Galaxy S8 screen broke... AGAIN :@ Which phone to buy

[sepandee]

Last year in September I bought a Galaxy S8. Loved it. 2 weeks in, I'm sitting on one of those round cushions on the floor and it drops out of my pocket--a 3ft / 1m fall at most. Screen cracked, and after a month I had to replace the screen for around $300-$400 because it was becoming unresponsive.

I always have a case for my phones, but at that time I didn't have any. So I got a caseology after I fixed the screen. It's not too bulky, but it's also not minimal by any means.

Anyways, today I'm walking, it falls on the sidewalk, and I think I made it worse by trying to catch it and instead made it accelerate more. And it's cracked again, this time on the left side in the middle.

These edges are ridiculous. Just ridiculous. I don't even use them.

So, maybe it's time to get a new phone instead of spending another $300-$400 (CAD, which is $250-$320-ish USD). Something that doesn't have a 50% chance of cracking when it falls. My criteria are:
* Must be Android
* Has to have a really good battery life
* Good camera (I suspect they're all good these days, but maybe I'm wrong)
* Not larger than the S8
* Ideally not a $1000, since I just spent that a year ago

Heard good thiings about Xiaomi's Poco F1. A friend also recommended Nokia 8 Scorocco.

Would welcome any recommendations.

 

[Rukbat]

These edges are ridiculous. Just ridiculous. I don't even use them.

Rounded edges are subject to cracking from sunlight. From being looked at. From anything. They heat the glass to curve it, then anneal it. If the annealing is off by just a few seconds or a few degrees (of temperature), the curve is more fragile than window glass.

My recommendation? Pixel. The 2 or 2 XL now, or wait a month and get the 3 or 3 XL. Yes, it's a bit expensive, but ...

* Must be Android

Of course.

* Has to have a really good battery life

Since Pie I'm getting (admittedly, light usage) 3 days per charge.

* Good camera (I suspect they're all good these days, but maybe I'm wrong)

Everyone else is comparing their camera to the Pixel 2. Google came out with a "post-production" chip that gives pictures about the best dynamic range there is - really bright highlights without glare and good highlights in the deep shadows. (It takes a couple of pictures at different exposures, and the chip combines the best of each - in what for humans is zero time.)

* Not larger than the S8

I don't think the XL is. I have the plain 2, and it's definitely not.

* Ideally not a $1000, since I just spent that a year ago

Well, as I said ...

Oh, and updates? Not like Samsung's "it's been a year, so let's send one out". Every single month, at the beginning of the month. And 3 years from release for updates, so f you wait for the 3, you'll be getting 10, 11 and 12. (And security updates until early summer 2022.) I'm not sorry I paid $800 and change for this one. (And the service is great. My fingerprint sensor went bad, so they sent me a replacement (a refurb - it's been over 6 months). The replacement fingerprint scanner isn't much better. So the next refurb comes on Monday (it's Friday as I'm typing this). If the new replacement doesn't work (in everything, not just the fingerprint scanner), they'll send me a brand new phone. (Or new fingers in case the problem is defective fingers.) I've dealt with them 3 times since the beginning of the year. (The February update bricked the phone, so that was [unnecessary - I've learned how to fix the problem] the first replacement. Now I have the second one and I'm waiting for the third one. All nice conversations. Ever deal with Samsung? I have. It's not like night and day, it's like night and another universe. Okay, she had me try every finger. Then a factory reset. (I have TWRP installed, so a quick backup - which she stayed on the line for - so I wasn't really bothered.) When it still didn't work - replacement time. One of the reasons I love the phone is their customer service. But it's also a good phone.

And, if I may suggest, use an Otterbox Defender case. I've had a phone flung at a wall (my elbow caught the Qi charger's cable) and I was sure I was in for buying a new phone. Nope. Not a mark - on the phone, on the case, on the wall - nothing. The phone still works 4 years later - I'm trying to sell it. In the case. And I've dropped it about 4 feet a few times (76 years old - fumble fingers) - to a wood floor, to concrete. Not a thing wrong with it. For $50? Maybe a bit steep, but how much would 3 or 4 phones have cost?

 

[sepandee]

You're a funny 76-year old, I have to admit

Thanks for the advice. I used to have Google's Nexus 4 (I think LG was making them back then?). Liked it a lot, but after a year the battery was terrible and the phone was getting slower and slower. Will definitely consider it, and in fact leaning towards it. ONly thing is the cost. Spent $1000 11 months ago... :/

 

[Rukbat]

Yes, I know - as a 76 year old on a fixed income, spending almost $900 on a phone was something I thought about for a couple of months. Buy a Note 0? Buy a Pixel 2? Buy some LG? Don't do anything, my Note 3s still work fine? I';m glad I bought the P2. No regrets. Will I buy a P3? No, not with the almost "no improvements" previews I've read. I'll probably keep it into late 2021, when the P5 comes out - later if there's still nothing exciting. The notch and chin don't bother me.

Battery - never charge it above 80%. Never let it drop below 40%. If you don't want to root it with Magisk and use MCS to control the charging, install GSam Battery Monitor and an annoying sound for above 81% and below 39%. And either charge or turn off at 39% - running a battery to see how long you can keep it running is one of the easiest ways to kill it. (My V551 battery - made in 2004 - is still working at about 95%. That's 14 years. It's SIM-locked to AT&T, and I'm on TMobile now, so I can't use it, but it used to be my emergency "I could lose [meaning have stolen] my phone there" phone up until last year when I was with AT&T.)