New cell phone, which one?

Briar Rabbit

Briar Rabbit

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Mar 22, 2017
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626
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Albion, Nebraska
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Display name:
Rob
Will appreciate suggestions:
I need to purchase a new phone in the next two weeks as I am going to Canada and my old Samsung flip phone quits working at the border. I carry my flip phone in my pocket so want one very portable. Frequently operate tractors and heavy machinery plus I have been known to drop my phone onto rocks & concrete, a very durable phone is desired. And the equipment I operate does not have a way to recharge the phone so long battery life is needed. Bluetooth used a lot. I have Verizon as a carrier. They have an updated Samsung flip phone not much larger than my current one which is tough as heck, lasts for 3 days between charging and cheaper than an I-phone. My current phone takes ok pictures but not nearly as good as an Apple product. I do text frequently. The better picture quality of an I-phone would be nice along with adding the ability to receive e-mails, checking weather radar, driving directions and using the web would be nice. So I am torn between which phone to get. Being able to carry it 100% of the time, battery life & durability are my top 3 needs.
I use an I-pad in the airplane so no need for aviation use.

So do I switch to an I-phone and if yes which one? What benefits do the different models have?
 
An iPhone 6 in one of the many hard cases meets most all your requirements. The stressor on battery is any apps using gps, and you said you wanted to use it for driving directions. If you can be on a charger when driving, and can charge overnight each night, an iPhone 6 will get you thru the day with plenty of battery to spare. A 6 will fit in a front shirt pocket, and I often carry mine in my back pocket. I think you need at least a 6 to have the performance needed for iOS 9 and maybe one more iOS upgrade. I buy all my phones used off of eBay. I have no reccos on other brands.
 
Get a late model iPhone. With iOS upgrades, it will last the longest.
My iPhone 7 Plus has a Pelican cover and fits in any pocket I wear.
I work in the oilfield; plenty tough enviroment.
 
If you're going to enter the smartphone world, go with Apple. For somebody who is new to the game, iOS is pretty simplistic and intuitive. Android can be a bit more complicated and certain features of Apps work better on Apple.
 
Briar Rabbit said:
Will appreciate suggestions:
I need to purchase a new phone in the next two weeks as I am going to Canada and my old Samsung flip phone quits working at the border. I carry my flip phone in my pocket so want one very portable. Frequently operate tractors and heavy machinery plus I have been known to drop my phone onto rocks & concrete, a very durable phone is desired. And the equipment I operate does not have a way to recharge the phone so long battery life is needed. Bluetooth used a lot. I have Verizon as a carrier. They have an updated Samsung flip phone not much larger than my current one which is tough as heck, lasts for 3 days between charging and cheaper than an I-phone. My current phone takes ok pictures but not nearly as good as an Apple product. I do text frequently. The better picture quality of an I-phone would be nice along with adding the ability to receive e-mails, checking weather radar, driving directions and using the web would be nice. So I am torn between which phone to get. Being able to carry it 100% of the time, battery life & durability are my top 3 needs.
I use an I-pad in the airplane so no need for aviation use.

So do I switch to an I-phone and if yes which one? What benefits do the different models have?
Click to expand...

Is that because of the phone or the plan? I had both an iPhone and an Android smart phone stop working on the border a few weeks ago. One on Verizon, the other on AT&T. The same phones worked fine in China a couple of weeks ago, after the trip to Canada, one on an international data plan, the other not. It appears that you need an international plan to use a phone in Canada if you are coming from the USA.

The only problem with an iPhone is... iTunes! Windows does allow you to get your pictures off the phone without iTunes.
 
To determine if you should get an iPhone or an Android, get what you local tech support uses. Mimic the kids, nephews, friends you go to for help.
Android and iOS are both pretty dam easy to learn and use; both have become rather intuitive also.
The advantage of an iPhone is it tends to be really slick hardware packaging; the disadvantage is you will need a heavy duty case to protect it. The best heavy duty cases are not pocket friendly.
The advantage of an Android is you can find models with Gorilla Glass built in, so this is a rather tough/rugged phone to begin with; and will need minimal case protection.

Tim
 
The wife and I got out first smart phones about 7 or 8 years ago. We both started with an iPhone 3. I was somewhat reluctant to give up my old reliable flip phone for the new fangled sorcery of the iPhone and all its apps. However, I soon grew fond of it. My wife liked hers as well but when she felt the need to upgrade, she went with an Android. She struggled with it and always seemed to have issues (don't ask me which model phone or android version, I don't recall). Meanwhile, I was still doing fine with my iPhone. She soon grew tired of struggling with the android so she switched to a Windows phone even though I suggested she go back to iPhone. About that time, I upgraded to an iPhone 4. She was never satisfied with the Windows phone either and finally decided to go back to iPhone getting an iPhone 6 and suggested I do the same by upgrading from my 4 which was still working fine. She is happy with her phone for the first time since she had her first iPhone. So in the 7-8 years it went like this.

