Smartphones

Vaclav

Vaclav

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Flipmode said:
The Snapdragon 821 is roughly 10% faster than the 820 and the GPU even more so. If that is a wash to you than ok. But my statement is true.
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I've only seen such in synthetic benches - RL performance testing hasn't posted anything of substance in any reviews I've seen.

I really want to love the Pixel and can't find reason to Ooh and Aah it - it's decent, but on par not groundbreaking.
 
BrutulTM

BrutulTM

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Crone said:
Fucking triggered and double rustle of jimmies!

Went into Verizon store to get s7, and they are out. I find this out after waiting 20 minutes. They offer to do it online, and I say no, I'll do it myself. They then try and say the new LG v20 is awesome and has a sweet camera. She explains the megapixels are higher than the Samsung phones, and I ask, what's the aperture? She has no idea. Fuck your stupid dumb ass and your bull shit.

I shouldn't be this triggered over something I should have expected. I should have known they weren't going to have a damn thing in stock.
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It always surprises me that the employees at Verizon, Best Buy, etc. know less about their phones than someone that casually reads The Verge a couple times a week. I don't know why, if they were worth a shit they would have a better job, but it still makes me think that I could take a job there today and possibly be the most knowledgeable person there about phones and I hardly put any effort into it at all.
 
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Crone

Crone

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Vaclav said:
I've only seen such in synthetic benches - RL performance testing hasn't posted anything of substance in any reviews I've seen.

I really want to love the Pixel and can't find reason to Ooh and Aah it - it's decent, but on par not groundbreaking.
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This is the problem. I want freakin' to be ohh and ahh when I spend $800 or so on something. I felt that this happened with the Note 7, but that is of course subjective. I was having problems with my not so old Note 5, and so it was awesome going to the Note 7 with the curved screen.

I'm just not feeling this way about anything out there right now, including the Pixel XL. No idea what I should do, but given that Samsung is giving you $100 if you stay with Samsung, the S7 seems to be the best choice.

As for the S8, given that I'll have $300 towards the phone already from the Note 5 trade in, I'll just be able to swap to the S8 when it comes out next year.
 
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Apollo64

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Surely the Note 7 will get re-released at some point with no issues, but man what a disaster. Don't recall anything that bad happening with a premium phone release.
 
Joeboo

Joeboo

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BrutulTM said:
It always surprises me that the employees at Verizon, Best Buy, etc. know less about their phones than someone that casually reads The Verge a couple times a week. I don't know why, if they were worth a shit they would have a better job, but it still makes me think that I could take a job there today and possibly be the most knowledgeable person there about phones and I hardly put any effort into it at all.
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Mainly because the main qualification for keeping your job at best buy is your ability to sell warranties and accessories rather than product knowledge of any kind. Gamestop is the same way. So was Circuit City, so was Radio Shack. That's why they are all on the way out, they serve no real value to the customer at all.
 
Deathwing

Deathwing

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Crone said:
This is the problem. I want freakin' to be ohh and ahh when I spend $800 or so on something. I felt that this happened with the Note 7, but that is of course subjective. I was having problems with my not so old Note 5, and so it was awesome going to the Note 7 with the curved screen.

I'm just not feeling this way about anything out there right now, including the Pixel XL. No idea what I should do, but given that Samsung is giving you $100 if you stay with Samsung, the S7 seems to be the best choice.

As for the S8, given that I'll have $300 towards the phone already from the Note 5 trade in, I'll just be able to swap to the S8 when it comes out next year.
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Why not the s7 edge? Seems pretty similar to the note 7.
 
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Noodleface

Noodleface

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I'm gonna be in the market for a phone in the next few months. It says we are "eligible for an upgrade" but with how phone purchases now what does that actually mean (Verizon)?

I have a 2014 moto x and to be honest I'm not in dire need of an upgrade as the phone has been the first phone in a decade that I haven't regretted in one way or another. I guess the worst part is the charging port fucking sucks.
 
Inque

Inque

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It means you can pay for the phone over 2 years (or retail price) or buy your phone elsewhere (Google) and pay just for the service. Some of the manufacturers are offering yearly upgrades (Apple / Samsung) but be wary of the trade promotion options, which otherwise are pretty decent if you intend to keep your phone but shitty if you're wanting to upgrade every year; Basically, if you get $300 for your device, and get a Google Pixel, Verizon takes the $300 and breaks that up over 24 months. Carriers are learning that simply not giving up all the rewards will hypothetically retain people who still want a "2 year deal" but with a lower monthly payment. OTOH, if you buy out your phone's retail cost or trade it in at the one year mark, you write off any additional cost you were owed (so you would lose, say $150 of the $300 value) whereas prior to September anyone who did a phone could take the upfront trade value, apply it to the phone, the bill, their choice...
 
