Looking for a new android cell phone, one that can be used for long term

[jnelsoninjax]

 I am looking to purchase a new cell phone (android) and I would like to have one that is going to last for a few years (get updates, etc.) I know that the flagships would be the ideal way to go, but I am also looking at a few that have Android one (Nokia), I really do not know what to look for, and do not feel that spending ~$1000 is necessary (Samsung, etc.) what would a good, lets call mid-range, cell phone be?

[goretsky Supervisor]

Hello,

 

I'm thinking that using Google's Android for Enterprise list at https://androidenterprisepartners.withgoogle.com/devices/ would be a good place to start with.  From there, figure out the devices in your budget/performance profile, and then look at the manufacturer's specific support schedule, as some of them may be for a longer duration than what is listed on that site..

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

 

[jnelsoninjax]

3 hours ago, goretsky said:

Hello,

 

I'm thinking that using Google's Android for Enterprise list at https://androidenterprisepartners.withgoogle.com/devices/ would be a good place to start with.  From there, figure out the devices in your budget/performance profile, and then look at the manufacturer's specific support schedule, as some of them may be for a longer duration than what is listed on that site..

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

 

Thanks! Very useful list, I'm going through it and deciding on what I am looking for.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

are you willing to flash custom roms or do you prefer to leave the phone on stock/oem?

 

the reason I ask is because most phones, even the flagships, have a poor upgrade reputation; you're lucky to get OEM updates a year out from device release in most cases.

XDA community is amazing though with mid-high end android phones and most will get custom ROM support for 3-5 years

[xendrome]

Get something that has a removable battery if possible....

 

https://sonimtech.com/xp8/

 

Is rugged and has a removable battery, should hold up good over time.

[Copernic Reporter]

Grab yourself an Android One device - guaranteed updates for 2 years.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_One

[jnelsoninjax]

12 minutes ago, Brandon H said:

are you willing to flash custom roms or do you prefer to leave the phone on stock/oem?

 

the reason I ask is because most phones, even the flagships, have a poor upgrade reputation; you're lucky to get OEM updates a year out from device release in most cases.

XDA community is amazing though with mid-high end android phones and most will get custom ROM support for 3-5 years

I would be willing to go custom, I have read lots of information about them and they seem like a good thing to get.

[sc302 Veteran]

I would go pixel if you want android.  You couldn't pay me to own another samsung.   I would never recommend for longevity...would never recommend for over 6 months.

 

To last as long as you want, you are going to have to get a flagship phone, purchasing last years model flaghship will already take away a year from you regarding being able to update.  

 

I would recommend apple if longevity is the case, but even still I would not go any lower than a 7 and recommend at least an 8.   FWIW, I have iphone 6's out in the field still functioning perfectly. The iphone 6 came out in 2014...and they are soon to be replaced.  

[jnelsoninjax]

8 minutes ago, sc302 said:

I would go pixel if you want android.  You couldn't pay me to own another samsung. I would never recommend for longevity...would never recommend for over 6 months.

 

To last as long as you want, you are going to have to get a flagship phone, purchasing last years model flaghship will already take away a year from you regarding being able to update.  

 

I would recommend apple if longevity is the case, but even still I would not go any lower than a 7 and recommend at least an 8.   FWIW, I have iphone 6's out in the field still functioning perfectly. The iphone 6 came out in 2014...and they are soon to be replaced.  

I really do not like apple, and would like to stay with Android (personal opinion). As far as Samsung, I agree with you (never really liked them, even more after the battery fiasco). What makes the Pixel a good phone? Also does anyone know about the Essential line of phones?

[sc302 Veteran]

18 minutes ago, jnelsoninjax said:

I really do not like apple, and would like to stay with Android (personal opinion). As far as Samsung, I agree with you (never really liked them, even more after the battery fiasco). What makes the Pixel a good phone? Also does anyone know about the Essential line of phones?

Pixel is a good choice being that it doesn't have manufacture customization like touchwiz from Samsung.  It has the lightest Andriod os as far as 3rd party customization go, being that it is made by the company that made Android.

 

IMO, Apple is for communication with others (text, phone calls..you know actual communication) as it has worked the best for me and others...Android is better for everything else. 

