# So... 2016 smartphones. anybody upgrading?



## Forkface (Mar 6, 2016)

There's been a couple of announcements for new flagship smartphones this year, with the galaxy s7 frontlining release dates on march 11th, and then the LG G5 in the following weeks

I will be getting a new phone 'cause mine is old AF and even though it still works fine, i think its time. (its an iphone 4s )

anyway, for those with newer phones, are you upgrading this year/why? also, to which one?

PS. There's this "new" chinese company "Xiaomi" and their mi5 looks mindblowing on specs/price ratio, but i literally know nothing about them besides they're supposed to be kicking apple's and samsung's ass in the mainland. Feels a bit like when the Oneplus one was announced. which ended being pretty meh. 
LG looks "gimmicky" with all those attachments, but i can see the appeal for that. 
S7 looks the same as the S6  just waterproof and microSD friendly (yay)


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## pkgitar (Mar 7, 2016)

I don't have a new phone, but I do have a Xiaomi MI2s from early 2013 when they were released. It's still trucking, haven't really slowed down unless I put too much stuff on it so there's no space left. I'm pretty sure at the time it was on par, if not better, than the Galaxy S4 and it cost half as much (with my currency). Xiaomi isn't really a new company, it's just that recently they've made a push to western countries. They're HUGE in Asia. Like Samsung or Apple for us. They make good phones. I'm just not upgrading because after the 2-series all their phones are - for the lack of a better word - ....ing huge. To me anyway. I like the size of my 2S at 4.3". This is why I'm seriously eyeballing the new 4" iPhone that is being announced in a few weeks. Any other android phone around 4" is either super budget low spec, or some kinda freak tank monstrosity. The 6s along with the Galaxy is just expensive as .....

I don't NEED insane specs, but I do like to play games and browse the Internet at a relatively good speed. The 2S was just really good and cheap at the time because I could buy it straight from their dealer in China. So hopefully the new iPhone comes out at 4-500$, which is something I can live with. But paying over 950$ for a new phone (my currency, again)? Nah. I've got pedals to buy, mang!


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## Hollowway (Mar 7, 2016)

I got the iPhone 6S+. I'm super happy with it. I use mine like a computer, so the large screen is awesome, it's super fast, and the battery lasts forever. I tried some android phones, but the iPhone just works better for me, because things just run in the background without me needing to horse around with it. My PC I don't mind doing a bunch of configuring, etc, but on my phone I want to know that everything works seamlessly, so I've been pretty happy with it. Either way, my advice would be to get a big ass screen. They're awesome.

Edit: I should say, though, don't get the regular 6 Plus. It really needs the 2 gigs of RAM to function well. But, even though it would cost a bunch, iPhones hold their value ridiculously well, so it's not tough to sell them later.


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## jwade (Mar 7, 2016)

Waiting on the new 4" iphone. Not into the borderline tablet sized phones. I'm still using an iphone 5, my lady still has a 4S, and we're both itching to get something new.


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## sawtoothscream (Mar 7, 2016)

Just bought my turbo 2 a few months ago so, nope. Usually upgrade every 2-3 years, would have kept the s3 if it's reception didn't suck.


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## chopeth (Mar 7, 2016)

No, I think I'll keep using my 2008 mobile which was 8 with a year permanence contract from the company


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## Ralyks (Mar 7, 2016)

Got an IPhone 6 Plus, probably stick with it for at least another year. Especially with how pricey the 128GB model was.


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## Ibanezsam4 (Mar 7, 2016)

looking at the new LG with with the added music buddy. i know its kind of stupid and hearkens back to the gameboy, but i like the idea of a peripheral that expands capability, rather than an overloaded phone *cough samsung cough* that tries to do everything


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## myrtorp (Mar 8, 2016)

Im still using my Iphone 5, it works as it should still. Im not a heavy user so I probably have atleast one more year on it 

Not too keen on upgrading to be honest, but when I do it will be something other than apple probably, just because I want to try something else.


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## cwhitey2 (Mar 8, 2016)

The LG G5 has peaked my interest. I'm an LG fanboy (have owned 3 in the past currently have an Optimus GPro).



What's this new swap able hardware or whatever they call it now?


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## flint757 (Mar 8, 2016)

The only reason I'll upgrade currently is if I switch to Google's new network which means switching to a Nexus phone as well. Otherwise my HTC One M8 serves its purpose well enough.


