Making the switch to Android.

[fastcar123]

Hello all,

 

I have fallen quite out of the loop with the latest and greatest of phone hardware.  I'm looking to get into android. I've been a long time Windows Phone user and I think its time to switch to something a bit more modern. I was with Windows phone for a long time for the easy to use UI and the granularity of settings available. But the phone has been acting very slow lately and I just really would like to have some features from this decade. 

I have seen tidbits of the UI for android 7.X.X. and it seems the most user friendly. I've never had an android phone for my daily driver and once I get a phone I'm usually stuck with it for about 2 years.

 

These are the things that I want and need. 

I need something fast. My windows phone is SO slow. I'm sick of it. 

I want a good camera. My windows phone has a 16MP camera which from my research is hard to beat. I may have to sacrifice here but I'd rather not. 

I want real modern features, with real apps.

I want customization.

I also really want USB-C instead of micro USB.

Also please no iphones. Just no.

 

What I need from the LTT community is to recommend the best phone that is capable of the latest OS and apps for under $450. Any higher than that an I'll need to finance through AT&T. At&T also only has just a small handful of phones that they will finance also. 

A coworker of mine has the ASUS Zenfone 3 Deluxe that he really enjoys ($500 I think?), but it appears that it has limited availability and only comes in godawful gold. 

I also was looking into the Galaxy S8+ but I know I would need to finance that phone and for the price, it only barely gets at the same level as the zenfone. 

 

I don't really know many android phones so I have no real idea what good right now and what isn't. 

Would the community graciously suggest new android phones that feel like flagship phones but also wont break the bank?

[Aytex]

Axon 7

Used Oneplus 3t

LG G6 (RN on sale for $450)

[fastcar123]

1 minute ago, Aytex said:

Axon 7

Used Oneplus 3t

LG G6 (RN on sale for $450)

zte axon7? Are ztes good now? I genuinely have no clue. Last time I knew about phones was like 2015.in 2015 they weren't great

 

ill look into oneplus. Havent heard much one way or the other.

 

LG phones. Some thing as zte when i last knew of lg phones they were horrible. 

 

ill look onto those brands as well

[Aytex]

3 minutes ago, fastcar123 said:

zte axon7? Are ztes good now? I genuinely have no clue. Last time I knew about phones was like 2015.in 2015 they weren't great

 

ill look into oneplus. Havent heard much one way or the other.

 

LG phones. Some thing as zte when i last knew of lg phones they were horrible. 

 

ill look onto those brands as well

Axon 7 is a very great device for the price if its on sale (Usually $350 on newegg)

Its got flagship specs, close to stock ish UI, isn't terrible though Camera in low light is terrible, But the 3t has better low light. The Axon 7 also has a great DAC so if you're an audiophile you should be happy.

 

The 3t and 7 are pretty similar, but the Axon 7 has a 1440p display, and a less stock UI

 

3T also a Flaghship speced, Used go for around $400 or below depending on condition. Low light as I said, against the 7 is much better. And It runs on OxygenOS which is nearly stock but with useful features.

 

Up to the G6 most of the bootloop issues are going away. G6 is a solid device and for $450 even with last gen flagship specs, its a solid phone. And that wide angle camera is great.

 

Battery life on all 3 devices are great for heavy users so any of these will get you through a day and maybe more, depending on your usage, No problem.

[GamerDude]

2nd the LG G6 recommendation. I have the Asian base model (4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, HiFi Quad DAC) and it's been a dream thus far, very snappy.....and the audio section is one of the best for cell phones. Camera function isn't super critical to me, but suffice to say I'm pretty happy with the pics I've taken with it thus far. The 18:9 screen ratio is awesome for watching widescreen movies (using MX Player Pro), running Nova Launcher + custom icons.

 

I've also heard good things about the Axon 7, very good specs and pretty good audio section....I know diddly about the 3T so I'll leave it to others to comment on it.

[fastcar123]

8 hours ago, Aytex said:

Axon 7 is a very great device for the price if its on sale (Usually $350 on newegg)

Its got flagship specs, close to stock ish UI, isn't terrible though Camera in low light is terrible, But the 3t has better low light. The Axon 7 also has a great DAC so if you're an audiophile you should be happy.

 

The 3t and 7 are pretty similar, but the Axon 7 has a 1440p display, and a less stock UI

 

3T also a Flaghship speced, Used go for around $400 or below depending on condition. Low light as I said, against the 7 is much better. And It runs on OxygenOS which is nearly stock but with useful features.

 

Up to the G6 most of the bootloop issues are going away. G6 is a solid device and for $450 even with last gen flagship specs, its a solid phone. And that wide angle camera is great.

 

Battery life on all 3 devices are great for heavy users so any of these will get you through a day and maybe more, depending on your usage, No problem.

which of these do you recommend most?

 

i just did a very quick overview for the 3T. With 6gb of ddr4 ram and 2.35 GHz cpu along with the 16 mp camera, I'd say its a pretty decent phone. Even so my mind is not made up

[fastcar123]

6 hours ago, GamerDude said:

2nd the LG G6 recommendation. I have the Asian base model (4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, HiFi Quad DAC) and it's been a dream thus far, very snappy.....and the audio section is one of the best for cell phones. Camera function isn't super critical to me, but suffice to say I'm pretty happy with the pics I've taken with it thus far. The 18:9 screen ratio is awesome for watching widescreen movies (using MX Player Pro), running Nova Launcher + custom icons.

