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Angie asked: “I am getting ready to get a new phone after 4 years of having an LG Flex. What phone would you recommend? I’m considering possibly going back to an iPhone, or there’s a new Moto Phone that sounds interesting but I’d like to hear what’s new for phones coming up in 2017 and what you might recommend.”
Angie, the new Moto phone is probably the 5.5” Moto Z, Motorola calls it “the world’s thinnest premium smartphone,” which really just makes it sound like there are thinner phones, they’re just not as “premium.”
The phone is supposed to have a good low light camera, and in the Force Droid version it comes with a screen that Motorola calls “guaranteed shatterproof,” which may be its most interesting feature.
If you look into a Moto Z model, make sure you’re buying what you think you’re buying. There are Moto Z models with a 50 hour battery, there are others with a 30 hour battery, there are models with a 21 MP camera, and others with a 16MP camera.
That in itself is not too unusual, plenty of phones are like that, but not all Moto Z models are available on all carriers, so a “top of the line” AT&T model will probably not have the shatterproof screen that you will find on the Verizon version.
As far as iPhones, the 7 is the current flagship, it features 3D Touch like the 6S, but it’s also water resistant, has a fake home button that works via touch as opposed to it actually being pressed, and has an improved camera. The 6S itself is a very good phone, not terrible different from the 7 and it will save you a good $100. Both come in the supersized plus version too, if that’s your preference. If you’d prefer a shrunk down version, the SE looks like a 5 but has roughly the insides of a 6S.
Another series of phones worth mentioning are Google’s Pixel line
Another series of phones worth mentioning are Google’s Pixel line, you also do get the regular and phablet sizing, and it’s supposed to be Google’s response to the iPhone. They are phones designed by Google from the hardware to the software, and feature Google Assistant.
Since you mentioned 2017, we’ll mention Samsung’s flagship phone, the Galaxy S8. It’s generally been considered the leader in Android handsets, although one could argue that title now belongs to Google with their Pixel line.
The Galaxy S8 will likely be delayed until April as Samsung continues to make certain they don’t have a repeat of the Note 7’s battery issues. And the rumor mill says the 3.5mm headphone jack will be gone from the S8 also, with a single USB-C connector being the only way to plug into the phone. We have to say, that’s one area where we wish people wouldn’t follow Apple’s lead.