Good Cell Phone (prefferably Android) For Use while Backpacking

[johnspenn]

I'd like a phone with the following characteristics:
Good quality camera and video
accurate GPS capabilities
decent processor and storage
Not much more than $200 (no contract)

[hyperslug]

My last three phones came from the used market place Swappa which specialize in phones and tablets. Samsung will sell at premium but I just bought a LG G4 in excellent condition for $170 and there many other options. Sellers are rated and Swappa checks to make sure the ESN is good and Paypal protects you. BTW, the LG G4 is the smallest phone I found with a 5.5" screen plus you can change out batteries which is always lighter than carrying a power pack. Only one generation old and has SD slot to add memory.

[Slo-go'en]

I took a hybrid approach and carry two phones. One is a cheap TracFone for cell internet/texting and the other is an off brand "ZTE" but has 5.5" HD display, 17 Meg camera, MicroSD slot. It's locked to a carrier who only services major metropolitan areas, so it's useless as a phone. But it was only $75 new and I treat it as a small tablet. Worked great with the Guthook app. Quick GPS lock from cold start. It also has pretty good sound and decent battery life.

[Alex Blain-Laider]

I've got a Moto E; decent for the $25 range.

Just sayin'.

[nsherry61]

I like my Samsung 5S quite well.

I don't want to upgrade because I like that it is waterproof, has an easily swapable battery and is readable in bright sunlight.

That's pretty much my list of priorities all well executed in my current phone.

[colorado_rob]

I'm getting ready to buy a refurbed Samsung S5 for the reasons Nsherry states, most notably the replaceable batteries. After hiking quite a bit with an Anker external battery, I much prefer swapping out phone batteries instead. I found an unlocked, native Verizon Galaxy S5 for $165, and extra batteries are $10 each.

[fiddlehead]

I've been looking at the Honor 6X.
Seems like a great deal.
$249 Fast processor, Nougat (or coming soon)
Pretty good camera, quite good battery (probably the most important thing out there for me)
If not that, I'm also looking at the OnePlus 3 although that's $449.

[gollwoods]

I'd like a phone with the following characteristics:
Good quality camera and video
accurate GPS capabilities
decent processor and storage
Not much more than $200 (no contract)
Get an s6 galaxy. On swappa..
Ive bought three from private sellers. All returnable and safe.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[colorado_rob]

Get an s6 galaxy. On swappa..
Ive bought three from private sellers. All returnable and safe.

Sent from my SM-G920V using TapatalkDoes the S6 have removable batteries?

[dervari]

Does the S6 have removable batteries?
No. Neither does S7.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-T337A using Tapatalk

[nsherry61]

At least he S7 is supposed to be waterproof again, which is NOT one of the features of the S6.

They did make an S6 Active which was waterproof, but still didn't have an interchangeable battery.

I really like being able to buy extra inexpensive replacement batteries on ebay or amazon and then have an instantly fully charged phone when I swap them out.

[hyperslug]

Once you get past the S5 you won't get a replaceable battery and you'll go past your $200 limit. Really you can get a newer and more updated phone from other makers. Samsung makes a great phone but you pay a premium on them in the used market and I don't find them worth the extra $. While waterproof is really nice, most peoples phone on the trail won't be and most manage to make it just fine using accessories like a baggy.

[elray]

I carried a Galaxy S5 for web work in town and she carried a cheap Motorola flip phone for general phone calls, you'd be surprised at the places the flip phone would connect when the smart phone wouldn't. A real God send when trying to arrange a shuttle or pick up on a cold rainy day. We generally only turn the devices on at night to check for messages and weather reports so battery life isn't a problem.

[llittle_llama]

iPhone 7+ here. I'll never not have an iPhone. Don't say "You're part of the cult." because I'm not. I was a huge hater of Apple products until my wife turned me onto them. Now my phone and computer works all the time, I never have to worry about support as long as I'm not trying to jailbreak it and I know I'll get years of service out of them if need be :D They have a "cult" for a reason ;)

[jefals]

note on the galaxy s5: There I was on top of the mountain, relying on Guthook when the phone just went dead. I had several replacement batteries, but none of them brought the phone back to life.
I've since learned that, should that happen to you, remove the battery and just leave the phone alone for a few minutes. Then stick a good battery back in and try again.

[LongBlaze2019]

Spend a few dollars and get a quality case that will protect your device from water and dust as well as drops.
Like some mentioned already, Swappa is a great place to buy used phones and you can usually find good deals on Amazon as well.

Sent from my N9519 using Tapatalk

[MuddyWaters]

iPhone 7+ here. I'll never not have an iPhone. Don't say "You're part of the cult." because I'm not. I was a huge hater of Apple products until my wife turned me onto them. Now my phone and computer works all the time, I never have to worry about support as long as I'm not trying to jailbreak it and I know I'll get years of service out of them if need be :D They have a "cult" for a reason ;)

My wife and kids all have Iphones.
My son and daughter both have macbooks. My daughters is 4 yrs old, and still faster than any of her college friends non-mac computers according to her.

Currently wirelessly casting the streaming video from my daughters college softball game onto the TV in the living room via my android tablet
because an Iphone cant do it.:)