I'm REALLY hard on phones. Usually i only get about a year.
However, ive had a Samsung s6 active for 3 years. If the battery hadn't goneto E36 M3 and taken the reception with it i wouldnt have this thread....
Biggest three things i need:
Durability. Drop, water, heat, squish. Mil spec/contractor grade is how i wound up here with the s6 active
Reception. I cover areas god forgot he made.
Battery life.
So, new/referb with warrenty and cheaper the better.
I put a new battery in my Galaxy S7edge. It was pretty cheap. Got the whole kit on amazon. A lot easier/cheaper than getting a new phone.
I wonder if that will actually fix the reception issues?
And looking at guides, it looks like i have to heat this to break the glue and separate the halves....
On mine, the old battery expanded itself out, separating the case, so that the heat wasn't needed at all. The kit came with new glue tape, a little tool, directions, etc. The youtoobes were very helpful. I was recovering from a very nasty infection at the time and my hands weren't stable, so I had my friend put the battery in for me.
Look into the Kyocera Duraforce Pro2.
Verizon refurbished one on amazon.
more rugged design and has a decent amount of RAM.
I'm using a Blackberry Key2 LE. it has taken an absolute beating. I've been very pleased with it. It gets dropped here and there and it's hit concrete twice and still ticking.
cheapest i found it now was on bestbuy.com I bought mine open box on Amazon last feb for $315.
In reply to spacecadet :
Last phone I purchased from Amazon was IMEI locked due to non-payment YMMV.
I've had good luck so far with an LG V20. Its not waterproof though. The LG V30 is though which is what my dad has. He's really had no problems with his.
I replaced the non-replaceable battery in my Droid turbo. It also was put together with glue, but I didn't have much trouble getting it apart.
I heated it up by setting it on some rice socks, then pried it apart using some plastic Auto trim tools. It wasn't too hard.
I think I spent about $40.
I had an S5 active and loved it except for its size. Battery took a crap after 1.5 years, and it was stoopid slow because of Samsung bloatware.
Switched to a Google Pixel 2 and I'm floored. I will never do a bloatware phone again. I'm pretty hard on phones (maybe not as hard as you) but I work as a theater tech director, so I'm constantly lifting heavy things against it in my pocket, whacking it, dropping it from ladders, etc. After 2+ years of abuse, I can't kill it. I just have a smooth vinyl case on the back, nothing on the front. Waterproof to 18'. I'm not sure if that is the actual spec, but mine has been 18' down for two hours until I could find my snorkel gear to retrieve it.
Awesome camera, lightweight, small package, works in 187 countries. I guess I should start booking flights.
The only reason I might upgrade is to get a 5G capable phone, but I'll be going right back to a Pixel.
Ok, refurbishment of my s6 is out. Its got bigger issues now....
I no longer am locked into an at&t contract. Howeber, they have the best service in the areas i cover. The local store, which has always sucked, told me they no longer do free phones, and won't beat the walmart unlimited everuthimg for 90 a month (which uses their service). Im going to try the big store in concord this afternoon and see if i get a different story, but i doubt it.
So, ill be looking at two lines getting sent to somewhere else, and one new phone.
Looking at all fhe amazon reviews seems like ordering anything billed as refurbished is a game of Russian roulette. With a semi auto.
BUT, 500-700 on a damn phone is nuts. I can buy a neon for that!
So, in addition to the phone reccomendations I guess were now looking for retailer and carrier reccomendations.
Pixel 3a with the most durable case you can find.
I get 3+ years out of most phones by keeping them in a Otterbox Defender case.
The current phone is a LG V40 that has been working very well for the last 6 months. It replaced a LG V20 that also held up well for 2 years. The V20 got a new battery and went to my son to replace a phone he killed.
A good case is key to keeping them alive. That and remembering the damn things are expensive to replace.
+1 on heavy duty Otterbox cases. Although it didn't help much when a dump truck ran over one of my phones.
In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :
Ive been a long time user of Motorola handsets.
Looking at the Moto website i currently see these specials...
Buy a Moto G7Power for $249 and get either another Moto G6Play or Moto G6 (non-play) for free. Net of $125 per handset.
I currently have the G7Power and its 5000mAh battery is awesome. Most phone are around 3000mAh so the battery is 1.5x of most phones. I previously had the G6. Both are great as a phone. The camera is average and probably the biggest weakness but it is good enough for the casual user.
Or, $50 off each G7Power for $199 each if you want to have two matching handsets. Net $199 each
Dr. Hess said:I put a new battery in my Galaxy S7edge. It was pretty cheap. Got the whole kit on amazon. A lot easier/cheaper than getting a new phone.
How long did the S7 Edge battery last from new? Asking for a friend.
I have a base model LG and it has been very good. I'm hard on phones (part time Lyft driver, work in dusty warehouse full time and drop phone from time to time) and this one has held up real well. I can look it up later. I looked on EBay one time and you can get refurbs of mine for $70..
To update. When I went to the big store in Concord today I got what may have been the most helpful and the courteous cell phone store employee I have ever met. The man went out of his way to help me out and try to find a plan that was better and cheaper than what we had. Once we got the account unlock and were able to see what was going on and figured out that Walmart plans will not beat what we already have price per content. He also figured out that we have insurance on both our phones and was able to process an insurance claim on my phone that got me a Samsung S8 active for 75 bucks.
In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :
Winning!
Ive had my S7 Active for 3 or4 years, the newest active version is S8 or s9 which is what i would get
Edit: lmk how you like it
yes, follow up would be appreciated. My phone is working pretty well since the battery change, but I've been pondering my next move for a while.
Will do y'all.
And im buying him lunch.
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