No longer buying flagship phones...

[OverVolt]

It's a HUGE deal. Huge. It isn't all just social media apps and freemium games.

Without a smartphone I can't:

-Quickly look up restaurants around me when I am visiting a new area and be able to narrow down only to ones highly review on yelp (aka avoid a bad meal)

-Look up the price of something that catches my eye in Best Buy to see if it is a crap product. If it isn't a crap product, I use my smartphone to force Best Buy to pricematch Amazon (aka save money)

-Let it tell me the fastest route to places, including changing the route while I am driving to take into account traffic that formed since I left (aka save time)

-Use Google Now to vocally create reminders so I don't forget all the stuff my wife asks me to do in the morning the second I come to a busy work day (aka save my marriage)

All of these things require not only a smartphone, but an internet connection. Unless you carry around a LTE tablet all the time you are literally cutting off functionality in your life.

Taking away my smartphone would be like taking a time machine into the past. I count on it daily, almost hourly, to make my life better. It is worth twice what I am paying for it IMHO and gets used more than my desktop, my game console, and my HTPC combined.

With that said there is a lot of value out there now compared to a few years ago.

Hmm... Acura's have pretty good in-car navigation. There was this Acura that almost idled into the person in front of him in a traffic jam and took the next exit thinking he was clever. Then the traffic cleared since it was just rubber necking.

The highest reviewed restaurants just care the most about reviews. Alot of local places I like actually aren't the highest rated.

I pretty much never step into a best buy to begin with. Problem solved.

It helps less than you think it does.

Any route through the city done on google maps is incorrect because the traffic flow through specific intersections is very specific with regard to which lanes have an easy left or right turn, which lanes become turn only lanes, and which lights have poor timing etc etc. If anything avoiding the route that everyone is googling for is a good way to go.

 

[Rakehellion]

Can someone explain to me how this helps the consumer? It sounds like they are just getting more money from us. I got my current phone for like $100 with my contract and I pay about $100 a month for my plan.

Now, with the new system im still gonna be paying about $100 a month but instead of getting a phone for $100 Ill need to pay like $600 for an equivalent phone.

With AT&T's plan, you get a discount on your monthly bill so you come out slightly worse but still similar as if you'd gotten a subsidized phone.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

It's a HUGE deal. Huge. It isn't all just social media apps and freemium games.

Without a smartphone I can't:

-Quickly look up restaurants around me when I am visiting a new area and be able to narrow down only to ones highly review on yelp (aka avoid a bad meal)

-Look up the price of something that catches my eye in Best Buy to see if it is a crap product. If it isn't a crap product, I use my smartphone to force Best Buy to pricematch Amazon (aka save money)

-Let it tell me the fastest route to places, including changing the route while I am driving to take into account traffic that formed since I left (aka save time)

-Use Google Now to vocally create reminders so I don't forget all the stuff my wife asks me to do in the morning the second I come to a busy work day (aka save my marriage)

All of these things require not only a smartphone, but an internet connection. Unless you carry around a LTE tablet all the time you are literally cutting off functionality in your life.

Taking away my smartphone would be like taking a time machine into the past. I count on it daily, almost hourly, to make my life better. It is worth twice what I am paying for it IMHO and gets used more than my desktop, my game console, and my HTPC combined.

With that said there is a lot of value out there now compared to a few years ago.

Here's your problem...

You don't need the LATEST AND GREATEST $850 phone for any of things you mentioned.

All of this shit has been around since the iPhone 1.

So really, you're trying to justify your stupidity with your every year or every other year upgrades. It's foolish and laughable.

 

[Crono]

Here's your problem...

You don't need the LATEST AND GREATEST $850 phone for any of things you mentioned.

All of this shit has been around since the iPhone 1.

So really, you're trying to justify your stupidity with your every year or every other year upgrades. It's foolish and laughable.

He was responding to someone who uses a feature phone, not justifying purchasing a flagship over a less expensive smartphone.

 

[brianmanahan]

some people are just cheap....lol

but this is the guy who bought a 1$k vacuum and a 80$ waste basket

 

[OverVolt]

He was responding to someone who uses a feature phone, not justifying purchasing a flagship over a less expensive smartphone.

To be fair I have to remember which restaurants I like and get directions before I leave and remember them. Its horrible.

The times I've gotten the lost-est were when I was trusting my GPS.

I dunno, its not like I don't use technology, its just the ease of access to a smart phone seems to go in lock step with increasing reliance on it and decreasing reliance on yourself.

 

[brianmanahan]

why buy a flagship? i got an original moto x for 300$ new, no contract, and just swapped my old phone with that.

 

[SP33Demon]

why buy a flagship? i got an original moto x for 300$ new, no contract, and just swapped my old phone with that.

Here's the issue with legacy phones. Apps run slower and slower on them as cpu creep occurs. I noticed this on my Moto Razr, that would run apps at least 1/3 as slow as my S6. I hate waiting, especially for my phone to get shit done. I want to run the latest games, stream Netflix, and run Waze (or insert GPS app here) without hiccups. Older phones cannot do this as fast and it sucks. App developers are making their apps more resource intensive than even 5 years ago. Otherwise I'm with you in trying to save money, but if I need my GPS or day trading apps to just work and work fast, then it's worth a couple hundo extra to me.

 

[artemicion]

Here's the issue with legacy phones. Apps run slower and slower on them as cpu creep occurs. I noticed this on my Moto Razr, that would run apps at least 1/3 as slow as my S6. I hate waiting, especially for my phone to get shit done. I want to run the latest games, stream Netflix, and run Waze (or insert GPS app here) without hiccups. Older phones cannot do this as fast and it sucks. App developers are making their apps more resource intensive than even 5 years ago. Otherwise I'm with you in trying to save money, but if I need my GPS or day trading apps to just work and work fast, then it's worth a couple hundo extra to me.

