I have a Note 7 that I'll have to return (like the rest of you Note 7 users), and I'm having a dilemma deciding what to do after that. Everything else that is out now feels/looks like a downgrade. Aside from the old Note 5 (or even older Notes) nothing has stylus. The Note 7 was the only thing with dual ambient light sensors (it was the only thing I was always happy with brightness wise with ambient light sensors/auto brightness enabled), only thing with GG5, and one of the few things with USB 3.1.
I still have my previous phone (an HTC One m8) that I never traded in, so I could either stick with that and keep an eye open for what is coming out. (Ex: Huawei Mate 9, Lenovo Phab2 Pro, LG v20, Pixel XL, Predator 6, etc). Given that I've conceded that I'm going to have to give up the stylus if I want anything modern and decent I at least don't want to give up on a decent screen to body ratio (Note has an 80.94% screen to body ratio and 518 ppi).
Here is what I see as drawbacks to what's currently out there, what is scheduled to be out soon, and some of the rumored devices:
Note 5 - old, no external sd card slot, small battery, short battery life, weaker hardware, software will not be updated. What little support is still provided for this phone will not be around much longer. - I'm not really even considering this an option at this point.
S7 Edge - Probably the closest we can get to a Note7, but its smaller, sharper edged, older (technology wise and software wise). Old microUSB technology (slower charging). Only supports up to 200 gb sd card (good bye 56gb the phone will never see) (76.09% screen to body ratio). (I've got a 2016 Gear VR, and Samsung wireless charger, both of which I should be able to send to Verizon/Samsung and get reimbursed for unless I decide to settle for a S7 edge).
HTC 10 - Looks almost exactly like my HTC One m8. I feel like if I were to go with it I'd be paying for somethings that is almost the same as what I already have. They've also made the speakers worse than the m8s. (They only have a single mono speaker on the HTC 10).
V20 - 70.24% screen to body ratio, 513 ppi, USB 2.0
Pixel XL - 71.22% screen to body ratio, Ugly looking back (seen the back? who's idea was it to make the top part a shiny glass - like the the Note7 for the camera and above, but make the rest of the back - more than half an ugly non-matching color?), no external SD card slot (they say you get unlimited backup of pictures and video to the cloud, but the key words there are backup and cloud. What if you're in an area where you can't access wi-fi or a mobile network, and streaming video over the mobile network is going to suck up your allotted data).
Phab 2 Pro - Only available in gold or grey. Looks like it has physical buttons (triangle, circle, and square) at the bottom as opposed to lights that shut off and hide. 70.83% screen to body ratio.LCD screen.MicroSD limited to 128gb.
https://www.lg.com/us/mobile-phones/v20
Mate 9 - Seems like the most promising, but everything about it is pretty much still rumors. The Long Island version looks very much like the Note 7, but word is that version will only be available in China. Manhattan specs are currently unknown. Unknown what carriers in the US would have the phone(s). Rumor is it may not have sdcard slot, and may only have 498ppi, and it may be usb 2.0.
Huawei Mate 9 may have curved screen model with Daydream support | Android Central
ZenPhone 3 Deluxe - Probably has the highest screen to body ratio next to the Note 7 with 79% screen-to-body, but may have other things that negate it. Colors limited to silver, grey, and gold. MicroSD only supports up to 128gb. 3000 mAh battery. ZenUI, and may never get software updates. (Doesn't look like this phone is offered on my carrier - Verizon - anyway, so makes this a moot option).
ZenFone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL) | Phones | ASUS USA
What do you think? Should I go back to using my HTC One m8, and see what comes out, or settle for something that is out now?