Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler What priority on a cell phone

We all get some form of upgradeitus and what is more so than with that chunk of electronics we hold to our ears otherwise known as the cell phone.

I never really got into the whole iphone thing, and for the longest time didn't even bother with having a cell phone as I just didn't really see any need for it. The contracts were just too expensive for what they offered as the technology just not there. Now I don't think that anyone would be without one.

I ended up in the Andriod camp as the iPhones cost turned me off. Now it seems that the top tier phones all cost the same so you take your choice.

So comes the question, of what is most important in a cell phone? My first Andriod phone was one of the Nexus phones (Samsung built) and it was rather nice that Google controlled the OS upgrades and you could get a regular bump with new technology and not be tied to if your cell phone company will release an upgrade OTA. But Google is also the jerks that after 2 years it's dropped and ZERO support. Where Apple seems better in giving an upgrade path even though it seems forced on you and forced obsolescence as the phone gets slower and unresponsive each upgrade of IOS till you have to buy a new phone after 2-3 years like it or not.

I moved from the Nexus to an LG G3 that was OK but eventually the battery went and all the clone batteries are crap and don't hold a charge so that one got replaced by an LG G5 that I was smart at and when LG started to sell off their OEM batteries when they released the G6 I bought 3 spares for next to nothing.

I am now hit with that upgradeitus and the nagging feeling that I want to trade. The G5 works fine. it is not too slow, holds a charge perfectly and really does everything I need a phone to do.

The rest of my family has moved to iPhones and I sort of miss out in the iMessage and Facetime. I do get away with a much lower phone bill as I don't get hit with forced upgrades when on cell only and my SMS messages are free, unlike Apple that charges data rates for iMessage. I use about 250mb of data each month where my wife seems to need closer to 2gb. My daughter, well that is a teen thing.

The G5 doesn't seem to get any upgrades. LG doesn't even bother with the monthly security updates. I am on Android7.0 even though 7.1, 8.0, 8.1 and now 9 is out there. Don't know if I am missing out.

What makes a great cell phone?