I Need a Phone thats Just Like the Amazon Fire Phone... - Page 4

HarryT · 10-08-2017, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

I've decided that from now on, in an era where flagship phones near $1000 US, I simply won't spend more than $400 for a phone that will only last 3 years if we are lucky. I'm DONE with flagship phones.

Some last better than others. I kept my iPhone 4 for over five years before eventually buying my current iPhone 6 two years ago (and it still had a decent battery life when I finally got rid of it). I expect to keep my iPhone 6 just as long. It makes sense to buy "flagship" phones if you keep them a while; probably cheaper than upgrading a cheap phone every year.

barryem · 10-08-2017, 06:24 PM

I have a Galaxy S5, a flagship phone that I bought new a year and a half after they quit making them. I paid $200. I think the original price was close to $700. It does have a user replaceable battery so I bought a spare battery and a charger for that battery. It's worked out very nicely. It's not a current flagship phone but it's still faster than greased lightning. It was close but it won. I burned my fingers greasing the lightning.

My previous phone was a Nexus 5, which was a flagship phone about the same time but I got it new after it's replacement models were already selling well for, I think, $150. It was an amazing phone, far nicer than the Samsung, but it didn't get very good battery life and it wasn't possible to simply swap in another battery when it got low.

By the way, both of them upgraded to Android 6 the day I got them. Not the latest OS but pretty close.

Anyway, if you want a flagship phone and you don't want to pay much for it there are ways. The key is to shop and don't be in a hurry. Learn what the various features are and decide which you care about and then look for those. And teach yourself enough to watch for the pitfalls, like the short battery life of the Nexus. It was my first smartphone and I didn't know to look for that. I know now.

That said, I had smartphones before these, not that I used as phones but that I used for media and with Wifi. Those were cheap and also selected carefully and patiently and my guess is that I'd have been just as happy with them as phones. I still use my Moto E2 for reading. It gets better battery life than either of my flagship phones and, while it's CPU is much slower I really can't tell the difference when I'm doing most things.

Barry

Barbara1955 · 10-08-2017, 06:41 PM

Looking at this: Samsung Galaxy S6 Unlocked Smartphone .... Anyone know what year this came out?

AnemicOak · 10-08-2017, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barbara1955

Looking at this: Samsung Galaxy S6 Unlocked Smartphone .... Anyone know what year this came out?

2015

Note that the S6 does not have the user replaceable battery you mentioned wanting earlier.

Barbara1955 · 10-08-2017, 07:00 PM

Ok that too old.... shelf life of the battery be Zero. Best Buy offer me a $50 off IF I buy it in the next few days. I can see why

barryem · 10-08-2017, 08:53 PM

The Galaxy S5 came out in 2014. I got mine new from PureTalk for $200. Unfortunately they only had a few of them. That was about 5 or 6 months ago.

When I got it the battery was dead. It had probably been sitting in a warehouse somewhere. It charged up just fine but by that time I'd already bought a new battery. It's been a good phone.

Replacing the battery, which I rarely have to do, takes less time than the phone needs to start up again. Maybe 10 or 15 seconds.

It came with Android 5 but within half an hour of turning it on it updated to Android 6 something. I forget the exact version number.

Samsung makes their phones more difficult to use than plain vanilla Android but it's not bad and it does everything and it's very fast. This was the fastest Android phone on the market till the Galaxy S6 came out. I don't play many games with it but I have a few times and it's good.

I'd rather have this than a Galaxy S6 because that lacks an easily replaceable battery and doesn't have expandable storage. I have a 128 gig card in mine, although I'm not really sure why.

The manager of my retirement home has an Iphone 6, or 6s, I forget which. She's always trying to figure out how to do things that mine does easily, such as watching videos converted from a DVD. She's been watching how easily I do things like and she's swearing her next phone will be Android.

By the way I think I've figure out the secret of the Iphone's success. When you use it it emits an addictive chemical that turns you into mindless zombies who wander around with their arms sticking out in front of them muttering "Iphone, Iphone".

Barry

Barbara1955 · 10-08-2017, 09:00 PM

How did you change the battery? Never Mind!

