Time to get a new cell phone. Need suggestions

[nels]

Not sure if this is the right spot for this topic but it seems to fit?

My cell phone, an iPhone5, has about done its time so I’ll be back to the Verizon store this week to replace it. I’d like to get something I can get in my pocket but the screen is big enough and memory big enough that I could load FlyQ or other aviation apps. I don’t want to spend a stupid money on a phone just looking for the biggest bang for the buck. Should I shop it at  Verizon or am I better off elsewhere? Suggestions appreciated.

[ZuluZulu]

1 minute ago, nels said:

Not sure if this is the right spot for this topic but it seems to fit?

My cell phone, an iPhone5, has about done its time so I’ll be back to the Verizon store this week to replace it. I’d like to get something I can get in my pocket but the screen is big enough and memory big enough that I could load FlyQ or other aviation apps. I don’t want to spend a stupid money on a phone just looking for the biggest bang for the buck. Should I shop it at  Verizon or am I better off elsewhere? Suggestions appreciated.

Try the iPhone XR (collection of reviews).  Bigger screen than your 5, but cheaper than the top-of-the-line iPhone XS.  My company is ordering new phones and I chose the XR to replace my 7+.  Excited about the smaller size yet bigger screen.  It's not here yet, but once it is, I can give you a pirep.

[Oldguy]

Yeah, ^^^^^^^^ this.

I am upgrading my personal cell to the XR and we are moving to all new XR phones at the office. And my personal cell is the iPhone 5 which has been without an IOS upgrade for a while now.

[ArtVandelay]

I wonder if it’s worth waiting for the 5G phones?


Tom

[nels]

10 hours ago, ZuluZulu said:

Try the iPhone XR (collection of reviews).  Bigger screen than your 5, but cheaper than the top-of-the-line iPhone XS.  My company is ordering new phones and I chose the XR to replace my 7+.  Excited about the smaller size yet bigger screen.  It's not here yet, but once it is, I can give you a pirep.

So, in reading the review, it sounds like the XR is priced at $750. At that price I could buy another IPad and a flip phone which I would almost rather have. Is there a non Apple product priced at about half that?

[steingar]

What I’ve found is you get what you pay for vis a vis cell phones. That said, the ones that catch on fire and explode are quite inexpensive.  Yes, you can get a flip phone that makes phone calls and little else.

[cujet]

I just upgraded from the iPhone 8 to the iPhone Xs max. A few points: 

1) It's not too big, although I was really afraid of this. 

2) The ultra high resolution screen works amazingly well with VR glasses. Yes, you can still see the pixels, but they are quite small and so VR games are nowhere near as fake looking. 

3) Foreflight is lightning fast on it and will display the horizon and synthetic vision and can scroll around to view 3d traffic with ease. I have not seen the airspeed and altitude tapes on the phone's display though. The screen is also big enough to be useful, which my standard iPhone 8 was not. 

4) The speaker is considerably louder and better. Useful for driving and talking. I've been able to place the phone over my car's speedometer and talk with clarity. 

[amillet]

I’m still a member of the iPhone 5 club also

[Ned Gravel]

1 hour ago, amillet said:

I’m still a member of the iPhone 5 club also

Me too!

[carusoam]

I moved to iPhone 6S... recently...

The trickle down theory of finances at work...

The finance administrator gets the new one... i’m Next in line... 

My 5 was starting to have difficulty upgrading any apps... as they become unsupported by their writers...

Best regards,

-a-

 

[Hank]

I've had very good luck with my Samsung phones (S3, S6+ and niw S8). Llts of memory space; if its not enough, drop in a memory stick, I bought two 64GB cards for $35 and put one each in my phone and tablet. Plenty of room for Avare, with half a dozen or more sectionals, several low enroutes and a bunch of states' approaches.

They have been much nicer devices than the i4, i5 and now i7 that work has provided. IT prefers them because they are all the same, and can only do things the one apple-approved way, while my Samsung can use whichever method I prefer.

P.S.--the screen and photos on my S8 are bigger than the entire i7, but it fits nicely into my belt holster and shirt pocket.  

Edited January 20, 2019 by Hank

[ZuluZulu]

9 hours ago, nels said:

So, in reading the review, it sounds like the XR is priced at $750. At that price I could buy another IPad and a flip phone which I would almost rather have. Is there a non Apple product priced at about half that?

Smart phones have always been expensive; it’s just that carriers no longer subsidize the real cost like they used to. The 16GB iPhone 5 retailed for $649, 32GB was $749, 64GB was $849. That the iPhone XR costs the same for more storage, better screen, FaceID, faster processor, and more, it’s practically a steal.  

[ZuluZulu]

By the way - the iPhone Upgrade Program might be an option for anyone who prefers a more reasonable monthly charge over paying full sticker price.  It’s the closest thing to the old carrier model of a subsidized upfront cost followed by an “upgrade” every one or two years.

