Need a new smartphone

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DrunkleJon

Objects in mirror are closer than they appear
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Hey all, my smartphone is just about dead and I need to buy a new one. I currently have a almost 3 year old Samsung GS3 and its time to buy something new.

My requirements are:
Not an iPhone - sorry, I have used them, I am just incompatible with them. Android is my goto.
Battery life - I want something that actually can last me more than a day.
Not a phablet - I would rather not have to put a tablet to my ear.
non-sealed battery - this one I can pass on, as most phones are sealed nowadays. I can get an external backup charger, and actually have one on the way.

I am on Tmobile, and figure I will buy an unlocked phone straight out so I can go with pretty much any quad band world phone.
 
I've been using a Motorola Razr M for a while. This is my third one. The speaker keeps going out and they replace it for free under maintenance. Other than the speaker going out, and for some reason I haven't discovered, music playback is sometimes interrupted by skips, it's been nice.

There are similar, newer, larger phones that have great battery life. I like this one because it's smaller and I can reach most buttons with my thumb easily. I will probably upgrade to a different model when I turn this in under warranty for the speaker. It's an older model and while it still works pretty good and I enjoy using it, the music playback has never been fixed and I play music on my phone all the time. And having to replace it each year for the speaker is frustrating.

I've been happy with Motorola in general since before this phone. Much happier than when I had an HTC. I'd consider Samsung, but I'd have to do a lot of comparison shopping to know if it would be something I'd want to try.
 
iPhone 6 (not the plus, way too big)

I know you said no iPhones, but it's awesome. It's like my iPads, only smaller. I love it.
 
I've had iPhones since the first one came out. I did go to a Droid once, but being a Mac household, it felt disjointed from all other devices in my home. That said, the Samsung Galaxy Edge is sexy as hell. I would not mind owning one. I don't know if the battery is user replaceable. As far as use for longer than a day, good luck Chuck. Its very unlikely you'll find a smart phone that lasts that long unless you just don't really use it all day.
 
My Samsung Note 4 is a great phone. I thought it was going to be big, but I got used to it pretty quick. I think it's better than my wife's 6 plus. I also have a 5s for work and it blows it away.
 
Samsung Galaxy Core Prime Android. I really like mine. Good battery life. Excellent internet with Verizon. More apps available than I'll ever use. Great GPS.
 
my phone always outsmarts me. the cord is always tripping me up and I pinch my fingers in the dial thingy. texting is a real pain in the butt.
 
I went from the Galaxy S2 that I had for years and years, to the Galaxy S5 and I very much like it so far. Of course, I don't know the phone ins and outs, and pretty much use it for nav, media player (with 120GB SD card), HBT, a few simple games when I'm bored, and the "look something up on the internet really quickly" thing. So not too hard usage. Occasionally streaming. But it does everything I need it to.
 
We still have a cord phone. No service on it. But we still have one pluged in the kitchen.

We have 4 cordless phones and I have a phone with a cord.

Of course they are now connected using a Magic Jack service via the Internet.

I guess the corded phone doesn't work now since we switched. Oh well, it's only used for giving out our "phone numbers" when necessary and for screening bill collectors.
 
I love all the recommendations for iPhones despite saying he doesn't want one haha. I hate iPhones as well, used the 4, 4s, 6 (the worst one). I have a 5 for work again now, just really not a fan, too many issues with the touchscreen for me.

I have an LG G3 and love it. Camera was my biggest priority and it delivered. The new G4 is supposed to be even better. Buttons on back take a short getting used to, but worth it when you watch people try to figure out how to use it.
 
I'll never want an iPhone. I hate their software and TBH I am not a fan of the interface, although I am sure I could get used to it.

I just like that the droids are closer to a computer in design than a console game. Many people find the console design to be easy to use and predictable.

Maybe someday I'll even decide to dig into the droid OS a bit.
 
Currently resetting my wife's Galaxy S3. It's an older phone, but hopefully still usable after this. It's been locking up lately. First problems since she got it a few years ago.

Personally I can't stand the phone. I prefer the Motorola interface and the S3 feels like a wet bar of soap to me.
 
