Android phone suggestions

[seez52]

My contract will be up with Verizon in a couple of weeks so I'm planning on getting a new phone. I've swapped around with others in the family on upgrades so I haven't had a new one in about 4 years. Mine now is a Motorola Droid Maxx. Has worked great and still does, but it's just a little slow and behind the times no doubt.

Looks like everyone is going with a Samsung these days. I don't want anything huge, but do want one that snappy and a decent battery life.

Any experiences here on a good phone? I know some people swap phones all the time but I tend to get one and hang onto it.

[TripleGGG]

Just went from Samsung Note 4 to Note 7.  I use my phone heavily on a daily basis for work.  I've been using the Note since they came out and have had great service and reliability from them.  It is large though but I am a big guy with big hands so the phone fits me perfectly.  It looks like a tablet when my wife puts it to her ear.Costco has it for $349 if you commit to 2 years.  I have been with Verizon since the day cell phones came out in bags.

[btq96r]

Are you looking to get another Verizon phone, or buy your own?  Not sure how the cost/benefit for each course of action works if you're on the family plan, but this is the advice I gave in a other thread...

To me, having a phone that isn't tied to a contract is the way to go.  I value portability in dealing with the finances of something as vital these days as a phone.

[glowdotGlock]

Just went from Samsung Note 4 to Note 7.  I use my phone heavily on a daily basis for work.  I've been using the Note since they came out and have had great service and reliability from them.  It is large though but I am a big guy with big hands so the phone fits me perfectly.  It looks like a tablet when my wife puts it to her ear.Costco has it for $349 if you commit to 2 years.  I have been with Verizon since the day cell phones came out in bags.

I just did the same thing. I've always been a Note fan. I've had the 2, 4 and now the 7. I'm liking the new 7 except for the lack of good screen protectors for the rounded edge screen. I'm working on a homemade solution to that though. Battery life has always been important to me so on my Note 4 I had a "zero lemon" brand 10,000 mah extended battery. It more than tripled the factory battery and doubled the weight but was a beast. I could stream about 16 hours of Netflix on one charge. My 7 doesn't have a removable battery but does have wireless induction fast charge which I'm really liking so far. I've had it 3 days and not plugged a cord into it yet.

I really recommend any of the popular Samsungs. I've only had Note phones but the S series are good ones. And most of them have user serviceable batteries so there is the option of adding a larger battery.

I'm one of the few lucky Verizon customers that got grandfathered in when it comes to unlimited data. If I ever re-sign a new contract I will loose the unlimited which means I have to pay retail for my phones so I take advantage of their 2 year device payment option. It makes that $850 sting a little less. But I consume an average of 60 gb per month so the cost of the phone is cheaper than any data plan I could buy in the long run.

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[analog_kidd]

I got a Samsung S6 Edge last year, and I would not get it again if I could do it over. The phone itself is great, and I would definitely get the standard S6/S7, I just don't like the Edge. The main problem I have with it is when I try to do things on the phone with just one hand, my thumb touches the edge and inadvertently clicks stuff. The features that the edge display provides are minimal, and to be honest, I never use them. The only exception is a feature to turn on a dim clock on the edge display that stays on in the evening. That is useful in the evening to be able to just glance over at the phone to see the time. Of course I have several other clocks in the house and a watch on my wrist, so not having that feature would be no big deal to me.

The good things about the phone, and that would transfer over to the standard version, are: it has a great screen. I like the size and clarity. It has just about every feature I could want on a cell phone. It acts as a WiFi hot-spot pretty well. Battery life is pretty good. I think I have an app for work that drains it. I get a full days use no matter what, but when I'm at work, it drains quicker. It quick charges with the supplied charger in just a couple of hours. If I'm going out for the evening, I'll sometimes put it on the charger for 15 minutes or so, and it'll jump up 20%. The camera is fantastic. We went to the Grand Canyon this year, and the phone was the only camera I brought. Takes as good of pictures as my 10 yr old DSLR. It came with several of the crappy apps that providers like to install. And, while you can't uninstall them, you can disable them, without rooting the phone.

[Trekbike]

I've been on the Galaxy S7 for about 4 months and really like it. One note, in order for Samsung to get the water resistance rating on the S7 (5 ft water - 30 mins), they went back to a sealed battery.

[seez52]

I had heard the same complaint with the 7 edge so I was going to stay away from it. Can't imagine I'd use the edge feature much either. I'd probably enjoy the note, but just can't see having such a big phone. 

I looked briefly at some of the other brands,  LG etc. And at the new Motorola but it just didn't seem as nice. Guy at the store said you could put a boom box on the back. I'm thinking what the h--- would I want to do that for it's a phone. Then he says you can put an extra size battery. Well, yes you can but then it's like carrying around a small brick. 

I've been with Verizon since they bought out Bellsouth back in the 90s. Had a mounted car phone, then a giant hand held that weighed a ton. I guess I could buy a phone somewhere outright, but they are doing the monthly without interest so that seems not too bad.

[gjohnsoniv]

I'm a fan of the Galaxy phones and have had several at this point. That's probably what I'm going to end up with when I go to upgrade.

[Omega]

The entire family is on Samsung 7, me an edge due to the bigger screen.  I don't use the edge but it does take some getting use to on not inadvertently opening an app with one handed operations.  The keyboard can be sized to get it away from the edge a bit though, which was my biggest issue.  I looked at the regular and the edge and decided that I wanted the bigger screen, it's cumbersome at first but you get used to it, and now my other Samsung looks tiny.  The only thing I didn't like about it is that it got rid of some of the sensors the 4 had (don't upgrade often), which I used while hunting or shooting.  But overall its a great phone.  I got a Samsung cover with a flap which is great protection from most things and it has a see through window for the time and a few messages and stuff. 