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...D8&FORM=VDQVAP

YES that's what I am Talking about

IPhone call home

Blossom · 10-08-2017, 09:26 PM

I think iPhones are nice and so are Galaxy phones. Each have pros and cons. It's nice to have choices out there. I prefer Android however if someone gave me an iPhone I wouldn't mind using it. I myself can't justify the cost. If I'm going to buy something over $100 I'll buy a tablet.

Sent from my Nexus 7

AnemicOak · 10-08-2017, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barbara1955

Ok that too old.... shelf life of the battery be Zero. Best Buy offer me a $50 off IF I buy it in the next few days. I can see why

You do realize that current stock of those at Best Buy aren't ones built back in 2015 for the initial launch, right? Manufacturers continue making some of their previous flagship models and sell them at a lower price when newer models come out.

Barbara1955 · 10-08-2017, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

You do realize that current stock of those at Best Buy aren't ones built back in 2015 for the initial launch, right? Manufacturers continue making some of their previous flagship models and sell them at a lower price when newer models come out.

How can I know its not one that's been sitting on a shelf some where?

Barbara1955 · 10-08-2017, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barryem

I have a Galaxy S5, a flagship phone that I bought new a year and a half after they quit making them. I paid $200. I think the original price was close to $700. It does have a user replaceable battery so I bought a spare battery and a charger for that battery. It's worked out very nicely. It's not a current flagship phone but it's still faster than greased lightning. It was close but it won. I burned my fingers greasing the lightning.

My previous phone was a Nexus 5, which was a flagship phone about the same time but I got it new after it's replacement models were already selling well for, I think, $150. It was an amazing phone, far nicer than the Samsung, but it didn't get very good battery life and it wasn't possible to simply swap in another battery when it got low.

By the way, both of them upgraded to Android 6 the day I got them. Not the latest OS but pretty close.

Anyway, if you want a flagship phone and you don't want to pay much for it there are ways. The key is to shop and don't be in a hurry. Learn what the various features are and decide which you care about and then look for those. And teach yourself enough to watch for the pitfalls, like the short battery life of the Nexus. It was my first smartphone and I didn't know to look for that. I know now.

That said, I had smartphones before these, not that I used as phones but that I used for media and with Wifi. Those were cheap and also selected carefully and patiently and my guess is that I'd have been just as happy with them as phones. I still use my Moto E2 for reading. It gets better battery life than either of my flagship phones and, while it's CPU is much slower I really can't tell the difference when I'm doing most things.

Barry

I can get this now for $190 ... but the OS is android 4.4

kitkat What is your current OS?

filmo · 10-18-2017, 10:03 PM

Samsung Note 4 my son has one bought new still has excellent battery life with easy replacement. Wish they still made new note phone with replaceable battery. I would buy it to replace my old flip phone.

Barbara1955 · 10-21-2017, 09:33 PM

I went with the Galaxy S5..got it the mail today

+ I ordered a case for it & it came with an extra battery!

Nate the great · 10-21-2017, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barbara1955

I went with the Galaxy S5..got it the mail today

+ I ordered a case for it & it came with an extra battery!

well, darn

I have a lightly used Fire phone ( <5 hours) and a financial incentive to part with it.

Barbara1955 · 10-21-2017, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

well, darn

I have a lightly used Fire phone ( <5 hours) and a financial incentive to part with it.

What do you mean?

10-08-2017, 09:00 PM	#52
Barbara1955 Non-Techy Posts: 4,455 Karma: 15499273 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: WV---USA Device: Samsung Cell Phone & Amazon Fires & Kobo eReaders	How did you change the battery? Never Mind! https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...D8&FORM=VDQVAP YES that's what I am Talking about IPhone call home Last edited by Barbara1955; 10-08-2017 at 09:38 PM.