IMO, the price/performance "sweet spot" is buying last year's flagship non-Apple, non-Samsung device (since HTC, LG, etc. seem to depreciate faster than Apple/Samsung) and upgrading every two years.

 

[poofyhairguy]

IMO, the price/performance "sweet spot" is buying last year's flagship non-Apple, non-Samsung device (since HTC, LG, etc. seem to depreciate faster than Apple/Samsung) and upgrading every two years.

The only problem with that strategy is a lack of updates unless you buy a Nexus (and those carry a Samsungy used premium).

 

[Mai72]

I would die if my smartphone was taken away from me. I couldn't look up pron on my bus trips.

 

[MongGrel]

obama phone? Get a job, you bum.

j/k

Nah, the wife just had a free upgrade when she had upgraded hers and she upgraded mine at the time.

 

[MongGrel]

It's great when, in the next breath after said comment, they're asking a child or grandchild to look up something on their smartphone. Can't see the benefits oldster...really?

My wife actually annoys me a bit with her smartphone.

I have a desktop built for her and a couple of my own in a couple rooms, never have asked her to look anything up I guess.

Mines older, but is still a slide out keyboard not a flip I guess.

Yeah, I might have to lower my asking price a bit in the job search soon, and whore myself out again.

:biggrin:

 

[HomerJS]

LMAO you guys do realize that the $199 2yr contract phones you are still paying full price?

That's why they came out with jump/next/edge, etc. 0% financing on full price minus sales tax and you get a $25 discount on your monthly bill. Contracts were horrible if you liked to change phones frequently.

And now with Verizon, if you want to buy out your Edge agreement, there's no partial payment, full pay off and you keep the phone. Sell on Swappa, give to friend, etc.

Fi Network would gain popularity if they have it available on more devices. The Nexus 6 is way too big for most folks. Of course if you like where tmo and sprint service is bad it may not work for you.

TMO service where I live is pretty bad. Come to think of it if you're outside of any suburbs, it's horrible. Their 2G is horrible. And even if you use wifi calling inside sending SMS attachments takes very long, like 10s of minutes. TMOFAIL#

Apple upgrade program is interesting. $44.91/mo. including 2 years applecare+. When the iphone 7 comes out, preorder and walk into apple store and trade up, get new plan which is charged to card. Works great and device is unlocked so I can go to EU, pop in a prepaid SIM and everything's peachy.

Got a 128GB 6S Plus in Rose Gold! :awe:

That's what I asked earlier. Extra $25/month = $600 over 2 years. Sounds like a break even.

 

[boomhower]

I like my new fancy phones so I'll stick with AT&T Next. Bill isn't much different than what it was with Verizon for similar features.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I don't get this obsession about cpu power for phones, I have a Nexus 4 which by most people's standards is probably super out dated. I don't have any problems doing anything on the phone. All the real productivity stuff I do on my computer, as a computer is just better for that kind of stuff. Triple monitor, mouse and keyboard, etc. What are people running on their phones that make cpu power so important?

 

[tortillasoup]

I don't get this obsession about cpu power for phones, I have a Nexus 4 which by most people's standards is probably super out dated. I don't have any problems doing anything on the phone. All the real productivity stuff I do on my computer, as a computer is just better for that kind of stuff. Triple monitor, mouse and keyboard, etc. What are people running on their phones that make cpu power so important?

I agree. I use an Amaze 4G and my biggest concern is typically battery life because otherwise, the phone is fast enough for tasks thrown at it. I don't need LTE or quad cores or what ever unless those things improve battery life or signal. I do like new features being added but adding performance is only necessary if they bloat the shit out of the OS.

 

[artemicion]

The only problem with that strategy is a lack of updates unless you buy a Nexus (and those carry a Samsungy used premium).

Not familiar with every single phone out there, but my phones have gotten Android updates. HTC One (m8) from 2014 got updated to Lollipop and HTC announced that it'd be getting Marshmallow as well, so it's basically up-to-date through the planned ~three year lifespan I have for it.

 

[Printer Bandit]

hey guys, i still use this flagship phone. how cool am i?

 

[Instan00dles]

I have my Blackberry Q10 and I dont think I could ever change it for another phone. I wish it has a better camera but that is about it. I buy a cheap Q10 from kijiji for parts if they ever come up but I will keep it until it dies. I may upgrade if the new BB prvi comes with BB10 OS and I can get a good deal on it, I hate android and have no desire to use it.

 

[lord_emperor]

You know you "paid" for the phone over the term of your contract anyway right? To simulate the effect just take out a loan for $600 over three years.

 

[brianmanahan]

hey guys, i still use this flagship phone. how cool am i?

looks like you need to start stealing phones in addition to printers

 

[OverVolt]

Back in my day news came from news paper.

 

[blankslate]

The only problem with that strategy is a lack of updates unless you buy a Nexus (and those carry a Samsungy used premium).

This is an issue. Although a year old flagship that is carrier and bootloader unlocked can still be good buy and have some updates before you might have to explore custom ROMs

I know most people won't flash a custom ROM, but this is a forum on a tech site so that's why I mention the option.



....

 

[dainthomas]

To be fair I have to remember which restaurants I like and get directions before I leave and remember them. Its horrible.

The times I've gotten the lost-est were when I was trusting my GPS.

I dunno, its not like I don't use technology, its just the ease of access to a smart phone seems to go in lock step with increasing reliance on it and decreasing reliance on yourself.

My memory has always been notoriously unreliable. Instead of forgetting appointments/kids appointments/events constantly I just put everything into my google calendar and set up alerts. Beats forgetting crap or carrying around a giant organizer.

And google maps has saved me a crapload of time navigating around accidents.