To Shift from S7 Edge... need advice

G

Hi,

I am planning to change my mobile, but not sure which one to opt for. Filling in the questionnaire first.

1. Budget?
Upto 50k.. but any saving is welcome

2. Display type and size?
Not sure about type... would expect something from best. As of size... I guess anything larger than S7 Edge would not be much comfortable to use, but again that's depend on form factor, aspect ratio, etc. And now all phones have much lesser bezel, so I would say, comfortable size would be fine.

3. Dual sim?
Yes.. microSD/SIM swap would work.

4. Preferred choice of brand?
Well, my journey has been like this: Nokia 6030> Nokia N70 > Xperia > S7 E. So I guess I would like to stick with these brands (Samsung, Apple, Sony, Google, etc.). I have not used OP/Mi/Oppo, so I cannot comment. Peaceful life is what I want

BTW... I have noticed that my S7 really giving problems (hang, system UI issue, etc.) these days. I got this feedback from my friends as well that Samsung devices start getting laggy after a couple of years. Is it really the case? May be Samsung does with with updates? Just throwing out my thoughts.

5. What camera option you want (flash, front facing camera)?
Best ones in the market.. front as well as rear.

6. Preferred operating system? (Android, iOS,Stock Android etc).
No rigidity.

7. Preferred connectivity options (Dual 4G,802.11AC or 5Ghz wifi).
5G ready is most welcome.

8. Primary use of handset (multimedia, camera, internet, gaming etc)?
Ordered by use/expectation: Camera>Multimedia>Internet>Practical

9. Any specific mobile phones in consideration?
I was thinking of a Note (which one I don't know, depends on different discount/sale options) to have a taste of stylus and cool look. But not decided, so open for suggestions.

10. Any other info that you want to share
Yes. After-sales service should be good. I remember Apple service center asking for ~17k for extra warranty for Mac Air. Lol. Samsung is good in this, they had provided pick and drop facility. Also, overall look of mobile phone with practical form factor is highly desirable.

In case I should wait for some new launch, I would be able to do so for a couple of months. Thank you for reading this patiently.

W

Samsung Galaxy S10 will exceed your budget but keep an eye on coming amazon sale around 15th Aug & with all discount/exchange offers you should be able to get it within/near 50k.

S10 & Note 9 are good contenders. With the launch of Note 10 on Aug 7, expect Note 9's prices to drop. Sales around Aug 15 is the time for you to buy. My preference would be S10 over Note 9 because its a newer device.

If you want to save money, get OP7. Will satisfy all your needs. No 5G phones in India, don't worry about it for another 2 years.

Samsung had the reputation of getting laggy after a year or two, but I observed nothing major in my S8, its 2 years old now. I have a friend with S7E & even he was complaining of lag, but his views might be skewed as his second phone is OP5, which is surely fast. Another friend with S7 says his phone has slowed down a bit but he didn't mention anything major. I think lags in Samsung phones might be due to Exynos SoC or OS. My S8 is Snapdragon variant, so maybe that's why it didn't slow down or Samsung Experience introduced with S8 took care of the problem & One UI improved it further. Or maybe my phone is still good because I use Nova launcher & have some Samsung apps disabled (sadly no more disabling Bixby). I don't have any friends in India who is using S8 or later, so can't exactly compare.

S7 series is 3 years old now, which is the expected life span of smartphones these days. Seeing some lags now should be considered normal. @anupam_pb one of my friends have s8 exynos variant and it is working fine for him till now atleast. lol
@Gauravchi Did you try resetting your phone, etc.? Mobile market is over saturated these days and none of the models can be considered "latest". You buy something today and tomorrow its the old news. It is better to use up your existing phone as much as possible because the market is always swamped anyways.

If you decide to buy a phone after 4-5 months from now, maybe it would be a different story about what you should buy.
If its absolute necessary for you to buy a phone right now, OP 7 Pro is a nice option especially for its 90Hz display. None of the phones feel as quick as this one because of its better refresh rate screen. However, you may find it bigger than what you need though.

Randy_Marsh said:
S7 series is 3 years old now, which is the expected life span of smartphones these days. Seeing some lags now should be considered normal. @anupam_pb one of my friends have s8 exynos variant and it is working fine for him till now atleast. lol

Good to know

G

Randy_Marsh said:
S7 series is 3 years old now, which is the expected life span of smartphones these days. Seeing some lags now should be considered normal. @anupam_pb one of my friends have s8 exynos variant and it is working fine for him till now atleast. lol
@Gauravchi Did you try resetting your phone, etc.? Mobile market is over saturated these days and none of the models can be considered "latest". You buy something today and tomorrow its the old news. It is better to use up your existing phone as much as possible because the market is always swamped anyways. If you decide to buy a phone after 4-5 months from now, maybe it would be a different story about what you should buy.
If its absolute necessary for you to buy a phone right now, OP 7 Pro is a nice option especially for its 90Hz display. None of the phones feel as quick as this one because of its better refresh rate screen. However, you may find it bigger than what you need though.

