Is there any point in buying New phones at the moment?

[Yipper]

Samsung S8 DeX is a dock that connects your phone to a big monitor and gives an entry-level, netbook-like, PC experience. For a first-generation true-PC-like experience, it is pretty good. By the time it gets to S10 and above, you're gonna be able to replace perhaps 50-80% of your desktop, laptop and tablet activity (beyond browsing) on your phone.

[GTIAlex]

alock said:

I have a Galaxy S5 coming up to 3 years old that has just started randomly rebooting. Looked around at new phones and they are just uninspiring.

I've actually started enjoying the fact that my current phone is on its last legs and isn't worth pampering. No cover. No screen protector. No fear of accidental damage. If I buy a new phone I will lose these benefits.

I just totally wiped mine back to factory when it started doing that and no problems now.
Had mine in a tech-21 case since new so here is literally zero marks on it.

[bagusbagus]

Yipper said:

Samsung S8 DeX is a dock that connects your phone to a big monitor and gives an entry-level, netbook-like, PC experience. For a first-generation true-PC-like experience, it is pretty good. By the time it gets to S10 and above, you're gonna be able to replace perhaps 50-80% of your desktop, laptop and tablet activity (beyond browsing) on your phone.

That looks pretty ok, Now If we could run a windows OS on it and it would have a little bit beefier cpu that would be gamechanger.
Hopefully in a few years they make it happen.

Laptop CPU's has stood in the same place for probably the past 4-5years , at least the phone CPU's are getting better and better.

[jamoor]

GTIAlex said:

Still got an S5 and find it no problem.
Does social media in a flash, plays games for when im on the loo, or I can read the paper.
It bluetoothes to the car for the sat nav audio/spotify etc
Links to the Sonos player
Camera is fine for what I use it for
Battery life reduced? Just replace to battery with a brand new one.

Really dont see what a newer model would offer me.

Faster, fingerprint scanner, faster charging, nfc/android pay maybe?, longer battery life due to better hardware and software possibly.

Swings and roundabouts really.

[alock]

bagusbagus said:

That looks pretty ok, Now If we could run a windows OS on it and it would have a little bit beefier cpu that would be gamechanger.

I think there will be a tie in with AWS/Azure hosted virtual environments and a highly optimised local Android client app.

[cheddar]

So the consensus is that trading up from my current phone isn't worth it, right?

[Evanivitch]

Had a galaxy S3 for years, it was great until the firmware corrupted.

Then got a Galaxy something-cheap that had same hardware specs as the S3, except Android had grown and i quickly ran out of internal memory and only so much could be moved onto memory card.

Now Motorola G4 Plus. It's brilliant, but not much different to the S3 except for the better camera, larger screen and fast charging. I'd recommend it if buying the phone and avoiding contract.

[AlasdairMc]

GT03ROB said:

I keep them until the battery cannot hold charge or they simply do not work then change to the latest model.

I just swap out the battery on my iPhone when it dies (fiver a time on eBay) as I can't find a compelling reason to upgrade beyond the 6 yet. Maybe when the 8 comes out or they stop supporting the 6. By then I'll probably have got bored and moved to Android though...

[Mothersruin]

I've a Note 4, it hasn't slowed or had any battery degradation since new.

I can't see any need to change up for a long time.

[272BHP]

Cloud hosting is surely the way to go - all smart phones can handle a thin client - then you can log in to any desktop environment you want. You want more power? then you pay a bit more.

With augmented reality glasses you would even have these beautiful work spaces projected in front of you as well - all of this is not too far way either.

As a smart phone though, I agree they have reached peak core functionality - the real exciting stuff is in software and services.

[bloomen]

I well and truly hope that we're not forced into that cloud crap. In the last three weeks I've been within range of wifi or acceptable mobile data levels for no more than 30 or so hours in total.

I'll probably be dependent on fairly ropey data for most of the summer. I wouldn't be able to get a single thing done if I was stuck with cloud based things. It's impossible to hold a 1G signal down the entirety of a road or rail journey in the SE.

Edited by bloomen on Wednesday 26th April 00:06

[Insanity Magnet]

Mothersruin said:

I've a Note 4, it hasn't slowed or had any battery degradation since new.

I can't see any need to change up for a long time.

I'm on my second battery. Best phone I've had but getting slightly unreliable now (SIM card wedged in with Blu-Tack otherwise I get the removed sim error, lens assembly making an 'orrible racket)

When it dies, I'll have to get a Note 8/9 (as long as that doesn't prove to be a fire hazard). I can't do without the stylus now...

