New phone time: old-school

[Will Rickards]

Yes, the Samsung S9 and Note9 and the G7 ThinQ are too new, so still rather expensive there or non-existent. And needing the tmobile specific variant to get bands 66 and 71 is also a constraint.
The S8 Active was close but that probably won't get updates.
The new pixel 3 has the band support but it is very expensive.

 

[time]

The S8 Active was close but that probably won't get updates.

In that case, you had better get an obsolete iPhone. Old Android phones just don't get updates.

 

[Stereodude]

In that case, you had better get an obsolete iPhone. Old Android phones just don't get updates.

My Moto G5S+ is upgrading to Oreo 8.1 from 7.1 right now as I type this. Then again, I don't know what you mean by "old". Further, Apple isn't exactly benevolent with their upgrading of old phones as they systematically degrade the phone's performance by stuffing the new OS version designed for newer more powerful hardware on old hardware.

 

[Will Rickards]

In that case, you had better get an obsolete iPhone. Old Android phones just don't get updates.

The old iphones don't have the mobile band support that is more crucial than anything.
I mean phones for a while now have been good enough. Speed is relative and I'm not playing those fancy games on my device.
If there were a truly compelling camera on a phone, I'd upgrade. Still waiting to see if the pixel 3 improvements are worth it.

But actually getting a signal when I'm out camping with the scouts is more important as is a larger battery.
Where I am verizon is the only one with signal out there. I'm hoping the new 600Mhz bands from tmobile will change that, thus why I'm looking for band 71 support as a must have.

As to android updates, my current front runner, the Moto E5 plus is a new android phone. Though it is likely not to get any updates because it isn't a flagship device.
But project treble is supposed to change that. There is already a pie image for the moto E5 plus. Well it is a generic image that can be flashed on nearly any phone with treble support.
Anyway, I'm not concerned so much with official updates. I'll take the unofficial community based ones.

Honestly I've been using the Samsung Galaxy on5 and have been impressed at how not super awful it is. A bit sluggish but it does everything I need it to do and the battery life is great.
The screen is not that great and not having auto dimming is something I miss. I did have to root it and move most apps to the sd card as the measly 8GB internal storage (like 1GB free) is not enough.
But the mobile signal is much better than the note 4. I'm not even sure why. Comparing the band support on gsmarena [on5 vs Note4]and they seem to offer the same. Maybe newer revision of the radios or something.
But all in all, I'm not suffering terribly. But having the larger screen of the note 4 was like night and day. So I definitely want a larger screen that is a bit better. And something a bit faster than this on5 and closer to the Note4.

I'm really waiting for the more accurate gps chips to be available in phones. That and a compelling camera would be reasons for me to upgrade.

 

[LunarMist]

My phone locked up and I had to remove the cell. Now it starts and apparently shuts down after the bios screen. I'm traveling and thought it might be hacking or Koreans messing with me. Must buy a new phone in November. Those choices don't look good. Did you buy one t mobile and what do you use for Faraday shielding?

 

[Stereodude]

My phone locked up and I had to remove the cell. Now it starts and apparently shuts down after the bios screen. I'm traveling and thought it might be hacking or Koreans messing with me. Must buy a new phone in November. Those choices don't look good. Did you buy one t mobile and what do you use for Faraday shielding?

Personally, I find the phone isn't so useful after putting it in a Faraday cage. YMMV...

 

[sechs]

what do you use for Faraday shielding?

When I worked QA on phone apps, we used to just get into the elevator and go down.

 

[Will Rickards]

Saturday, I bought the Moto E5 Plus.
Screen is bright, phone is big, almost too tall actually, performance is great, camera seems decent. No complaints. I haven't used the gps yet.
I did buy it directly from tmobile and probably paid too much for it. But I wanted to assure myself that it was the model with band 71 support and have a place to return it to if needed.

 

[LunarMist]

Does it fit in your front pocket with a case on?

 

[Will Rickards]

That's a weird question. Yes. I purchased a case from amazon and it came Monday. I put my wallet and phone in my left front jeans pocket and keys in my right front pocket.

 

[LunarMist]

Thanks. I don't know why it is weird. Phones need protection and the front pocket is the viable option when seated.

 

[LunarMist]

I will check it out next week. Since the phone companies seem to have forced constant upgrades by not allowing battery replacement, it only makes sense to buy one with a larger capacity to start with.
Within two years it will probably suck and the whole phone will need to be disposed anyway.

 

[sechs]

I know that most smart phones aren't designed for battery replacement, but I don't know of any company that doesn't allow battery replacement....

 

[LunarMist]

I know that most smart phones aren't designed for battery replacement, but I don't know of any company that doesn't allow battery replacement....

I should have stated provide or something like that. If I can't change it in the back of a Ford, then the viability is limited.
Are there companies that will change a battery for a fixed price and not void the warren T? I've heard enough stories that the manufacturers consider the battery to be acceptable until it has degraded rather too much.

 

[sechs]

In general, your right to repair will extend to the battery. Any third party willing to do the replacement work should warrant it themselves.

 

[LunarMist]

So far the phone is not too bad, but I'm not liking all the Google stuff the Oreos want to shove up my a$$.
What do you use for a keyboard? The GBroad really sucks and no other option is pre-installed. Thanks.

 

[Santilli]

http://mugenpoweronline.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=174_183

 

[Handruin]

So far the phone is not too bad, but I'm not liking all the Google stuff the Oreos want to shove up my a$$.
What do you use for a keyboard? The GBroad really sucks and no other option is pre-installed. Thanks.

I having seen anything from Oreo that is forced onto my phone.

I use the Google Gboard as my keyboard. Works fine for my needs.

 

[Stereodude]

I having seen anything from Oreo that is forced onto my phone.

I use the Google Gboard as my keyboard. Works fine for my needs.

I've been gaining weight from the all the Oreos they're forcing me to eat. That's not happening to you?

 

[LunarMist]

I've been gaining weight from the all the Oreos they're forcing me to eat. That's not happening to you?[/QUOTE

 

[Handruin]

Yeah it happens to me also.

 

[LunarMist]

I don't know the 8 Oreo but it's possible that the differences are partly attributable to the Chinese phone vs the Korean phones I've used previously. Maybe the Korean phones have a more polished GUI that hides the Oreo Androids. The keyboard and messenger are very annoying. I don't think there is any option to change the messenger. I was able to install a 3rd party email client and the FireFoxes.

 

[LunarMist]

I've been gaining weight from the all the Oreos they're forcing me to eat. That's not happening to you?

I don't eat biscuits/cookies. Keyboard has no brackets.

 

[Handruin]

I don't eat biscuits/cookies. Keyboard has no brackets.

My Gboard keyboard has brackets [], braces {}, and parentheses().

 

[Santilli]

Mugen used to offer double sized batteries, with a new back, for a lot of models. Now a lot fewer. P.O.

 

[LunarMist]

The eBay and Amazon have sold various expanded capacity battery packs for years. I have three for the dead phone. Of course they can only be made for the phones that support removable batteries.

The 5000mAh non-removable battery in the new phone is good for now.

 

[sechs]

What do you use for a keyboard? The GBroad really sucks and no other option is pre-installed.

Swiftkey. Never any problems with the women....

 

[LunarMist]

Swiftkey. Never any problems with the women....

Great. It's far better than the basic GBORAD.