Torn between choices of my new phone...

[MRxAmazing]

I'm switching from Sprint to Verizon in the next couple of days or possibly even later this afternoon (3am roughly here). I've run into this surprisingly difficult situation of what phone to get, though. I'm honestly torn.

Here's the deal: I currently have an HTC One M8. I LOVE HTC. Been with them since the first Android phone came out on the market. Had the HTC G1, G2, some garbage replacement, then the One M8. They always seem to offer great hardware while maintaining strong durability. But after looking into some of the specs, I'm wondering if it's really worth it for me to buy the HTC 10. It has changed very little physically at a glance, and also the front-facing loud-speaker is gone (one of my favorite features). The processor seems to be weaker than some of the current competition as well.

So I've been researching a bit trying to find the right fit for me and I find I'm still coming up a bit short. Even using the phone finder tool on phonearena left me just as torn lol. So here's what I'm looking for:

1) I like having great audio and video quality. A great loud-speaker (if they even exist anymore).
2) Durability - I like screens that don't scratch/break easily
3) Strong hardware specs - I like playing games and multitasking.
4) Good battery life - I use my phone quite a lot, so I need something that won't die in a few hours
5) Nice camera

I think I had narrowed my search down to the S7 Edge, HTC M10 and MAYBE the LG G5. But I'm open to any opinions. Please help ease my mind, Android world!

 

[JHStewart1023]

G5 I wouldn't even think about getting a lot of users don't even like the phone.... if you're familiar with htc go for that one but I have the s7 and I love it... expandable memory and water resistance.... it had me at expandable memory. I have had mine for two months now and I love everything about this phone

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[gendo667]

G5 I wouldn't even think about getting a lot of users don't even like the phone.... if you're familiar with htc go for that one but I have the s7 and I love it... expandable memory and water resistance.... it had me at expandable memory. I have had mine for two months now and I love everything about this phone

Posted via the Android Central App

I don't know how much time you spend in the G5 forums, but a lot of people love the phone.

 

[kramer5150]

Are those 5 items listed in order of preference? Of the 5 which are you most willing to bypass? and what are the absolute must haves (since IMHO you can't have them all, at least not on Verizon)

Isn't the HTC M10 pre-order only on Verizon? IMHO there is an element of risk there, being the first one out the gate with a new product-carrier launch. Just looking at spec and data sheets It seems like the M10 hits on most of your preferences. I guess there's always the 2 week trial period, but 14 days is hardly long enough to evaluate. Battery life and camera quality could be the two question mark areas for the M10, as well as Verizon carrier bugs.

Your 5+ hour screen on and gaming criteria (assuming full brightness) would rule out the LG phones, unless of course you carry a backup battery. Pretty sure the S7e generally meets this criteria though. Not sure about the M10.

Your durability requirement could rule out the S7 phones. In terms of durability stay with aluminum or plastic. Either that or case it in an otterbox, Spigen or lifeproof. Are you willing to add a case?

The S7 has a great camera, the best for low light conditions. I am partial to the LG cameras though, where the V10 is my preference for its manual video settings, and overall non-oversaturation.

 

[Mooncatt]

Of those, I'd pick the G5, mostly because it has a removable battery. I got burned twice by the M8 with its non-removable battery and now I just consider that to be an additional failure point. So that would rule out the other two options before even getting into the specs.

 

[MRxAmazing]

So in doing some research today, I came across some nuggets of information. Important nuggets for me. The whole time I was thinking in my mind that that S7E was only about $28/mo. Turns out it is $33/mo, while the HTC 10 was $27/mo. Then I go on Verizon's site and see they are doing a promotion on the HTC 10 that actually cuts the phone down $100 bringing the monthly cost to under $23/mo. $10+ extra a month X roughly 2 years is quite a nice extra penny in the pocket. And at $23/mo the HTC is pretty much a complete steal (M9 is still $23/mo).

As long as I can snatch that offer up, I'm thinking the HTC offers easily the most bang for my buck (plus I need to add international calling and that extra $10 can be very handy).