Android Flagship Phone Suggestions (VZW)
Hey Gang, long time no see (although I've been lurking hard, especially on Steam.)
It's time for a new phone and normally I've got an idea to what I want, though so far what I've been hearing is that all these phones have been... disappointing. I see high benchmarks for the S6, although I find the reviews also coupled with reviews of sub-par performance or gui. I have a HTC One M7 now and have looked at the M9, curious by its great gpu performance and 1 volt headphone output, however apparently its Snapdragon 810 slugs hard under heat - in reviews I hear a lot about this and it's sluggish effect on the phone. A friend of mine recently got the LG G4, and I've heard overall quality things about this device aside from its performance. What's been really on my mind is the Note 5, which considering the performance of the Note 4 and it's build quality has made it the most popular phone in the world, I'm hoping the Note 5 is another notch higher. Even though it has yet to be released, so far benchmarks I've seen for it put it at about the exact same level as the S6, and not too much higher above the note 4. Though I hope it's much better than that.
What I'm curious for is to hear your experiences with these new flagships, and if the hype is accurate or just the opposite. I'm looking for straightforward CPU performance, ballsy as possible. Strong headphone output is a big plus too. Relative build quality helps, I'm going to school in Boston and I spend all my time running around, which means my phone takes a nice fall every week. GPU doesn't totally matter to me as I play no games. Size doesn't matter, and battery life doesn't either, really.
Thanks Guys and Gals, I hope your experiences with these newer flagships isn't as poor as I've been hearing. It's hard to tell when people are so... uninformed.
P.s. The S6 and Note 4 both have the Exynos 7420. Wtf is that all about? No wonder they are getting similar scores.
Comments
Benchmarks are the reddest of herring, and should only be used as a quick look. Overall experience is the best indicator.
Example, the 2013 MotoX in overall experience was well matched up into the Galaxy S5 range, which had MUCH higher specs. But Moto's commitment to low-interference in the OS and focusing on UX made it a fantastic phone. The new MotoX and MotoG are getting fantastic press so far, and they're much more budget-friendly and not so focused on benchmark games than the others.
I currently have an S6 and it's a fantastic bit of kit, but the TouchWiz interference is apparent at every step. And it's not just in the front-view of the software stack. Little things like Bluetooth (which is already a touchy proposition) and data consistency are noticeably different. The S6 is better on the new 5.1.1 so far, but I may still Swappa this and pick up a 2015 X when it ships.
I had the 2014 Moto X, very nice phone if you don't need/want a removable battery.
I just replaced it with the LG G4 (I am on verizon) and I love it.
If you actually want Android's flagship phone get a Google Nexus. I had a 4, I currently own a 5 and the 6 is a pretty nice upgrade.