I avoided a smart phone for a long time because I seldom use my cell phone. The reason I chose an iPhone was because I use my iPads all the time and I wanted to be able to use all of the apps I had already purchased. If you aren't heavily invested in the Apple world, then I think it makes sense to review all of your options. I'm sure owners of other smart phone brands will post the pros and cons of their particular brands for your review.

We are sort of heavily invested in Apple at this point, in that between Dh, me and the two kids we have three iPhones and four iPads. But I don’t use the apps on my phone really, except for directions. And I don’t have any music on my phone. So I don’t think I would miss the Apple ecosystem on my phone.

My initial poking around is making me think a Samsung Galaxy 8? Last year’s tech so it’s not too out of date but a little cheaper. And it gets good reviews—at least what I’ve seen so far.

Would you consider getting an iPhone 7? That should be less expensive and you get to keep Apple's OS.

In our family, my dh and ds#2 have iPhones(7). Ds#1 and I have Galaxies.

With Apple, if you text someone else who has an Apple you know they are typing. You don’t get that with Galaxy. Will that bother you?

Last year, I replaced my iPhone 6s with the 7Plus and love it! I take a lot of photos, and the Plus (8, too) have dual lenses.

I have an iPad and MacBook, so I'm in Apple for synching, too.

I think you are somewhat restricted by the frequencies of your cell phone provider so make sure you verify before you buy unless it is coming directly from your cell phone service provider. I am a heavy cell phone user and use an unlocked phone that I am very happy with. Moto g5p. It is compatible with the T-Mobile network. I use it with mintsim and very pleased with both and both are very inexpensive. The phone syncs with my iPad just fine and 99% of my apps work on both devices.

FWIW, I have an Android smartphone & a Mac desktop and have no problems syncing up Google apps and I use Chrome for my browser. And I can easily transfer files back & forth using Bluetooth. I use Google Keep too.

I don’t care about seeing that someone is typing a text to me.

I have usually thought that the sweet spot in tech is one generation back. Too old and it starts to be obsolete too soon and too new and it is too expensive. So the iPhone 7 seems like it might fall into the too old camp at this point?

I don’t use an electronic calendar (I know, I know). My iPhone and iPad photos don’t sync as it is. If I want a photo off my phone onto my iPad or a computer, I email it to myself and download it. I haven’t ever opened a document on my phone. So I don’t currently use any of the syncing and wouldn’t miss it.

Thanks!

I have an ipad, but switched from an iphone to a Samsung a few years ago. I do not miss the iphone itself, nor do I miss any of the Apple syncing features. My photos sync between devices with Google Photo. I have Outlook installed on my ipad so I can view my work calendar and emails across devices. I had become very annoyed with the way that Apple tries to keep you hooked into their products by restricting compatibility of many features with non-Apple devices, which is really what motivated my switching in the first place. When my ipad eventually dies, I will probably look into competitive tablets as well.

Anyone have a lower priced smartphone? This review of the Motorola Moto x4sounds interesting. https://www.pcmag.com/review/355926/motorola-moto-x4

I just took a look at the Moto x4. Looks like a great phone but it is very similar to the g5 Plus, which is $80 cheaper. X4 has slightly better specs overall and a much better front camera. The deal breaker for me with the x4 would be charging time. The G5 Plus has turbo charging. My G5 Plus takes about 15-20 minutes to go from 0% battery to about 80%. Then it takes another 60-90 minutes to go from 80% to 100%. I don't know if that feature is important to you or not but just a FYI in case it is.

Looks like I could get a refurbished iPhone 8 for as low as $570. So I guess that’s the price to beat. I was looking at the google pixel 2, which apparently comes with android updates for three years, and it is only slightly cheaper for a refurbished one. So maybe a refurbished iPhone 8 would be worth considering.

I am still mulling over the mid-priced phones and will look at the g5. I don’t think charging time makes a big difference to me.

I think the variables that matter to me seem to be photo quality and longevity (cheaper isn’t good if it won’t be supported next year since I tend to keep my phones for at least three years). Water resistance is also a big plus.

Thanks for the help everyone!

Just in case anyone else is shopping, here’s an article comparing the Moto X4 and their G6. Prices are about $349for the x4 and $249 for the g6 according to the article. Biggest x4 advantages to me seem to be better camera and better water resistance. https://www.techradar.com/news/moto-g6-vs-moto-x4

Cheaper also isn't good if the phone doesn't work well. There's a reason that apple now has almost 100% of the profit in the smart phone industry, you know, and it's not because google and samsung are too altruistic.

