[XDA Assist] MallardAdjusted:
Hello all,

Long time lurker, first time poster that figured I would post this here in the XDA-Assist forum to avoid mis-posting. Please feel free to move the thread elsewhere.

My wife and I are interested in purchasing new phones. Several years ago we purchased two new Samsung Galaxy S II phones from Tmobile (SGH-T989) within a few months of their release. The long story short has been that we haven't been terribly impressed, and while we have been desperate to replace them with something new, the bad experience has left us hesitant to spend that kind of money again.

From this experience we have learned a few things after having both phones replaced at least once under insurance due to them failing, living outside the US for short bursts, and very heavy travel for work:

-We like Android (thought that must be obvious posting here on XDA).

-We like (not love) T-Mobile. While we could change providers in the US, the overseas data plan works well enough for us.

-We like T-Mobile's Wi-fi calling feature. It has allowed us to use our phones as we would at home while overseas which has been great, and when it home it has proven to be a great way to limit battery drain and speeds charging. Further it has allowed great connectivity in some hard to reach places and places with thick walls and bad regular reception.

-We need to purchase the phones outright so that they may be unlocked as soon as possible. While the Wi-fi calling feature is great, we have frequently needed local sim cards so that locals could call us easily and cheaply. Having a local number also helps grease the wheels for all kinds of things along when overseas. Adds a great bit of credibility.

-The battery must be removable. The battery that Samsung provided was ****. It was later replaced with another Samsung battery and finally with an Anker brand battery that is amazing. Further, carrying an external usb battery or a powerpack to attach to the phone is just bulky, heavy and annoying. Carrying an extra fully charged phone battery is lighter, easier, and fixes the issue faster.

-The phone must have a microSD card slot. There are a myriad of reasons that I likely don't need to explain.

-The camera should be better than the 8 MP one we have now.

-The phone must play nicely around the world. This is a big one. For a year I was living in Paris with a local sim-card. It was amazing how poorly the phone worked there. I tried two of the big providers and with both the phone simply had a hard time. Sure I got signal, but the phone seemed to be especially prone to serious battery drain throughout the day even though it was not used any differently than in the states. I removed extraneous apps, made sure all the settings were optimized for battery life and yet it was still bad, even with the really great Anker battery. I was left with the impression that it had problems with foreign networks. I again saw this problem in Spain, Portugal, Vietnam, and Australia before we going blaming the French for one more thing (in fact the deal in got in France on data would make Americans start a very French-like revolution).

-Most importantly the phone needs to last a while. We don't feel a phone should be replaced every year. After all we are like most people in the world. We used the phone for essentially lightweight tasks: calls, texts, email, reading the news, checking the transit app, and occasional street navigation. Though my wife still has it on her phone I got rid of FB and wow did standby battery improve as well as all the other apps responsiveness.

-After this experience with Samsung I am hesitant to buy another. I have already resigned myself to the notion that we will likely be forced into buying a phone that is larger in its physical dimensions simply because that is where the world is headed, though my pockets are the still the same size. :eek:

Thank you for your patience reading this posting. What do you recommend?