Motorola Moto G- 3rd gen. $180 new (unlocked GSM, full warranty) on Amazon. Expandable memory with micro SD, all day battery, 4G capable. My GF has a 2nd gem, her older sister was convinced she wanted an iPhone but money was tight ($400+ for a phone, please) and is thrilled with her Moto G
 
LG G3 here. I was looking at the flex but it would not qualify for the upgrade. G4 came out just a while later. I love my phone. The battery will last for days.... as long as you don't use it......

All day is only a problem if I use the gps or surf for hours.....
 
LG G3 here. I was looking at the flex but it would not qualify for the upgrade. G4 came out just a while later. I love my phone. The battery will last for days.... as long as you don't use it......

All day is only a problem if I use the gps or surf for hours.....

I've found the biggest drain is really the screen. I can stream music for hours and only lose a few percent, but having that big screen turned on really drains juice.
 
I have the Droid Turbo. It has truly fantastic battery life.

I think the Moto X pure would fit many of your issues. It's unlocked, it's a bit large though, but it has a huge battery 3000 mAH, but is sealed.

If you want to go a bit smaller, but you sacrifice power and battery, you can go with the Moto G, it's more comparable in size to say the s6 but with lower specs across the board, at a very low cost, and it's water resistant.
 
I know it doesn't meet your criteria but I recently got the Samsung Note 5 and it's awesome. My wife has the Samsung Galaxy S5. That may be more in line with that you are looking for.
 
Currently resetting my wife's Galaxy S3. It's an older phone, but hopefully still usable after this. It's been locking up lately. First problems since she got it a few years ago.

Personally I can't stand the phone. I prefer the Motorola interface and the S3 feels like a wet bar of soap to me.

the GS3 is what I currently have. The only problem with most of the older smart phones is they are not compatible with the newer OSes and therefore are vulnerable to all the unsafe crap that is out there. Then again the newer android OS is vulnerable to the text message of doom or whatever it is.

I like the S6 but hear that it has issues with signal quality. I like what I see with the Xperia Z5 but really do not think it is worth almost 1k for a phone. Maybe I will just go with the Z3+ and forego a few of the bells and whistles for half the price.

I just cant decide. And apparently this month is when new phones get released.great. more choices.
 
We shopped for a new phone plan last night. It sucks. I feel I'm getting raped by these guys no matter what.

Verizon is touting a plan that does not include the price of a phone rolled in, but it's the same price as what we are paying now, but previously we had our phones rolled in so we could get new phones every two years. If I add in the price per month to buy phones it's easily 50% more and that's only a couple of phones!

I looked at the Droid Mini, but it doesn't have an SD slot. In fact, it seems SD slots are really hard to come by these days. Kid wants an iPhone since she is used to the interface from her Ipod and she does facetime often and has plenty of music from her iPod.

I just want a narrower phone that I can reach most things with my thumb, I don't care if it's just a little thicker to have a good battery life. Rugged and not rounded and slippery. I guess part of that comes with a case.
 
We shopped for a new phone plan last night. It sucks. I feel I'm getting raped by these guys no matter what.

Verizon is touting a plan that does not include the price of a phone rolled in, but it's the same price as what we are paying now, but previously we had our phones rolled in so we could get new phones every two years. If I add in the price per month to buy phones it's easily 50% more and that's only a couple of phones!

I looked at the Droid Mini, but it doesn't have an SD slot. In fact, it seems SD slots are really hard to come by these days. Kid wants an iPhone since she is used to the interface from her Ipod and she does facetime often and has plenty of music from her iPod.

I just want a narrower phone that I can reach most things with my thumb, I don't care if it's just a little thicker to have a good battery life. Rugged and not rounded and slippery. I guess part of that comes with a case.

I just moved to Tmobile for this reason. They have/had the back to school deal going on and my dad signed up. He found that with the family plan each line was $40/month (compared to the near $100 i was spending monthly with sprint) with 10 GB data per line not counting streaming music from Pandora, I heart radio, and a few others. I always looked down on them, but it appears that they really have stepped up their game. Voice will roam to AT&T/Verizon bands though data will not so you dont get charged out of the butt.