 

FWIW, My son wanted an android phone because all of his friends had one....he hated it within 2 days, went with apple and hasn't had a complaint since.   His complaints were: slow, unresponsive, people can't hear him at times or he can't hear people at times, missed calls, lockups, can't type/text coherently, over heating, battery life, weekly factory defaults...this was on a new samsung j7, of which he had for about 6 months.  He has had his iphone 7 for about 2 months now, not a single complaint from day one.  I checked up on him a few weeks after, he said battery life is good-great and he can actually use it...no overheating, no lockups.  To this date, no resets and no factory refreshes.    I could be a little jaded towards Android due to Samsung and how horrible mine and other experiences have been. 

 

I recommend pixel due to others (friends) stating how accurate, light, and responsive it is because of the lack of 3rd party customization, not due to personal experience.  

 

 

 

 

[Brandon H Supervisor]

the problem with the Pixel/Nexus phones is they don't have microSD support; I don't know about you jnelson but expandable storage makes a big difference for me. I used to feel the same about removable batteries as well but since I have a good external battery bank that doesn't bother me as much as it used to; expandable storage is still a must for me though 

 

I'll look through some devices on break today and post some with good custom rom support

[sc302 Veteran]

4 minutes ago, Brandon H said:

the problem with the Pixel/Nexus phones is they don't have microSD support; I don't know about you jnelson but expandable storage makes a big difference for me. I used to feel the same about removable batteries as well but since I have a good external battery bank that doesn't bother me as much as it used to; expandable storage is still a must for me though 

 

I'll look through some devices on break today and post some with good custom rom support

It all depends on your usage.  128GB is more than most people use if you opt for the larger one.  It does vary...FWIW, I have never used the sd option when I had a phone capable of it.  

[Brandon H Supervisor]

9 minutes ago, sc302 said:

It all depends on your usage.  128GB is more than most people use if you opt for the larger one.  It does vary...FWIW, I have never used the sd option when I had a phone capable of it.  

true; but the phone cost is needlessly raised for those higher capacities; I'd personally rather save $100+ and buy the 16gb model and throw a large but cheap microSD card in it.

 

No CD player in my car radio atm but has aux so I like to load a bunch of music on my SD card for long drives/trips for when signal drops out and I can't use Pandora

[sc302 Veteran]

40 minutes ago, Brandon H said:

 

No CD player in my car radio atm but has aux so I like to load a bunch of music on my SD card for long drives/trips for when signal drops out and I can't use Pandora

A lot of those streaming services do offer the ability to download songs to your phone.  I know amazon prime music unlimited does.  The regular prime music, which is included with standard prime membership and works similar to pandora/spotify with stations or gives you the ability to listen to whole albums and create playlists, does not allow you to download music.  Pandora plus also allows you to download stations for offline listening.  Looking at those prices....It is just about as cost effective for me to have both my cars on XM for 10 bux a month, but then again it is only in the car which is where I only listen to music.  

[jnelsoninjax]

I have almost decided on https://smile.amazon.com/Nokia-7-1-Unlocked-Smartphone-T-Mobile/dp/B07HD2X91Q/ what is the opinion on it? It runs Android one, and it looks to be a decent phone.

[goretsky Supervisor]

Hello,

 

It seems to get very decent reviews.

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

 

[PGHammer]

I went with the Pixel 3a for exactly that reason.  Like all Pixel hardware, guaranteed updates for *three years* - in practice, it has meant guaranteed updates forever.  (Name a Pixel device that is no longer getting updates (either OS or security).)  The other reason is that - for once - the price in the US is actually sane.  (As much as the camera on the Pixel 3a - and even the 3 - has been bragged on, I take so few pictures with the camera in any phone, I have taken to using "#whatcamera?" as a hashtag - which means what it looks like; the camera meant, and means, squat.)

[DentedAphid7]

On 10/24/2018 at 12:43 AM, jnelsoninjax said:

I would be willing to go custom, I have read lots of information about them and they seem like a good thing to get.

Yes, custom usually get managed by the people around the world and normally you can get a long life span out of this. Where as 3 years for most flagship phones.

On 10/24/2018 at 12:30 AM, Brandon H said:

are you willing to flash custom roms or do you prefer to leave the phone on stock/oem?