Yes, OP7 would be a little bigger for me. Agree with your point of maximising the usage... but camera quality also feel obsolete now, especially selfie one.

B

anupam_pb said:
S10 & Note 9 are good contenders. With the launch of Note 10 on Aug 7, expect Note 9's prices to drop. Sales around Aug 15 is the time for you to buy. My preference would be S10 over Note 9 because its a newer device.

If you want to save money, get OP7. Will satisfy all your needs. No 5G phones in India, don't worry about it for another 2 years.

Samsung had the reputation of getting laggy after a year or two, but I observed nothing major in my S8, its 2 years old now. I have a friend with S7E & even he was complaining of lag, but his views might be skewed as his second phone is OP5, which is surely fast. Another friend with S7 says his phone has slowed down a bit but he didn't mention anything major. I think lags in Samsung phones might be due to Exynos SoC or OS. My S8 is Snapdragon variant, so maybe that's why it didn't slow down or Samsung Experience introduced with S8 took care of the problem & One UI improved it further. Or maybe my phone is still good because I use Nova launcher & have some Samsung apps disabled (sadly no more disabling Bixby). I don't have any friends in India who is using S8 or later, so can't exactly compare.

My Exynos S7 is also lag free, touch wood. Battery life has degraded over the years but nothing to complain except no more updates.

Randy_Marsh said:
S7 series is 3 years old now, which is the expected life span of smartphones these days.

My one plus one lasted me almost 4 years. Even then it wasn't that it was lagging that made me switch, but the back cover broke. Pretty sure if still be using it if that hadn't happened. And that's speaking for a phone I bought for 22k

Using Mi A2 now, next phone for sure is gonno be a Pixel

G

Well, saw some reviews of Note 10. With all the good things, one common pointer I am getting is that it's hefty price tag seems not very justified. Another pointer I am getting is that there is expected big leap in camera quality in Samsung line up next year with Qualcomm coming up with new processor variants. Should I consider waiting for a year as I want to go for flagship only? Though it seems difficult for me to wait, meanwhile may be I would go with a mid-budget phone? What's your suggestion Anupam? Also, Goku's comment is also welcome

W

I say go with some mid range phone for now,may within next year all this notch/popup camera/in screen sensors debate will settle down.

Gauravchi said:
Well, saw some reviews of Note 10. With all the good things, one common pointer I am getting is that it's hefty price tag seems not very justified. Another pointer I am getting is that there is expected big leap in camera quality in Samsung line up next year with Qualcomm coming up with new processor variants. Should I consider waiting for a year as I want to go for flagship only? Though it seems difficult for me to wait, meanwhile may be I would go with a mid-budget phone? What's your suggestion Anupam? Also, Goku's comment is also welcome

The wait for newer model is a vicious cycle. There are new flagships every 6 months. I'd say S10 is a safe bet for you if you really want a flagship, otherwise budget flagships like Redmi K20 Pro or OP7 are good choices. Even Redmi K20 is a great device for you considering it just has a weaker SoC compared to K20 Pro & you aren't going to play games to see any difference. Flagships are not a good value for sure compared to these.

For me personally, I buy flagships because I need a small phone. Otherwise, I would have used such flagship killers instead.

G

Settled for s9+ for 34k. Thanks.

Wasn't Asus ROG 2 @ 38k a much better deal than s9+ @ 34k?
Just saying.

Randy_Marsh said:
Wasn't Asus ROG 2 @ 38k a much better deal than s9+ @ 34k?
Just saying.

No, its not as portable (check its weight & size), not to forget, doesn't look professional at all. OP 7T can be considered a better choice for sure, but S9+ might have a bit better primary cam, no other advantage.

Randy_Marsh said:
Wasn't Asus ROG 2 @ 38k a much better deal than s9+ @ 34k?
Just saying.

Compare Asus ROG Phone 2 vs Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus: Price, Specs, Review | Gadgets Now
Asus ROG 2 is million times better than S9+

bssunilreddy said:
Compare Asus ROG Phone 2 vs Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus: Price, Specs, Review | Gadgets Now
Asus ROG 2 is million times better than S9+

As I said earlier, its bigger & heavier than competitors, not by a small amount. Check its size & weight vs OP 7T which has a similar sized display:
Compare Asus ROG Phone II ZS660KL vs. Samsung Galaxy S9+ vs. OnePlus 7T - GSMArena.com

So ROG 2 isn't a clear winner, 7T can still be considered one. I'll bet on S9+ having better primary & selfie cam than the other 2. My S8 has a better front & rear cam than OP 6T (only noticeable in low/artificial lighting conditions though). I agree ultrawide is better to have than telephoto though & that you are paying a premium for Samsung.

