GasBandit
Staff member
It's getting to the point where I am going to have to retire my LG G3, which I'm rather grumpy about because it (mostly) works fine. It does have a few problems, though -
1) First and foremost, updating it past Kitkat causes massive performance problems. It's a 2 gig phone with a snapdragon 801. Not the beefiest thing out there by any measure.
2) The inability to update the OS means other problems, like I can't patch the latest bluetooth vulnerability, which means there's serious security concerns.
3) The quad HD screen is battery thirsty. I usually unplug and leave for work around 10am, and by the time I get home at 7pm I'm usually down to 30-40% with only moderate non-gaming use. Frequently, I'll need a mid-afternoon recharge if I've had to do a lot of texting that day. And that's with the screen set to 25-30% brightness. Besides, 1440p is kind of overkill for a 5.5" screen.
4) The GPS and Bluetooth have always been a bit unreliable, and the phone often needs to be rebooted (about once a week) to restore their functionality.
Aside from that, though, it's been a pretty reliable handheld and has had good performance, which is still the case. So I am a bit resentful that I'm going to have to upgrade.
Now that I've gotten THAT bit of whining out of the way, here are the phones I've got my eye on to replace it, keeping in mind one of my requirements is that the phone must support CDMA because I'm on Verizon, and that's unlikely to change in the near future.
Option 1: Google Pixel
Pros:
1) Good Performance - 4 gigs of ram, Snapdragon 821 CPU, reviewers rave about the performance
2) Stock android with timely and frequent updates since it is a google-branded phone unlocked from any one provider, longest support window.
3) Metal and Glass construction
Cons:
1) No SD storage
2) Fucking expensive ($600+)
3) Battery life is nothing special (reportedly similar to my experiences with the G3)
Verdict - this is the phone I probably really want, but my toes curl at the prospect of dropping 600+ fucking dollars on a phone.
Option 2: Google Nexus 5X
Pros:
1) Modestly Priced - can be had now for $250
2) Unlocked, Stock android for timely and frequent updates
Cons:
1) Plastic construction
2) Nearing end of support life (Sep 2018)
3) Noticeable performance hitches (2gb ram)... feels like I might be rebuying the same performance.
3) No SD storage
Verdict - While not as good as some other phones, it's still in the running for me to get that unlocked stock android experience - and the updates that come with it. I really hate having to be shackled to a carrier for updates and having to use their monkeyed-with Android builds.
Option 3: LG G5
Pros:
1) Reasonably Priced - can be had for $300 unlocked
2) Good performance - 4 gigs of RAM, Snapdragon 821
3) Fancy amenities and addons, metal construction
Cons:
1) Battery life is reportedly even worse than the G3 - compounded by no wireless charging and USB-C. It is removable... but let's be honest I'm not buying more batteries to carry around.
2) I may not have to be shackled to verizon, but I'll still have to wait on LG for Android updates.
Verdict: I was really hoping to get a google phone for the updates, but their shift to the more expensive end recently may force me to consider other options, and this is one of the more likely ones.
Option 4: Galaxy S7
Pros:
1) Good Performance (4gigs of ram, Snapdragon 820)
2) Really good battery life (3600 mAh instead of the usual 2800 or less)
3) Waterproof Construction
Cons:
1) Non-stock Android, bloatware
2) Slightly expensive - can be had for $400
Verdict - I tend to shy away from Samsung products, but this one looks pretty darn good. It's not as expensive as the Pixel but delivers similar performance and good battery life. The downside is the samsung-branded version of android. I hear they're pretty quick with updates, but I was hoping for the stock UI experience this time around.
Anybody have any other phones they would suggest? I'm halfheartedly also looking at the HTC 10 as a possible option that falls between the LG G5 and the Samsung Galaxy S7. But only halfheartedly.
1) First and foremost, updating it past Kitkat causes massive performance problems. It's a 2 gig phone with a snapdragon 801. Not the beefiest thing out there by any measure.
2) The inability to update the OS means other problems, like I can't patch the latest bluetooth vulnerability, which means there's serious security concerns.
3) The quad HD screen is battery thirsty. I usually unplug and leave for work around 10am, and by the time I get home at 7pm I'm usually down to 30-40% with only moderate non-gaming use. Frequently, I'll need a mid-afternoon recharge if I've had to do a lot of texting that day. And that's with the screen set to 25-30% brightness. Besides, 1440p is kind of overkill for a 5.5" screen.
4) The GPS and Bluetooth have always been a bit unreliable, and the phone often needs to be rebooted (about once a week) to restore their functionality.
Aside from that, though, it's been a pretty reliable handheld and has had good performance, which is still the case. So I am a bit resentful that I'm going to have to upgrade.
Now that I've gotten THAT bit of whining out of the way, here are the phones I've got my eye on to replace it, keeping in mind one of my requirements is that the phone must support CDMA because I'm on Verizon, and that's unlikely to change in the near future.
Option 1: Google Pixel
Pros:
1) Good Performance - 4 gigs of ram, Snapdragon 821 CPU, reviewers rave about the performance
2) Stock android with timely and frequent updates since it is a google-branded phone unlocked from any one provider, longest support window.
3) Metal and Glass construction
Cons:
1) No SD storage
2) Fucking expensive ($600+)
3) Battery life is nothing special (reportedly similar to my experiences with the G3)
Verdict - this is the phone I probably really want, but my toes curl at the prospect of dropping 600+ fucking dollars on a phone.
Option 2: Google Nexus 5X
Pros:
1) Modestly Priced - can be had now for $250
2) Unlocked, Stock android for timely and frequent updates
Cons:
1) Plastic construction
2) Nearing end of support life (Sep 2018)
3) Noticeable performance hitches (2gb ram)... feels like I might be rebuying the same performance.
3) No SD storage
Verdict - While not as good as some other phones, it's still in the running for me to get that unlocked stock android experience - and the updates that come with it. I really hate having to be shackled to a carrier for updates and having to use their monkeyed-with Android builds.
Option 3: LG G5
Pros:
1) Reasonably Priced - can be had for $300 unlocked
2) Good performance - 4 gigs of RAM, Snapdragon 821
3) Fancy amenities and addons, metal construction
Cons:
1) Battery life is reportedly even worse than the G3 - compounded by no wireless charging and USB-C. It is removable... but let's be honest I'm not buying more batteries to carry around.
2) I may not have to be shackled to verizon, but I'll still have to wait on LG for Android updates.
Verdict: I was really hoping to get a google phone for the updates, but their shift to the more expensive end recently may force me to consider other options, and this is one of the more likely ones.
Option 4: Galaxy S7
Pros:
1) Good Performance (4gigs of ram, Snapdragon 820)
2) Really good battery life (3600 mAh instead of the usual 2800 or less)
3) Waterproof Construction
Cons:
1) Non-stock Android, bloatware
2) Slightly expensive - can be had for $400
Verdict - I tend to shy away from Samsung products, but this one looks pretty darn good. It's not as expensive as the Pixel but delivers similar performance and good battery life. The downside is the samsung-branded version of android. I hear they're pretty quick with updates, but I was hoping for the stock UI experience this time around.
Anybody have any other phones they would suggest? I'm halfheartedly also looking at the HTC 10 as a possible option that falls between the LG G5 and the Samsung Galaxy S7. But only halfheartedly.