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## MFB (Mar 8, 2016)

My S5 is due for an upgrade in November, but if it's still holding on I may just wait another few months when the 2017 phones roll out; especially since there's nothing new in Q4, despite it being around Christmas time.


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## Promit (Mar 8, 2016)

Wife's aiming at an S7, whenever it arrives finally. I need one for work too, as we're expanding into Android dev (uuugggghhh). My iPhone 6 is fine for now, I'm mildly curious what the 7 brings but mostly my battery meter's gone bonkers. So maybe I'll upgrade when that rolls around. I've got my eye on new system encryption/privacy features, one of the reasons I don't run Android for my personal phone.


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## vilk (Mar 8, 2016)

Two weeks in with my new Blu Vivo XL, I am very satisfied. It is my first phone that runs Android. It only cost 150$, but honestly I can't imagine how or why a more expensive Samsung or LG could be any different or better. Battery lasts all day, can be removed and replaced, room for 2 SIMs and 2 SD cards for memory expansion

Having gotten this for so comparatively cheap, i dont see how I can ever justify buying more expensive phones ever again.


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## Pav (Mar 8, 2016)

I'll be eligible to upgrade my Galaxy S5 in about 6 months...and I'm looking at a Galaxy S7 Edge. Those edges...


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## Forkface (Mar 8, 2016)

I've decided to stop messing around and preordered the galaxy S7 edge. I should have it by this weekend. i'll make sure to let you guys (Or Pav, at least ) if its worth it. 

Here in korea i'm starting to feel out of place by not having a samsung phone 

It's definitely on the expensive side, but I haven't spent money in phones in a while so i was like fuk it lol. On the plus side, its so goddamn beautiful.


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## Ralyks (Mar 9, 2016)

I'm normally an Apple guy, and even I think I want the S7 Edge


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## larry (Mar 9, 2016)

Been a Sony fan for a while, so the Z5 is looking damn good. But for whatever reason, their US flagships are crippled in some way, compared to the international version. 

I used an xperia active for a few years and LOVED it! Not the most powerful phone, but designed very well. It's s tiny, water proof and very durable.


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## Petar Bogdanov (Mar 9, 2016)

Nope, Nexus 5X is plenty good enough for me. 

The only reason I updated from Nexus 4 was that it stopped getting official updates, and I need that for my work.


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## IChuckFinleyI (Mar 12, 2016)

I'm due for an upgrade this month, just haven't gotten around to doing it yet. I've currently got a Motorola and hate it. I've had my eye on a couple of Samsungs.


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## Arkeion (Mar 18, 2016)

I always crawl back to the iPhone, but I can't recommend the Nexus devices enough. I've always loathed Android until I bought a Nexus. Vanilla android is where it's at. The bloatware on other flavors makes me nauseous.


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## VBCheeseGrater (Mar 18, 2016)

I'm pretty happy with the HTC 816 - it does all the usual functions I need and runs on prepaid so costs less, which is a must for me these days as I refuse to pay $70+ a month for phone service - or more if you decide to pay for your phone over a contract. I'm now running $45 for all the data i need (3gb) and unlimited talk/text which is good, not great. If i lost it i'd probably get anther used one.


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## Rev2010 (Mar 19, 2016)

I have an S5, my contract is up now but at this point I'm not really seeing any need for an upgrade, for the first time really. Prior it would be things like going from 1280x720 to 1920x1080 (since I have a whole bunch of my Bluray's ripped to 1080p), size increase, etc. But my S5 has been going great and I'm not too keen on the constant push for even higher resolutions that have zero benefit on a screen that size. The new S7 is 2560 x 1440 which is double 720p but not double 1080p, so the upward interpolation would likely make a 1080p movie look worse than just viewing it on a 1080p 1:1 pixel ratio screen. Not that I can say it would be noticeable on a phone screen, but still.

Besides, my S5 is water proof already, already has a microSD slot, and already has a removable battery. So I'm not sure what the S7, or another phone, would improve. The camera... definitely the camera, but I really don't use the camera much outside for the occasional shot while on vacation mostly and the S5's camera is still pretty damn good.


Rev.


