Advice to replace wife's "lost" 6s

[galstaph]

So my wife lost her brand new (from Christmas) iphone 6s (64g) at our local theatre and the cleaners "never found it" (find my iphone pinged it last in the theatre and she was in the last showing - it wasn't there by morning) three weeks and still not turned back on so she is back to her old iphone 5 which glitches like crazy. she has said she would move over to android as the few games she plays are available on the play store and besides she likes my z3c.

So looking at what is currently there (and not wanting to sell a kidney) I've kind of narrowed down to a few devices I favour:
Sony Z5 - waterproof, good camera and expandable memory
Sony X performance - not yet released but looks really good, price is up in the air
Oneplus 2 - I really like the specs and it seems like a good bang for buck.... but not sure about it
Nexus 5x - looks like a decent all arounder
Samsung s6/s7 - the s7 is expensive possible out fo range - the s6 is a nice shooter, but no expandable memory
Note 5 - she picked it up and liked it - again not expandable - 32gb versions can be had for not too terrible pricing - or should I look at a note 4?

So long story short - my wife wants a good camera (on par with/better than the 6s iphone she had), and a decent good quality phone - being able to get a warranty is also a plus. As you guys are likely more versed in what the market is doing I thought I'd ask for advice on what would be best phone (and camera on that phone) for around $650 CAD

Thanks!

 

[spriter]

If camera is the priority and the newest phones are too lofty in price, I'd try for a S6 64gb. Maybe see how the G5, S7, and M10 fall in the next few weeks. The P9 also has a seemingly hood camera but no 4K.

I've had a few phones on that list. I also value a good, quick camera. My experiences were:

Z5c - not overly impressed with the camera. Terrible app launch time and shutter lag got it returned within three days. Overhyped IMO.

OP2 - nice device but let down by the camera. Average to good quality shots but again a laggy shutter meant I eventually sold it.

S6/S6e - really liked these. Preferred the non-edge variant. Great camera but 64gb a better option. Battery average (3-4 hours SOT usually). Samsung are lazy with updates of course. Just picked up an S7 today so don't yet know how the camera compares in my own testing.

Note 5 - excellent device. Outstanding if a phablet is the aim. Very compact and ergonomics for such a big screen. Great all-rounder from battery to camera and the extra 1GB RAM over S6 helps a bit multitasking. Again 64gb much better option and you wait for updates. Wife just inherited mine and I don't think I'm getting it back anytime soon.

FWIW I'm currently using an SE alongside the S7 that's replaced a Note 5.

 

[Blaze4G]

So my wife lost her brand new (from Christmas) iphone 6s (64g) at our local theatre and the cleaners "never found it" (find my iphone pinged it last in the theatre and she was in the last showing - it wasn't there by morning) three weeks and still not turned back on so she is back to her old iphone 5 which glitches like crazy. she has said she would move over to android as the few games she plays are available on the play store and besides she likes my z3c.

So looking at what is currently there (and not wanting to sell a kidney) I've kind of narrowed down to a few devices I favour:
Sony Z5 - waterproof, good camera and expandable memory
Sony X performance - not yet released but looks really good, price is up in the air
Oneplus 2 - I really like the specs and it seems like a good bang for buck.... but not sure about it
Nexus 5x - looks like a decent all arounder
Samsung s6/s7 - the s7 is expensive possible out fo range - the s6 is a nice shooter, but no expandable memory
Note 5 - she picked it up and liked it - again not expandable - 32gb versions can be had for not too terrible pricing - or should I look at a note 4?

So long story short - my wife wants a good camera (on par with/better than the 6s iphone she had), and a decent good quality phone - being able to get a warranty is also a plus. As you guys are likely more versed in what the market is doing I thought I'd ask for advice on what would be best phone (and camera on that phone) for around $650 CAD

Thanks!

The s6 battery life is not so good so I would cross that off the list.
One plus 2 camera is a noticeable step below 6s so you can cross that off too.
Sony z5 might be out of yr budget, so that is a possibly off your list too.

That leaves us with the 5x and note 5. Both has non expandable storage, however the 6s did not have expandable storage so it should not be something your wife miss.

Personally I would go with note 5 although I do prefer stock Android. The 5x is way more budget friendly and a good option. Will only be able to get max 32gb though, will your wife be fine with that?

The 5x camera is on par with 6s (slower though and video is not so good because of stabilisation). Also has warranty.

Note 5 camera is above 6s, not sure about warranty.


If it was me, I would seriously consider for your wife a g4. It is cheaper than note 5 but more than 5x. It has a better camera than 6s. The only gripe with g4 is if the skin Android might be a bit much.

Why not consider SE? I am assuming it's too small?

 

[galstaph]

The SE is very close to her old 5, which she has admitted to me that she actually liked the larger display of her 6s - plus it is 709 here for the 64gb (838 with applecare).

So size does matter

The Z5 can be had if you look for 650 - so not out of budget.

I will check out the other suggestions

any more keep em coming

 

[lowendlinux]

I'd probably just get the 5x and put a nice case on it to take away the ugly. If you go used there's a plethora of phones out there

 

[nj-morris]

The SE is very close to her old 5, which she has admitted to me that she actually liked the larger display of her 6s - plus it is 709 here for the 64gb (838 with applecare).

So size does matter

The Z5 can be had if you look for 650 - so not out of budget.

I will check out the other suggestions

any more keep em coming

I would say the S6 as the first choice. It's still a very good phone for it's now decreased price tag. First time I saw the S6, I was stunned, and it was the main reason for me turning to Android in the first place.

 

[Technarchy]

S6 would be a great option. Plus it is quite affordable.

I had one and have nothing but praise.

 

[WrenFGun]

S6 would be a great option. Plus it is quite affordable.

I had one and have nothing but praise.

I've used a number of phones, and with the exception of what was a four year old Galaxy Nexus I bought to introduce myself rooting, adb, etc., the S6 had the worst battery life I've ever seen in a phone. Could have easily been the phone specifically, but in a morning with some browsing and phone calls I'd hit 40% by noon.

I had a Z3C and loved absolutely everything about it, besides the camera. It was terrible in low light and pretty mediocre with any non-direct sunlight conditions [blew out the whites on any other lighting source.] Have a Z5C now but unfortunately I see a lot of the same [plus I'm not receiving group messages from some iPhone contacts]. Probably shifting over to an SE soon, but I'll give it a few more days.

If a reasonable size is important to me the SE is the best option on the market.