Thinking about upgrading hardware

[bk5124]

Hey guys and gals,

I am using an LG G3 and it's 5 years old and am thinking about an upgrade in the near future.

Any advice on some good phones would be appreciated. Not sure if I want to go with another LG though since the battery runs hot. I mean, literally hot pants here.     :cathappy:

Thanks in advance and have a great day everyone!

B.

[kelvarnsen]

I have an Umidigi, the F1 to be specific. It is awesome. It is like the Public Mobile of phones, low price, not a well known brand and also a really good product.

[Obice]

@NezgarThat is why I'm trying to keep my Galaxy Note 3 up and going, it has all the attributes I like and appreciate. Newer phones lack what I desire and are expensive.

Attributes

• 1080p screen, 16:9 aspect ratio
• Bottom-firing speaker (rather than on the back of the device)
• USB 3 (one of the first devices to have it, from what I know)
• Removable Battery
• Headphone Jack
• Decent DAC

[Nezgar]

I had my LG G3 for over 4 years, still ran great and still held a good charge with the original battery before I sold it a few months ago.

It was nice always knowing it would be easy to get another battery to swap in when the time came. Or maybe to have a spare one charged ready to go if I knew id be away from power for a long time.

[Korth]

@bk5124

A 5 year old battery is going to run hot regardless of brand.

If anything, your hot old battery is an indicator of some quality for your old LG - useful life expectancy of these batteries is assumed to be only 2 years and some brands actually engineer their disposable batteries or disposable devices to stop working properly past this limit.

Replacement batteries are always available, even if they're not intended to be user replaceable (iFixit, etc), although once a device gets too old it's usually smarter to buy something newer anyways just to retain compatibility with newer services, apps, and websites.

[srlawren]

@popping does replacing the battery make it cooler though?  If so, how?

[bk5124]

@popping 

Great idea! thx.

[popping]

@bk5124 

Take your time to decide which phone you are planning to get.

At the mean time, buy a replacement battery for your LG G3 so that it will run cooler.  It was a good thing that the battery in the older phone is removable and replaceable.

[bk5124]

@zblackma 

Hey, 

I am just reading all the responses. I like to do my research before spending my hard earned $. 

I probably will make a decision by 2021.       :cathappy:

[zblackma]

So @bk5124 which brand and phone are you thinking of getting? Thanks.

[bk5124]

@mpcdesign 

Thanks for the info.

[bk5124]

@Obice 

Thank you for the information. 

[bk5124]

Some great hardware information there @will13am 

Thank you very much.

[bk5124]

@JoyLuck 

Great idea, will look into it.

[Obice]

@bk5124

I'm not sure if you are looking for a new phone that is literally new or just "new" to you. I am currently using a Galaxy Note 3 which is going on 7 years old and for what I do on it, it does the job. If you would like something more modern perhaps the OnePlus 7 (expensive) or Galaxy S7 or S8 (cheaper depending on where you go, I'd use eBay) would do you some good.

I mostly watch YouTube during the night, use Discord here and there, and play some games like Flow Free. I text and call here and there but I mean any phone is capable of that. :smileyvery-happy:

[mpcdesign]

@bk5124, if you can hold off on the Google 3a, Google 4a supposedly is gonna costs from $399. 

I own and I got my parents an Asus Zenfone. The battery is 5000mAh and has a quick charging feature which comes in handy when you forget the charge the phone overnight.  Great cameras too

I typically buy the Zenfones from Amazon, for the return policy. But, as well, I am assured it's a good reseller versus Craiglist and Kijiji.  Hate to say it, but the latter two options I would be afraid if it was stolen or fake phone. 

Look for phones that are unlocked. Less hassle too.

[Triguy]

Pixel 3A has a good camera and since it is a Google phone gets the latest security updates and OS upgrades.

https://www.wired.com/story/best-cheap-phones/

[popping]

@bk5124 

What is your budget for a new phone?

Last November I got my Umidigi A5 Pro from Amazon.ca.  It has a 4150mAh battery.  I only charge it to 80% full which last me a whole day.  YMMV  After 3 months, my battery is still has 95% capacity according to AccuBattery app. 

This phone is not for you if you take lot of pictures.  Picture taken by this phone is not great.  But it is good to take closeup photo to post it on Kijiji or eBay.  Treat this phone as a budget entry level phone, you will not be disappointed.  This is a Chinese phone.  It will cost you to send it for warranty.  I treat it as disposable phone.  I am not going to send it to China to get the warranty.

[will13am]

@bk5124 , if you want to shop value, you will need to look beyond the usual brands like LG, Samsung and Apple.  Xiaomi is a good value brand.  My latest go to brand is Umidigi.  If battery life if what you are interested in, Umidigi hits the spot.  The F2 model that I am currently using has a 5000 mAh battery, good for at least 2 days of use and much longer in lighter use.  It is not a hand warmer that LG phones are famous for producing.  The brands I mentioned are available on Amazon and Aliexpress.  When shopping for Xiaomi, be careful to look for global models which will work in North America.  Umidigi does not seem to differentiate on models.

[JoyLuck]

Hi,

I'm not sure  how much you want to spend, but Costco usually rotates their stock of phones with a return policy of 90 days.