Splitting this year into its own thread - here's the 2015 edition.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...uld-i-get.html

Official 2016 "Which Smartphone Should I Get?"
 

So I just finished a month with a Galaxy Note 5 through the Samsung Ultimate Test Drive. Was sad to send it back last week after my trial was up. To say it was an upgrade over my 3 year old HTC One (M7) is a huge understatement. What a beautiful screen. Just yesterday I got a Galaxy S6 Edge+ through the same program. Very nice device. Looking forward to playing with it for the next month. By the time this trial is up Samsung will officially be announcing the S7 line, so this test drive program is holding me over nicely considering my M7 is on its last legs.

I think smartphones have entered that era of very diminished incremental improvements for the added cost. My Galaxy S5 remains dependable and OS-upgradeable, with a replaceable battery (and great battery life in any case).

I saw no reason to upgrade to an S6; if the S7 doesn't return to a replaceable battery, there's no real compelling reason to upgrade to it.

I agree. Very little improvement from one generation to the next these days. As for the S7, if rumors are correct the fixed battery will remain, albeit larger. But allegedly the micro SD slot will be returning, which is far more important to me. If only they could find a way to get front facing stereo speakers on it...that's one of my favorite features and I will definitely miss it when I retire my HTC.

Hey folks,

Could you recommend an Android phone for me? I'm looking for a spare to complement my iPhone 6. It doesn't have to be awesome, it just needs to be able to run Waze, Google Maps, Gmail, Skype, FB Messenger, and a few other apps well. No gaming. Maybe not even photos.

Here are the requirements in order of priority:
0. Unlocked and supports AT&T LTE stateside, works well in LHR, HKG, NRT, HND, SIN, DBX, and PPT.
1. Is less than $200. Cheaper = better.
2. Support Lollipop / marshmallow. Ideally has a good track record of having OS updates.
3. At least 16GB onboard
4. Prefer removable battery, but not a dealbreaker

I've tried searching myself - but I get so lost when it comes to which phones support what bands and in what countries.

Thanks!

Could you recommend an Android phone for me? I'm looking for a spare to complement my iPhone 6. It doesn't have to be awesome, it just needs to be able to run Waze, Google Maps, Gmail, Skype, FB Messenger, and a few other apps well. No gaming. Maybe not even photos.

Here are the requirements in order of priority:
Is HSPA+ "working well" for the latter set? Do you plan to use it with an AT&T SIM when abroad, or unlocked with local SIMs?

Does this need to be new? The number of non-crud, name-brand phones under (or exactly equal to) $200 is quite low, especially if you're looking unlocked.

Pretty sure you've just run out of new phones here... and even for used ones, Google/Moto (and Samsung with their flagship models) do end support eventually, so the older it is, the less likely to get further updates it is.

16GB should be in anything decent at this point. The "at least" part is unlikely at your price point, although most good phones there will have and SD card reader -- SD-card-lessness seems to be a disease of higher-end phones.

Unusual, but maybe not impossible.

Other than bands, your options are pretty much:
* Moto G (although the 16GB one with more RAM, which you want, is $219)
* ASUS Zenphone 2 ($199, although for upgrades, their track record on US-market phones is a bit of an unknown.)
* Huawei Honor 5X ($199, out 1/31, although for upgrades, their track record on US-market phones is a bit of an unknown.)

If you can live without 16GB, the Moto E LTE wouldn't be a bad option at $149, or the Moto G 8gb (3rd Gen) at $179.

Unless one of those works for you (and you list a few too many countries for me to feel like looking up the bands for you) your next step is pretty much either carrier-specific phones (if you're going to be using the AT&T SIM abroad) or off-brand stuff like Blu.

--

Also, does screen-size matter, and do you need voice calling? With your budget and specs, one thing that occurs to me is that you might do much better with a 7"-8" model sold as a tablet at this price range...

Hey dtc,

Why do you require LTE speeds? None of the apps listed require LTE. A 3.5G pentaband phone will cover most areas. LTE has over 40 bands! Don't expect phone companies to update the OS, because that is one way to move users to buy a new phone.;) Sony phones are easier to unlock the bootloader and root (for custom ROMs).

Use http://www.gsmarena.com/ to help narrow the choices.

Also 8GB phones can easily hold all the apps you listed. Games are the apps that really eat your storage.

Heads up for those who appreciate the latest & pure Android OS - MM 6.0.1 - Google Store dropped the prices this week on its Nexus 5X and 6P by $50, the N5X 16GB is now $299 + taxes for the 16GB version and $349 for the 32GB version (slightly bigger than our N5, it's perfect for one-hand use - and not sluggish at all, mine on custom rom with Android Pay still working when it is needed :D) Free shipping & Google Music is free for 90 days.
WiFi calling is supported (enabled for T-Mobile ... just like my backup iPhone 5S) ... let the gradual transition to USB 3.1 type-C begin ;)
http://www.androidcentral.com/get-50...p-google-store

Meanwhile, prices for the "older" Nexus 6 released in 2014 are dropping - surprise inventory on *Bay for as low as $250 shipped (actually, a "store demo" batch was available for $215 ...) as Mrs L is asking for something with a "little" bigger screen than her N5 now.

Since Motorola Moto E 4G LTE phones for Verizon and Sprint are $40 often at Best Buy , has anyone used the GSM bands on these phones overseas ?

if possible it seems like a cheap "world phone"

Anyone use this ?

Yes, I use it in Europe, works, often 2G only but even that is enough to have maps and email and honestly I don't much else to tourist.

You definitely want to get the Verizon one. They're fully unlocked, to get the "invalid SIM" error off is pretty simple to do as well.

not sure if this has been posted , but they have a weekly list of phones on sale at all the big retailers and phone companie websites

http://www.prepaidphonenews.com/

So... an update on my quest. I got a Xiaomi Redmi 2 phone for free from my in-laws.

Free = cool. Really nice phone. But it is hard locked to China bands. (There's pages on how to unlock other GSM bands, but it requires a ton of hacking. Craziness.)

Whoops.

Looking at the Phone Finder tool, I'm kind of confused since there are so many LTE bands, and some of them duplicate frequencies. Is there a cheat sheet to help me narrow these bands down? I'd like to get a global phone.

Whoa... that's some eye watering reads there!

I was using my co-worker's Galaxy 5 and I kind of like it. What SM-G900(?) model would be best any network in the USA, HKG/PEK, NRT, LHR, CDG?

Would the SM-G900V (verizon) suffice?