Vodafone Smart 4 Max

[topmonkey]

Really interested in getting the Smart 4 Max but I can't find anywhere that says it has a compass - does it have one? I use an app called Viewranger which I assume would be useless without a compass.

Thanks in advance,

Mike.

[63johnw]

Hi, it will have GPS of some description and there are compass apps available in the play store.

[topmonkey]

Sorry I meant to say compass sensor.

[hrym]

If you go into a Vodafone shop, they should have a demonstration model and may allow you to try a suitable app on it.

[topmonkey]

Good idea, although I'm not sure they'd let me walk off with it to test out a map app and compass!

[hrym]

Er, no :smileysad:, but you'd at least be able to see if it worked at all.   I've tried a compass app on two devices: an LG G3 and and HTC One M8.   Indoors only, the LG seems more accurate (by quite a long way), but the HTC has a case with a magnetic closure, which may be throwing it out.   They both seem to benefit from re-calibration at each use.  You clearly have more experience of compass apps than I do, so do you have any thoughts?   (I'm not going to use it for navigation, so this is more for interest and a bit of fun than anything else.)

[topmonkey]

Well the issue was whether the Smart 4 Max has a built in hardware compass sensor, in addition to the usual proximity and accelerometer sensors.

I go out walking a lot and I've tried various gps map software, though only a few have OS map support. Memory Map is probably the worst I've used (crashing all the time and several bugs) and Viewranger is by far the best. Viewranger can use your phone's built in hardware compass to help you navigate, which is why I wanted to know.

Cheers, M.

[hrym]

Ah, right.   That's way beyond anything I'd be using.   There are simple compass apps on Google Play, some free.  If the shop will allow you to install one of them, you'd be able to see if the Smart 4 has the hardware support.  I assume that, if it doesn't, the app simply won't work and that, if it does work, it'll work with the apps you mentioned.

[topmonkey · Accepted solution]

Just done a live chat with Vodafone and they confirmed, although not listed in the online spec, it does have a hardware compass.