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## skeels (Mar 19, 2016)

My contract is up with my Galaxy Mega (stop laughing!) and I'm thinking about a new phone. With all the companies asking for me to *gasp* pay for a phone- which to me is ridonkulous - I'm thinking of a used Note or something or going outside the box and getting the new Caterpillar phone. Thermal imaging cam built in? Dig it. Check for drafts. Take it swimming and take pictures? Dig it. 

I long for the days when the phone companies only burned you for the bill- not leasing the damn phone to you too.


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## Xaios (Mar 20, 2016)

I just don't need a new phone. I bought an HTC One M7 just after it was first released and it's still going strong.


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## asher (Mar 20, 2016)

Hollowway said:


> I got the iPhone 6S+. I'm super happy with it. I use mine like a computer, so the large screen is awesome, it's super fast, and the battery lasts forever. I tried some android phones, but the iPhone just works better for me, because things just run in the background without me needing to horse around with it. My PC I don't mind doing a bunch of configuring, etc, but on my phone I want to know that everything works seamlessly, so I've been pretty happy with it. Either way, my advice would be to get a big ass screen. They're awesome.
> 
> Edit: I should say, though, don't get the regular 6 Plus. It really needs the 2 gigs of RAM to function well. But, even though it would cost a bunch, iPhones hold their value ridiculously well, so it's not tough to sell them later.



Got a 6S+ over Christmas, because my Lumia Icon was just getting too long in the tooth. I'm pretty anti-Apple on the whole, but it's been rather a treat, and can't see any reason to move on until (or maybe IF) Verizon gets a flagship level Windows Phone (the 950/950 XL aren't CDMA, hence the iPhone).

The thing's huge  but I've adjusted much better than I expected. No way could I use anything bigger, but the regular 6S is just too small for me.


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## Arkeion (Mar 21, 2016)

asher said:


> Got a 6S+ over Christmas, because my Lumia Icon was just getting too long in the tooth. I'm pretty anti-Apple on the whole, but it's been rather a treat, and can't see any reason to move on until (or maybe IF) Verizon gets a flagship level Windows Phone (the 950/950 XL aren't CDMA, hence the iPhone).
> 
> The thing's huge  but I've adjusted much better than I expected. No way could I use anything bigger, but the regular 6S is just too small for me.



My first phablet was the Nexus 6, and I thought 'Mother of God, I'll never get used to this monstrosity'.. but after using it just a few days, I don't see how I ever used anything smaller. Love my 6S Plus to death.


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## setsuna7 (Mar 21, 2016)

smartphones? I don't really follow trends or whatnot. Bought an iPhone 4 when it came out, used it to point it can no longer be used(battery/obsolete OS/etc). Got me an iPhone 6 last year will use it until the same circumstance(s) arises. I'm old fashioned. To waste money to keep up with the latest gadgets is worthless, to me at least.. Rather spend that kind of money on guitars or pedals. Sometimes it is cool to see all the specs and features manufactures keep coming up with to stay ahead of the pack..


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## Jarmake (Mar 25, 2016)

Nah, not going to upgrade my LG G3 anytime soon. It's still great.


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## maliciousteve (Mar 25, 2016)

Jarmake said:


> Nah, not going to upgrade my LG G3 anytime soon. It's still great.



Still have my G3. Had it for over a year and it's still holding up well.

My upgrade isn't due till February but I may upgrade earlier and get the G5, that looks sweet. Still glad they went with a replaceable battery.


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## baptizedinblood (Mar 27, 2016)

I grabbed the S7 Edge last week, switched from my Nexus 6. Phone is rad as hell. I used to hate touchwiz, but now it's actually pretty damn sweet. Vanilla android gets too much praise IMO, it's boring as hell and the Nexus line of phones are way too barebones with specs that hang just barely under the flagships.


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## Asrial (Mar 29, 2016)

My iPhone 6 is still going really strong, so I'm not going to upgrade this year.
My GF is due for a new phone, as the nexus galaxy is pretty outdated and can't even keep charge for half a day (lol).


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## Promit (Mar 29, 2016)

I got a Galaxy S7 last week, as we're expanding from an iOS-only shop at work. It's actually really nice - easily competitive with the iPhone and seems a bit faster than my iPhone 6. I hated Android 4.x and the devices were slow as crap, but this one is nice. Would I choose it over the iPhone? Jury's still out. But this phone, combined with Android 6.0, make a very positive first impression and I imagine even better for the Android faithful. Google Chrome is trash (I love it on desktop...) - I like the Samsung browser paired with ad block.

