S7, Long Term Phone?

[Inders99]

Anybody here think they'll keep this one for more than 2 years? I have to say, I'm probably going to keep this one for a while. It does everything I want it to do well, the size is good, fast, reliable, and there's really nothing out there that would make much of a difference.

I like Samsung but they've lost me with those curved screens so I'll pass on the S8 and probably the models after that, I don't feel there are other phones out there that will increase the utility much either, there are just some marginal improvements with the new models, nothing that'll change my life any.

Anybody else feel the same way?

 

[underway99]

You're right. The S7 is a great device that does most things really well. Assuming that the battery holds up and that the phone otherwise keeps running, I can't imagine any compelling reason to change from the S7.

For someone buying today, though, it could be a tougher sell to take the S7 instead of the new S8. I had the S7 Edge, but gave it up for the the Note 5 because I didn't like the curved display. I was going to buy a new S7 to replace my Note, but Samsung is flooding the market with the S8 at a lower price than the S7. My new Verizon S8 (picking it up this morning) was $420 without a trade or monthly bill credits spread over 24 months to keep you tied like the old contracts, and I didn't have to switch to the new unlimited plan. I can't touch a new Verizon S7 for that. I have 14 days to decide if I hate it enough to send it back, so the curved screen gets another shot.

 

[cohoman]

I've had my S7 for 12 months now, and it has been working great. I don't see any other phone currently that would be better for me. My only issue is with deteriorating battery life. I had the battery changed 4 months ago when I had a cracked screen replaced, but it seems I can't go through a entire day without having to charge my phone late in the afternoon. I'm debating now whether to replace the battery again for $80 at my local shop, or update to a LG G6 which has reported great battery life. What's stopping me from upgrading is possibly losing some great features of my S7.

 

[underway99]

Samsung has certainly calculated a planned deterioration rate for those batteries. While the battery is typically considered a consumable item, you may be able to have it replaced if your battery deterioration has exceeded that rate. If you've gone through two of them, and the second in just four months, you're either living on your phone or you may have something inside the device that sucks the life from the battery. If that's the case, you might want to have the device examined for possible defect.

 

[lafountain]

Will make my decision at the 2 year mark. Right now I say I will probably get the S9, but my opinion may change by then.

 

[Inders99]

I've had my S7 for 12 months now, and it has been working great. I don't see any other phone currently that would be better for me. My only issue is with deteriorating battery life. I had the battery changed 4 months ago when I had a cracked screen replaced, but it seems I can't go through a entire day without having to charge my phone late in the afternoon. I'm debating now whether to replace the battery again for $80 at my local shop, or update to a LG G6 which has reported great battery life. What's stopping me from upgrading is possibly losing some great features of my S7.

Are you sure it's the phone or is it the fragmented ecosystem of Android with rogue apps draining your battery?

Go to Settings>Battery and look at the app power monitor, it will show you the apps that are open and how much power they're using. If I know I have to be careful with my battery I'll go in a few times a day and hit the Save Power button which will put them to sleep.

I have a few apps that suck battery life like crazy, I'll probably dump them and go with an app where the developer actually cared.

 

[cohoman]

Are you sure it's the phone or is it the fragmented ecosystem of Android with rogue apps draining your battery?

Go to Settings>Battery and look at the app power monitor, it will show you the apps that are open and how much power they're using. If I know I have to be careful with my battery I'll go in a few times a day and hit the Save Power button which will put them to sleep.

I have a few apps that suck battery life like crazy, I'll probably dump them and go with an app where the developer actually cared.

Yup. Already did that.

 

[Dooki]

I have found that my S7 battery life can be erratic. some days it seems like my battery is three times the size and other days I'll unplug it and after an hour it's down to 85% just sitting there.
if it is only $80 to replace the battery then even at every six months replacement it is still far cheaper than buying a new flagship phone.
I actually do feel that the S7 is a good long term phone. Samsung has excellent hardware that should last 4-5 years, a friend is still using a note 2 and I still see the S3 around a lot. The only issue is updates, will get O but probably not N. security updates should still roll out for at least two more years, I said should. If and when updates stop there is a fairly large ROM database. Been thinking about trying Superman ROM myself because Samsung pay is supposed to work on it.

 

[GraCal]

I see myself using my S7 for a long time as long as the battery doesn't become an issue. I prefer the size over the larger phones, physical buttons to answer/end calls, and the screen is great. coming from BlackBerry, I was a little hesitant to go Android, but after a little time adjusting to the software and VKB, I have it running maybe better than my BlackBerrries of the past.

My phone is used about 95% for work, and I have no complaints with its performance. So, yes, long term as long as it keeps working how it does today.