What phone now?

[RShea]

How long did it take you to get your invite?

I requested an invite just a few days before they rolled it out as live and available. It was a few days later I got the reply that the invite was extended to me.

[riser4]

Wish me luck, downloading Marshmallow on my Moto G now.

[Dantheman]

Fi invites showed up last night, pulled the trigger. I'll keep you posted.

[riser4]

Fi won't help me now. However, I hope down the road that it shakes things up. I'm liking that the Nexus prices are trending down. The Nexus 6 was too much $$$. I am still hoping that Google can get back to the same price points it had when it owned Moto.

[riser4]

Wish me luck, downloading Marshmallow on my Moto G now.

Phone seems OK. Not sure I can see any difference. So I changed the wallpaper. Now it looks different.

[Dantheman]

Fi won't help me now. However, I hope down the road that it shakes things up.

Sorry, by "you" I meant the thread and not you, riser3, specifically.

[riser4]

Sorry, by "you" I meant the thread and not you, riser3, specifically.

I know. I was not responding to you, specifically.

[doughboyshredder]

Damn. Pretty much stuck with AT&T because they are the only folks with towers in a few crucial rural spots for me. I really wish dual SIM phones were more common and popular here. It is maddening that the dual SIM Moto G is not available in the US market. I would switch to some discount carrier that uses the AT&T network EXCEPT that those plans don't roam in Canada and while it is expensive, it is really useful to be able to make a call or send a text there if I have to. Or make and receive same here in the US in those spots where the strongest signal is from Canuckistan. Hence the desire for a [decent AND inexpensive] dual SIM phone.

Magicsim dual SIM might be an option.

[Mazderati]

Sorry, by "you" I meant the thread and not you, riser3, specifically.

I know. I was not responding to you, specifically.

[riser4]

Magicsim dual SIM might be an option.

Interesting hack, not quite what I am looking for. Thanks for the tip.

[doughboyshredder]

Finally settled on a factory unlocked Galaxy S5 with TMobile software. I also ordered a Magicsim dual sim card. For U.S. and international I will be using TMobile's service. While in Panama I will be using a prepaid sim in the other slot of the dual sim card.

The S5 seems like a better phone than the S6, although not as sexy. I managed to get a new one for$250.00. Unlike the S6 the S5 is IP67 rated. I also got a heavy duty case for it.

I figured I could buy 3 of these for the price of a Sonim, and the Sonim wouldn't work with TMobile's wifi calling.

I am hopefull that the Magicsim works as advertised, allowing you to seamlessly switch between sims for data, calling, and text, while still receiving calls from either number.

[stfu&gbtw]

Back in the market... going to hand off my Moto XP to a colleague. Anything new and good? Would like something smaller, but not up for lackluster processor and memory specs.

[stuckathuntermtn]

S7 looks good, but it's probably big.

[The Tortoise]

Sony Z5 (or even Z3) Compact fit the bill.

[stfu&gbtw]

Sony Z5 (or even Z3) Compact fit the bill.

I wish... I had a Z3 and it was a great phone. Battery life was incredible... Right up until Sony started pushing updates that turned on a signal strength notification that couldn't be disabled. Every time the signal changed from 3g to 4g, or to LTE, or to no signal, it would play the default notification, interrupting music, videos, calls, etc. It was ridiculous. Sony became aware of the issue and patched it, but would then turn it back on in a subsequent update. Went through that off and on for a few months before the waterproofing failed and the display STB. Up until the notification issue, it was one of the best phones I'd ever owned. But support was nonexistent and I swore I'd never buy another Sony phone. Were it not for that, I'd own a Z5 already.

[The Tortoise]

That sounds fucking awful.

[RShea]

Just spent some time on a new Asus Zenphone 2. Pretty snappy processor, GSM phone with a 5.5 inch though- so not sure what you classify as not too big (many new phonse seem to be headed for 6 inch and bigger. Camera seemed to be pretty nice, but did not take many photos or download them to a computer. Video camera mode supported 1080p w 30 fps.

[El Chupacabra]

We're on Verizon now, with 2 of 3 phones under contract ending in August. Mrs. C.'s phone is dying and the battery isn't replaceable without major surgery. I think I'm going to transfer my S5 (works great, looks new) to her, and I'll switch to Google Fi, with the Nexus 5x deal that's going on now. Once we hit the contract end date in August, switch Mrs. C. to VZ prepaid, and probably move the other phone off VZ entirely (kid is in college, he can deal with it himself).

