DPReview.com is closing April 10th - Find out more

I love my phone, but ….

Started Jun 28, 2021 | Discussions
nordic_light Regular Member • Posts: 203
I love my phone, but ….
1

I have samsung galaxy s7 edge. I really like it! And no problem. But last update was at the end of last year. No more security updates are coming. And it’s little more than half year already without any updates. Do I need to give up my precious phone and buy a new? What would you do, and why?

 nordic_light's gear list:nordic_light's gear list
Nikon Z7 Nikon Z 24-70mm F4
I2K4
I2K4 Senior Member • Posts: 1,441
Re: I love my phone, but ….
3

My experience has been that Google and third-party apps are supported in the Play Store for about five years from the release of an Android version. A "Lollipop" Android 5.1 phone I use for sat/nav in the car (spares main phone battery) is still getting updates for all the apps on it. Android functions perfectly on it. Meanwhile an old "Jellybean" Android 4.3 tablet used as a bookshelf clock and photo display has lost most app support. My criterion for replacing good devices has been a) the battery craps out and is too expensive to replace, and b) Play Store support for apps I actually use dries up.

Security vulnerabilities in Android have nearly all been malware from bad apps installed from bad places - version updates are highly over-hyped as a matter of security (that said, since I side-load some APKs I always run a well-ranked malware scanner, currently BitDefender free.)

It's worth noting that some Android "upgrades" have been real dogs, while others have been improvements. Android K unforgivably tried to murder microSD functionality, that was gradually restored in later versions. Android O neatly reduced the bloated footprint of Android N by a full Gigabyte of internal storage and sped up the system, but then Android P took it from around 6GB to over 11GB, with very little noticeable functional change.  So be careful what's wished for, in case you get it.

OP nordic_light Regular Member • Posts: 203
Re: I love my phone, but ….
1

Ok, thanks for info!

 nordic_light's gear list:nordic_light's gear list
Nikon Z7 Nikon Z 24-70mm F4
donaldsc Veteran Member • Posts: 4,074
Re: I love my phone, but ….
2

My answer would be -

a) Does it do what you want to do on it?

b) Can the battery take and hold a charge

c) If the answer to question b is "no", how much will a new battery cost

-- hide signature --

Don

PhantomEpic
PhantomEpic New Member • Posts: 2
Re: I love my phone, but ….
1

I love my phone, but it also has problems, especially when we talk about buying special features in apps or games. Last time I had problems with my Paypal account, where my phone transfered money but nothing changed... 
I think I will buy just a new one.

-- hide signature --

I think I am mistaken... Or maybe not?

DaSonyGuy Forum Pro • Posts: 12,386
Re: I love my phone, but ….
2

nordic_light wrote:

I have samsung galaxy s7 edge. I really like it! And no problem. But last update was at the end of last year. No more security updates are coming. And it’s little more than half year already without any updates. Do I need to give up my precious phone and buy a new? What would you do, and why?

I had the Galaxy S7, then I upgraded to the S9, but when it came time to upgrade again I could not afford to stay with Samsung, so I got a new Huawei P30 Pro instead...Glad I did as it's cameras are better than any Samsung phone I've ever had...The night shot feature is one good reason to get it...It gives sharp, noise free images at night with natural colours, like this:

https://flic.kr/p/2kvWEzk

 DaSonyGuy's gear list:DaSonyGuy's gear list
Sony a7C Samyang AF 35mm F2.8 FE Samyang AF 18mm F2.8 FE Sony FE 28-60mm F4-5.6 Samyang AF 24mm F1.8 FE +10 more
sludge21017
sludge21017 Veteran Member • Posts: 3,807
Re: I love my phone, but ….
1

I have no choice.

My S7 Edge is Sprint model, not unlocked model.  T-Mob is shutting down the Sprint bands.. some of them  December 2021, and the rest June 2022.

Keyboard shortcuts:
FForum MMy threads