[NotYetGecko45]

I've always had HTCs or Galaxy's - but the Galaxy definitely wins out. I've had the S3, S4 and S6 so far, I'm sticking with the S6, plenty fast and the camera is great. If you have the scratch go ahead and get the S7.

The S6 isn't a huge phone by any means - where as the Note is a "Phablet" I think they're calling it now, in other words a Giant Brick - awesome processing power though, but not something I'd wear in tight jeans, might excite someone.

[glowdotGlock]

For some of you having trouble accidentally opening app on the curved edge phones you can move the tabs to the weak hand side. When I hold my phone it's in my right hand so my 2 tabs are on the left to keep my thumb from hitting them.

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[Trekbike]

As an additional note on the S7, if a good camera is important to you, the S7 camera has gotten some top ratings.

[seez52]

The next question I suppose is what case? I've used the Seidio cases which come with a holster and I like having a holster. They do make one for the s7, but it's apparently different from previous cases.

[Murgatroy]

I bought my daughter an Otterbox for her phone. She has dropped ur and done no harm. I prefer a Magpul case as it is slimmer.


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[bud]

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Edited September 13, 2016 by bud

[56FordGuy]

The next question I suppose is what case? I've used the Seidio cases which come with a holster and I like having a holster. They do make one for the s7, but it's apparently different from previous cases.

I used Otter boxes for years, but after an unfortunate river incident I decided to get a waterproof case. I'm using a Catalyst now, same drop protection as Otterbox, slimmer and waterproof. Doesn't glare as bad as the Otterbox or Lifeproof cases did either.

[Chadastrophic]

Note 7 is probably the best phone out right now, but I'd wait a month or so for the new Nexus phones. 

[Steelharp]

I just slipped the surly bonds of the 20th century, ditched my old flip phone, and upgraded to an LG G5. Loving it. Love the modularity, the removable battery, just the right one for me. Check it out.

[jgradyc]

I've had the Galaxy S4, S5, S6 and the Note 5. The S4 is ancient now. The S5 has a funky cap over the mini-USB charging port to make it more water proof that is a hassle to remove. You can't rip it off because a warning comes on to tell you it's not in place. I'd never get the S5 again. The Note 5 did not have good reception in my rural area so I returned it. It was also slower than the S6, but maybe I just got a lemon. 

The S6 is fine. I have small hands and it's easy to handle with one hand. I would never get an S6 or S7 Edge for the reasons others have posted, plus I always put my phone in a silicon case to protect it so the edge isn't visible anyway. Cost is maybe $4-$6 on eBay. 

By the way, everyone I know who has moved up to a bigger phone says that they would never go back. For me, a 5" screen is the minimum I'll consider going forward.

[btq96r]

6 hours ago, seez52 said:

The next question I suppose is what case? I've used the Seidio cases which come with a holster and I like having a holster. They do make one for the s7, but it's apparently different from previous cases.

I love my Seidio cases.  I have one for my tablet that I've used since '13 in Afghanistan and my phone case is even better.  Also have the bike mount for it so I can listen to music when I go riding.

[Wingshooter]

I had several versions of the Motorola Droids a few years ago. I liked them, but they were glitchy. I swithed over to the Samsung Galaxy S3 when it came out. I loved it, and it was 100% reliable. I kept it for about a year until I broke the screen too bad then I got another S3. It was just as good. My wife bought me an S4 for my birthday. It was the only phone I have ever kept past my 2yr contract. It never had one gltch the whole time I had it, and I'm not easy on my phones. I actually cracked the screen about a year into it, but I just kept using it because I liked it. I finally changed over to an old S5 we had as a spare because I dropped the S4 again destroying the screen. I like the S5, and that is what I use now. So, I have had two S3s, an S4 and now an S5 without ANY glitches or slow downs like the Motorolas used to have. They have great cameras and screen resolutions. I want the S7, and I believe the S7 has an SD card slot which I like.

My wife has an S6 Edge +, and I'm not really a fan of that one. It's just too big and the Edge doesn't fit a case well. It functions flawlessly though. 

[nightrunner]

Completely off topic, well kind of. Been almost 2 years now (due for upgrade in December) that I switched to an iPhone. Went from flip phone to Blackberry to 3 different droids then tried apple and I couldn't imagine going back. To me everything is just so much easier to use. I am certainly no Apple fanboy but this phone sure is easy to use. 

 

Now, if there is some reason for you to need or really want an android, disregard. But if you haven't tried one for long, I encourage you to try it.

[seez52]

4 minutes ago, nightrunner said:

Completely off topic, well kind of. Been almost 2 years now (due for upgrade in December) that I switched to an iPhone. Went from flip phone to Blackberry to 3 different droids then tried apple and I couldn't imagine going back. To me everything is just so much easier to use. I am certainly no Apple fanboy but this phone sure is easy to use. 

 

Now, if there is some reason for you to need or really want an android, disregard. But if you haven't tried one for long, I encourage you to try it.

There are lots of people who like iphones, but I'm just not into all the apple sauce that comes along with them. I'm too far invested in anything but apple so I can't go back now. My son switched over to an Iphone on his last upgrade having Samsungs previously. He won't say whether he's glad he did or not. 

[Chadastrophic]

First rule of Samsung Galaxy series, never buy an even number phone. No 2,4,6, or 8 next year. 

[glowdotGlock]

First rule of Samsung Galaxy series, never buy an even number phone. No 2,4,6, or 8 next year. 

I had the note 2 and 4 and they were great phones. What's your reasoning?