Hi guys, looking for a phone around $800 as my samsung s7 is getting pretty worn and battery is pretty messed up on it. Previously for around that much i could get a flagship but now not any longer. Looking for something around 5-5.5" and no bigger. Wondering would a mid range phone around that price range be a noticeable upgrade to my s7 or a sidegrade?
Cheers
Grey import Oneplus 6T from Oneplus website using a service like shop mate or grey import Oneplus 6 from Aliexpress or ebay
You can buy some pretty high end phones for around $600.
Pocophone F1 — lacks the Ozbargain 'desirable features' like NFC and Band28, but it has a top tier Snapdragon SOC. $500 AUD
Mi 8 $600, No B28 but has NFC
OnePlus 6 $625 has both NFC and B28.
Nokia 8, slightly older version $300 with NFC and B28.
I could certainly recommend the OnePlus 6. It seems to be a great phone for the price. There is a 64GB 6GB RAM model or a 128GB 8GB RAM model and with my experience with the 128GB model it is blazing fast.
The OnePlus 6T just launched and it has a few upgrades including the screen being a little bigger (subtle notch), loss of a headphone jack but a bigger battery and fingerprint scanner built into the screen.
A 64GB Galaxy S9 can be had from ebay for around $800 if you can wait for another 10% off sale, or ~$840 right now with P5OFF code, example. Could be even cheaper if you have some discounted ebay gift cards (which are on sale every now and then). If you pursue the eBay option and find a good deal, make sure to review the seller's feedback for recent negs. Also note that if you buy a grey-imported S9, some features like VoLTE/VoWifi won't work and you won't have a local version of Samsung Pay, if that matters to you.
Z2 play
You should upgrade to a….S7, if you've the Exynos 8890 version.
Replace the battery yourself ($12):
Battery
And apply double-sided adhesive with petroleum jelly ($2) for waterproofing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7-usvOfZpQ
I would also pick up a couple accessories as well:
Case
Protector
Then unlock the bootloader, install TWRP, and r00t.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s7/development/recov…
Maybe a custom kernel?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s7/development/kerne…
Here's a good audio MOD:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s7/themes/mod-dual-s…
…and of course a shiny new Custom Rom:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s7/development/resur…
….you're gonna get 20% less battery life than the Note9, and have 20% less top-speed performance, and have a slightly (?20%) worse camera.
The issue is that a Note9 doesn't cost +20% more, not even +60% more…. it costs around +400% more!
Hmm i was thinking of replacing the battery but not too confident, also not confident of the battery at $10 to be genuine.
Well, that's an expensive/genuine part…. they usually cost less than that.
Otherwise you can pay $50 and get someone to change it for you.
There's a big difference going from a Custom S5 to a Stock S7… there's a tiny difference going from Custom S7 to a Stock S9.
Maybe just upgrade your Stock S7 to a Custom S7, and stick to it for another 6 months.
The 2019 Samsung Galaxy X might be worth waiting for, if only to push the prices of all other devices down.
Almost definitely a fake battery - as with just about every "Genuine OEM battery" on eBay. There is no way Samsung would give them to resellers for that cheap/at all. Though, I've been reasonably happy with the couple of "genuine" replacements I've bought from eBay for other phones. I'm assuming your S7 is over 2 years old (out of warranty)?
Cameron Sino batteries have been better than original I've found
Redmi Note 6:
$319
$255.20 if you buy 20% discounted Coles Catch Gift Cards
https://www.catch.com.au/product/xiaomi-redmi-note-6-pro-4gb…
You can get a New Samsung S8 Plus for about $600 or a New S9 for 800 to 900. Or a second hand S9 plus for around the same price on ebay. You may also want to consider dual sim as an option if you need it or think you will use it. Oppo is alright but I dont like the ColourOS (there skin). Oneplus is good if you dont mind the notch. Maybe even the new samsung A7 and A9 might interest but they dont have the best processors. If you want a phone with a pop up camera and small bezels, have a look at the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 or a Honor Magic 2. Or a Huawei P20 pro for about 600 to 800 second hand.
At that screen size there arent a heap of options. I'd probably say a Pixel 2 is your best bet. Its not a flagship anymore but it still has a Great camera and great software and a 5" screen. Sony XZ2 Compact is another good option with a 5" screen and still has flagship specs.
Most of the other suggestions are 6"+, but bear in mind with reduced bezels that doesnt mean the phone is that mucn larger in the hand.
get a pixel 3 in 2-3 months time, it will probably be around 900 bucks. flagship phone that has the same dimensions as the pixel 2 and the S9 roughly
A current mid-range would likely be a side grade. Do you have any requirements for the new phone?