Phones Another recommend me a phone thread

[slitherjef]

Ongoing issues with yet another nexus device a 6p in this case has made me start lacking trust of using it for a daily driver. Right now it appears phone is the issue, sprint has mentioned that as well, I'll be taking it in to have it checked in store. I'm hours not the phone but I'm kind of irked.

Anyway due to the issues I'm starting to look into another device. Not much out there.

I've used Android since the g1 and kind of tied into Google.

My options are
iPhone 7+ or 7
S7 S7e
Lg v 20

Very limited.

I mostly root to block ads and I know ios has an ad blocker. The other issue is everyone else I talk to via text uses Android.

Maybe my days of rooting are over.

Any suggestions?

 

[iHackPro]

I understand being tied into Google as something holding you back, but not why everyone else you text being an Android user? I don't see how that hurts anything.

For what it's worth, almost, if not every Google app is available for iOS. Maybe you could switch without it being too much of a hassle if you want to try iOS.

I wouldn't buy an S7 at this point, this S8 will be coming in what, 3 months? I'd wait if that's the route you wanna go.

 

[Truefan31]

Try a v20

 

[nviz22]

Ongoing issues with yet another nexus device a 6p in this case has made me start lacking trust of using it for a daily driver. Right now it appears phone is the issue, sprint has mentioned that as well, I'll be taking it in to have it checked in store. I'm hours not the phone but I'm kind of irked.

Anyway due to the issues I'm starting to look into another device. Not much out there.

I've used Android since the g1 and kind of tied into Google.

My options are
iPhone 7+ or 7
S7 S7e
Lg v 20

Very limited.

I mostly root to block ads and I know ios has an ad blocker. The other issue is everyone else I talk to via text uses Android.

Maybe my days of rooting are over.

Any suggestions?

I switched from the S7 to a 7+ and haven't regretted it. The 7+ has solid battery life, amazing processing power, a great camera, offers no frills, a decent stereo speaker combo, and a sleuth of other good features. I don't want to test the water resistance since I baby my phones. Headphone jack situation way overblown.

 

[kkh786]

Why not try the Pixel range of phones?
These are getting rave reviews.
You should get the best Google experience out there.
Otherwise the iPhone 7 range would be a strong choice.
Good luck!

 

[sunking101]

Sony Xperia is a good Android move for iPhoners. I've got the XZ and it's a great phone. So too the Moto Z.
Motorola and Sony have the lightest skins, making their versions of Android extremely close to stock.

 

[Aneres11]

Sony Xperia is a good Android move for iPhoners. I've got the XZ and it's a great phone. So too the Moto Z.
Motorola and Sony have the lightest skins, making their versions of Android extremely close to stock.

Off topic slightly, but how are you finding the XZ?
I absolutely love the design of it and am really tempted to pick one up... but it's that or the Pixel.

My 7+ is my daily driver but I want an Android device with a great camera, and Samsung's offerings are not on the cards for me for other reasons.

Does the XZ have a good camera? Reviews of it are very mixed. Some say really good and flag ship standards, other say disappointing.
Whereas I know the Pixel has a great camera, but it's more costly for me to invest in as a second device. Urgh!

Any help you can give me re the XZ would be good if you don't mind! Plus the platinum XZ is just gorgeous.

 

[sunking101]

Off topic slightly, but how are you finding the XZ?
I absolutely love the design of it and am really tempted to pick one up... but it's that or the Pixel.

My 7+ is my daily driver but I want an Android device with a great camera, and Samsung's offerings are not on the cards for me for other reasons.

Does the XZ have a good camera? Reviews of it are very mixed. Some say really good and flag ship standards, other say disappointing.
Whereas I know the Pixel has a great camera, but it's more costly for me to invest in as a second device. Urgh!

Any help you can give me re the XZ would be good if you don't mind! Plus the platinum XZ is just gorgeous.