Even if cell coverage stinks at my house with Google Fi's Sprint/T-Mobile networks, I'll have voice calls over wifi. If Sprint/T-Mobile turns out to generally suck for my locations, I can take the Nexus 5x over to Verizon, and can go on the prepaid plan, which will be less $.

[stfu&gbtw]

We're on Verizon now, with 2 of 3 phones under contract ending in August. Mrs. C.'s phone is dying and the battery isn't replaceable without major surgery. I think I'm going to transfer my S5 (works great, looks new) to her, and I'll switch to Google Fi, with the Nexus 5x deal that's going on now. Once we hit the contract end date in August, switch Mrs. C. to VZ prepaid, and probably move the other phone off VZ entirely (kid is in college, he can deal with it himself).

Even if cell coverage stinks at my house with Google Fi's Sprint/T-Mobile networks, I'll have voice calls over wifi. If Sprint/T-Mobile turns out to generally suck for my locations, I can take the Nexus 5x over to Verizon, and can go on the prepaid plan, which will be less $.

A buddy has the 5x and thinks it's pretty blah. I feel the same about the XP. For all the "pure" google hype, they really don't work all that well. Don't get me wrong, they're fine. But hardly worth all the publicity. The Sony Z3 had the best android implementation of any phone I've owned, right up until they fucked it all up.

[bagtagley]

6S is about the perfect size for me , but pricey. With the G4 and S7 coming out, the G3 and S6 can be had for $~300 or less. Swappa consistently has them for pretty cheap, but if you're patient, you can find deals from retailers and carriers. Ebay too. Keep an eye on Slickdeals for any phone deals.

Having said that, If I wasn't tied to iPhone, I'd get the Nexus 5X. Stock android is where it's at. If you want flash, get a Samsung.

[Dantheman]

A buddy has the 5x and thinks it's pretty blah. I feel the same about the XP. For all the "pure" google hype, they really don't work all that well.

Depends on your expectations. The 5X is not a flagship phone, so if you buy one expecting that you're going to be disappointed. Still a very capable phone though. I'm not sue what you mean by "don't work all that well", but anything you could complain about on it isn't related to it being stock Android. The lack of bloatware is great.

I'm now 2 months into Project Fi with the 5X. No complaints so far, but I came from Tmobile so I was used to poor coverage in rural areas. Wifi calling is as seamless as they advertise. My bill the first month was $25, the wife's was $36. After checking her data usage it was almost all Instagram, so I tweaked her settings and this month she was also ~$25. Adds up to over $40/month savings over the Tmobile plan we had. My phone ported over seamlessly, but she had an issue at first where she couldn't receive texts so we got to test out the much lauded Fi customer service. Called and got a nice guy speaking real english in two rings. After explaining the situation and a couple minutes on hold he came back saying it wasn't something they could fix over the phone, but the tech guys were on it and it would be taken care of within 24 hours. Sure enough, by the next afternoon all was good. 5X is a good phone, not amazing but good for the price. Most of the reviews out there are pretty spot-on IMO, so I'm not going to bother with a lengthy review of the phone. Overall I'd say Fi is awesome if rural coverage is not a priority for you, you're not a heavy data user and you like Nexus phones.

In other news, Motorola never refunded me for my defective MotoG. The email I got when I returned it said refunds typically process 7-10 days after they receive the device. After two weeks of nothing I called and was told to expect my refund within a week. 10 days later I called again and got the same line. After another week of nothing I started emailing since I now wanted everything in writing. When I didn't get a response after a week I opened a PayPal dispute. Sent another email, waited another week, then escalated the dispute to a claim. At that point I finally got an email response which asked me to call in to resolve the issue. I responded that I would only be conducting further correspondence regarding the matter in writing and never heard back.

Paypal decided the case in my favor and credited my account back on March 6. That's almost 10 weeks after Motorola received the phone. Between this bullshit, receiving two defective phones, and the overseas CS nightmare I had to deal with for the first phone there's no way in hell I'd ever consider a Motorola phone again.

[PowderHorse]

I'm about to give Fi a try, have had the invite a while and my Moto X is dying.

Debating with myself about the Nexus 5X but think I'm going to go big and get the 6P (fuck, when did phones get so expensive?).

[riser4]

Phones suck. Especially smart phones. Satisfaction is fleeting.

[Dantheman]

fuck, when did phones get so expensive?

They always have been.

[riser4]

I'm about to give Fi a try, have had the invite a while and my Moto X is dying.

Debating with myself about the Nexus 5X but think I'm going to go big and get the 6P (fuck, when did phones get so expensive?).

Don't let your self debate become like the Republican debates... Hopefully you have fewer than 16 selves...