 

I've also heard good things about the Axon 7, very good specs and pretty good audio section....I know diddly about the 3T so I'll leave it to others to comment on it.

is the G6 the one that had attachment things?

 

[fastcar123]

Also what is Oxegen OS? Is that different from android or is it just like an overlay?

[Aytex]

1 hour ago, fastcar123 said:

which of these do you recommend most?

 

i just did a very quick overview for the 3T. With 6gb of ddr4 ram and 2.35 GHz cpu along with the 16 mp camera, I'd say its a pretty decent phone. Even so my mind is not made up

For the sale right now $450 is a great price so I would grab a G6

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071HTHJ6K/?tag=bom_tomsguide-20&th=1

[fastcar123]

1 hour ago, huilun02 said:

You can get the LG G6 model H870DS (64GB International unlocked) on Amazon, for right about $450. Or maybe:

http://m.gsmarena.com/lg_g6_64gb_h870ds_model_currently_available_for_400-news-26146.php

 

The Axon 7 is fantastic value but its camera is unexceptional. Also not the most attractive design and not water resistant. 

 

I've never been to America and not familiar with the carriers/telcos over there. 

is the g6 water resistant or waterproof? 

i did some quick research on that one too. I like that it has a wide angle camera and usb 3.0 charging. 

 

I'm going to look into the axon 7 sometime today to compare the 3. I do want a really good camera though 

[Aytex]

1 hour ago, fastcar123 said:

Also what is Oxegen OS? Is that different from android or is it just like an overlay?

Its basically stock android, but With helpful Features like a night filter, or AMOLED Settings, and other stuff.

[Aytex]

Just now, fastcar123 said:

is the g6 water resistant or waterproof? 

i did some quick research on that one too. I like that it has a wide angle camera and usb 3.0 charging. 

 

I'm going to look into the axon 7 sometime today to compare the 3. I do want a really good camera though 

Yes the G6 is waterproof, G6 has the best camera out of the bunch w/ the wide angle, then the 3t, then the A7 which does terrible in low light performance.

[fastcar123]

1 minute ago, Aytex said:

Yes the G6 is waterproof, G6 has the best camera out of the bunch w/ the wide angle, then the 3t, then the A7 which does terrible in low light performance.

how is the G6 low light camera performance?

 

when you say waterproof you mean like fully submergible? 

[Aytex]

Just now, fastcar123 said:

how is the G6 low light camera performance?

 

when you say waterproof you mean like fully submergible? 

Like IP68 meaning yes you can submerge

 

Quote

- IP68 certified - dust/water proof over 1.5 meter and 30 minutes
- Water resistant up to 1 meter and 30 minutes
- MIL-STD-810G certified

Does better or to par with the 3t if you shoot with hdr

 

 

[fastcar123]

I'm at work at the moment so i wasn't able to hear anything from the video but from the sheer pictures i can tell that the 13MP g6 camera is comparable to pretty much all the others. It's a little washed out but definitely within tolerance; and likely i won't notice it when I'm using the phone daily. The G6 also has a 1440p screen, ip68 rating and the same  2.35 GHz SOC as the 3T. I am a little concerned the 4gb of ram isn't enough for heavy usage. What's your take on this?

 

[Aytex]

16 minutes ago, fastcar123 said:

I'm at work at the moment so i wasn't able to hear anything from the video but from the sheer pictures i can tell that the 13MP g6 camera is comparable to pretty much all the others. It's a little washed out but definitely within tolerance; and likely i won't notice it when I'm using the phone daily. The G6 also has a 1440p screen, ip68 rating and the same  2.35 GHz SOC as the 3T. I am a little concerned the 4gb of ram isn't enough for heavy usage. What's your take on this?

 

4 gb is enough and well enough, the oneplus 5 comes with 8 GB of ram on the highest end model and while you can tell if you have like 100000 apps open its not a big deal, 4GB will NOT bottleneck whatsoever. 

 

I bearly use my 6 GB in my Oneplus 3t so you will be fine

[fastcar123]

ok. That's good. 

one more thing about LG phones. I had like 4 LG phones way back in the day (like before android even existed).

those phone were horrible beyond measure. Are Lg phones any better now? They've left a pretty bad taste in m mouth for sure

[fastcar123]

1 hour ago, huilun02 said:

LG has a history of their phones being plagued by bootloop issues. Purportedly caused by overheating from inadequate cooling. The G6 has a heatpipe added and there is no evidence of it suffering the same fate of the older models.

you know what? I remember my first LG phone had boot looking issues. The problem must be THAT old. I'll look into the LG G6 cooling. Wonder what's causing it to be so hot?

If it's the SOC they are using, i wonder if i should avoid that soc all together. Father research will need to be done

[GamerDude]

19 hours ago, fastcar123 said:

is the G6 the one that had attachment things?

 

Nope, I think the G5 is the Frankenphone....

[fastcar123]

3 hours ago, GamerDude said:

Nope, I think the G5 is the Frankenphone....

lol seems like it.

it must've not done too well as far as sales go. Looks like the g6 doesn't have that