I’ve had the Galaxy S4 since April 2013, and it was a pretty good phone. It was my first Android phone after moving away from the iPhone 4. I’ve never been one for protective cases and covers for phones, because they hide the beauty of the phone, and make them very bulky. I tried to be careful for the past year or so, but naturally couldn’t help from dropping it at inopportune times. After many, many months of living without a case or cover, I have done and gone broke my phone. Two major cracks in the screen, chipped edges all around, and something is physically wrong with the SIM card tray. Why is that particularly a problem? The SIM card gets loose a few times a day, and requires the phone to be rebooted. Rebooting your phone a few times a day is very inconvenient. Finally got really fed up, and I figured I’m not going to make it like this until April 2015.
So I gave in, drove to my local AT&T store, signed up for one of their AT&T Next plans, and bought myself a new Samsung Galaxy S5. I temporarily used my wife’s Otterbox case, until my Spigen clear plastic case arrive, and I put on a protective screen cover. I’ve only dropped the phone once so far, but at least it’s protected.
The phone itself is pretty nice — here are the key specs that I like:
- 5.1″ screen that is slightly larger than the S4, 1920 x 1080 pixels
- 802.11a/ac/b/g/n
- a quad-core processor running at 2.5 GHz
- 16 GB
- 16 megapixel camera
- Full HD Super AMOLED
I also mentioned that I purchased a clear case from Spigen, and applied the protective screen cover as well. While the Otterbox wasn’t bad, I’d still like a svelte case. A friend of mine had a similar case for his iPhone, and I figured this would fit the bill. Slim to fit easily in my pants pocket, and clear so you can see the phone itself.
Lastly, yes, I went with an AT&T next plan. Yes, I am now paying for a new phone without a subsidy. I don’t think these types of leasing plans offered by any of the U.S. telecom carriers are good deals. If you trade it in in 12 or 18 months, you’re just leasing a phone at a high price. I opted for the 24 month plan, and I plan to keep the phone at the end. If it’s in good shape at that time, I intend to sell it separately on my own, in order to recoup some of the cost.