Edited by Insanity Magnet on Wednesday 26th April 01:14

[147GTA]

jamoor said:

Faster, fingerprint scanner, faster charging, nfc/android pay maybe?, longer battery life due to better hardware and software possibly.

Swings and roundabouts really.

The S5 did have a fingerprint scanner as well as nfc/android pay and you could get a 3500ma battery for it too. Despite my S5 Duos being over 3 years old it still has 6 hours of screen on time with the 3500ma battery while still being ip67 rated and can have 2 sim cards as well as a memory card in it at the same time, something the newer models can't do.

[RTB]

Work have just issued us with budget Samung J5 phones and I find it a bit depressing that I'm happily using the J5 interchangeably with my personal S6 edge and for 95% of tasks there's really not much difference in terms of the user experience.

Ok the S6 edge looks and feels nicer, it's a bit quicker and has a finger print scanner and a nice camera. However, there's nothing really wrong with the J5. It's quick enough, the screen is nice, the camera is fine for snaps and all the apps work the same.

When my S6 edge contract runs out I'm seriously considering getting a dual sim adapter and just having the J5 with work and personal sim cards fitted.

What I get for the S6 edge can go towards a gadget that will excite me like new smart phones used to (like a big sensor compact camera...)

[rodericb]

bagusbagus said:

That looks pretty ok, Now If we could run a windows OS on it and it would have a little bit beefier cpu that would be gamechanger.
Hopefully in a few years they make it happen.

Laptop CPU's has stood in the same place for probably the past 4-5years , at least the phone CPU's are getting better and better.

HP Elite X3 with dock? Or even with laptop dock. It is a sensational looking phone. Back to your original post, you will never get a phone which will have the processing power of a top laptop, let alone a desktop PC. https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/1945951/h...

Edited by rodericb on Wednesday 26th April 11:59

[DaveCWK]

I currently have a Sony Z3 compact with a sim contract, and am seriously thinking about buying another one for when this one dies.

Water resistant, microsd slot, screen is not too large & sharper than I can see with my eyes, fast enough to be snappy with general use, has built in active noise cancelling headphones.

Unless you play the latest games & need the best processing power or want a big screen (i cant be the only one who doesnt?) I don't see the point.

[bodhi]

DaveCWK said:

I currently have a Sony Z3 compact with a sim contract, and am seriously thinking about buying another one for when this one dies.

Water resistant, microsd slot, screen is not too large & sharper than I can see with my eyes, fast enough to be snappy with general use, has built in active noise cancelling headphones.

Unless you play the latest games & need the best processing power or want a big screen (i cant be the only one who doesnt?) I don't see the point.

I'm on the "full fat" Z3 for my work phone, and if I'm honest, the only lever I've found to get work to consider replacing it is the lack of Android Security Updates coming through now - less of a concern on a personal phone, but even then they are happy for me to wait until the XZ Premium comes out.

My Z3 is 2 and a half years old now, battery still lasts a day and a half, it still runs absolutely everything my Z5 Premium does and everything still works perfectly - in fact I am quite loathe to give it up when the time comes, as it's been the best phone I've ever had.

[Shaoxter]

Mothersruin said:

I've a Note 4, it hasn't slowed or had any battery degradation since new.

I can't see any need to change up for a long time.

I had my Note 4 since it came out, loved it and it was still running great... until it got stolen
Got a Moto G4+ as a stop gap phone, intended to get the Note 7 but that idea got shot down in flames... Now I've just got the S8+ and have to say it's leagues ahead of the G4+. Amazing screen, much better pictures and videos and all round smoother experience... but then we are comparing a phone that's 3x more expensive!

I intend to keep this phone for about 3 years so the usual man maths tells me it's only a few £ more each month over an S7 Edge

[Mark300zx]

Got a note 3 that runs fine, had a tinkle with a Xiaomi Note 4x and have got to admit it was very quick!!!!

[Tycho]

I was listening to a tech podcast a few weeks ago and they were saying that the biggest issue with Windows running on a phone (full fat x86 rather than arm) was the battery life. Intel can't get the duration needed to make the chips viable for use. Hopefully this is solved as I think MS would clean up in the corp sector with a surface phone and dock it this issue was sorted. I looked at the dex and it seems to be viable for probably 90% of peoples needs as most only need a good email client, music player and office quote. Office on android is pretty good for most tasks.