Advice on an S6 replacement?

[DCTF]

I'd started to think my S6 was completely impervious to damage, but the latest fall has smashed the screen and wrecked the digitiser. I've approached a dozen repair centres, but they're asking £200-280 to fix this. I'm not a wasteful person, but that kind of money says "buy new phone" to me (I will, of course, donate the working parts to a local repair shop so that they can be used, at least!).

So, I want to spend something in the £200-250 region for a new handset. I'm quite happy to buy a used handset, most often from a high street chain known for 2nd-hand sales. I don't see the point in buying another S6 because they're getting old, and my last one was 64GB - I could only get a 32GB model for this budget. Ideally, I'd like something newer that will retain its resale value for a while in order to get back into my trade-up routine soon! The S7 is still way out of this range.

So, I can get (unlocked):

LG G5
Moto Z Play
Sony Xperia Z5

... and possibly others, but these are the three I'm looking at with most interest. Of these, I'm leaning towards the Moto Z Play.

What are your thoughts? Any other suggestions?

 

[Morty2264]

Hello and welcome to Android Central!

While all of your choices are pretty good options, I'd say the best overall choice would be the Moto Z Play (in my own, biased, I-love-the-Play opinion).

While the G5 is a great phone, LG has announced that they're going to ditch the module approach for future iterations, so if you're looking to eventually trade up your devices, I don't think you'd see a lot of profit from the G5. That isn't to say that it's not a good phone - it feels good in the hand and its display is awesome and I think the LG Skin is pretty awesome personally; but if you're really in the market to see money from your purchase, I suggest going with the Play.

Sony is awesome and the Z5 is super cool, but I feel like its resale would also be a bit shaky. I believe the Z5 is water resistant and the screen is cool beans, so I'm sure it'd be a good phone like the G5. Just may be a gamble when trading up.

The Moto Z Play is an amazing yet underrated phone. Great battery life (people around the forums say they don't even bother using the battery module for it!), great screen, and good for gaming, video viewing, etc. I think it has a pretty good fan base so getting more value for it after the fact is (in my opinion) a high possibility. Plus, I thought I read somewhere around the forums here that Motorola is keeping the modular feature on their next iteration, so theoretically the second Play device could support modules from this purchase, etc. Plus it's a great experience.

Please let us know what phone you end up getting! If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!

 

[DCTF]

Thanks Morty. That's the way I've been leaning too (the battery life and JBL speaker mod being the big temptations), so I think I'll go for that!

[edit] Yes, paid and awaiting delivery

 

[Morty2264]

Thanks Morty. That's the way I've been leaning too (the battery life and JBL speaker mod being the big temptations), so I think I'll go for that!

[edit] Yes, paid and awaiting delivery

Awesome! Let us know when it arrives and Joe you are liking it! Great choice!

 

[DCTF]

Awesome! Let us know when it arrives and Joe you are liking it! Great choice!

Very happy indeed. The battery is phenomenal. I'm usually a graphic/resolution snob but I am really not missing the 1440p res at all. Speaker is nice and clear and loud, the display is lovely, design quality all over is great. Ordered my screen protector and case, now I know it's a keeper.

 

[Morty2264]

Very happy indeed. The battery is phenomenal. I'm usually a graphic/resolution snob but I am really not missing the 1440p res at all. Speaker is nice and clear and loud, the display is lovely, design quality all over is great. Ordered my screen protector and case, now I know it's a keeper.

So glad you are liking it! I've heard that the battery is phenomenal - some of the users around these forums say they don't even use battery mods. Good to know about the speaker quality, as well! What kind of case are you getting? Good on you for getting protection for your device!