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A "Which phone should I get?" thread (Tmo)

notacoach

Android Enthusiast
Sep 12, 2012
309
184
Here's the story: we originally moved to Tmo from ATT last year for the included Canadian coverage (which we need). I took my excellent ATT (unlocked) HTC M8 with me; alas, had to migrate to a Tmo M9 after a week when it became clear that although unlocked, it was not going to play nice with Tmo (4-hr battery drain because of network incompatibility). Wasn't happy, but was my only choice at the time, and since it was on a Jump contract (cheapest way to do it at the time), figured I'd just upgrade sooner than later.

Unfortunately, right as I was ready to upgrade this summer, Tmo STOPPED SELLING THE HTC 10, which was the obvious choice. I had high hopes for the 10, so was really disappointed! I owe about $250 still on the 9 before it's paid off OR I can trade it in for a phone purchased through Tmo and just keep a payment (which actually works better for me, but isn't a dealbreaker).

My needs:
- MUST do Tmo wi-fi calling out of the box (am frequently in a bad reception area)
- MUST play nice with Tmo reception bands
- larger would be good. I've had a job change and a phablet could be advantageous.
- battery life. I'd like to get a full day of heavy internet use (but little video or calling)
- great camera preferred (that's the one place HTC has usually let me down).
- I like Sense - their pull-down quick-settings panel (use it all the time), as well as how you can set up contact lists on a widget on a home screen.
- Speaker sound. I'm spoiled by the M8 and M9
- would prefer something that will likely ship with Nougat (assuming I wait a couple of months) so I don't have to faff around with it once they roll out the upgrades.

My options (I think?)

- Keep the M9 until it's paid for and dead. This irks partly because it's not my favorite phone, and partly because I'm paying for the upgradeability (and if that's the case, would rather be within my 1 year warranty!)|

- HTC 10 from htc. The obvious upgrade, especially as the price comes down. Uh-oh protection = good thing. But will they still be in business in a year? If they go under, what happens to support?

- Note 7 - no problem waiting until all the hullaballoo settles down (and maybe some discounts around Thanksgiving, or to boost sales again?), and when I handled one in store right after the release I was impressed, but I'm not liking the reports of lag/freezing. Then again, not sure what kind of apps those reporting lag are using, so it might/might not affect me. And streuth, the price!

- 7 Edge - it's ok and I've played with a friend's, but the edges make it look like everything is floating. Not crazy about it; the less-curved Note causes less of an optical illusion for me. Ditto on $. Expensive, to say the least.

- Google Nexus. I handled a 6p at BB and really liked it, particularly the SIZE, but I read conflicting reports about how it plays with Tmo? Don't want another M8 fiasco. Also, it's nearing it's EOL, so not sure it would be worth it.

- New Google phones - Is it confirmed they're made by HTC? Is there a larger, phablet one? Will they support Tmo functions out of the box?

Discuss - all suggestions welcomed :)
 
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How about the non-Edge 7? It's basically the same except for a smaller battery and screen size (same battery and screen size as the HTC10. The Edge battery is just huge). It's inferior to HTC in terms of audio though.
Hated it when I handled it. :( Felt so small and iPhoneish (not a good thing, imo - I had one iPhone after my Palm Treo died, and HATED it).
 
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I think somebody posted and then deleted, but in answer to that question: No, I don't believe I'm limited to what Tmo sells, BUT it must have their frequency + be able to do wifi calling without workarounds (ie no Google hangouts or alternative phone numbers). You can use unlocked phones on their network, but not all of them have all features. Some do, however.

And no way to iPhone. No iAnything EVER EVER EVER again. Android/PC all the way for me.
 
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If that's the case, then I'll just suggest you wait for the Nexus. The Edges appear to be not your cup of tea, and well Note 7 users mostly agree that the S7 Edge is just snappier and more fluid than the Note. Hopefully it was just some software optmization needed, but so far it appears that the 7 Edge is the overall better phone. HTC is indeed making the new Pixel phones by Google, so they'll probably be around for the next year, so an HTC 10 is still on the table.
 
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Go look on Swappa for a clean T-Mo HTC-10. Chances are you can find one there for a reasonable price, and it's generally a safe place to buy as they verify the seller and the ESN.
As for the WiFi calling I agree with you that's a must-have (I'm on MetroPCS and I use it a lot). I recall reading here that a non-branded HTC-10 was able to do T-Mo WiFi calling but don't hold me to that without doing your own research. ;)
 
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I'd never heard of Swappa - thanks!

BTW, what about the One phones - worth researching or not?
You talking about OnePlus? If so I'd be wary, they may have decent specs but there have been issues with their customer service which is in China. Also you won't get T-Mo Wi-Fi calling with those.
I'd stick to the major established brands that you're already considering.
 
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And... have been reading up on the LG V20. Which is sounding better and better - the hifi recording is very appealing, and I can't deny that a removable battery would be AWESOME for long travel days. I had an LG phone years ago when I was with Sprint and it was actually really good (that's when they were still the el cheapo brand, and I I wound up with it simply because it was inexpensive and had a flip, which I wanted at the time, but it turned out to be surprisingly great).

I know it's not out yet, but what experiences have folks had with LG on TMo with the current models?
 
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