SoManyMiles-SoLittleTime

Ditto. I really don't care about all the Google stuff (Assistant, Yo Google, whatever), but the pixel is really fast, not loaded with crapware, and probably way down the list of items most people care about, but important to me, it's got great sound quality as a PHONE.

pinniped

I've wavered a bit on this question of "how much to spend on a phone?", but I've settled in the $250-350 range for a flagship or near-flagship phone.

In 2016, I bought a Moto X Pure which I loved...until I destroyed it. It was $275, unlocked with no carrier bloat, nice phone. At the end of 2016, we bought 2 Galaxy S7's + 2 Gear VR units for $700...although this has the effect of keeping us with Sprint for 2 more years. (That is, one of the S7's is "free" provided you stay. Not a contract, but similar effect in practice.)

We also still have one Galaxy S5 in use on another line on the account. That phone performs pretty well for most things, so I'm hopeful that the S7's should be solid performers for 2-3 years at least.

Unless, y'know, I destroy one.

Silver Fox

Destroying or losing them is my fear. I am still in extreme dither mode as to the replacement I will get for mine. Currently I am in the "I am not spending a lot on a phone" camp. The phone du jour for me is the UHANS A101 as I am coming to the realization that I really only use WhatsApp, a few banking apps, Betfair, Strava, Podcast Addict, United App, Firefox, and that's it really. I shall dither some more.

pseudoswede

That is my hope, too. I got the S7's in March 2016. It checks everything off my list: decent-size screen (I was hoping for 5.0"), band 12, wi-fi calling, wireless charging, water resistance, and physical home button. SoC and RAM are things I'm not too concerned with. The rumored features of the Galaxy S8 sound all fine and dandy, but nothing game-changing enough to make me switch (plus, I'd have to buy a slew of USB-C cables and adapters). Mrs. Swede and I don't use our phones for anything intensive, so they should last us until the Galaxy S9 is released.

Silver Fox

My phone du jour is now the Bluboo Picasso 4G which is ~£70 in the UK. The English in the description is amusing too. I know they are cheap phones but I don't understand why they don't spend a little money on getting someone with English as a first language to rewrite it. Anyway, I shall dither over that phone now.

gobluetwo

I've been poking fun at Chinglish, Konglish, and Japlish for a while, at least since around 1990. It never ends, much to my delight. The "all your base are belong to us" meme came from a Japanese video game with bad Japlish.

Anyway....

I'm hoping my GS6, purchased in October 2015, lasts me at least through 2017 until the GS9 (or something better) comes along. While I would appreciate expandable storage and waterproof (still miss you, Xperia Z), those aren't must-haves for right now.

msp3

Just used my upgrade on a LG G5, when should I expect bootloops or some other hardware failure?

chx1975

The Moto Z if https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/p...-z/x/5633299#/ succeeds. I hope it does.

WIRunner

The G5 isn't as bad as the G4 or the V10. It was usually around the 9-15 month mark (or after a good drop.) I haven't seen many issues with the G5 in general.

msp3

After reading about all the issues LG has been having and how they are (not) dealing with them I'm really starting to freak out and am now looking for the next trade-in promo to dump them. But that new LG G6 looks stunning and comes with an amazing amount of free .... (on Sprint and Verizon, at least)

joshwex90

I've had not such great experiences with LG. G3 would constantly restart and then could no longer connect to WiFi or Bluetooth. Was told it was a "total loss."

On G5 now and it has an extremely hard time finding location. They won't replace it and say there doesn't seem to be anything wrong.

Not to mention the issues other LG phones have had.

So I figured I should go pure Android next time. No bloatware. No overlays that will cause issues. Direct Google support. And then I read this: After 2 dead Nexus phones, I'm skipping the Google Pixel

TWA884

We've had that issue with both the G2 and the G4. When one of our G4's developed the bootloop issue just before a European trip, we dumped them and replaced both with Samsungs, an S7 and an S7 Edge. We haven't looked back. There is a reason that both are top rated by Consumer Reports (article, video).

Lurker1999

I'm currently trying to get one last successful boot off my Nexus 5X so I can transfer data to the refurb Google just sent me as an out-of-warranty because-I'm-a-valued-customer-(and-there's-a-class-action-lawsuit) replacement. Thanks LG bootloop, thanks a lot.

Looking down the road I think I'm getting a new phone this year. I was contemplating the Pixel but it's still out of stock, it's May and there's already plenty of rumors about the Pixel 2 out there for the fall. Assuming the Pixel 2 still has a 3.5mm headphone jack (are you listening Google?) it's on my list of phones to consider.

Beyond the Pixel 2 what else should I look at? I really like stock Android, no bloatware but I'm not really a fan of Google's abandonment after 2 years (see: https://support.google.com/pixelphon.../4457705?hl=en) since I wouldn't mind stretching my phones past 2 years as long as they're still running well. I'm going to stick with T-Mobile for my carrier for now.

WIRunner

Its going to be tough to get beyond 2 years on an Android device for software support. Apple will continue to support a device until there's a major change in architecture, or the processor is just to slow to keep up. Rumour has it that sometime in the next few weeks T-Mobile is going to release a self branded device that will be fairly high end at a not high end price.

I've been happy with the G6, only had it for a week, but it has been nice. Personally, I'd give the HTC phones a good look. I had been using an HTC 10 for the past 6 months. Sense isn't obtrusive like it had once been. HTC has been a bit "off" with pricing, so it might be worth a slight wait after the 11 is released. The upside is that if you buy from HTC directly, it will still work with T-Mobile's WiFi calling without issue.

elCheapoDeluxe

Absolutely waiting for the KeyONE. It's the device I've been begging for, for about 7 years now.