Visual Studio debugger won't connect to it, because of course it won't.


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## vansinn (Mar 29, 2016)

No intentions even going for 'smart' devices - been working with IT security, so..
Still have an old Siemens A36  no Swiss-cheese hole-poked Java, no GPS 24/7 2meter resolution BBWY, no ID theft...

Ai, that was so uncharacteristically offtopic; couldn't help myself 
I do have an older Nexus-1, rooted, so works without card, use it as a control surface.


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## Asrial (Mar 30, 2016)

How'd you characterize the security flaws of the current smartphones, hence your reluctancy to upgrade and being a professional?
I'm fairly convinced that ID theft is a fairly rare crime amongst uninitiated yet moderately cautious individuals, so actively preventing that seems like overkill. GPS being on? I haven't faced any cases where anyone has cared to use that data, so I have literally zero negative impact from that technology.


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## flint757 (Mar 30, 2016)

Identity theft is almost always initiated by something else such as theft, a scam, or algorithms that pump out numbers and names until they work. Phones are less secure than desktops, but not so much so that I'd argue they pose a serious risk (aside from losing an unlocked phone that is). If I were that concerned about ID theft I'd personally just pay $10-$20 a month to have someone watch my accounts and credit score.


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## Jarmake (Apr 1, 2016)

maliciousteve said:


> Still have my G3. Had it for over a year and it's still holding up well.
> 
> My upgrade isn't due till February but I may upgrade earlier and get the G5, that looks sweet. Still glad they went with a replaceable battery.



I just updated my G3 with the new 6.0 firmware. Gosh, it's much better than lollipop ever was! The phone is lightning fast now and everything is so freaking smooth.


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## maliciousteve (Apr 2, 2016)

I've been looking forward to that update but there's no sign of when us in the UK will get it


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## ferret (Apr 2, 2016)

I've got Samsung Galaxy S4s, and I honestly don't know of any reason to upgrade. Still getting new Android builds, no speed or battery problems.


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## Jarmake (Apr 2, 2016)

maliciousteve said:


> I've been looking forward to that update but there's no sign of when us in the UK will get it



Have you tried to search for updates on the pc suite software-thingy? My phone didn't get it OTA, but I connected it to my pc and there it was!


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## Alberto7 (Apr 2, 2016)

I got me a Galaxy S6 Edge back in December practically for free (coming from a Galaxy S3), and I love it to absolute bits. It's gorgeous, fast and snappy, the screen is damn incredible, and I've taken some sweet friggin' shots with the camera.

My only complaint about it is that it isn't bigger. I initially wanted to get an S6 Edge+, but the price was too high compared to what I got the regular Edge for. Tried an S7 Edge the other day, and it felt perfect. I still like the design of the S6 Edge+ better though. I guess I'll wait for the S9 to come out before my next upgrade then.


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## gnoll (Apr 13, 2016)

I got the s7 edge a few days ago. Have to say I like it. I was actually set on the normal s7 but when I checked them out at the store I changed my mind. I really like the screen to body ratio. Especially coming from a 4.5 inch screen, 5.5 feels great. And it still fits in my pocket, although when I'm biking I sorta wish it was a tad smaller. But yeah, overall it seems pretty great.


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## Thanatopsis (Apr 15, 2016)

I've had a Galaxy S7 since about a week after they came out and am very happy with it. It still pissed me off though that nobody makes a phone with a physical keyboard anymore. I loved my Droid 4 and the ones before that.


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## Maybrick (Apr 19, 2016)

I had an HTC One M7 which I loved (had it since release) but upgraded to a Nexus 6P in December. I really like it, especially the large screen size which I know isnt to everyones taste.


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## maliciousteve (Jun 26, 2016)

Just upgraded to the Galaxy S7 a couple of weeks ago. So much better than the LG G3. Battery lasts longer than a day with normal use, great camera and looks nice in Gold Platinum too.


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## Steinmetzify (Jun 28, 2016)

Not really a gadget guy anymore; not like I used to be.

iPhone 5s .... the bed, and while I use it for almost nothing but texting and work emails, I gotta get those emails. Eligible for upgrade, so went in and grabbed the 6s. I thought about the 6S+, but cmon. That thing is friggin HUGE. The 6s was big enough that I was uncomfortable with it in my pocket the first few days, and I dicked up all my texts/emails because they changed the keyboard layout. Camera is nicer by far though.