Noodleface

Noodleface

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Inque said:
It means you can pay for the phone over 2 years (or retail price) or buy your phone elsewhere (Google) and pay just for the service. Some of the manufacturers are offering yearly upgrades (Apple / Samsung) but be wary of the trade promotion options, which otherwise are pretty decent if you intend to keep your phone but shitty if you're wanting to upgrade every year; Basically, if you get $300 for your device, and get a Google Pixel, Verizon takes the $300 and breaks that up over 24 months. Carriers are learning that simply not giving up all the rewards will hypothetically retain people who still want a "2 year deal" but with a lower monthly payment. OTOH, if you buy out your phone's retail cost or trade it in at the one year mark, you write off any additional cost you were owed (so you would lose, say $150 of the $300 value) whereas prior to September anyone who did a phone could take the upfront trade value, apply it to the phone, the bill, their choice...
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So when I bought my moto most of the cost was subsidized and I pay roughly 60 a month. Now the bill would still be 60 plus full retail on a phone is what you're saying?
 
Crone

Crone

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Noodleface said:
So when I bought my moto most of the cost was subsidized and I pay roughly 60 a month. Now the bill would still be 60 plus full retail on a phone is what you're saying?
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No, because when you bought you phone, you signed a 2 year contract, right?

Now, they have device payment plans, or DPPs. They take the full retail price of the phone and split it up over 24 bill cycles. So 24 payments. Makes the cost of a new $800+ smart phone like $30+ a month or whatever.

You can still get the phone subsidized down to $200-$300 if you want to sign a 2 year deal, however nearly every single deal they have out there that comes along excludes any of the people in those contracts.

What I did a couple months back was trade in my Note 5 to Verizon for $300, and applied that money towards the purchase price of the Note 7. So then they took that final price, and split it up over 24 months. Dropped the montly payments from $33 or $38? forget exactly, down to $23.50 a month.

And Samsung and Apple, as mentioned, both have a plan right now that if you have paid off more than 50% of your device you can just straight swap it for a new one. You get no trade in value, but you just start paying on the new device, at whatever that device new DPP is. Downside to this, is you don't get to use any trade in value anymore unless you wait the 2 years to pay off your device. The upside is, you can get a new phone every year, and not have to pay off your old phone first.
 
Noodleface

Noodleface

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Crone said:
No, because when you bought you phone, you signed a 2 year contract, right?

Now, they have device payment plans, or DPPs. They take the full retail price of the phone and split it up over 24 bill cycles. So 24 payments. Makes the cost of a new $800+ smart phone like $30+ a month or whatever.

You can still get the phone subsidized down to $200-$300 if you want to sign a 2 year deal, however nearly every single deal they have out there that comes along excludes any of the people in those contracts.

What I did a couple months back was trade in my Note 5 to Verizon for $300, and applied that money towards the purchase price of the Note 7. So then they took that final price, and split it up over 24 months. Dropped the montly payments from $33 or $38? forget exactly, down to $23.50 a month.

And Samsung and Apple, as mentioned, both have a plan right now that if you have paid off more than 50% of your device you can just straight swap it for a new one. You get no trade in value, but you just start paying on the new device, at whatever that device new DPP is. Downside to this, is you don't get to use any trade in value anymore unless you wait the 2 years to pay off your device. The upside is, you can get a new phone every year, and not have to pay off your old phone first.
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I hear you. Prey on those that can't buy phones outright.
 
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Picasso3

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Noodleface said:
I hear you. Prey on those that can't buy phones outright.
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When i just reupped i kept my ex plan and the 2 year upgrade was exactly the same as years past, $200 for phone (s7) and $40 activation fee and nothing phone related on the monthly bill.
 
Crone

Crone

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Noodleface said:
I hear you. Prey on those that can't buy phones outright.
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That, and no more contracts. Verizon and others lose their ass on phone subsidies. I remember hearing when a new iPhone comes out back on the old system. I don't really mind it, as they don't charge you interest, so I'm not sure it's really preying.

But if you go in for a new phone, this is gonna be the new way. Just pick a phone, and then walk out paying just the tax on the full purchase, because the first payment comes on your next bill.
 
Crone

Crone

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Picasso3 said:
When i just reupped i kept my ex plan and the 2 year upgrade was exactly the same as years past, $200 for phone (s7) and $40 activation fee and nothing phone related on the monthly bill.
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Except you're paying $40 a month for your line access charge, instead of $20 if you were on a DPP.
 
Zapatta

Zapatta

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Crone said:
T Verizon and others lose their ass on phone subsidies.
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No providers loses their ass on anything, devices have always been loss leaders to attract customers even in the days of land lines.. TelCo.s have always been super lucrative, they just changed up the model to squeeze more out of their customer base. If Googles Fi biz model catches on they will have to get competitive.
 
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Noodleface

Noodleface

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Is there then a compelling reason for me not to abandon Verizon and go to project fi? I've been eyeballing the pixel anyways.

Wife and I pay $120/month for 6Gb and two lines. On project fi it looks like we'd pay baseline $45/month plus whatever data charges. At the 6gb we'd be at 105 but with the freedom of not actually pre buying the 6gb we'd be way under. Factor in whatever phones we bought and it may come closer to the 120 but at a better service than dealing with Verizon.
 
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