Looking for a phone; need suggestions

[CyberneticTitan]

Hello peeps!

 

I am looking for a good phone that will hopefully last me for awhile. Yes, future-proofing is not the best way to choose a phone, but I would like it to last up to 5 years before upgrading. I'd prefer not spending more than $800 CAD on the phone, which roughly equates to about $600 USD (looking for the price unlocked). However, if there is a really compelling reason to pick up a certain phone, I'd be glad to consider it.

 

Here are some things that I look for in this phone:

Under 5.5 inch screen. I enjoy being able to use the phone with just one hand.

No larger than 1920x1080. I don't see a reason to go for QuadHD, since I already enjoy Apple's retina displays.

A decent camera. I expect this camera to perform well in various situations, such as capturing moments that easily pass by.

MicroSD expansion is a good feature, but not required.

Decent battery life. It should last me at least half a day on a single charge.

Lastly, it should be able to do simple things such as checking mail and browsing the web in a responsive and snappy manner.

 

I will be picking up this phone either this spring break (mid-March) or in the summer time.

 

Some phones I've been eyeing are the Xperia Z5/Compact, iPhone 6S, and perhaps the HTC One M10.

 

I'd love to hear your suggestion(s). Thanks a bunch!

[aisle9]

I'm a huge fan of my Moto X Pure. The screen size is a hair bigger than you'd like (5.7"), but the price is $200 US lower than you'd been seeking. Of course, if you're looking for a five-year phone, there's one thing you want to keep in mind: internal batteries.

 

In my experience, internal batteries go to crap somewhere between the 2.5 and three-year mark. Unless you're interested in opening up your phone and performing surgery down the road, it's best to have an external battery. The Moto X Pure, unfortunately, does not have one. I'd also highly recommend an external SD slot now that Android supports installing apps to an SD card again. App sizes aren't getting any smaller, and sure, you could pay $500 for a 64GB Pure. Or you could pay $400 for a 16GB Pure then grab a Samsung EVO+ 64GB micro SD next time it goes on sale for $16...

[HPWebcamAble]

+1 for iPhone 6S. Not really inexpensive but good quality

[CyberneticTitan]

34 minutes ago, aisle9 said:

I'm a huge fan of my Moto X Pure. The screen size is a hair bigger than you'd like (5.7"), but the price is $200 US lower than you'd been seeking. Of course, if you're looking for a five-year phone, there's one thing you want to keep in mind: internal batteries.

 

In my experience, internal batteries go to crap somewhere between the 2.5 and three-year mark. Unless you're interested in opening up your phone and performing surgery down the road, it's best to have an external battery. The Moto X Pure, unfortunately, does not have one. I'd also highly recommend an external SD slot now that Android supports installing apps to an SD card again. App sizes aren't getting any smaller, and sure, you could pay $500 for a 64GB Pure. Or you could pay $400 for a 16GB Pure then grab a Samsung EVO+ 64GB micro SD next time it goes on sale for $16...

 

Thanks for the suggestion. It looks very tempting, but unfortunately it is a bit too large for my hands aha. However, thanks for that tip on the battery. I hadn't really considered that. I do suppose I can get the battery swapped out in like 2.5 years of its life.

 

33 minutes ago, HPWebcamAble said:

+1 for iPhone 6S. Not really inexpensive but good quality

 

Agreed. Dat NVMe storage and fast camera.

[Lord Sephington]

I would consider the huawei P8, Ive had a few phones from huawei and was very surprised with each one.

 

 

[VerticalDiscussions]

Hm, would you consider something imported? The Xiaomi Mi5 is like 450-600$, and near 700$ for the most expensive 128 Gb version, as of now. But for around 400$, you can get the 32Gb version or 64Gb for 50-80$ more. Has ultra good specifications and build quality, also super lightweight and "revolutionary" display, with very high brightness and 1080P + Snapdragon 820.