK / anywhere in the world with 2100WCDMA service, take a look at ZP820 / H7500B. Most GPS with China phones is okay, just don't expect to be getting immediate locks. Sometimes it can take up to 2 minutes if data (AGPS) isn't turned on.

[k89]

For Your Info :

Driving using WAZE, under actual driving conditions, both in city and country and mountain roads,

1. zhuduoxing s4, gps & compass working , locked in under 20 secs and stable
2. zhiduoxing s5, gps & compass working , locked in under 20 secs, stable in city with high towers
3. guophone g9589, gps working but no compass, locked in about 30 secs, stable in city


Hope more people willing to share so we can have a good database here