ETA I don't like where apple is going, not one bit, but for now I don't think there is a better alternative in phones.

We have iPhones - 5s and SE and iPads and DH has a MacBook. It all works well and pretty seamlessly. I’d buy another iPhone though we don’t like phablet size phones and ours work fine so no compelling reason to buy a new one.

Well, sure. The question is what does work well mean to the user and do the android phones work well. There seem to be a lot of happy android users out there so I think their phones must be at least worth considering. I’m not sure profitability means much in comparing which phone is best for a user (except to the extent that there might be concern over a company being in business to honor warranties or provide repair service). I think there are way more variables in play there than whether the end product is good for the user’s purpose.

Just in case anyone else is shopping, here are some reviews I have read on the higher end options I am considering.

I found this comparison between the iPhone 8 and the google pixel 2. The iPhone just barely comes out ahead in this review and the prices are very similar. So I guess it would come down to priorities (somethings the Apple wins on I don’t care about, like wireless charging). https://www.tomsguide.com/us/iphone-8-vs-pixel-2,review-4779.html

And here’s a Samsung galaxy 8 vs pixel 2 review. They give the win to the pixel 2, which is cheaper and has a better camera, but not as good for display and battery life. https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/google-pixel-2-vs-samsung-galaxy-s8/

At this point for high end, I’m leaning iPhone or pixel 2 and middle range x4. It seems to me like one major advantage of the iPhone or pixel would be longer support so theoretically longer lifespan. Approx. $349 vs $570 is a pretty big price difference though. Seems like it comes down to whether the better camera is worth it and how much longer I could use the more expensive options. . . . But I am still researching.

I have a Samsung SM J320-A (Android version 7.1.1, Samsung version 8.5), and I am very happy with it. I have it synched with Google and use Google maps for driving directions, which are excellent for navigating through L.A. traffic. I know it cost less than $100, and I cannot see paying more than that for a phone. It is easy to change that battery (I have not needed to), and I also installed a 32 GB memory card, in case I want to store photos and/or videos on the phone, but I seldom do that. Even with the memory upgrade, it was still less than $100.

I'm not a heavy phone user, and so I'm not the best person to ask, but I do think it is worth looking into, especially if you want to save money. I stored my own ringtones on the phone also, so that I can be sure I know when my phone is ringing. I charge my battery about once every three or four days, on average, but I turn the phone off at night and some days I forget to turn it back on.

I think the iPhone SE or a iPhone 6s and maybe look at the one plus 5T or the one plus 6

I haven’t read any of the responses but just wanted to throw this out as food for thought. My DH is in IT but hates Smart Phones (go figure). For a while, he had a Samsung Android that his work provided and because he’s not Smartphone savy, it frustrated the heck out of him. Not because it was a bad phone but because it wasn’t as intuitive as he needed it to be. After the company changed policy and made the employees use their own phones, he got an Iphone 6S which has been much easier for him to work with. If you know somone who has an Android, see if you can spend some time with their phone so you can get a feel for how it differs with the Iphone. It could be that it’s a better fit for you, but at least if it’s not, you won’t be stuck with something that is going to frustrate you.

We both have the Iphone 6S and are really happy with them.

I had to replace my iPhone 5 earlier this year because it was full (only 16 GB) and eventually stopped booting. I had regional conference travel coming up. Since I don't really upgrade for a long time, I bit the bullet and went with the iPhone 8 because I wanted something that would not be obsolete too quickly. Love the 8 with 64 GB and have no regrets at all. Now I tell DH he needs to get the 8. The plus are a little big for me, but I realize this individual. It's way easier to read the slightly larger screen/fonts on the 8 vs. the 5.

I have an LG that cost about 150 and it does everything I want it to do. It works great and like Lars can't see spending more. It takes great pictures, and is fine. Everyone I know has an iPhone but I don't know why.

My sister has Samsung because one of my nephews has Samsung.

MIL has some sort of Android/Google phones, and she asks us all the time how to do things on it. We have iPhones and tell her we have no idea. We've tried to get her to iPhone, offered to buy, etc. If you are not tech savvy, I would stay with iPhone for familiarity alone.

We have MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, iPods, so you can see where I lean. Like gsciencechick speaks of above, my DH impulsively ditched his iPhone and bought an android. Fine. Whatever. But he had trouble using it and expected me to be able to troubleshoot for him and I couldn't. He now has an iPhone 7 and I am still happy with my 6+ (with a cracked corner for the last year.) We have an Apple store nearby and the service experience is everything we could hope for.