Me: iPhone 3 - happy, iPhone 4 -happy, iPhone 6 - happy.
Wife: iPhone 3 - happy, Android - unhappy, Windows - unhappy, iPhone 6 - happy.

So I guess I'd say to go with an iPhone.
 
I'm an android guy, I like my galaxy 7, have had several of them and no real complaints. If you are starting out with a smart phone, either should be fine. Once you get familiar with one the other can be a pain. I'm terrible with my iPad, probably because I have been so used to android.

Kinda like Ford vs Chevy...
 
SkyDog58 said:
The wife and I got out first smart phones about 7 or 8 years ago. We both started with an iPhone 3. I was somewhat reluctant to give up my old reliable flip phone for the new fangled sorcery of the iPhone and all its apps. However, I soon grew fond of it. My wife liked hers as well but when she felt the need to upgrade, she went with an Android. She struggled with it and always seemed to have issues (don't ask me which model phone or android version, I don't recall). Meanwhile, I was still doing fine with my iPhone. She soon grew tired of struggling with the android so she switched to a Windows phone even though I suggested she go back to iPhone. About that time, I upgraded to an iPhone 4. She was never satisfied with the Windows phone either and finally decided to go back to iPhone getting an iPhone 6 and suggested I do the same by upgrading from my 4 which was still working fine. She is happy with her phone for the first time since she had her first iPhone. So in the 7-8 years it went like this.

Me: iPhone 3 - happy, iPhone 4 -happy, iPhone 6 - happy.
Wife: iPhone 3 - happy, Android - unhappy, Windows - unhappy, iPhone 6 - happy.

So I guess I'd say to go with an iPhone.
Click to expand...

I had an iPhone from work, switched to Android and never looked back.
My parents tried iPhones, hated them. Switched to Android and love it and lever looked back.

Anecdotal stories like this can go back and forth all day long; but I will admit iPhone users tend to worship the alter of Apple more then Android users worship Google.

It comes back to support, your wife did not get any. If she had a question, you could not answer it.
Go with whatever your local tech support person uses.

Tim
 
Just switched to a Kyocera duraforce. Except for some annoying Android quirks I really like it:
Water resistant
Grippy
Shatter resistant
Good battery life
Two camera lenses, one is a fisheye

I almost went with the sonim fliphone
 
tspear said:
I had an iPhone from work, switched to Android and never looked back.
My parents tried iPhones, hated them. Switched to Android and love it and lever looked back.

Anecdotal stories like this can go back and forth all day long; but I will admit iPhone users tend to worship the alter of Apple more then Android users worship Google.

It comes back to support, your wife did not get any. If she had a question, you could not answer it.
Go with whatever your local tech support person uses.

Tim
Click to expand...

I agree that anecdotal stories go both ways. Heck, we have them all the time on here with this aircraft vs. that aircraft threads. But you will notice that I did not say that iPhones were better devices for all people or all purposes. I ended my story with a simple statement that I'd say go with iPhone based upon my and the wife's personal experiences. Just another story for the OP to consider.

As to worshipping at the altar of Apple, I worship at no altar. I'm not even a big overall Apple fan. I have never owned any Apple desktop or laptop computer. I've always used Windows. I also thought that Jobs was somewhat of a dick.

Also, I was almost always able to help my wife with her phones by using a combination of online searching and trial and error. So she did have local tech support. Still, I find the iPhone far more intuitive. Is Apple's iOS more robust and stable than Android or MS? I don't know. What applications is iOS better for and what is Android better for? I don't know that either. All I know is I don't always seek out the latest and greatest or the very best. If something is working for me and meets all of my needs, I stick with it.
 
Piperonca said:
https://www.verizonwireless.com/basic-phones/sonim-xp5/

25 hour usage time and 25 days standby. Super rugged. Don't know of any phone that has more battery life, but not sure if it works in Canada. Check with Verizon.
Click to expand...
I have been told the Sonim is a good phone but does not work in Canada, neither does the Kyocera or Samsung Convoy 2 or 3 even with my international plan but the Convoy 4 is supposed to. I travel with my son for our business and he likes his I-phone 6 but his battery life is poor compared to my older Convoy. And he does not carry it when we are operating equipment? Some very good feedback in the previous posts, thanks for your help. Still sitting on the fence which way to go.
 
Get a SideKick from T-Mobile. Man....I used to think those were the cats meow back in the day.
 
Got a Sonim for my wife, but ran into issues with my legacy data plan and had to return it. What I use personally is the iPhone 6S with Mophie battery case. Extremely durable, about twice the battery life of normal iPhone. Nice backup to ForeFlight on my iPad.
 
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