Who feels content with old flagships?

[Stuntman06]

I have a Galaxy S3 for over 2 years and plan to use it for possibly another year. I have my eye on a project Ara phone as my next phone. I don't expect an Ara phone to be available for another year.

I was tempted to get a Nexus 5 and then again to get a OnePlus One. I did not because the GS3 was just still very good and worked really well for me. Instead of buying a new phone, I bought an extended battery for my GS3.

 

[theapplefanboyj]

My dad was saying how he needed a new phone better than me, because my phone's 'speedy enough'.
He's got a SGS4 and me a i4S.
I'm just waiting for the Nexus 6.

 

[Savor]

Here.

Actually since I use power saver mode on the M7, I can live with 1.134 Ghz speeds/19k AnTuTu. I'm not much of a gamer like before. Only Candy Crush or PvZ2 is all I play.

I'm actually going for the red or gold Asus Zenfone 5 which generally is on par with the original Moto G specs of last year except cheaper, bigger display, and better camera. I don't really need LTE where I live. I can use the Zenfone 5 as a third stringer and mainly as my multimedia player as it has an expandable memory slot up to 64 GB that my other two devices lack.

 

[mattopotamus]

I love my nexus 5, but the battery stinks. That is the only thing that could make me upgrade. I am a light to medium user in terms of usage and struggle to get through a day.

 

[OrangeInc]

I love my nexus 5, but the battery stinks. That is the only thing that could make me upgrade. I am a light to medium user in terms of usage and struggle to get through a day.

The battery life is pretty bad and it will only get worse which is why I wish it had a removable battery. I notice though that one of the biggest drains on the battery is the wifi antenna. Try turning that off and see if you notice a difference ( I know this may be tough if you don't have a good data plan, I'm on T-mobile and they offer unlimited data so I almost never have wifi on now). Also having a lot of tabs open in a browser or just having a lot of idle applications running drains battery so try closing them once you're done.

 

[ravipiero]

I'm on iPhone 5 at the moment, and it still works great and flawless with iOS 8. I'm tempted to upgrade to a bigger iPhone, but I don't see any other benefit except the screen size (Apple Pay is not available in my country). Also, 4" screen is actually quite fine, especially in using the phone on one hand.

iPhone 5 and iPad Mini is still an acceptable combo for me.

 

[Stooby Mcdoobie]

I'm content with my Nexus 5 and can see myself using it for at least another year. The only reasons I upgraded last year from my N4 were for LTE and better battery life.

 

[mattopotamus]

The battery life is pretty bad and it will only get worse which is why I wish it had a removable battery. I notice though that one of the biggest drains on the battery is the wifi antenna. Try turning that off and see if you notice a difference ( I know this may be tough if you don't have a good data plan, I'm on T-mobile and they offer unlimited data so I almost never have wifi on now). Also having a lot of tabs open in a browser or just having a lot of idle applications running drains battery so try closing them once you're done.

I will try that. I usually always leave WiFi on all the time even if not on WiFi. All of my phones in the past this had little to no effect. I'll give it a try.

 

[AustinIllini]

Original MotoX is still one of the best phones I have ever used.

The Android Central guys think the original is far better than the new one.

Based on their reviews, I tend to agree. The MotoX became less special when they made it bigger. There are plenty of big android options on the market.

 

[Technarchy]

By old, would that include my 5 month old S5?

I get a new phone every 6 to 12 months. Always the flagship.

 

[AustinIllini]

By old, would that include my 5 month old S5?

I get a new phone every 6 to 12 months. Always the flagship.

You'd be all over Android Silver, wouldn't you? We're due for a vanilla android flagship.

 

[viskon]

I got a Note 3 on eBay, in mint condition, and feel pretty happy about it. The Note 4 seems to be an incremental update.

 

[TechGod]

I got a Note 3 on eBay, in mint condition, and feel pretty happy about it. The Note 4 seems to be an incremental update.

I don't, I just can't bring myself to purchase old tech, even if it is cheaper!

 

[Ddyracer]

Here.

Actually since I use power saver mode on the M7, I can live with 1.134 Ghz speeds/19k AnTuTu. I'm not much of a gamer like before. Only Candy Crush or PvZ2 is all I play.

I'm actually going for the red or gold Asus Zenfone 5 which generally is on par with the original Moto G specs of last year except cheaper, bigger display, and better camera. I don't really need LTE where I live. I can use the Zenfone 5 as a third stringer and mainly as my multimedia player as it has an expandable memory slot up to 64 GB that my other two devices lack.

Clock speeds are mostly useless. My short lived OC days are over. No difference except to make my tablet slower and more battery hungry. Now if i have a custom kernel like elementalx on it's for the sleep2wake and wake2sleep features. That's it.

 

[viskon]

I don't, I just can't bring myself to purchase old tech, even if it is cheaper!

I used to be like that. Then I got old and realized that new and shiny stuff doesn't necessarily add value to me or my life.

 

[BrettApple]

Man, talking about old flagships, I still find a use for my old HTC Incredible. Things still a kickin'! I bought this guy on launch day April 29, 2010; over 4 years ago.

Of course, I've moved on since then, to a GS III, then to an iPhone 4s/5/5c and back to my home with the HTC One M8 I got this month.

