New phone suggestions?

[Entropy.]

I have a galaxy s7 [On Tracfone At&T] atm and I'm looking to upgrade since it lost support back in April. I have a few things I'm looking for in a phone, for under $800 USD. My main priorities for it is it to be Rugged- Not over the top but very durable. I want it to have a long software support period- Now here might be the place to suggest apple, but I'm not a fan of their ecosystem and they have components I don't really want. I'm also looking for a decent battery (4000mah+ or so). Otherwise, I don't really care about camera/the processor, and I'm all up for a cheaper than $800 phone. I have been suggested a note 20FE and pixel 5 already. Any other suggestions? 

[Viper9]

If you want "a long software support" and good battery life the Google Pixel would be the best choice IMO. 

 

So either the Google Pixel 5 or the Google Pixel 4a (5G) would be my suggestion. 

 

You can compare the devices here: https://store.google.com/us/magazine/compare_pixel

[dizmo]

Every phone can be rugged; just buy a decent case for it.

I'd probably go for the OnePlus 8T when it launches. It can't really be touched for the price.

Don't focus on mah as the b-all-end-all when it comes to battery life. There are many, many other factors you have to consider. Some high mah capacities still get abysmal battery life compared to a company that put in effort to software optimization.

[Lord Vile]

11 hours ago, Brok3n But who cares? said:

I have a galaxy s7 [On Tracfone At&T] atm and I'm looking to upgrade since it lost support back in April. I have a few things I'm looking for in a phone, for under $800 USD. My main priorities for it is it to be Rugged- Not over the top but very durable. I want it to have a long software support period- Now here might be the place to suggest apple, but I'm not a fan of their ecosystem and they have components I don't really want. I'm also looking for a decent battery (4000mah+ or so). Otherwise, I don't really care about camera/the processor, and I'm all up for a cheaper than $800 phone. I have been suggested a note 20FE and pixel 5 already. Any other suggestions? 

Will say the 4000mah battery thing isn't the only thing that determines battery life, SoC efficiency and software also play a major role which is why Apple have solid battery life with a smaller capacity battery. Also there ecosystem is fairly similar to googles they just have more hardware for everything to link with. Plus you can get a smartwatch which is actually good on an iPhone. 

 

Would say wait for the iPhone launch should be this month see if they have anything at the price point that you like. If not get a Pixel.

[KenTees]

If you're used to Samsung's UI, I second the S20 Fan Edition. Especially now that Samsung has guaranteed three years of updates.

 

You cannot go wrong with the Pixel 4a, possibly the 5G variant if you're into that. Google's software support is unprecedented and being able to try the newest Android versions before other manufacturers release their Android skin is a plus. You can rest assured you will be the first to receive the monthly Android security patches.

 

The plastic builds on both devices should not be an issue, just get a nice case and the plastic on the 4a or Samsung's "Glastic" will hold its own.

 

I see @dizmo has recommended OnePlus, however, after owning three OnePlus devices now, their software support isn't anything special anymore. OxygenOS is great to use, but as they release more devices every year, their update schedule suffers. The OnePlus 6/6T, for example, is still on the July security patch. The OnePlus 5/5T is still on the April security patch, and as much praise as OnePlus gets for updating their phones to three different major OS versions, the Android 10 update on the OnePlus 5/5T is riddled with issues. It's almost as if the third year of promised security patches was for PR... OnePlus has addressed this, but this is definitely not following their bi-monthly security patch schedule, same goes for the OnePlus 6/6T as well.

 

A phone I do not see recommended enough is the ASUS ZenFone 7 Pro. They have released beta versions of Android 11 to both ZenFone 6 and ZenFone 7 / ZenFone 7 Pro users (Closed Beta), whereas the OnePlus 7 / 7 Pro, a device launched two days before the ZenFone 6, has not yet received an open beta test. ZenUI is like stock Android, but with useful features, just like OxygenOS. If you live in the United States or Canada, it is unfortunately not available for purchase, and if you try to import it, there is a chance it may not work with your carrier.

 

The Samsung Note 10+, albeit a year old now, will still receive another two years of updates, and are less than $700 USD nowadays, so it also up for consideration. The Snapdragon 855 is still much more powerful than the processor you will find in the Google Pixel 4a, and it has one of Samsung's best screens. However it is best to not consider it if you're in an Exynos region.

 

This took way too long to type up...

[Nena Trinity]

Murica? If so then Google, LG or maybe Sony if they still sell there...

[ivanrcks95]

Recently upgraded from my Galaxy S8 after nearly 4 years of use to the Realme X3 Superzoom, relatively uknown for the American market i imagine, but here its super popular. Its under the same company as OnePlus, and is very similar to the OnePlus Nord but with more powerful specs and for only 450USD. Matches most of your criteria's, except being rugged, i dont think youd find a modern rugged phone unless you go for the specialised ones like the Samsung Active series, or whatever they call them now. 

[Nena Trinity]

Huawei or Realme gets my vote, tough I am not sure how well the LTE/5G bands will work if at all in USofA. But the Sony Xperia 5II or a LG should do the trick?