I have never had an apple product and don't one one because I know how to use android perfectly so I would stick with what you know. I can't even imagine what there is to troubleshoot in android.

After AppleCare saved my iphone/ipad/macbook lives countless times, I would never even consider getting a non-Apple product. Their customer service is stellar.

In general, I am not sure what I think of Apple. For my computer I still think Microsoft was just easier to get around and I liked the file system so much better but I love not having any issues with the imac and I've adapted. As for phones I recently went from an iphone 4s to an SE. I don't want a large phone but I'm thinking I should have bought something newer only because technology is constantly new new NEW. I went with the 128GB this time. I can't justify the price of a new one for the basic way I use mine.

My only experience with Android is my mom's tablet. She's not computer savvy at all so there are times one of us will help her out. I can't stand that tablet. I've never used anything Android so I'm not sure if it's the smaller size of the tablet or the operating system but I have a hard time getting around to simple things. It's been quite a while since I messed with it so I can't remember my specific complaints.

I meant to respond earlier and forgot.

I love my Apple products and especially my phone and iPad. I got an iPhone 8 Plus about 6 months ago, mainly because it has the upgraded camera. One of my favorite features besides the size.

I retired almost a year ago and we had Dell computers at work. I loved those too and had to make a decision to get a computer for home use before I retired since I would be turning in my work laptop. I bought a MacBook Air and bought the Microsoft Office suite to use so I would have Excel, PP and Word. I do use those frequently for some of the volunteer work I do. I also take a lot of photos with my Nikons and do a little photo editing plus send off for prints and photo books so I need external storage and capability for that.

So all that adds up to an Apple phone and iCloud storage for me. This is my third iPhone and second iPad. Seamless every time.

I know nothing about Android phones as I the first smartphone I ever got was an Apple. I got the iohone4 when it first came out and had it until it died. I have the 6 now and have had it maybe two years. I decided to make the switch to an iPhone b/c at the time I had an iPad and had just replaced my Dell with a Mac, so figured I’d just make the leap to iPhone so that everything was compatible. At first I rarely used my phone except to call and text, but now that all my kids are teens, I use my phone all the time (please note, I do not talk or text when I’m with other people!). My kids have to have iPads for school, so this also made it easier as we all share an itunes account etc. Since I have no idea how an android phone compares with an iPhone, I can’t really offer advice there.

however, if you are still considering an iPhone, and given your limited phone use, I would recommend looking at the SE. It is the same size as the 5 so not big. It is reasonably priced for an iPhone. When getting my youngest her first phone, that is what we selected for her as she does not *need* one of the more expensive options (tho she sometimes complains about her friends who have the latest and greatest which is ridiculous at her age). While the purpose for getting her the phone was so that we could reach her (no longer in school with her older siblings and for logistical reasons, I needed to be able to communicate with her), It still has other features that are useful. For example, she finished her book while we were at the beach so was able to download one from our library to read until we got home. I’m rambling here, but my point is, if you don’t need or want an expensive latest model iPhone, look at the SE if you are still considering Apple.

I am way behind on cell phones, we don't have cell service at our home or most of our town. Almost a year ago I decided to get an iPhone. I ended up buying each of us APPLE SE phones. I found texting difficult on the smaller phone until I discovered dictating.

Just wanted to update that I ended up with a refurbished iPhone 7 directly from Apple, which arrived today. Given my priority for a good camera, I wasn't finding android phones to be much cheaper so I decided to stick with the familiar Apple (though somewhat ironically I had to update it on arrival.).

I ordered this wallet case:. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0764VKD9Z/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and a screen protector which should arrive Friday.

Thank you again to everyone for your help!

I was wondering what you ended up doing. Pretty clever to go refurbished and save on the costs, I hope it works out for you. I love that wallet case!!! My DH and daughter both have a folding one, but that was not an ideal option for me. I might have to give that one a try! What a great find! Thanks for sharing!

I have had similar cases for years now and been super happy with them. I don’t carry a wallet at all (and 90 percent of the time don’t carry a handbag either). This is a slightly different design so I’m hoping I like it. It’s not very expensive so I decided to give it a try.

I took a few pictures yesterday and the camera is amazing. I think by the next time I am ready to upgrade there won’t even be a reason to own a separate camera anymore except for very specialized purposes.