# May need new phone, need advice on options...



## stick\shift (Mar 23, 2015)

I'm on my second LG phone because the first one worked so well for me. Can't comment on any of the rest; I've not even heard of some of the brands.


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## supers05 (May 23, 2015)

Samsung S5's are still on high demand. There's good reason for it, I still have one, with lineageOS on it. It outperforms new phones, except games, and some latest hardware stuff, like Wi-Fi 6.

LG also makes good phones. 

Keep your eyes out for replacable batteries and water resistance. It's still available and will have great longevity.

As for local deals, I see a Samsung A10 for $200, and a J2 $120, both brand new and unlocked. Flagship phones are harder to find new at cheap prices, but open boxed versions are generally good deals. 

Cheers!


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## user_12345a (Nov 23, 2014)

J2?

My budget is around $100 and the lower the better.

I'm only looking at open box/used/refurbished with replaceable battery.

The S3 or S4 look like the best phones of the lot but leery of getting something so old when there are newer low end phones available for a similar price.

The 3 month warranty ones are at canadian outlet, the 6 month ones a independent cell repair shop.

The lgs have mediocre reviews, doro is some special one for seniors, atcatel i know nothing about.


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## user_12345a (Nov 23, 2014)

> As for local deals, I see a Samsung A10 for $200, and a J2 $120, both brand new and unlocked. Flagship phones are harder to find new at cheap prices, but open boxed versions are generally good deals.


what store are you looking at? Is j2 decent?

None of the ones with the 3 month warranty from canadian outlet look like very good quality phones. The s3 i saw is kind of too old to spend $90 on.


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## Mystriss (Dec 26, 2018)

This is the phone I had about a year ago. Worked just fine for me at that time and I actually used it fairly often to text and stuff. - https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-SM-G...ds=samsung+s6&qid=1560412305&s=gateway&sr=8-3

I actually "upgraded" backwards to the S5 Note because I wanted a bigger (size-wise) phone heh


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## user_12345a (Nov 23, 2014)

Got it fixed.


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## user_12345a (Nov 23, 2014)

was only the battery connector that got damaged, i think pulling the battery and putting it in a bag with rice to dry saved the electronics.


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## supers05 (May 23, 2015)

user_12345a said:


> was only the battery connector that got damaged, i think pulling the battery and putting it in a bag with rice to dry saved the electronics.


Pulling the battery is the most important part. The rice makes sure that there's somewhere for the moisture to go as it dries. 

Cheers!


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## user_12345a (Nov 23, 2014)

The lights at the bottom stay on very faintly when it off, I only noticed last night.

Probably related to water damage.


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## supers05 (May 23, 2015)

user_12345a said:


> The lights at the bottom stay on very faintly when it off, I only noticed last night.
> 
> 
> 
> Probably related to water damage.


Probably. Over time it may morph into bigger problems. 

Cheers!


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## jecapereca (Mar 28, 2019)

Unsure if phones are the same way, but I salvaged an old laptop by letting it dry for a few days. Poured water accidentally. It worked fine for a few months, but eventually gave out even if it was just 2 years or so. I assumed it had to do with water damage, so might be good idea to save for a new one eventually.


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## supers05 (May 23, 2015)

jecapereca said:


> Unsure if phones are the same way, but I salvaged an old laptop by letting it dry for a few days. Poured water accidentally. It worked fine for a few months, but eventually gave out even if it was just 2 years or so. I assumed it had to do with water damage, so might be good idea to save for a new one eventually.


They are possible to repair, even if drying it doesn't work. Although this guy mostly only repairs Apple products, PC products are not much different, except price points, which makes repair a less viable option for PCs. There are also plenty of board level cell phone repair shops, in case you're wondering. (Also, this guy has some issues with Apple and their products, and explains them in several videos, in case you're interested.) 






Cheers!


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## user_12345a (Nov 23, 2014)

PCs are easier to repair in the first place and have less stuff soldered to the board which can't be replaced.

Board level repair is generally not worth it and there are few who are skilled enough to do it. Most just change the part. If the part isn't available, most phones and laptops are simply replaced.

Apple doesn't really offer repair parts to general public or independent shops and charges an arm and a leg so people have to get creative, using doner boards, moving chips over.


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## supers05 (May 23, 2015)

user_12345a said:


> PCs are easier to repair in the first place and have less stuff soldered to the board which can't be replaced.
> 
> Board level repair is generally not worth it and there are few who are skilled enough to do it. Most just change the part. If the part isn't available, most phones and laptops are simply replaced.
> 
> Apple doesn't really offer repair parts to general public or independent shops and charges an arm and a leg so people have to get creative, using doner boards, moving chips over.


He's making a business out of it, apparently restarted a field that has mostly died out. It's interesting what YouTube does these days. Some of their repairs are under 20 min. 

He only fixes apple because of the low model count, making donor boards viable, and there's so many engineering failures that most repairs are the same few things. (lcd back light fuse, failed capacitors, etc.) PCs are priced so low, it still doesn't make sense to spend $2-400 on a repair on a 2 year laptop. Third party data recovery off of iPhones is a big thing now though. 

Cheers!


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## user_12345a (Nov 23, 2014)

I watch his channel too.