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10-08-2017, 06:24 PM	#47
barryem Wizard Posts: 2,459 Karma: 68781975 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Arkansas Device: Paperwhite 4	I have a Galaxy S5, a flagship phone that I bought new a year and a half after they quit making them. I paid $200. I think the original price was close to $700. It does have a user replaceable battery so I bought a spare battery and a charger for that battery. It's worked out very nicely. It's not a current flagship phone but it's still faster than greased lightning. It was close but it won. I burned my fingers greasing the lightning. My previous phone was a Nexus 5, which was a flagship phone about the same time but I got it new after it's replacement models were already selling well for, I think, $150. It was an amazing phone, far nicer than the Samsung, but it didn't get very good battery life and it wasn't possible to simply swap in another battery when it got low. By the way, both of them upgraded to Android 6 the day I got them. Not the latest OS but pretty close. Anyway, if you want a flagship phone and you don't want to pay much for it there are ways. The key is to shop and don't be in a hurry. Learn what the various features are and decide which you care about and then look for those. And teach yourself enough to watch for the pitfalls, like the short battery life of the Nexus. It was my first smartphone and I didn't know to look for that. I know now. That said, I had smartphones before these, not that I used as phones but that I used for media and with Wifi. Those were cheap and also selected carefully and patiently and my guess is that I'd have been just as happy with them as phones. I still use my Moto E2 for reading. It gets better battery life than either of my flagship phones and, while it's CPU is much slower I really can't tell the difference when I'm doing most things. Barry

10-08-2017, 06:41 PM	#48
Barbara1955 Non-Techy Posts: 4,455 Karma: 15499273 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: WV---USA Device: Samsung Cell Phone & Amazon Fires & Kobo eReaders	Looking at this: Samsung Galaxy S6 Unlocked Smartphone .... Anyone know what year this came out?

10-08-2017, 07:00 PM	#50
Barbara1955 Non-Techy Posts: 4,455 Karma: 15499273 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: WV---USA Device: Samsung Cell Phone & Amazon Fires & Kobo eReaders	Ok that too old.... shelf life of the battery be Zero. Best Buy offer me a $50 off IF I buy it in the next few days. I can see why

10-08-2017, 08:53 PM	#51
barryem Wizard Posts: 2,459 Karma: 68781975 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Arkansas Device: Paperwhite 4	The Galaxy S5 came out in 2014. I got mine new from PureTalk for $200. Unfortunately they only had a few of them. That was about 5 or 6 months ago. When I got it the battery was dead. It had probably been sitting in a warehouse somewhere. It charged up just fine but by that time I'd already bought a new battery. It's been a good phone. Replacing the battery, which I rarely have to do, takes less time than the phone needs to start up again. Maybe 10 or 15 seconds. It came with Android 5 but within half an hour of turning it on it updated to Android 6 something. I forget the exact version number. Samsung makes their phones more difficult to use than plain vanilla Android but it's not bad and it does everything and it's very fast. This was the fastest Android phone on the market till the Galaxy S6 came out. I don't play many games with it but I have a few times and it's good. I'd rather have this than a Galaxy S6 because that lacks an easily replaceable battery and doesn't have expandable storage. I have a 128 gig card in mine, although I'm not really sure why. The manager of my retirement home has an Iphone 6, or 6s, I forget which. She's always trying to figure out how to do things that mine does easily, such as watching videos converted from a DVD. She's been watching how easily I do things like and she's swearing her next phone will be Android. By the way I think I've figure out the secret of the Iphone's success. When you use it it emits an addictive chemical that turns you into mindless zombies who wander around with their arms sticking out in front of them muttering "Iphone, Iphone". Barry

10-08-2017, 09:26 PM	#53
Blossom Treasure Seeker Posts: 18,708 Karma: 26026435 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: Kobo HD Glo, Kindles, Kindle Fires, Andriod Devices	I think iPhones are nice and so are Galaxy phones. Each have pros and cons. It's nice to have choices out there. I prefer Android however if someone gave me an iPhone I wouldn't mind using it. I myself can't justify the cost. If I'm going to buy something over $100 I'll buy a tablet. Sent from my Nexus 7

10-18-2017, 10:03 PM	#57
filmo Wizard Posts: 1,326 Karma: 1077205 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: Kobo Touch, Sony T1, Kobo Mini	Samsung Note 4 my son has one bought new still has excellent battery life with easy replacement. Wish they still made new note phone with replaceable battery. I would buy it to replace my old flip phone.

10-21-2017, 09:33 PM	#58
Barbara1955 Non-Techy Posts: 4,455 Karma: 15499273 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: WV---USA Device: Samsung Cell Phone & Amazon Fires & Kobo eReaders	I went with the Galaxy S5..got it the mail today + I ordered a case for it & it came with an extra battery!