Why is my S5 the best phone I've yet owned?

[scrondar]

Seriously. Perfect screen size (for me), upgradeable external storage (at 64GB now), little if any provider bloat (two apps from T-Mo and the usual array of G apps), great camera, all-day battery life, etc. Some technolust part of me tells me I want an S6/S7/whatever, but in truth, this phone does and has everything I've ever needed from a smartphone. True, no Marshmallow yet, but I don't seem to be missing it. Something wrong here? Just askin'....

 

[BlurryEyed]

T Mobile is actually the better branded S5 out there, so you're fortunate there.

Here's my list of "gripes":

http://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-s5/535734-s5-gripes.html

 

[scrondar]

T Mobile is actually the better branded S5 out there, so you're fortunate there.

Here's my list of "gripes":

http://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-s5/535734-s5-gripes.html

That's quite a list. Yes, T-Mobile has proven to be far better a carrier for me than AT&T ever was. I may wander into a Verizon store, just to see how much bloat they put on their phones and how badly they want me as a customer. It's a good way to see how well trained the sales staff is, if nothing else. As for the S5, I hear (pun intended) you on the speaker, but I only use it when on hold, so it's poor fidelity is forgivable. Most annoying thing for me is the constant reminder to close the port hatch when unplugging. I dunked my S4, so I need no reminder to keep this phone buttoned up. Dunno why, but the update problems you've had have not stricken me, but I hear your pain. Still, my worst Android phone would never drive me to get an iPhone; just not my style.

 

[Rukbat]

I'm still running a Note 3 (AT&T, yet, which is welded shut, boot-wise), and I'm back on KitKat because I can't stand Lollipop.
Which phone is "best" is a personal choice. (If I were looking for a phone, and the Note 6 came out with an SD card, a replaceable battery and some things I couldn't do without, I might buy one, but my Note 3 does everything I need.)

If you don't see a phone that's worth spending the extra money on, for the "features" it gives you that you don't have on the S5, why bother? To be able to say you have the latest phone? (I don't think "latest" has any edge over "best for me".)

 

[scrondar]

If you don't see a phone that's worth spending the extra money on, for the "features" it gives you that you don't have on the S5, why bother? To be able to say you have the latest phone? (I don't think "latest" has any edge over "best for me".)

A fair question, and the only answer I have is I'm going through a period of technolust. But, yeah, my S5 is all the phone I need, but there is something about a new phone. Much like a new car, which my wife and I got back in Sept. When I drive that thing, I don't want to get into my aging crate. Sure, it gets me where I need to go, but the new one? Soooo much more enjoyable to drive and, dare I say, possess. By Jove, I think I may have hit upon it: the American, 1st World lust for new,er shinier, sexier, etc. I used to long for the day when my phone was no longer under warranty so I could root and customize it. Couldn't care less about that now. But new and shiny? Pretty seductive. BTW, Lollipop on my S5 has been stellar, and Marshmallow on my 2013 Nexus 7 has been the same.

 

[cydewaze]

T Mobile is actually the better branded S5 out there, so you're fortunate there.

Here's my list of "gripes":

http://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-s5/535734-s5-gripes.html

Your list makes me glad I rooted and kept KitKat. I lost/avoided almost all of those annoyances because of that.

 

[BlurryEyed]

Your list makes me glad I rooted and kept KitKat. I lost/avoided almost all of those annoyances because of that.

Yea...Verizon locked the boot loader in Lollipop...so..yea...no turning back for me. Just waiting on Verizon to, you know...patch the phone using patches that already exist for stock S5's....

 

[cydewaze]

Yea...Verizon locked the boot loader in Lollipop...so..yea...no turning back for me. Just waiting on Verizon to, you know...patch the phone using patches that already exist for stock S5's....

In their effort to control all aspects of the "experience", they've mostly boogered up the experience. You'd think someone at Verizon would have realized this by now, but I think at this point it's control for the sake of control.