Due for an upgrade on my phone, what should I get?

Arktik83

So I'm out of contract next month and would like to get a new phone as my current iPhone 6S is playing silly buggers and just wets itself in terms of battery life.  It's not been right since I got it two years ago but I couldn't be arsed to send it back (stupid I know) 

I would like to get a bigger phone, I was looking at the Samsung Galaxy S8+ as the iPhone 7 plus is a bit too wide and I think it'll tumble out of my hand and on to the floor.  Whereas the S8+ is just a bit taller which is something I think I would prefer.  

However I've heard that they are prone to cracking and need to be treated with kit gloves to an extent.  I don't really fancy getting a new phone and then having some whopping crack down the front/side after two months and Samsung aren't very helpful when it comes to getting them repaired it seems and want you to pay for it.

So I wondered what phones people have currently and what are the pro's/con's of them?  Been an iPhone user for about four years now after I had an S3 and thought it was utter shite but willing to give Android another go!

Any suggestions/experiences appreciated.

DanR

I've had my S8+ since launch and I've had issues with it.

Never been cased lots of use during day.

Spends it's life on my desk, in my pocket, car seats, squeezing inbetween cars at work so has had tighr pressure on it in my pocket when we park cars too close.

monquixote

I would hang on as the iPhone 8 and pixel 2 are due out soon. 

Even if you don't get one of them everything else will drop in price.

stickyfiddle

monquixote said:

I would hang on as the iPhone 8 and pixel 2 are due out soon. 

Even if you don't get one of them everything else will drop in price.

Wis.

Also, if your iPhone battery is dying too fast it's worth checking your settings for Background Refresh (turn everything off that you don't need to run when it's not on screen), and do a hard reset (hold power and home buttons until the apple logo appears). That should sort out anything that's sucking battery that shouldn't be. 

John_P

I'm waiting for the iPhone 8 to replace mine, should only be a few weeks if you can hang on.

Gagaryn

I'm in the same predicament - currently got a 128GB iPhone 6S Plus. Battery life is still great so just going to hang onto it for another year.

Got a Plusnet SIM - £10 a month on a rolling 30 day contract for 5GB data.

I like my phone - it has a headphone socket!

digitalscream

I'm due an upgrade for my S6 soon, which has served me pretty well for the last two years. I'm seriously considering just going for the Pixel v1 - looks damn good, and cheap. Flagship phones seem to be reaching the point that computers did a few years back - there's little discernible difference between generations now.

prowla

I've had a couple fo Samsungs and they have not been very good, with problems charging and holding charge.

Every time I think I might try another brand, I end up getting an iPhone; I've had 3S, 4, 5, 6, 7.

I once worked at a company and they decided to switch from Blackberry. Unfortunately, they moved to Windows phones, which were the most awful, hateful, ugly, stupid and disfunctional tech I have ever had the misfortune of using. Fortunately, the buying public seems to have agreed with me and that product seems to have died, so you won't have to spend time considering that dead-end!

I don't really like Android so much - it seems to drag you into the tech more than needs be and the apps are always wanting to access your personal data, so I end up not installing them (eg. why does a game of solitaire need to access your contacts?).

One consideration when moving to another brand is the number of apps you've invested in on the current one and would you need to re-buy them for the new platform.

As I say, I just seem to get the next iPhone when my contract comes up for renewal.

I also pass my old handsets down through the family.

strumjoughlamps

Gagaryn said:

I like my phone - it has a headphone socket!

so does my iPhone7 just that it uses the lightning connector meaning it can handle 24bit audio.

it was strange at first I must say and nearly didn't upgrade but it really isn't a problem.

joeyowen

digitalscream said:

I'm due an upgrade for my S6 soon, which has served me pretty well for the last two years. I'm seriously considering just going for the Pixel v1 - looks damn good, and cheap. Flagship phones seem to be reaching the point that computers did a few years back - there's little discernible difference between generations now.

weird, I have just done exactly this,

My S6 is just up and the pixel arrives tomorrow.  Was tempted to wait until the 2, but it will only cost more for features I can live without.  I'll keep you posted.  I've heard so many good things about the pixel

cruxiform

My iPhone 7 Plus is the best phone I've had and I've had loads of them. The size does take a little time to get used to initially but as I don't have the best eyesight, the bigger screen is perfect for me. I have the 128gb version so plenty of capacity for music/media (I prefer this rather than streaming). What wins for me is the camera, it really is superb. On my motorbike trips I used to take a separate camera but I don't bother now. Great battery life but with all iphones adjust the background stuff and screen brightness. Lack of headphone socket doesn't bother me, I've been using bluetooth headphones for years now. Definitely recommended.