I really like the XZ. The 5.2" display is the perfect size for me. Build quality is excellent, the screen is perfect, the phone flies with no lag, the speakers are great and the camera is good. There is a bit of grain when zooming into photos but that might be fixed in the imminent software update. I've taken some awesome photos in manual mode and the 13MP selfie camera is fantastic. Oh and one last thing, it's a light phone which I've really grown to appreciate after lugging a 6+ and 6S+ around for two years.

 

[5105973]

HTC 10 is an interesting phone. I find I keep going back to checking them out. Their camera is supposedly good but not to the level of the S7 or Pixel. They are known for great sound. Their return policy is a generous 30 days and they cover water damage and one broken display incident for free for 12 months and warrant for unlocked bootloading. http://www.htc.com/us/go/buy-htc-10/

Drawback to that phone is that it has been out for several months.

 

[slitherjef]

I was under the impression I couldn't send regular text messages using an iPhone to Android users? I'm not too up to speed on iPhones since I've used Android since the start.

Anyway sprint did a refresh on their end last night for my Nexus 6p and I've rebooted and once again ran an prl update so I have yet to test things out. I hope the issues are fixed but I got a suspicion there is an issue with the phones radio...even then I've lost faith in the device.

I forgot about the HTC 10. Not sure they'd be available in the store. Unlocked would be possible. I'm going to try to look into some devices today.

 

[5105973]

I just sorted through the videos I took on my S7 Edge yesterday of the kids' Halloween fun. I took pics and videos in very dark conditions at night and got some fantastic results. Very low noise. I did have some blur but a lot of shots did turn out. What knocked me over was the excellent audio quality. I had thought my mic was messed up because I got some wonky audio during a recent trip. But I think it was user error on my part because the mics worked fine yesterday. I might have been blocking a mic with my finger or something. Or some pocket lint had gunked up the mic and fell out. I don't know, but it worked. It records in really nice stereo audio. Which is something I don't hear bragged about much on Samsung phones. But they do a nice job and it means a lot to me because I record a lot of children's concerts at school.

iPhone sound recording on video is really sad. It's muffled and the doesn't give any sense of direction. Good audio on a video recording is immersive and gives you a sense of where sounds are coming from in relation to where you are standing when you record them. I wouldn't hesitate to get an iPhone for its other features but I would buy an external stereo mic that plugs into the Lightning port. I've seen one on Amazon that gets good reviews.

 

[Aneres11]

I really like the XZ. The 5.2" display is the perfect size for me. Build quality is excellent, the screen is perfect, the phone flies with no lag, the speakers are great and the camera is good. There is a bit of grain when zooming into photos but that might be fixed in the imminent software update. I've taken some awesome photos in manual mode and the 13MP selfie camera is fantastic. Oh and one last thing, it's a light phone which I've really grown to appreciate after lugging a 6+ and 6S+ around for two years.

Thanks very much for the reply.
I prefer the design of the Xperia to the Pixel (and the price!), the Pixel just seems to have the better camera. Which is kind of what I'm after.
I like the 7 Plus camera, but I just find it to not be quite as good as the Note/S7's and Lumia 950 etc.

I have read a lot about this grain that the Xperia gives photos, which has put me off slightly. But I've also seen some samples on review websites which look great. I wish I could just have a go of one in Carphonewarehouse but they're secured to the wall so you can't even test the camera, which is stupid seeing as it's one of the biggest factors for people these days!

 

[sunking101]

Thanks very much for the reply.
I prefer the design of the Xperia to the Pixel (and the price!), the Pixel just seems to have the better camera. Which is kind of what I'm after.
I like the 7 Plus camera, but I just find it to not be quite as good as the Note/S7's and Lumia 950 etc.

I have read a lot about this grain that the Xperia gives photos, which has put me off slightly. But I've also seen some samples on review websites which look great. I wish I could just have a go of one in Carphonewarehouse but they're secured to the wall so you can't even test the camera, which is stupid seeing as it's one of the biggest factors for people these days!

