Help me decide

[Concillian]

Current phone is a RAZR v3. Yes, I've had the same phone for like 5 years or whatever, I forget when I got it.

Anyway, it's dying, starting to reset occasionally. My wife wants an iPhone, and we're free of contract, so we'll be switching and getting new phones. Wish I could stay with T-mobile, but I get ZERO bars on T-mobile at work, and if I switch to something I can use at work I can finally stop carrying around this pager... You can imagine the kind of looks I get when I get a page, pull out my RAZR, and dial the number in one hand while holding the pager in the other.

You may have guessed that I'm a pretty basic guy in my wireless usage, but since I'll be getting some subsidization from work, I'm going to go all in and get a smartphone. I have very little experience here and need some help deciding.

We'll be going to Sprint, most likely, so I've been looking at their phones.
The Nexus S 4G seems like the "best deal" to get my feet wet, with some hardware limitations (no microSD slot, limited processor).
The Galaxy SII Epic Touch 4G or Motorola Photon 4G seem like the most advanced phones.

The price difference is significant, but keeping in mind I'll want this to be my phone for 3-5 years, I'm not too afraid to have some up front costs if it's worth it.

Are there any issues with firmware / OS updates I need to worry about? Will the Nexus S be better supported in the long term since it's a Google phone? Any other Durability concerns? Reviews don't seem to focus much on durability features. Any good way to compare how these will hold up in the long term? Any other Sprint phones I should be looking at?

 

[gorcorps]

Coming from your current phone, even the Nexus S will feel like a very impressive jump. However because you're buying an already dated phone, it'll become obsolete quicker. It sounds like to me you want to get more time out of it than most smartphone users expect, so IMO buying the best phone out will be the best bet if you can afford it.

The Nexus S should be better supported in that you'll always have access to the latest firmware Google releases, and won't have to wait for Samsung/HTC/etc to adapt it and then pass it on to carriers so THEY can brand it. However it's only a single core phone, so I don't expect you to be able to run many more updates very well.

The Galaxy SII is faster, newer and has a much better screen than the Photon, so between those I'd definitely get the GSII since they're the same price it looks like. Overall I'd choose the GSII overall because it'd be the most "future-proof" for you compared to the Nexus. Smartphones move so fast you'll be dated quick, but it'll be the best chance you have. All of the Android phones should have replaceable batteries, so that'll make life easier since that'll probably be the thing you'll have to change out to make it last. Just get a good case for it.