 

the reason I ask is because most phones, even the flagships, have a poor upgrade reputation; you're lucky to get OEM updates a year out from device release in most cases.

XDA community is amazing though with mid-high end android phones and most will get custom ROM support for 3-5 years

I used to have a LG phone, and this is one reason not to use it is updates. Even the new software center is just big words from them, nothing has done.

@jnelsoninjax Are you looking for any of those?

Decent CPU ?

Best Camera?

HEadphone Jack?

Expandable storage?

NFC?

[Steven P. Administrators]

On 10/26/2018 at 3:54 AM, jnelsoninjax said:

I have almost decided on https://smile.amazon.com/Nokia-7-1-Unlocked-Smartphone-T-Mobile/dp/B07HD2X91Q/ what is the opinion on it? It runs Android one, and it looks to be a decent phone.

What phone did you get and are you happy with that purchase?

[jnelsoninjax]

Moto X4, and yes I really like it, it is just perfect for my needs.

[Steven P. Administrators]

3 minutes ago, jnelsoninjax said:

Moto X4, and yes I really like it, it is just perfect for my needs.

Not bad  https://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_moto_x4-8634.php I had a Moto G4, really liked it.

[jnelsoninjax]

It has been a really decent phone, and for the price I am happy.

[PGHammer]

On 10/23/2018 at 10:06 AM, sc302 said:

Pixel is a good choice being that it doesn't have manufacture customization like touchwiz from Samsung.  It has the lightest Andriod os as far as 3rd party customization go, being that it is made by the company that made Android.

 

IMO, Apple is for communication with others (text, phone calls..you know actual communication) as it has worked the best for me and others...Android is better for everything else. 

 

FWIW, My son wanted an android phone because all of his friends had one....he hated it within 2 days, went with apple and hasn't had a complaint since.   His complaints were: slow, unresponsive, people can't hear him at times or he can't hear people at times, missed calls, lockups, can't type/text coherently, over heating, battery life, weekly factory defaults...this was on a new samsung j7, of which he had for about 6 months.  He has had his iphone 7 for about 2 months now, not a single complaint from day one.  I checked up on him a few weeks after, he said battery life is good-great and he can actually use it...no overheating, no lockups.  To this date, no resets and no factory refreshes.    I could be a little jaded towards Android due to Samsung and how horrible mine and other experiences have been. 

 

I recommend pixel due to others (friends) stating how accurate, light, and responsive it is because of the lack of 3rd party customization, not due to personal experience.  

 

 

 

 

While Pixels don't have expandable storage, what do you use it for? (The expandable storage, that is.)  If you also have multiple devices, can you shift some of your usage of expandable storage to other devices (or even the cloud) so your need for such storage drops?  (I did that back when I still used an S7 Snapdragon - I started using PCs - both desktop and notebooks - to grab large files that I stored in the cloud instead; I could still access them on my phone; in particular, OneDrive.  Why OneDrive?  OneDrive is actually easier - not harder - to use on Android than Google Drive; a rather odd quirk.  The hard part on Android is actually downloading files to OneDrive; that is what I use the PCs for.   That is why/how I obviated my need for expandable storage on my phone - and before I got my Pixel 3a.)  If you can obviate your need FOR expandable storage on your phone - which CAN be done depending on what you use it for - a Pixel of any age can fit the long-term use pattern.  My rejection of the Pixel 4 is for the same reasons that I kicked the S10e out of the "Buy" cart when the 3a came along:

 

1.  The price is too tall - and especially compared to any Pixel 3a.

2.  Unless you absolutely MUST have the features driven by the 4's camera hardware, you won't lose them by purchasing the saner-priced 3a - as the same Camera APK will run on it; I have, in fact, installed it on my 3a.

3.  Face Unlock is actually LESS secure than Fingerprint Unlock (which the 4 lacks); it needs a patch (per Google).

 

 

[spikey_richie]

If I were in the market to buy an off-the-shelf product, I'd get a Pixel 3 or 4. I'm currently on contract with Vodafone (UK) and their best device at the time for me was the Xperia XZ3. I really rate the Sony devices, and they're my second choice behind Google flagship models.