He hates apple but wouldn't be where he is if it wasn't for their horrible business and design practices (ie soldering storage in vs using a removable card) - there would be no market for his board level repair services. 



> PCs are priced so low, it still doesn't make sense to spend $2-400 on a repair on a 2 year laptop.


The better business grade units selling for $1000+ are worth expensive repairs i think.


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## supers05 (May 23, 2015)

user_12345a said:


> The better business grade units selling for $1000+ are worth expensive repairs i think.


They don't break nearly as often. My surface book is over 3 years old and still kicking, no problem...... Of course, now that I've said that.... [emoji23]

I've sold plenty of lenovo and Toshiba laptops. Some in the upper price ranges. Even the cheap ones generally last, without issue, except if someone breaks them or drops plenty of liquid on them. My Asus went through 2 batteries, 3 chargers, 2 hard drives, and I rubbed the paint off where my palms rest while typing, before I finally gave up on it. (I know, very bad for the wrists. I used wrist braces.) it lasted 5 or 6 years, through college and my programming job. 


Cheers!


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## jecapereca (Mar 28, 2019)

Can also vouch for Toshiba laptops. The one I accidentally got wet was a Lenovo, but I think I damaged it pretty badly anyway.


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## yardmullet (Jan 6, 2018)

Have a friend that always recommended Toshiba. So I get a Toshiba laptop. At 6mos the display quit. The ribbon in the hinge broke. Toshiba repair said it was not warranty thing, wanted $400 to replace. They initially refused to sell me a ribbon but finally did for $20



I fidgeted the thing apart, replaced ribbon and display worked. Hah!


As I was reinstalling keyboard I noticed a connector which appeared to be sticking up and gently pushed it down. It broke off the motherboard. I called the repair place guy told him I have all kind of cards, modems, etc., that have been banging around in boxes and never had one break that easily.
He said WalMart has been pushing all computer prices down, and consequently, quality. He said you have to get one in the $2k price range and suggested Mil spec like used by heavy equip tecs in the field.
So I get a $3k Mil spec Toshiba. Keyboard had water drains, etc. Always indoors, no spills. Six months in something inside released the magic smoke.
So now I just plan replacing every few years and back up on ext drive.


bg


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## user_12345a (Nov 23, 2014)

Brand name alone means nothing - lenovo makes a cheapie laptop called "ideapad".

All of them have been cheapened including business grade; many if not most don't have optical drives and easily replaceable batteries now.

Business grade is still better quality than consumer - for lenovo need to get at least the E series to get something half decent.


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## supers05 (May 23, 2015)

user_12345a said:


> Brand name alone means nothing - lenovo makes a cheapie laptop called "ideapad".
> 
> All of them have been cheapened including business grade; many if not most don't have optical drives and easily replaceable batteries now.
> 
> Business grade is still better quality than consumer - for lenovo need to get at least the E series to get something half decent.


Lenovo business grade laptops aren't bad at all. Those and Toshiba were what we sold the most. It was a liquidfier type store, and got a lot of off lease lenovos. I didn't think very highly of Toshiba when i started, but as time went on, I was surprised with their low warranty rates. Granted the store didn't provide much warranty, but Toshiba themselves would give up to 1 year on their refurbished products. (usually very new, but returned early, with no use. I think it was bratty people returning gifts because it wasn't an Apple.....) No other brand that we found, would offer any warranty. 

I still use my Toshiba TVs, 6 years later, and the laptop was given away when I got the surface book. It still works, the last I heard. 

Cheers!


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## user_12345a (Nov 23, 2014)

ideapad = consumer.

the user experience has gone down, not just quality -> the thinkpad keyboard looks more like what you would find in a consumer product, the some of the buttons aren't arranged like a desktop version any more and no separate volume adjustment any more, have to use function keys.

Worse yet, the removable batteries are going away, they're trying to copy apple.


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## supers05 (May 23, 2015)

user_12345a said:


> ideapad = consumer.
> 
> the user experience has gone down, not just quality -> the thinkpad keyboard looks more like what you would find in a consumer product, the some of the buttons aren't arranged like a desktop version any more and no separate volume adjustment any more, have to use function keys.
> 
> Worse yet, the removable batteries are going away, they're trying to copy apple.


Don't get me started there. I still have a Samsung s5 just because it has a removable battery and was waterproof before i broke it twice. [emoji23]

Cheers!


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

I still have my old Galaxy S3 around, although not in cellular service. I use it rarely but as a wifi device only. Replacement batteries cost like $5. Work gave us iPhones and when that happened I canceled my personal service. Once I got into that ecosystem I stayed there simply because moving back would be too painful. I do appreciate a few of the little things that iPhones make easier. But I hate the lack of SD card and I curse Apple every day for somehow making it OK for every manufacturer to do away with replaceable batteries.

Current phone is the "cheap" iPhone XR and I like it OK. Great battery life, good size screen, good camera. I had a bit of a moment when I dropped it and hit something pointy. Shattered the screen I thought, but on closer exam it was just the glass screen protector i had installed. Otherwise I was going to have to attempt a screen replacement which probably would have ended badly! Would have been a good topic here on DIY forum.




supers05 said:


> Don't get me started there. I still have a Samsung s5 just because it has a removable battery and was waterproof before i broke it twice. [emoji23]
> 
> Cheers!


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