[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket SGH-I727] Easy_as_Pi_3.14:
So, now that I am at my PC, I can say what I was going to say.

So yesterday, I did a stoopid and tripped on the sidewalk trying to catch a bus. My S3 landed face down on the concrete--

Nothing

will survive that without a case except those fancy shatterproof phones.

Had to.

[Un?]luckily, even though I can't use my Skyrocket as a phone, from before we even got that SR, before my first Android, we had an old iPho--err…I mean device-which-must-not-be-named 3GS, that I am torturing myself with (at least it works) . Not only is it a phone scarred by the forbidden fruit, but it punishes me every living moment with slow loading, app crashes, and tacky icons. (OK back to seriousness). :P

So… I am looking for a new phone. Don't worry, I won't forget this thread. :)

Problem is, I can only afford a budget phone or an older one, but I don't want anything I will…regret. I should probably get a job soon.

What I am looking for for a phone, ideally: (WoT alert):

Android only (duh!)

Gotta be unlocked, but both CDMA and GSM work.

I am getting used, and I would not go above $200, and would prefer under $150.

Android isn't Android without a MicroSD card slot. (Sorry, Google!)

LTE: I'm paying for it, I'm using it!

I don't care too much about camera. I never really used it. That is what my good ol' Canon DSLR is for.

I would, however, strongly prefer to have a flashlight.

Don't care about thickness. My S3 with the extended battery was 3/4 in (2 cm) thick. Yeah.

Screen size: Prefer 4.5"-5" (11.5-12.7 cm), but the max I will go is 5.5 in (14 cm).

Battery life that doesn't suck.

Decent performance. I don't want lagginess like the Sky. Performance would be ideally on par or better than the S3. Which is common. But I don't really need a speed demon.

2GB of RAM is preferred.

Something that isn't flimsy.

No low end entry levels! I had two and it sucked.

I am definitely stuck on the old flagship vs new mid-ranger dilemma.

For the midrangers, I was thinking about:

Moto G Gen 3 - Really active ROM development, good price, water resistant.

Moto G4 - All I can say is the specs are very juicy. It will be hard to find used ones, though.

Moto E 2nd Gen - Dirt cheap, but the lack of a flash, 1GB RAM, and 8GB storage are…meh

ZenFone 2 - Haven't read much into it, but seems good.

Older flagships:

A Skyrocket with an extended battery: Can't go wrong.

Another S3: If it ain't bro…Dammit! :rolleyes:

LG G3 - Someone said the G3 still holds up against time (and it is cheap on Swappa and the like), and I know a certain someone who has some experience with it and has CM13 for it… (cough cough [MENTION=2107489]bryan2894[/MENTION]). But it is a bit overkill.

LG G2 - The G3 is to the G2 like the S3 is to the Skyrocket. That sums it up.

HTC One M7 - Looks good, but the battery life is questionable and some people report it falling apart.

Any thoughts on some of the choices I listed, or do you know of any good models that fulfill most of those? Thanks for your help, if you can give it.

---------- Post added at 11:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:16 AM ----------

Well, they can. If you aren't careful, they can get very hot (one guy left it overclocked and it ignited in his pocket). And that will cut your battery lifespan in half.

But some others were complaining about battery on this build. So it isn't 100% you.