But the Incredible was my first smartphone and really got me interested in Android as it was just getting up and running (2.1 Eclair when I got it). I had experience with iOS 3 on an iPod touch, but the extensibility and customizability of Android sucked me in.

Excerpt from Engadget's review:

Let's just put this out there: the Droid Incredible is the best Android device that you can purchase in America right now. It's better than the Droid, better than the Nexus One, and certainly beats the pants off of any previous generation handsets like the Eris, myTouch, or Cliq. It's not just a very, very good Android phone (though it is); it's also an excellent smartphone no matter how you cut it.

 

[AustinIllini]

I love my nexus 5, but the battery stinks. That is the only thing that could make me upgrade. I am a light to medium user in terms of usage and struggle to get through a day.

I hear you, but remember the Nexus 5 is not actually a flagship. In fact, it's supposed to be the average developer device. The processor is a screamer, but in reality the rest of the pieces are relatively budget. It tends to suffer in battery life, for sure, but you get pure Android, which is worth the decrease in specs, especially considering the price.

 

[jamesrick80]

I got a Note 3 on eBay, in mint condition, and feel pretty happy about it. The Note 4 seems to be an incremental update.

Incremental...I don't think a QHD screen, 2.7 ghz quad core processor, virtual reality support, new multitasking options, fingerprint reader, heart rate monitor, 16 mp camera and a excellent front camera is incremental.....this is a serious update........

 

[TechGod]

Incremental...I don't think a QHD screen, 2.7 ghz quad core processor, virtual reality support, new multitasking options, fingerprint reader, heart rate monitor, 16 mp camera and a excellent front camera is incremental.....this is a serious update........

Same thin can be said of the new iPhone

 

[viskon]

Incremental...I don't think a QHD screen, 2.7 ghz quad core processor, virtual reality support, new multitasking options, fingerprint reader, heart rate monitor, 16 mp camera and a excellent front camera is incremental.....this is a serious update........

I hear you. For what I use phone for , I'm not sure that the new features add anything that the Note 3 does not already offer . That said, I might try to pick up a Note 4 same time next year if the price is right.

 

[nfl46]

I just bought a mint condition Moto X (2013) for $130 from a buddy. IMO, that's a complete steal! I will go back and forth from my 5S to Moto X. I'm glad both use a nano SIM card! I wanted an Android device to play around with when I get tired of iOS. Now, all I need to get a Moto 360!

 

[Savor]

There were many great 2013 Android flagships. I think Android got really good by Jelly Bean/Project Butter (2012). We can go back as early as 2012 with Samsung Galaxy S3 (Summer Olympics and Android hero phone) and the Nexus 4 (gamechanger on value).

Quad core Snapdragon SoC (400 or above)
2 GB RAM
Jelly Bean/KitKat

^^^ Some ingredients for a better and longer Android experience. Sony and Samsung flagships can swim now. Camera also improved on some of them. Even a Moto G from last year should run solid for 2 years.

I haven't really been amazed by the 2014 Android flagships except maybe their battery life. Many Android flagships with Snapdragon 801/3000+ mAh started surpassing iPhones in battery life. Sony Xperia Z2, Z3/Z3C, OnePlus One, Oppo Find 7a, Samsung S5, and HTC One M8, etc.

I think we sorta reached our summit with specs. There shouldn't be too much improvement from here on out except for maybe lithium sulphur 2-8x battery life and maybe different form factors like foldable screens. I still see people using old Nokia candybar phones from a decade ago as backups or iPhone 4 as main phones. Phones can last over half a decade if you want to and if it can still hold a decent charge. Except people get sick of tech fast and seem to want something newer much quicker because a 2-3 sec delay is too much time wasted for most spoiled, impatient users.

 

[AustinIllini]

I just bought a mint condition Moto X (2013) for $130 from a buddy. IMO, that's a complete steal! I will go back and forth from my 5S to Moto X. I'm glad both use a nano SIM card! I wanted an Android device to play around with when I get tired of iOS. Now, all I need to get a Moto 360!

Said it before and I'll say it again: The 2013 MotoX was a special device. So special, in fact, that the follow up seems relatively plain with some diminished luster.

 

[Savor]

Most phone geeks who frequent phone sites and forums probably could never be truly 100% content on what they own. Maybe 99% but never without an itch or lust for something else. We all can be greedy lusting something else.

There are times I wished I had the HTC Butterfly S or One M8 over the M7. Butterfly S of last year has a higher clocked SD600, expandable memory, and 3200 mAh battery which is even larger than the M8. I can live with the plastic. The Butterfly 2 will be water-resistant. The Xiaomi Mi 4, I generally don't feel it is an upgrade and don't like the unoriginal, uninspiring design. I also don't like sharper corners. Mi 4 isn't even sold in my country. Mi 3 just feels nicer in my hand even if it is taller with smudge resistant rear which makes it easy to clean.

I have a great duo of smartphones. Very complimentary. But I can easily sell both for something like the Sony Xperia Z3. I can never be 100% truly content. Always searching for that next big thing.

 

[three]

I wouldn't have this iPhone 5s if the microphone in my HTC One (M7) didn't die. Absolutely loved the phone and was perfectly content with using it until the Nexus 6 arrived. Too bad that didn't happen.