Which Phone Should I Upgrade To?

Mobile Tech Phones & Tablets
1

I have Verizon and my two year contract ends in about 2 weeks so I am really looking to upgrade to a flagship phone.

I want a high end processor, plenty of RAM, good amount of storage, and a good camera.

I want an android phone, and I don't mind which skin because I will probably flash stock android onto it.

options for now:

HTC One M8

LG G3

I cant seem to find any other phones worth upgrading to. (I am biased against iPhone and Samsung. Apple makes terrible software and samsung's specs don't back up the cost).

 

I would like something like the OnePlus One, but I don't believe you can use that phone with Verizon.

 

Anyways, spam me with opinions! Anything you think is worthy of noting, go for it :)

 

Thanks everyone!

2

If you can get an invite, OnePlus One. 

If you can wait, Samsung Note 4.

The M8'sbiggest advantage is the front facing speakers. If you are not going to be blasting music or just putting in head phones, then I would go with the G3.

3

if your gonna flash stock android, i would go for the xperia z2 or the galaxy s5

 

4

The Nexus 6 that is rumored to get released this month.

5.9inches of Phablet Goodness, Awesome Specs, Front Facing Speakers and Stock Android L.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/googles-nexus-6-smartphone-with-a-59inch-display-to-be-launched-this-month-report/505586-11.html

 

5

If you can't get wait for the nexus 6 go for an HTC One M8, the M8 has the best build quality of any phone out there

6

Long post - but I hope you like it.

I recently switched to Verizon from my T-Mobile Prepaid plan.  I have the HTC One M8.  I like the phone, but couple of things to note:

Unlocking the bootloader on Verizon's One M8 may be tricky if the phone has been updated to 4.4.3.  Last time I checked, SunShine is the only available method, and it's $25 per device.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2792487

If on 4.4.2, it's pretty easy to unlock & root.

Verizon has removed the default FM radio app.  I found the apk with googling, and NextRadio on the App store will work as well.  I still have the file - If you need it just send me a PM.

Camera is sub-par, especially when compared to iPhones and other high end android phones.  It's a 4.1MP on the back, I believe.  5MP on the front is decent enough.  Back camera's good enough for social media and quick snaps, but blow them up on a desktop or for printing and they look quite mediocre due to the low MP count.  Some pictures I took for /r/pebble: http://imgur.com/a/A4O6s

Back camera also has reports of being easily scratched - so much so that picture quality can be affected.  Toothpaste rubbing is supposed to help fix this, though, and I haven't noticed this problem with mine yet.

Sense 6 on my One M8 doesn't allow me to remove lockscreen factory reset.  I had to root, s-off, and unlock the bootloader to change a number in some system file.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-htc-one-m8/help/removing-htc-one-m8-lock-screen-pw-reset-t2880459/post55521850#post55521850

Youtube glitches up sometimes - the status bar and navigation buttons don't fully go away.  Black bars stay.  I'm not the only one with this problem, but others don't have it.  It also happens on other android phones as well.  I have to use "All in one gestures" for "immersive mode" which fixes the problem temporarily.  I have to restart the YouTube app to fix the problem.

Front facing speakers are awesome.  I thought they were overhyped when I first tried them out, but they've either broken in or something, because when I try my dad's iPhone 6, the little speaker at the bottom sounds pathetic now.

Pretty long battery life, especially compared to my old iPod Touch 5 that used to be my "smart" device.  I can go through plenty of long YouTube videos before having to recharge.  I tend to have at least 20% battery at the end of a heavy day.  WiFi or Data is always on, bluetooth is on to connect to my Pebble, sometimes GPS to get to new places around college, and lots of web-browsing on my 2 hour bus ride to college and back.  I have never had my phone shut down due to a low battery.  Ultra low power mode is also available on Verizon with the 4.4.3 update.

Verizon's One M8 has a lot of bloatware with Sense 6.  Fixable with "App Quarantine", but if you flash stock android, that shouldn't be a problem.

Power button is a bit hard to reach in the beginning.  Volume buttons protrude out more than I'd like.

Heavy compared to the iPhone/iPod Touch.  If you like to hold your phone to watch YouTube videos, your arm may get a little workout at the same time.

These are all most of the things I wish I knew before I bought my One M8.  After finding solutions to most of the major drawbacks, I'm quite happy with the phone overall.

Also, Verizon's CDMA, so a One Plus One would indeed not work, unfortunately.

7

http://www.gottabemobile.com/2014/10/10/samsung-galaxy-kitkat-update-breakdown/

 

How does this phone look? I checked it out and it looks to me like an upgraded LG G3.

I really like the bigger battery, and the 21 MP camera, as well as the high end processor with plenty of ram and a good chunk of storage (32gb). Thoughts on this one?

8

Did you link the right link?

9

http://www.dailytech.com/Update+Verizon+WirelessExclusive+Motorola+Droid+Turbo+Teased+Will+Feature+3900+mAh+Battery/article36691.htm

 

Sorry I meant this phone.. Here is the right link

10

With that link

the only thing you would have to worry about is being locked into Verizon for 2 years which i will tell you, YOU DON'T want to be locked into Verizon, Good Service but Expensive for NO RAISIN.

11

I would recommend the 2nd gen Moto X or Moto G if you want a close to AOSP/stock experience. There's a leak of the Droid Turbo and that's going to be a Version only phone sadly..........

12

I am in college and still on my parents phone plan. They prefer verizon because they want good coverage and arent tech-savvy enough to care about giving up better phones for worse service. I don't have to pay the bill so the cost of Verizon isn't an issue and unless my parents decide to switch carriers I am locked into verizon anyway :p