I'm currently using an iPhone 5, unfortunately in the past 6 months battery life has become a major issue. I'm looking at upgrading, but am having trouble deciding on what to lock in. Currently thinking I'd like to move away from Apple and get a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge but part of also thinks maybe I should just stick with what I know and get another iPhone (although with the 6S now more than half way into its life cycle this isn't the most attractive choice). I'm thinking of going the plan route as I'd rather not have to front over $1k. Only requirements are that the phone has a bigger screen than the 5, has a good camera, excellent battery, and is blazing fast. Does anyone have any recommendations for me, these phones or otherwise? Any advice or feedback is appreciated, thanks in advance.
Help Choosing a New Phone - S7 Edge or iPhone or Other
Comments
If you're going for a flagship from one of the major phone companies then it's all personal preference.
They're all expensive, they'll all be obsolete in 3 years, and they'll all do everything you need them to do.
The rest is just gimmicks and fan-boy-ism.
Pick the one you like the look/feel of and enjoy it, whichever you pick you'll have people you were telling you you were wrong.
So, whilst the unbiased opinions are going around should I get a PS4, Xbone, PC or Nintendo? (joke)
if you liked the 5 then you should have a look at the se that comes out in a few days.
Yeah I saw that, one of my requirements is a bigger screen though so I'll be giving that a miss.
I would recommend the S7 edge simply for its battery life. I think it's mentioned a lot, and people complain about it a lot, but when a company doesn't even make it their selling point, but it can even last longer than that of a phone whose battery life WAS touted as its major selling point (I'm looking at you, motorola droid turbo), then you know Samsung has done something right. You can get close to 2 days moderate use out of this, and that's with location settings on, background sync on, music to and from work, brightness at a nice level (for me, that's normally more than 50%, but also bear in mind that maximum brightness out in the sun is amazing in this phone), and constantly at least 4 hours of on screen time. I'm with virgin mobile, and for some reason it never seems to give me 5 bars regularly. So i know quite a bit of battery drains through cellular networking, but even so, 2 days. Can't beat that.
This is also coming from someone with an iMac and macbook, so i know all about the ecosystem and whatnot. Look, google drive and gmail calendars just about does it for me. If you need a ton of storage, onedrive that shit. Problem solved.
Cheers for the input. The biggest issue with my phone right now is the battery so having a phone that lasts more than half a day with moderate use would be amazing. I think the S7 Edge's battery is its biggest draw-card for me. Nice to know how long it lasts in the real world.
I have a 6 plus that is 16 months old.
It stopped working Wednesday and I took it to the Genius Bar yesterday for that was the earliest appointment I could get.
Apple replaced it with a brand new one (same model) beacuse there was condensation in the phone.
Do you think any other manufacturer stands behind their product the way Apple does? That is the clincher for me.
Well it's funny you mention that because I share the opposite experience. I went in after three months of having the 5 after my screen randomly started showing black and white diagonal lines. I was asked by the guys at Apple if I'd dropped it (which I hadn't). Sure, they replaced it but I felt like they didn't really believe me (the tone of voice and the look he gave me spoke volumes).
I went in about a month after the two year explicit warranty period about the battery issue and they didn't want to know me. Quoted me $300 or something to replace the phone. Tried to argue statutory warranty to no avail. So in that regard, I don't feel like I've lost anything by going to another phone manufacturer. They do what is required of them and nothing more.
While I personally love being able to go in to an apple store to get a refurbished (not new, mind you) phone through the warranty scheme, it's not going to be a game winner for me, as apple has recently gotten more strict with giving these things out. There are some obvious manufacturer's issue where they may swap it out without question (condensation can be tested very quickly and easily if it's manufacturer or consumer as there is a colour indicator inside the phone to tell if there has been water damage).
Anything else where there is a dispute and query as to whether the phone may have been mal-handled is much harder to claim a warranty for.
Given there is a samsung store in Melbourne central, I'm quite happy with the fact that they actually can do a lot of the repairs in store, and it takes less than a day (in most cases). I have friends working in both apple and samsung stores, so I'm quite in the loop regarding these things.
But don't get me wrong, being able to swap your device in for a refurbished one is quite sweet too, when it's applicable.
@Rupture: stautory warranty period is only two years methinks.
Perhaps it was my trusting face? When I had a 5 the Genius Bar replaced it for me 4 times in 2 years.
@Islund: Well, statutory warranty is pretty ambiguous, it's supposed to be a 'reasonable time' and is independent of manufacturer warranty. They like to drum it into us that 2 years is a 'reasonable' amount of time though. If you had to replace your phone 4 times in 2 years, that says a bit about the quality of the iPhone doesn't it?