Most carriers are doing the phone lease plans due to Tmobile starting it. You should still be able to find the old style of buy the phone on signing the plan like always.

As for SD slots, yeah, the phone makers are leaving them out so that you are forced to buy the larger onboard memory phones for more $$$. Sealed batteries are happening so they can slim down the phone a bit and make them more solid/waterproof/what have you. Darn you capitalism.
 
Being in the business for almost 12 years, I would have to agree with the couple of folks who are recommending the new motorola devices available for reasonable prices off contract. I've had both versions of the Moto X and both have fantastic reliability... The 3rd gen Moto G for 180 is the best deal out there right now without financing/contract through your carrier.
 
I looked at the Droid Mini, but it doesn't have an SD slot. In fact, it seems SD slots are really hard to come by these days.

Maybe I'm out of the game, but it seems like every major droid phone has always had expandable MicroSD memory... My Lg G3 has 32GB internal and i have a 32GB card.
 
I just use my phone for talking, texting, and occasionally looking stuff up on the web. I don't use it as my primary camera, gaming, or anything intensive.

I got a BLU unlocked phone for around $100 and it works great. Very close to stock Android with no bloatware. Only downside is they do not always upgrade when they do a new Android release, but you can get them running Lollipop:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013X0V4VM/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YR23W1G/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

If a no frills budget phone scares you, check out the Moto G for a mid range. Unless you need a high quality camera or do gaming on your phone, there is no reason to spend more than $300 on a phone.
 
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Maybe I'm out of the game, but it seems like every major droid phone has always had expandable MicroSD memory... My Lg G3 has 32GB internal and i have a 32GB card.

Tell Verizon to put the SD card slots back in!. I was shocked too. I'd even consider going with a different brand to get that, but there are some Motorola phones that get great battery life. I'd like that too.

I guess you can buy a cable to read off of a USB device, so that may be an option, even if it means carrying another device or two if I want to listen to music on the go.

My wife was shopping for a new S6 and it doesn't have SD slot either. I don't think any Verizon phone has it now.

I think they want you to use cloud storage so you use more streaming data... $$$$$$
 
I think they want you to use cloud storage so you use more streaming data... $$$$$$

Bingo. I don't mind too much, I still have an unlimited plan. I ride the subway to work, so it's nice to have it stored on the phone for when i don't have service, or out camping with no service. Google Play Music is awesome, stream your entire library for free and download whatever you want to your phone as well.
 
Wife and kid 1 are still unlimited from back in the Alltel days. We are "kind of" dreading moving off that plan because they both tend to spend a lot of time streaming music and videos and doing tumblr and whatnot. The salesperson actually listed our data usage and compared with the plan he presented that would be similar to what we are currently using.

To which I replied, "What part of "We want to add a 16 yo daughter to our data plan." did you not understand?" Obviously adding a smartphone to the kid's arsenal is only going to make our data usage increase a factor of 30-50%!

What it comes down to is everyone has to live on the portion of the plan they get. We could actually portion it out to each device if we wanted to. Costs $5 a month to do that, though. :eyeroll: I am sure I coudl live with any phone that's

1. not too big
2. gets really good battery life
3. runs android

I'm just used to the Motorola phones. This Razr M has another blown speaker. I have to decide to have them replace under warranty or upgrade to a better phone that doesn't play music choppy and blow the speaker every few months.
 
I go through around 28GB of data a month. I stream a lot of music when driving, I watch a ton of youtube and read articles on my 2 hours on the train every day, and i rarely ever turn on wifi. I could never switch off it, and won't until forced to. I found a store with a loophole that allowed me to renew my unlimited plan.
 
I love smart phone debate/recommendation threads......

They always end up the same. Android vs iOS (Windows phone is just terrible I guess)
 
I'll never want an iPhone. I hate their software and TBH I am not a fan of the interface, although I am sure I could get used to it.

I just like that the droids are closer to a computer in design than a console game. Many people find the console design to be easy to use and predictable.

Maybe someday I'll even decide to dig into the droid OS a bit.

No need to make excuses about an Iphone. There's only over 125 things that a droid CAN do that an Iphone CAN'T do. That should speak for itself.

Get the Samsung.
 
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