I think the cameras are very good, it"s just that the default 'superior auto' mode leaves a bit of grain when zooming into the photos afterwards. Manual mode is much better and that's where HDR resides as well.

 

[ozaz]

I was under the impression I couldn't send regular text messages using an iPhone to Android users? I'm not too up to speed on iPhones since I've used Android since the start.

Regular texts can be sent to and from any phone, regardless of operating system.

iPhones have an additional messaging option - iMessage - which can only be sent between iPhones and other Apple devices.

 

[scott craft]

HTC 10 is an interesting phone. I find I keep going back to checking them out. Their camera is supposedly good but not to the level of the S7 or Pixel. They are known for great sound. Their return policy is a generous 30 days and they cover water damage and one broken display incident for free for 12 months and warrant for unlocked bootloading. http://www.htc.com/us/go/buy-htc-10/

Drawback to that phone is that it has been out for several months.

The HTC 10 is also on my list. I've watched some videos that say it has improved since release with some updates. I'm looking at the 10, S7 and the V20 right now.

 

[timeconsumer]

I'm not sure what you mean by being tied to Google, but Google apps I've found work pretty well on iOS devices, at least the ones I use which are: Hangouts, Gmail, Maps, Docs, Sheets and Keep. My requirements for devices are that they must be unlocked, offer easier one-handed use (of course this one is subjective) and able to work on Verizon; including VoLTE, WiFi calling and Voicemail. If I had to come up with a list of devices to check out, it would be something like this (no specific order):

S7, Pixel, iPhone 7, HTC 10

Each phone has caveats and there's no clear winner in terms of what phone is the best as everybody has different metrics.

Prefer updates/latest software: Go Pixel or iPhone 7
Want to be able to walk into a store and receive support? iPhone 7
Listen to a lot of music through a headphone port? HTC 10
Pictures/Videos? Pixel, S7, iPhone 7
Long-term software support: iPhone 7 (basing this off of the iPhone 5 still being able to run the latest version of iOS)

 

[5105973]

The HTC 10 is also on my list. I've watched some videos that say it has improved since release with some updates. I'm looking at the 10, S7 and the V20 right now.

Keep an eye on their website HTC 10 Sometimes they run a deal where it's $550. It's showing that price now but the deal expired October 31st and it did not show the $150 off deal when I stuck it in the shopping cart awhile ago.

 

[scott craft]

Keep an eye on their website HTC 10 Sometimes they run a deal where it's $550. It's showing that price now but the deal expired October 31st and it did not show the $150 off deal when I stuck it in the shopping cart awhile ago.

I've looked but unless I'm doing something wrong they don't offer the Verizon version. That's a tremendous deal though.

 

[5105973]

There is a small print section where it says select carrier and it offers in the following order: unlocked, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint. If you select Verizon the only color available is silver and it appears to be in stock.

Unlocked versions are said to work on AT&T and T-Mobile and come in all colors though they are sometimes out of stock on red and gold.

 

[scott craft]

There is a small print section where it says select carrier and it offers in the following order: unlocked, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint. If you select Verizon the only color available is silver and it appears to be in stock.

Unlocked versions are said to work on AT&T and T-Mobile and come in all colors though they are sometimes out of stock on red and gold.

Thanks! I'll have to check it out! I think it's a bargain at $550!

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Well I have to pick up the V20 from UPS tomorrow morning, so I'll send some feedback on my impressions. I'm not to keen on the fingerprint sensor being on the back, but I'm going to give LG a try.

The iPhone 7+ that I'm currently using is boring, but solid. I'm not too impressed with the battery life. The standby life is the best, but the usage life just seems mediocre. If you have a Macbook and/or iPad, then features with iCloud and iMessage will be a huge plus.

The S7/S7 Edge would be an excellent choice. I had no complaints, besides nitpicking. Standby battery life is damn good, but not as good as the iPhone 7+. I did get more usage battery life from the S7 edge, which is excellent.