No worries. Just so you know, heavy use (add youtube, navigations and on screen time for nearly 5 hours) has NEVER gotten me below 30% ever. I cannot speak highly enough of this as it's my number 1 priority when it comes to phones. I mean, let's be honest, phones are just for facebook, chrome and life saving things such as maps and music, if it can't do all that in one day, i don't care how powerful the processor is, it's a brick. So when this thing comes out and is able to do all that, and more, AND have a relatively low price point (lower than the GS6 edge in terms of plan commitment)…then well, to me it's a no brainer.
Hey,
I personally have been on iPhone for the past 5 years or so (since the iphone 4) and had the 5S up until a few months ago. I am a heavy apple user (macbook, ipad, iphone, appletv) but I decided to go for the s7 edge as I just needed something with a bigger screen. Battery life was also a big factor for me and the current iphones just didnt seem to meet what I wanted. I'll be honest with you, I've been using the S7edge for the past 5 days since pickup and I can tell you that I have had absolutely no regrets so far. This isnt my first time using android so I was happy to be a bit more free with my phone again, the battery is absolutely amazing as well no matter what you do. You can get a day and a half of use or at least a minimum of a whole day of constant use. My average so far is 6 hours screen time with everything turned on (4g, wifi, always on display, emails syncing etc). Plus this phone is amazing to hold for its size. I personally would recommend it to you, but as everyone said; its all about personal preference. Happy to answer any questions you might have though. Goodluck :)
Oh btw, if you dont want to front any money for the phone, Optus has good plans at the moment with no cancellation fees (just pay out the phone later). So essentially its the same front cost for the phone plus plan, but no upfront money.
Appreciate your detailed response mate. Think I've made up my mind based on your and other feedback I've read :).
How invested are you in the apple ecosystem? If you have already bought the apps, subscribed to icloud, then get the apple.. Otherwise flip a coin.
Not very, all my apps were free. The only thing that is even making me consider just getting an iPhone is the familiarity aspect and laziness.
Sony Kiosks are offering the Sony C5 Ultra for $279 outright I think - offer expires midnight tomorrow
i was going to get this phone if Apple had not replaced my phone yesterdday.
DO NOT get an iPhone 6s+, my work gave me one and it is a nightmare to carry around, too big for pockets, unwieldy and feels like carrying around a 1980's brick. I would rather have kept my iphone 5. Screen is maybe a bit better but I'm not sure that is worth any extra certainly not enough to outweigh the inconvenience of having to find a way to carry the thing around.
i agree that the iphone 6s+ is bulky and heavy. im more afraid of the damage to our wood floor rather than the phone if i drop it :)
but i got it for the battery size, larger screen and the image stabilization when shooting video.
but i love my nexus 6p still the best.
iPhone has great screens typically, and while they take great quality photos in good lighting conditions, the camera is not nearly as good as Samsung or Sony (in terms of resolution, lens, colour accuracy, and low-light sensitivity).
The Apple iOS is understandably reputable for security, regular updates and ease of use, however you should think about Android if you have ever had issues with excess data — in US and some other places data is cheap and/or unlimited, and free wifi is everywhere, while in Australia you might be one of the millions who runs up excess data charges every month (assuming you're on a contract not prepaid), and there is nothing you can do about it on iPhone aside from self-control, while Android allows you to throttle usage once you are close to your limit, select what apps can use your data vs wifi, and generally save you ongoing bill shock — it's easy to go through 6GB of data on videos for example if you enjoy watching them on your stunning new screen during a daily commute.
Another nuisance with Apple versus most other phones is the memory — you can pay for 32GB/64GB/etc, but that can quickly fill with OS updates, apps, games, email, photos and videos, etc. You should think about how often your memory has reached or been close to capacity, which hampers your phones performance and is a sure sign you should have a phone with an SD card slot — if you have, you can simply add another 128/256GB card later when you need it for a fraction of what you would pay today (128GB is currently ~$100).I would recommend lenovo vibe P1. I am using for few months now and it's exceeded my expectations in every way and it will cost you around $350. just have a look at the specifications you won't be disappointed.I was iPhone user as well not anymore.
I prefer the Apple environment and a switch to Android couple years back didn't last and I switched back.
Given that Apple make the phone, build the operating system and rigorously audit all the apps put on its store for security purposes, I also find Apple the most secure solution.
I have a 5S and will upgrade to the SE when it comes out.
Thanks everyone for your replies. I think I'm sorted!
So? What? When?
Camon 0p you can't just leave us hanging …Haha, I think I'm going to get the S7 Edge. I charged my iPhone yesterday to 100%, 4 hours later it died whilst displaying 21%, pretty over it!
Welcome aboard the android bus
Zzoo zzoo! (buzzing)
Sent from my blackberry BBM
you gonna tell this guy what to go for??
https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2515218
(thread title)
Here we go.