Used to it after a week and don't need anything bigger. I hope they don't all go to this phablet format, can't do it.


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## eaeolian (Jun 28, 2016)

maliciousteve said:


> Just upgraded to the Galaxy S7 a couple of weeks ago. So much better than the LG G3. Battery lasts longer than a day with normal use, great camera and looks nice in Gold Platinum too.



I finally decided to take the jump in May - I usually buy a generation behind, and I was still on a Galaxy S3. The S7 is mindbogglingly fast, the battery life is excellent, and the UI is almost perfect (admittedly, to someone who used an older version of TouchWiz for a long time.)

Plus, GoogleNow is 100% ready for prime time with this phone - all of the voice stuff works great!


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## stevexc (Jun 28, 2016)

+1 to that. Grabbed an S7 Edge the other week, coming from an S5 - really digging it.


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## Jarmake (Aug 17, 2016)

I have failed my goals of keeping my G3 for atleast two years. I've had 19 months of every day usage with no problems, but now my g3 has been acting up. The usb-port isn't too good anymore (I have to wiggle the charger if I want to charge my phone and then I can't touch it or it stops charging again) and the sound quality in calls isn't good either. Lots of crackling and hissing sounds on the earpiece. Oh well, this phone has been dropped on the pavement and floors at least 20 times, it has swam in the ocean, I have stepped on it, my son has played with it extensively as a baby... So maybe it's time to retire this and put it to desk drawer or sell it to somebody 

At first I was going to get a new lg... But then I thought that the g4 isn't such a big upgrade and I'm not a bit interested in the modularity of the g5. V10 could have been a good phone, but there's already a new one coming, so I didn't want it either.

Then I looked at HTC and just said "nope". There's something on htc's new products that just don't jive with me.

Next up was sony. I don't like the new xperia xa's (and other ones) somehow. They just seem a bit lackluster to me. Don't really know why.

Then samsung. Damn expensive and I really don't like the new direction they've taken with those edge displays. I feel like I'd do a ....ton of errors with the slanted edges.

Motorola had one interesting model and it was the."unbreakable" one, but it has a plastic screen and I feel like it could be scratched pretty easily (could be wrong there, though...) so it's a no go again. Damn.

So then I ordered a oneplus 3. It was relatively cheap and the specs were good enough. Dash charging was one of the biggest selling points to me. It also looks quite attractive (I got the soft gold one). There's no sd slot, but 64 gigs make up for it a bit. It should be here tomorrow or friday at the latest. I hope I don't have to regret my decision.


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## Pav (Aug 18, 2016)

I have one month left until I can upgrade to an S7 Edge and I am beyond excitebike.


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## Jarmake (Aug 21, 2016)

Op3 arrived on thursday. I almost immediately rooted it (can't stand all those ads on the webpages and apps). This phone works like a charm. Not a single hickup or any lagging so far. I can't really imagine why I would pay double for some other phone when I can have something like this for such a reasonable price.


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## Mik3D23 (Aug 21, 2016)

Jarmake said:


> Op3 arrived on thursday. I almost immediately rooted it (can't stand all those ads on the webpages and apps). This phone works like a charm. Not a single hickup or any lagging so far. I can't really imagine why I would pay double for some other phone when I can have something like this for such a reasonable price.



I'm glad to hear this. I just ordered one today. 

How long was your wait? It seems to be on backorder everywhere


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## Jarmake (Aug 23, 2016)

Mik3D23 said:


> I'm glad to hear this. I just ordered one today.
> 
> How long was your wait? It seems to be on backorder everywhere



7 days. I got my phone from a finnish phone operator.

There was a bug which turned the phone back to silent mode after using the alerts slider button (and it would correct itself after switching the slider to silent and back again), but it was fixed in a day after I found it. I couldn't download and apply the quickfix version of the update since my phone is bootloader unlocked and rooted, but op provided a flashable full rom version of the update, so I could flash it and immediately root it again afterwards.

It's great to have a phone company that doesn't void your warranty because of rooting and actually encourages for you to do so by making the bootloader unlockable straight from the phone's options.


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