New Smart Phone Advice Please!

[Madpacket]

I'm in need of a new smart phone but haven't been following the market too closely. My last phone was a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 which I was pretty happy with until it was recently stolen.

I plan on staying with Android, no interest in iPhones.

Just wondering if there are any phones in 2016 that fit the following:

1440P 5.5" or larger screen (AMOLED preferred)
3GB RAM or more
32GB ROM or more
Removable Battery (this one's important as I'll be buying the phone outright and want it to last more than a year before battery starts dying).
Micro SD support (not a deal killer but would be nice, especially if less than 64GB of ROM on the phone)
Dual SIM (not a deal killer but would be nice).
Unlockable bootloader (so if/when vendor drops support I can turn to ASOP etc)
Front firing speakers (not a deal killer but would be nice, the Note 4 speaker was pretty bad)
Fingerprint unlock (not a deal killer but would be nice)
Decent camera

Do you know any phones that would fit the above requirements, or at least most of them? I'm not terribly concerned about speed but something faster than a Snapdragon 805 would be nice. Battery life is more important to me. My budget is around $600 - 700 CAD but I can be a little flexible here. The Note 4 was pretty good but I had it a few years so it would be nice to get a better phone that feels like an upgrade

Any advice here would be appreciated!

 

[radhak]

I guess OnePlus 3?

I don't own it, but have it in my crosshairs as I'm in the same boat as you.

 

[Madpacket]

OnePlus3 looks decent yes. For the money it's hard to beat but I found a phone that looks like it might be a better fit for the money?

ZTE Axon 7:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16875705055

Someone else pointed out to me the new LG V20 as an option but it's a flagship so pretty $$$. But It has a removable battery!

http://www.androidheadlines.com/2016/10/phone-comparisons-lg-v20-vs-google-pixel-xl.html

 

[gorcorps]

If a removable battery is that important, I think you're stuck with an LG

 

[radhak]

Those are pretty nice phones! But at those prices, I guess I might have to stay with the OnePlus3.

 

[Kazukian]

Those are pretty nice phones! But at those prices, I guess I might have to stay with the OnePlus3.

Might want to hold off a bit, they're rumored to be bumping the CPU up to the 821 very soon.

 

[Raduque]

V20, gently-used V10 or a G5 maybe. If you want a removable battery, LG is pretty much the only option.

Could always go to swappa and get you another (lightly-used) Note 4.

 

[Crono]

Put those specs into GSMArena, and the V20 is the only good option that surfaces.

Removable battery is the most limiting spec.
Most of the phones with 1440p, 5.5" or greater displays and with good battery life are going to have non-removable batteries.

 

[Madpacket]

Thanks guys. I'm going to hold off for a bit and let the dust settle.

 

[Raduque]

Removable batteries were pretty done. With the Note7 recall centered around the sealed-in battery, we might be moving towards removable batteries again. Be nice, anyway.

 

[Kapav]

The battery itself might not have been the problem, especially after the recalled units with new batteries still exploded. I think removable batteries continue to become an increasingly niche feature, so good luck if you want any variety in phones with one. If you're worried about battery degradation and want to replace it in the future though (not swap them in and out on a daily basis) then you might want to look up some of the ifixit phone teardowns to see how easy or hard it would be to do that replacement for a phone you're interested in.

 

[Madpacket]

I'm waiting for the LG flagship V20. It's going to cost an arm and a leg but other than not having an AMOLED screen it's almost the perfect phone.

The battery removal to me is important for a few reasons. Quick battery changes is more ideal than carrying one of those battery savers. It allows you to easily extend the life of the phone without having to resort to iFixit or expensive replacements from a repair shop, and its the only easy way to ensure your phone is actually turned off.

 

[Red Storm]

I'm waiting for the LG flagship V20. It's going to cost an arm and a leg but other than not having an AMOLED screen it's almost the perfect phone.

I find LG's software to be terrible. It makes Touchwiz look good, which is quite the accomplishment.

 

[Raduque]

I find LG's software to be terrible. It makes Touchwiz look good, which is quite the accomplishment.

I don't find it to be that bad. IMO, AOSP stock android is the worst. So boring, plain, featureless. It's like a desert, while the manufacturer builds are oasises.

It's getting better, though it still has a very long way to go.

 

[Red Storm]

I don't find it to be that bad. IMO, AOSP stock android is the worst. So boring, plain, featureless. It's like a desert, while the manufacturer builds are oasises.

It's getting better, though it still has a very long way to go.

I couldn't disagree with you more. Other OEM's software is sluggish, or they have duplicate features, or completely unnecessary ones. And this directly translates to delayed updates, they have to make sure all their annoying crap still works. Nevermind the added carrier bloat as well. The only thing I need to do right away with a Nexus/Pixel phone is download a file browser.

 

[Crono]

I couldn't disagree with you more. Other OEM's software is sluggish, or they have duplicate features, or completely unnecessary ones. And this directly translates to delayed updates, they have to make sure all their annoying crap still works. Nevermind the added carrier bloat as well. The only thing I need to do right away with a Nexus/Pixel phone is download a file browser.

I'm going to agree with you but put exceptions for HTC and Motorola because they've mostly added features in the past few years without slowing down Android, and their support for things like unlockable bootloader sets them apart from Samsung. Plus I don't think Google is likely to add microSD or niche features like IR blasters to their products, which some of us use and like, but the inclusion of such don't further Google's interests.

And stock Android isn't perfect. It took more than one update to fix the 5X encryption performance issue for me (and then my 5X's screen died).

 

[Raduque]

I couldn't disagree with you more. Other OEM's software is sluggish, or they have duplicate features, or completely unnecessary ones. And this directly translates to delayed updates, they have to make sure all their annoying crap still works. Nevermind the added carrier bloat as well. The only thing I need to do right away with a Nexus/Pixel phone is download a file browser.

Maybe it works just fine for you, but it's the little things that make it for me. Toggles are better on NatureUX. Swiping to msg/call and "put phone to ear to call" from the messaging screen are two features I don't like being without, and only Samsung does it. Smart Switch is a thousand times better than whatever Google does. I had a Droid Turbo 2 and now have an S7Edge and the Edge is vastly more fluid, snappier and responsive than the DT2 was. I also flashed the U firmware, since the S7/Edge are universal phones and there is no carrier bloat.

As for updates - ehhhh. I used to care back when Android was in it's early builds, because it was exciting and interesting. Then Samsung came along and made Touchwiz on the Galaxy S with Android 2.3 and it literally blew everything away. Google Android dropped behind in features and style, and IMO stayed there. I'd much rather just have the security updates. Android 7 has nothing over 6 that I can't live without.