G

I chose s9+ over OP7T mainly because of after sales. Although I have never experienced OP support service, but am happy with samsung. And second reason is camera.

Well.. my brother now demanding one.. s9.. within a month. Any suggestion? Maybe I would get s10 n handover to him s9+

but not sure whether he would agree..

Well.. any thoughts?

Gauravchi said:
I chose s9+ over OP7T mainly because of after sales. Although I have never experienced OP support service, but am happy with samsung. And second reason is camera.

Well.. my brother now demanding one.. s9.. within a month. Any suggestion? Maybe I would get s10 n handover to him s9+ but not sure whether he would agree..

Well.. any thoughts?

Samsung should still have better after-sales & camera for sure but OP is currently the biggest premium smartphone brand in terms of sales, which happened for a reason. I expect after sales to be ok-ish, Pixel apparently has worse after-sales. 60k for S10 is pretty expensive, not sure why there aren't price cuts in India like the US. S10 is a good device, expensive for sure.

G

Hi,
So, till now Iam happy with my s9+.
Looking to buy one for my brother in upcoming sale. How about A series and M series? Are they comparable with s9+?

Gauravchi said:
Looking to buy one for my brother in upcoming sale. How about A series and M series? Are they comparable with s9+?

Wait for S10 Lite instead. M series would've been good if that was launched 2 years ago.

Gauravchi said:
Hi,
So, till now Iam happy with my s9+.
Looking to buy one for my brother in upcoming sale. How about A series and M series? Are they comparable with s9+?

No
M30S is decent for 14k. A50S can be considered as a decent option as well. Upcoming S10 lite & Note 10 lite might be promising if launched at a competitive price, 40k/35k would be good, respectively. Any more, it won't be worth it as OP 7T is already a better choice at 35k or lower.

G

Thanks Anupam and Goku.

Well.. I guess.. in that sense s9+ would make sense considering the price of around 28k in tomorrow's sales.

Gauravchi said:
Thanks Anupam and Goku.

Well.. I guess.. in that sense s9+ would make sense considering the price of around 28k in tomorrow's sales.

But no android updates after android 10. In that sense, Note 10 lite, if priced at 35k is a better option. OP 7T is already a far superior option, except for a bit inferior cam (good luck finding that w/o side by side pixel peeping). 7T costs 33.5k now with offers.

B

anupam_pb said:
But no android updates after android 10. In that sense, Note 10 lite, if priced at 35k is a better option. OP 7T is already a far superior option, except for a bit inferior cam (good luck finding that w/o side by side pixel peeping). 7T costs 33.5k now with offers.

One more thing op always have some weird bugs so good luck with that. The camera quality as mentioned is total crap.
OP If you are comfortable with the One UI then do not switch, you will regret it.

G

Yes, I am looking for some options from Samsung only. And, it's for brother.. no after sales for OP

billubakra said:
One more thing op always have some weird bugs so good luck with that. The camera quality as mentioned is total crap.
OP If you are comfortable with the One UI then do not switch, you will regret it.

I'd gladly jump to Oneplus, if they launch a compact flagship. Their after sales is surely not as good as Samsung, but they have service centres & most people never have to visit a service centre.

Some say there are bugs in Oxygen OS, but others praise it a lot. My small experiences using friends' OP phones are usually good.

B

anupam_pb said:
I'd gladly jump to Oneplus, if they launch a compact flagship. Their after sales is surely not as good as Samsung, but they have service centres & most people never have to visit a service centre.

Some say there are bugs in Oxygen OS, but others praise it a lot. My small experiences using friends' OP phones are usually good.

It is a good device but it is let down by bugs, trust me you might regret it, most people ignore them as they have no understanding of it. But you will cuss it due to your knowledge in the software field. Plus considering the camera their pricing sucks to the core.

billubakra said:
It is a good device but it is let down by bugs, trust me you might regret it, most people ignore them as they have no understanding of it. But you will cuss it due to your knowledge in the software field. Plus considering the camera their pricing sucks to the core.

OP pro phones are absolutely bad buys, no other way around it. But something like OP 7T or its successors had good enough cam for the price, even now Pixel 3a & S9 would have better cam than 7T but S9 gets out of the race due to software support. 3a just has a weak SoC.

B

anupam_pb said:
OP pro phones are absolutely bad buys, no other way around it. But something like OP 7T or its successors had good enough cam for the price, even now Pixel 3a & S9 would have better cam than 7T but S9 gets out of the race due to software support. 3a just has a weak SoC.

T or not, forget pro, their cams are very very bad. Two colleagues have the 5t and 6t and my S7, non-edge, beats them with and without gcam. Another problem with them is that after 2-3 months of launching a phone, their updates will slow down and they will move to the next phone in the series.