ThePrettyDamned

I'd consider hard resetting the 6S (I'm not an apple fan but there is no way that should play silly buggers with anything, it's a brilliant phone) and going sim free for a few months. When the latest flagships come out, you can either use the money you save towards them or everything else falls in price anyway. 

I pay 11 quid a month, and that gets me 20 gig of data, unlimited texts and 500 minutes I think. I started it for a few months, but actually my phone (nexus 4) still does fine, and over the last two years it has saved me about £300. 

Arktik83

Thanks for the input, all! Will wait and see what's on the horizon. Just have to look at a good sim only deal for now!

bingefeller

Arktik83 said:

Thanks for the input, all! Will wait and see what's on the horizon. Just have to look at a good sim only deal for now!

If BT are your phone provider they do good sim only deals.  

https://www.productsandservices.bt.com/mobile/sim-only-deals/

Gagaryn

strumjoughlamps said:

Gagaryn said:

I like my phone - it has a headphone socket!

so does my iPhone7 just that it uses the lightning connector meaning it can handle 24bit audio.

it was strange at first I must say and nearly didn't upgrade but it really isn't a problem.

The headphone socket can also play 24 but audio - just that the DAC is inside the phone rather than in the dongle.

Gagaryn

https://www.plus.net/mobile/plans/sim-only This is the deal I got - couldn't find anything better - uses the EE network.

randella

monquixote said:

I would hang on as the iPhone 8 and pixel 2 are due out soon. 

Even if you don't get one of them everything else will drop in price.

Apple are really going to have to pull something special out for the 8 to go head to head with Samsung. I've a feeling when the dust settles the two handsets will be very similar. One thing's for sure though, the new iPhone ain't gonna be cheap. 

Anyway, you're dead right. My upgrade is due end of September which I've been thinking will be ideal timing for the iPhone hype train to knock a few quid off a new Galaxy. 

Danny1969

  A new battery for a 6S cost £10 and is pretty simple to replace, 2 screws by the lighting connector, flip up screen with a suction cup, undo battery connector securing bracket and then you can change batteries 

The new Samsungs are great, superb cameras and LCD's but just make sure though they are insured as replacing a screen on an iPhone 7 cost around £70, replacing the screen on a top flight Samsung is more like £200 to £300 

Arktik83

Danny1969 said:

  A new battery for a 6S cost £10 and is pretty simple to replace, 2 screws by the lighting connector, flip up screen with a suction cup, undo battery connector securing bracket and then you can change batteries 

The new Samsungs are great, superb cameras and LCD's but just make sure though they are insured as replacing a screen on an iPhone 7 cost around £70, replacing the screen on a top flight Samsung is more like £200 to £300 

Yeah, I heard that removing screens on a Samsung is a right bitch because they're glued to the chassis or something?  

I have to admit I do have my reservations with Samsung as I had an S3 that crapped out after a year, a Laptop from them that broke after a year and a TV that shit itself after about two years of use so them as a brand they're certainly not my favourite!  

ThePrettyDamned

Danny1969 said:

  A new battery for a 6S cost £10 and is pretty simple to replace, 2 screws by the lighting connector, flip up screen with a suction cup, undo battery connector securing bracket and then you can change batteries 

The new Samsungs are great, superb cameras and LCD's but just make sure though they are insured as replacing a screen on an iPhone 7 cost around £70, replacing the screen on a top flight Samsung is more like £200 to £300 

Wow, is the cost due to the screen or labour? 

Danny1969

ThePrettyDamned said:

Danny1969 said:

  A new battery for a 6S cost £10 and is pretty simple to replace, 2 screws by the lighting connector, flip up screen with a suction cup, undo battery connector securing bracket and then you can change batteries 

The new Samsungs are great, superb cameras and LCD's but just make sure though they are insured as replacing a screen on an iPhone 7 cost around £70, replacing the screen on a top flight Samsung is more like £200 to £300 

Wow, is the cost due to the screen or labour? 

Cost of the screens mate, labour is a right bitch though as well as everything is held together with adhesive which means a lot of heat to get it apart ....it's not a job for the faint hearted as a mistake can cost you another £280 screen