Upgrading from the Motorola Razr to the Galaxy S4

[Natey2]

I love the android OS, but it seems to me that about a year after I've owned any android phone an OS update comes out that basically kills my phone. The way I see it, I'm only 6-8 months away from the S4 getting screwed by an OS update. Hopefully others dont have this issue, but it has happened to both my wife and I with every phone over the last 4-5 years.

You can root the device and block future updates until such time when you do want to try the update(s). And you can also create a cwm/nandroid backup, and if the device should get "accidentally" updated, you can restore the backup to revert.
I have a 2012 Google Nexus 7 tablet still running Android 4.1.2, because I didn't want Android 4.2 or 4.3 on it.

 

[GVLBob]

Yeah. I've been removing apps and trying to make it work. I'm not the kind of person that has to have the latest and greatest every 6 months. I'm actually the opposite. I hate paying so dang much for a phone, and would love one to last me 3 years. That's why when I do buy, I want it to be the most up to date. I love the android OS, but it seems to me that about a year after I've owned any android phone an OS update comes out that basically kills my phone. The way I see it, I'm only 6-8 months away from the S4 getting screwed by an OS update. Hopefully others dont have this issue, but it has happened to both my wife and I with every phone over the last 4-5 years.

The S4 has only been out for a few months, so it shouldn't be viewed as an old phone. As others have pointed out, a good guess is that the S4 will continue to receive upgrades for some time.

Another thing to keep in mind is the rate of improvement of hardware and software. In the early days, the hardware and software improvements for each new version were big steps forward. Recently, however, the improvements have been much "smaller" and phones at least are becoming more future proof. For example, it's unlikely we will see significant improvements in screen size or resolution. Even battery life is getting pretty good, particularly if you purchase one of the max versions.

So I think the likelihood of getting a phone and finding it feel obsolete in 1 year's time is smaller than it used to be.

There are several really good Android phones currently available; the S4 is just one. I would look at them all, pick one, and not look back.

 

[segen77]

Sounds good. I appreciate the information posted here. I don't mind spending the money for quality, I've just felt kind of ripped off in the past due to software issues. Seems like those are becoming less apparent, so I appreciate that advice. Now I just have to find a decent deal on one. I don't understand why verizon's version is more expensive than others. Best price I've found on the verizon one is $179 at costco. If anyone knows anywhere else to get a better deal, please let me know.

Thanks again for the advice. This forum has always been helpful.

 

[GVLBob]

Sounds good. I appreciate the information posted here. I don't mind spending the money for quality, I've just felt kind of ripped off in the past due to software issues. Seems like those are becoming less apparent, so I appreciate that advice. Now I just have to find a decent deal on one. I don't understand why verizon's version is more expensive than others. Best price I've found on the verizon one is $179 at costco. If anyone knows anywhere else to get a better deal, please let me know.

Thanks again for the advice. This forum has always been helpful.

Have you read the various posts in the

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/samsung-galaxy-s4/252149-best-deal-verizon-s4.html

thread?

 

[segen77]

Yeah. I posted on that thread yesterday. I'm not sure where people are finding the prices, but it must not be at the Dallas locations. Cheapest I've found around here is at costco for $180.

 

[Overland1]

Yeah. I posted on that thread yesterday. I'm not sure where people are finding the prices, but it must not be at the Dallas locations. Cheapest I've found around here is at costco for $180.

I have seen the S4 as high as $249 for a 16-GB at Beast Buy and as low as $199 for a 16-GB ($249 for 32 GB) at VZW's store.

As for the S5, I do not plan to wait for that as I am not wanting to have to wait for bugs to be fixed like I did with the Bionic. I have been called a guinea, and I have been called a pig, but I do not want to be a guinea pig.

Looks like the S4 is a generally safe bet.

 

[Natey2]

My recent T-Mobile purchase:
$99 down.
$21 for 24 months for Galaxy S4 M919.
$44 unlimited talk/text.
$17.6 unlimited 4G + 2.5GB tether.
And taxes.

Sent from my rooted DroidX using Tapatalk 2

 

[m3incorp]

Yeah. I posted on that thread yesterday. I'm not sure where people are finding the prices, but it must not be at the Dallas locations. Cheapest I've found around here is at costco for $180.

How about your local Walmart for $138? Or Wirefly for $119-$179? Or Amazon for $119-149?

 

[m3incorp]

My recent T-Mobile purchase:
$99 down.
$21 for 24 months for Galaxy S4 M919.
$44 unlimited talk/text.
$17.6 unlimited 4G + 2.5GB tether.
And taxes.

Sent from my rooted DroidX using Tapatalk 2

Your plan prices are great.......but whew $604 for a phone.

 

[Natey2]

They (Carriers) are going to make their money some way or other. If you pay more for the service and less for the phone, they will continue to make money off you in the long run.
The T-Mobile deal looks good because 2 years from now, my bill will be $21/month less than it is today. And the T-Mobile S4 bill will be lower than my current Verizon DroidX bill

 

[bluezdawg]

Exactly... and how much worse can it be than (for example) a Droid Bionic? :icon_eek:

I am also considering upgrading from a Bionic to the S4, but it would mean losing the unlimited data and gaining unlimited text messaging. Considering I have never come close to even 1 GB of data in any month, the cost should not be too bad. I rarely, if ever, use wi-fi for downloading anything... if I did that, I could probably get by with even less data billed per month.

The Bionic has actually been a good phone, but I am getting the itch to upgrade.

Upgraded from a Bionic a few months ago and I have had no regrets. I lost my unlimited data plan (went to 2 gig). Been fine. Just need to make sure you use wifi for data intensive stuff like streaming video, or, downloading movies... I tend to shut mobile data off as it is handy to do. Use it when I need it and it helps the battery a bit when it is off. Good luck!

Sent by "bluezdawg" from my scream'n Infinity TF700/TF201 run'n Jelly Bean 4.2.1 using Tapatalk HD

 

[tech_head]

$420 on Swappa for a 3 week old device.
Asurion and Verizon have open enrollment.
Still have unlimited.

 

[aaf709]

Upgraded from a Bionic a few months ago and I have had no regrets. I lost my unlimited data plan (went to 2 gig). Been fine. Just need to make sure you use wifi for data intensive stuff like streaming video, or, downloading movies... I tend to shut mobile data off as it is handy to do. Use it when I need it and it helps the battery a bit when it is off. Good luck!

Sent by "bluezdawg" from my scream'n Infinity TF700/TF201 run'n Jelly Bean 4.2.1 using Tapatalk HD

I also upgraded from the Bionic, but it was last month. No regrets, but was surprised that things like the slide unlock (right to unlock, left for camera, up for phone and down to text) or the Favorites widget were Motorola, and not ICS (or JB). What I don't miss was the long startup. Even new, the OG Droid and the Bionic had that red eye first and then booted up after a minute or so. The S4 takes seconds to boot up.

The Bionic was a good phone for me and if I had done the needed factory reset (and gotten a new external battery) it could've served me longer. I also lost my unlimited, but as my average was 1.5 GB that isn't that bad. Now the cap is 6 GB, but the company I work for is paying my phone bill.

 

[tennvol]

I went from a bionic to razr maxx to s4 and the only thing I miss about the bionic is being able to see the screen in direct sunlight