[Niko182]

Id gove a samsung a shot. Find a s8 or s7 galaxy, completely unlocked and just pay the monthly payments for internet and calling.

 

Phones these days are some of the fastest depreciating items available. A galaxy s8, which was released last yeah retailed for 900 bucks and can be found in great condition for 2 to 3 hundred bucks. They have 4g lte wifi, bluetooth and practically everything.

 

The market for phones thesedays is absolutely insane. People will buy a new phone every year, and gladly pay 1000 bucks for one. I sadly am one of these people. I always like having the newest.

[Guest]

I use an Asus  Zenfone 4Max, dual sim card and a long life battery.  It was $300 Canadian.

Clarence

Edited January 21, 2019 by M20Doc

[LANCECASPER]

21 hours ago, nels said:

Not sure if this is the right spot for this topic but it seems to fit?

My cell phone, an iPhone5, has about done its time so I’ll be back to the Verizon store this week to replace it. I’d like to get something I can get in my pocket but the screen is big enough and memory big enough that I could load FlyQ or other aviation apps. I don’t want to spend a stupid money on a phone just looking for the biggest bang for the buck. Should I shop it at  Verizon or am I better off elsewhere? Suggestions appreciated.

If you've been happy this long with the iPhone 5, that means you get about 6 years out of a phone, which is great. Buy the newest best one and use it again for 6 years and cost per year is relatively cheap. I have an iPhone X which I've had for a year and it is fast and flawless, no issues, amazing camera. If I was buying this year I'd have to look over the XS and the XS Max to see which size I liked better. The only reason I would do the XS over the XR is that the camera is so much better.

[Hank]

1 hour ago, ZuluZulu said:

Smart phones have always been expensive; it’s just that carriers no longer subsidize the real cost like they used to. The 16GB iPhone 5 retailed for $649, 32GB was $749, 64GB was $849. That the iPhone XR costs the same for more storage, better screen, FaceID, faster processor, and more, it’s practically a steal.  

Verizon divided the insane cost of my Galaxy S8 by 24 months, and I pay it back a little at a time. There is no interest as long as I continue to pay on time. But I had dropped my S6 and screwed it up worse than the repair shop could fix.

If you're not in a hurry, buy one on line, even if it's a factory refurb. You'll be shocked by the advances since the i5, which I last used in early 2015.

[Hector]

I upgraded to iPhone XR from a 6. The XR is fantastic, battery life is awesome. It is big enough that Foreflight looks and runs great, but not too big to fit in your pocket comfortably. I really like it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[ZuluZulu]

Good point @Hector, I forgot to mention the battery life.  Even better than the XS.

[bradp]

I got a XS big version through work (literally use it like a laptop all day) at a steep discount.  The thing hums, has a great screen and decent battery.  To boot ForeFlight works well on it. 

[afward]

20 hours ago, ArtVandelay said:

I wonder if it’s worth waiting for the 5G phones?


Tom

It's not.  The mobile-side chips to support 5G won't be mature for another year or so, leading to reduced battery life and higher acquisition costs for anything released before mid-2020 (at the earliest).  Very similar to the first-generation LTE devices.

[afward]

@nels I've always used Android devices for my personal smartphones and am a big fan of the Pixel line (I still use a 1st-gen Pixel).  They don't run Foreflight (it's developed by Apple snobs), but Garmin Pilot is nearly as good and there are several other options that have their own strengths & weaknesses (I've used DroidEFB and tried Avare).  The downside is that Android "feels" different enough from iOS that a switch will take you some time to get used to.  You might also find you don't like it.

I happen to like the Android approach to things, but I'm a control-freak software developer, so YMMV...

May I recommend that you consider an iPad Mini for flying apps and a "not flagship level" phone as your personal comm device / camera (iPhone SE, Pixel 2, Galaxy S8, etc.)?

[bill98]

I am not an Apple Fan (although Tim Cook is an Auburn Grad like me!)

 

but for flying related tasks nothing beats an iPhone and IPad 

[DonMuncy]

Why do you need to replace your phone? If you can't make or receive calls, obviously it needs replacement. If you think you need a better camera, or a better way to watch videos, etc., then look for the phone that does those things.

[nels]

Don, my phone isn’t loud enough to easily understand someone. I also have to cup my hand around the mic in order for the person at the other end to hear me. When I press it against my ear it goes to speaker mode or mute mode or whatever else it wants to do. It seems to make a ton of calls (butt calls) no matter how I turn it off and no matter how many times I make sure all is erased prior to shut down. The battery sometimes runs down fast even though nothing seems to be open. The phone will sometimes over heat in my pocket. I know I’m no brainiac when it comes to modern technology but I tkink some of the problems are mine but many of the problems are with the phone. When I mentioned a flip phone I am really considering such. They are cheap, get the job done and when the lid is shut the phone is off. The cheap flip phone would allow me to justify a second iPad.