 

[5105973]

Thanks! I'll have to check it out! I think it's a bargain at $550!

It is. I think the Galaxy S7 sometimes is that price as well.

Talk about a bargain, I got my S7Edge for free as part of a BOGO promotion. Actually my husband and I originally had the Note 7's on BOGO (though really his was reduced to $200 since it was a Note 7 and not an S7). After all the recalls and exchanges were done, we ended up with two 256 GB SD cards for free as well as two free Gear S2 watches which also have phone functionality independent of the phones. Plus we got $100 credits for each phone for staying with Samsung. It was a pain to go through all of that recall drama but we really got a good deal.

My main complaint was that two of my Samsungs were defective. The loaner S7 ran very hot and erratically the entire time I borrowed it and my second Note 7 started running scary hot my last few days of owning it. I mentioned this to my AT&T reps in the hope they would flag the phones for Samsung for closer inspection but I doubt anyone paid any attention.

I thought the mic was bad on my current S7 Edge but that seems to have been my poor handling of it. It is running very cool and working well.

The HTC 10 is a temptation because of its reported sturdy build and amazing sound quality. In every other respect it is solid but not exciting and the camera is very good but not great.

I have a Pixel on order and I think I'll try it but most likely end up sending it back. My SE and my S7Edge are serving me well as a team and work well with my new (but preowned) GMC truck. The longer Google takes to fill my order the more time I have to realize how much money I'm paying to be their Guinea pig and read about potential shortcomings with my carrier not fully supporting its features.

 

[slitherjef]

Well I'm still having issues. Same thing as before. No idea what the problem is. I'm still thinking on just getting another device and use the 6p for wifi or something.

I keep coming back to the s7 edge. How is the thing without root? How bad are the ads on chrome or what browser might be out there that could do a decent job blocking ads while browsing? Also any typing lag?

 

[5105973]

Well I'm still having issues. Same thing as before. No idea what the problem is. I'm still thinking on just getting another device and use the 6p for wifi or something.

I keep coming back to the s7 edge. How is the thing without root? How bad are the ads on chrome or what browser might be out there that could do a decent job blocking ads while browsing? Also any typing lag?

I just got the HTC 10 and I already have the S7Edge. They're both good and sort of redundant, but I'm thrilled to have them both. And my SE. I'm having w blast.

Sansung definitely has an ecosystem. They give incentives to use Samsung Pay like credits you can use toward purchases from them or other Samsing Pay purchases. My husband really like it and we love the theme store and themes and are quite fond of Touchwiz so far. I wish I had more experience for a longer time to tell you if Touchwiz lags over time. A lot of people say it does not, anymore. I do think my HTC runs faster and smoother. It runs Pokemon Go better, so far, than my Edge does.

I find Touchwiz lends itself to excellent customization and is feature rich. I like that you have the option to turn the screen yellow in the evening so it won't emit the blue light that disrupts sleep. I don't see an option on my HTC for that. HTC offers other types of customization.

I never rooted so can't say what it's like as-is vs rooted. I get the occasional glitch and lag but really nothing worse than what I've put up with on iOS lately. If you get a good unit without any QC issues it will run cool and have good battery life and be an all around nice phone. My beef with it is fragility. It could be my main and only phone if not for the fact some days I need something a bit tougher with me.

I opted not to use Chrome. The stock browser on the Samsung is very good and that's the one the experienced users recommend and they say an ad blocker can be used with it. I like it fine. On the HTC I use Firefox with an ad blocker but I just got it so can't vouch for it yet.

Ack, sorry my writing isn't very good. Long day and a rotten weekend...going to catch some zzz' soon.

 

[slitherjef]

Had a message stick on sending... for nearly 5 minutes before I rebooted my device. I don't think this is normal. When I got home I installed open signal. Not sure if that will tell me if my phone's radio is booked or if sprint is or what. Also found a different texting app I think it's called Textra. Will see how this plays out. I really don't want to shell out for another 700$ plus phone but I need a reliable device.