General

I can't justify buying any new phone. The S21 is still going strong and there don't appear to be any promotions on trade-ins that would make this worth it. $300 after trade-in is about the most I'm willing to do on new phones these days.

I'm just trying to raise some money, and then I plan to take advantage of the trade in.

My S21 is working okay, but the camera upgrade in the S23 Ultra would really benefit my YouTube channel.

I usually keep my phones a long time I went from a s10 to s21. I've had it for about 2 years now its still good but the battery dies fast now I used to only charge it at night, but now I usually have to charge it twice in a day.

Battery life is typically more software than hardware. All the apps over time drawing background data. Deep sleep apps, uninstall, and do a factory reset once a year. Batteries still do die over time though. Such bull they removed the ability to swap batteries. I miss those days...

I''m happy with my newSamsung Galaxy A53. I've only ever had budget phones, so this was a nice upgrade for me. I don't need my phone to do much, so it's able to handle the few apps I use. I'm glad this phone has the option to do the battery-protection feature (limit charging to 85%) - I don't plan to do the fast charging, because I've read it can damage the battery over time. I hope I can get several years out of my A53 phone.

I feel like I will be needing a new phone at some point... Some days my current phone feels like the battery drains more than usual even when I'm not using it... I've had it for quite awhile and it's at least a few years old as well.

I might look into a Galaxy this time... Not sure yet. I don't like to spend much on a new phone because I don't really need to spend that kind of money when they're obviously going to come out with a new phone the next year or within 6 months after I get a new phone.

devans77 wrote:

Same boat. I did a trade in special to get my S21. Thinking about doing the same to get myself an S23 Ultra.

I keep staring at the check-out but I can't bring myself to do it ... it's somewhat of a downgrade from the N20U, minus the camera which is quite the big upgrade.

The zFold seems cool, but I have no idea what that's going to be like on a daily basis. Anyone have a zFold and love it?

I swear I thought I saw someone I know have one of those zFold phones, but it's possible it was just a phone that was brought up in conversation and really only saw it like from an advertisement... Those look neat... could also help w/ the drop issues like folded prevents the screen from getting damaged. Who knows.

I went from Moto G6 to Samsung Galaxy S21 5G and while it is a dramatic improvement, I keep going back and forth with the Google Fi offer on the S23...

With a Samsung trade in promotion this past Black Friday I traded my N20U + ~$700 for a new zFold4. While I personally have enjoyed the phone, I can not recommend it if you haven't already convinced yourself that this is a phone for you.

Pros
- Extra screen size for things other than browsing is really really good.
- Having a larger screen for using your stylus is especially helpful.
- Normal phone usage gets me 2 days between charges.
- Based on research, the crease is there, but not as noticeable compared to older models.
- Friendly usage of both front and rear facing cameras

Cons
- A day of heavy phone usage will drain the battery ~24 hours.
- So far I have only tried one screen protector. It is splitting at the crease. It does exacerbate the crease on white/lighter colors.
- No stylus included with the phone. Stylus only works when the phone is opened too.
- Durable phone cases are limited, especially if you want to include a stylus. The good ones are expensive too. This meant that I had to spend $100 for supplies on top of the phone cost.
- Camera is not as good as the Galaxy.
- My biggest complaint. If you want to do any extended amount of typing, the screen on the front is smaller than most phones. It makes it very easy to miss letters and/or "go home" instead of hitting the space bar.

I am not disappointed to have this phone. My wife and I have found a few mobile games we really enjoy playing against each other. This phone makes the games much more enjoyable. I would not ask for a do-over with this phone, but I will stop and think whether my next phone needs to be a foldable phone.

Thanks @pr0phet

Truth be told, those cons are to be expected and not that bad. My big deterant really is the usability/size/bulk ... as in, how annoying is it to have this double thick phone when not using it unfolded? I can't see being effecient in a traditional sense of one handed usage ... although with the larger phones, one handed isn't always achievable anyway.

The zFold 5 is supposed to put the stylus inside the phone, like the Note/S, which is pretty awesome. Didn't realize the predacessors don't come with the stylus? That's some BS.

I'm hopeful the zF5's camera will compete with the S23U, as that's the biggest draw of the latest release of the S series.

I switched from my Note 20 Ultra to a Pixel 7. I think I am done with Samsung. I like the hardware, hate the bloat and I hate the fact that I can't swipe right on my home screen to bring up my google news feed and I have to use the Samsung one. I had to (first world issues for sure) click my google news feed app... just way more convenient to swipe. I also prefer the camera and the pixel exclusive features. I wanted to go Pixel 7 Pro, but I am digging having a smaller form factor. I know the Fold 4 right now is having some issues with extended use and the screen cracking down the middle maybe that will change with the Fold 5. If I am going foldable I think I will wait for the 2nd gen Pixel foldable when it's out.

Finn wrote:

That's all fixable with software. Never use stock launchers.

I used the google launcher but could never get my news feed to properly work. I just got fed up. I don't hate Samsung by any means! There fan edition phones are great value! But I also think I am done getting top tier phones. I can't stand mobile gaming so there is really not much use IMO for the hardware that I am not really using, it's kinda like buying a gaming computer to use MS word. My Pixel 7 is super responsive and I am pretty happy I have finally made the switch as I had been talking about doing so for about 6 years lol

On my S21, swiping over to the news feed brings up my Google Discover feed. The option for the Samsung feed is there, but I certainly prefer Google.

I never had the option on my Note 20.. or I would have in a heart beat. I liked the phone though..