G

Got one more s9+

This time for 26.5k.. seemed good deal. Thanks all for inputs.

Well, I purchased m30s for my mom. Costed only 11k. Lovely purchase I would say.
S9 plus is older, wouldn't get any more updates after Android 10.

B

Randy_Marsh said:
Well, I purchased m30s for my mom. Costed only 11k. Lovely purchase I would say.
S9 plus is older, wouldn't get any more updates after Android 10.

Update or not, S9+ is better than the m30s. Whereas the latter is a beast in itself.

G

Well, can't compare m series with S series, will not be a fair comparison. M30s is good in it's own budget bracket.. I also got one m30s for my sis.. seems a nice phone.

S9+ can easily beat any flagship phone even in 2020.

Saw S10 lite but still, I believe S9+ is better than S10 lite as S10 lite doesn't have 3.5mm jack, no IP rating and looks inferior to S9+ in terms of overall build and design.

Shirish1294 said:
S9+ can easily beat any flagship phone even in 2020.

Saw S10 lite but still, I believe S9+ is better than S10 lite as S10 lite doesn't have 3.5mm jack, no IP rating and looks inferior to S9+ in terms of overall build and design.

Software takes S9+ down pretty hard. Hardware is still good for sure. Note10 lite is a good choice though, same SoC as S9+, more usable cams, s pen, android 10 out of box (so will get android 12). Still no IP rating, but kind of fine. Most people use a case, so glastic back is fine as well.

Realme phones are great examples of great hardware for the price, but not so great software (its decent).

Shirish1294 said:
S9+ can easily beat any flagship phone even in 2020.

Saw S10 lite but still, I believe S9+ is better than S10 lite as S10 lite doesn't have 3.5mm jack, no IP rating and looks inferior to S9+ in terms of overall build and design.

S10 Lite is Samsung trying to compete with Oneplus. If it had a 3.5mm jack (and lower price :lol:

), I could've considered it if I wanted to upgrade from OP3 in coming months.

anupam_pb said:
Software takes S9+ down pretty hard. Hardware is still good for sure. Note10 lite is a good choice though, same SoC as S9+, more usable cams, s pen, android 10 out of box (so will get android 12). Still no IP rating, but kind of fine. Most people use a case, so glastic back is fine as well.

Realme phones are great examples of great hardware for the price, but not so great software (its decent).

Yeah... If the choice is between S10 lite and Note 10 lite, I would go for Note 10 lite.

SaiyanGoku said:
S10 Lite is Samsung trying to compete with Oneplus. If it had a 3.5mm jack (and lower price ), I could've considered it if I wanted to upgrade from OP3 in coming months.

Lack of 3.5mm jack and IP rating is what makes S10 lite less considerable. Though you can buy S10 lite as low as 29-30k from Flipkart if you have ICICI credit card and an old phone for exchange.

I just checked it with my XIaomi Redmi Note 3 and it's giving me 5,000 rupees discount already which is insane, lol!

Shirish1294 said:
Lack of 3.5mm jack and IP rating is what makes S10 lite less considerable. Though you can buy S10 lite as low as 29-30k from Flipkart if you have ICICI credit card and an old phone for exchange.

I just checked it with my XIaomi Redmi Note 3 and it's giving me 5,000 rupees discount already which is insane, lol!

Most phones have unofficial protection to rain & light water spillage, so it will work but not recommended. Moreover, the IP resistance does weaken with time. The rubber seals of my 4.5 years old Sony Z3C are pretty weak now, so definitely can't be submerged in water, should survive light rain easily.

5k for RN3 is pretty good. Apparently they are providing 12.9k for my S8, highest I have seen yet in recent times.

Shirish1294 said:
Though you can buy S10 lite as low as 29-30k from Flipkart if you have ICICI credit card and an old phone for exchange.

I just checked it with my XIaomi Redmi Note 3 and it's giving me 5,000 rupees discount already which is insane, lol!

I bought OP3 for 20k IIRC. Though I am getting it for ~30k after exchange with Honor 10 and 3k cashback, I don't want to buy/carry usb c to 3.5mm dongle.

anupam_pb said:
Most phones have unofficial protection to rain & light water spillage, so it will work but not recommended. Moreover, the IP resistance does weaken with time. The rubber seals of my 4.5 years old Sony Z3C are pretty weak now, so definitely can't be submerged in water, should survive light rain easily.

5k for RN3 is pretty good. Apparently they are providing 12.9k for my S8, highest I have seen yet in recent times.

12.9k for S8 is too good, bro. Looks like they want to sell S10 lite anyhow. Probably they know it's not that good. Probably it's going to blow up in people's pockets later. Lol.

SaiyanGoku said:
I don't want to buy/carry usb c to 3.5mm dongle.

I can feel your pain, bro.