We're tired of AT&T's (lack of) coverage (among other things.) Switching to Verizon, and actually saving some "plan" money in the process.

My old AT&T Galaxy S3 is not compatible with Verizon's service, so that means I get to choose a new one even though the S3 does everything I need. (I do answer to "luddite".)

I'll mention that I'm willing to pay the additional price that the Samsung costs. Not interested in an LG or Motorola, etc.
The question is, "which one?"

The S8 is not of interest. I don't need to have "bleeding edge" anything. I don't care much for the curved glass, anyway.
The S7 is nice, but the battery is not removable. (I recently had to replace the battery in the S3, so that *is* kind of a thing.) It's also fairly spendy, although that's not a deal-breaker if it's worth it.

That leaves the J3 and the J7V. Both are way cheaper. Both have removable batteries. (Never heard of the J series, before about a week ago.)
About the only difference I have found is that the main camera is 8 MP instead of the 12 MP that my S3 and the S7 have (IIRC).
Obviously, it's going to be difficult to play with these for any kind of an extended period, to determine speed, features, etc.

There are several "feature comparisons" online, but does anyone have any real world experience with either of these three phones? Recommend or dis-recommend?
Whatever I buy, I'm going to be "married to" for the next two years.

Thanks!

The S3 was once a flagship. There is a reason it lasted. J7 V is entry level. The J7 Prime is far superior. If you aren't buying a flagship there is no reason to go Samsung. I am not going to steer you away, but know that you are only paying for the UI experience.

If it were me I'd take whatever phone you can get for free and resell it. Get an S6. No phone with any IP rating is going to have a removable battery. The S6 is a solid performer and can be bought reasonably cheap. Only issue I take with the S6 is no MicroSD slot. It still uses the MicroUSB charging port though, which is probably something you'd prefer. It has NFC and MST. Also supports Qi. The S7 is a fine choice if you are getting a big discount, but even so they were being sold used locally for $200 during the sales. The S6 Active can be bought online for $140ish you can probably get $50+ for the free phones and the S6 stomps them in every regard. The S7 is even better, but not enough of an upgrade I'd pay a premium for, if that is the option go right to the S8, which my wife LOVES and she came from the dark ages essentially with that upgrade.

I have a S3 myself, and it does most everything I need it for. I like the removable battery and even bought 2 oversized ones that double capacity each for $20. With the 2 bigger ones and original, I can go almost a week without charging. I do have a crack in the screen, but almost invisible. Ive been looking for a different plan myself and leaning towards an S6 because of price. If I do change I have to get a new one because my S3 wont work with anything else.

quote Originally posted by rogergarrison: I have a S3 myself, and it does most everything I need it for. I like the removable battery and even bought 2 oversized ones that double capacity each for $20. With the 2 bigger ones and original, I can go almost a week without charging. I do have a crack in the screen, but almost invisible. Ive been looking for a different plan myself and leaning towards an S6 because of price. If I do change I have to get a new one because my S3 wont work with anything else.

S6 is solid. I don't know where you would find it new as it cane out in 2015. They make tons of battery csses for them. The S6 Active had a larger battery and is more durable. S7 and up automatically customize to each carrier neaning exact hardware on all US models. S7 also brings back SD card.

They are all over EBay for less than $200.

quote Originally posted by rogergarrison: They are all over EBay for less than $200.

That's why I said new. Go to Swappa.com if you don't want to risk it with the eBay or CL rifraff.

https://swappa.com/buy/devices/att?search=s6 I've used them since about 2010.

I have a J7 V. I love it. Does everything I need. Yes it's entry level but really what the hell does that mean? Takes good pics. Surf the internet all day if I want with AWESOME battery life. Best phone I ever had. I got mine from Verizon with a tablet included. I didn't think I needed a tablet but I'm typing away on it now. And it works great to face time with my 3 kiddos currently over seas in the service.

quote Originally posted by Jason88Notchie: I have a J7 V. I love it. Does everything I need. Yes it's entry level but really what the hell does that mean? Takes good pics. Surf the internet all day if I want with AWESOME battery life. Best phone I ever had. I got mine from Verizon with a tablet included. I didn't think I needed a tablet but I'm typing away on it now. And it works great to face time with my 3 kiddos currently over seas in the service.

Thanks for the service.

I am sure you are having great results with the J7 V. It is a basic level phone. It barely outpaces the S3 from over 5 years ago. Post here in 5 years if you are still getting by with that phone, which clearly Radar and oddly enough Roger Garrison are. Get a flagship. I recommended Swappa to Roger and I do you as well. S6 Active if you are wanting rugged and battery. If they are offering a VERY large subsidy get the S7 new, but it really needs to be substantial as you can get them in the $200 range. All the J7 specs are generations behind. They are basic phones that his current one has been doing for the last 5 years. Camera is same. RAM is same. Proc and GPU are upgrades, but only due to new tech access just being cheaper. Resolution is the same, but due to size difference PPI is much lower. Gorilla glass it TONS stronger and S3. S3 also has more internal storage. They also cut NFC on the J7 V, that may or may not be important to him, but it kills tap to pay. Nothing inherently wrong with the phone, but it is a throw away and not on a 5 year track. Also don't even act like you are taking that to another carrier. It is CDMA.

quote Originally posted by ls3mach: That's why I said new. Go to Swappa.com if you don't want to risk it with the eBay or CL rifraff. https://swappa.com/buy/devices/att?search=s6 I've used them since about 2010.

Thanks for all of the info. Very much appreciated. I've been taking in all the comments.

Would you think that Swappa.com is more reliable than Amazon? Has Amazon gotten as seedy as eBay? (I've heard that they're working hard towards that goal.)
I do place a lot of credence in your opinions. You seem to be quite... enmeshed in technology, in general.

Thanks again.

[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 12-24-2017).]

I haven't personally used swappa as I prefer to buy technology new, but I've heard nothing but good things from them.

quote Originally posted by Raydar: Thanks for all of the info. Very much appreciated. I've been taking in all the comments. Would you think that Swappa.com is more reliable than Amazon? Has Amazon gotten as seedy as eBay? (I've heard that they're working hard towards that goal.) I do place a lot of credence in your opinions. You seem to be quite... enmeshed in technology, in general. Thanks again.

I've never had an issue with Amazon. Though admittedly I've only bought from vendors moving large quantities on there. eBay isn't awful, I just hate the auction wait and see game. I only use it for buy it now. You can get scammed pretty much anywhere. Paying with PayPal is your best bet, they are way more pro buyer than seller. I assume Amazon would back up their buyers too. YMMV.

quote Originally posted by ls3mach: I've never had an issue with Amazon. Though admittedly I've only bought from vendors moving large quantities on there. eBay isn't awful, I just hate the auction wait and see game. I only use it for buy it now. You can get scammed pretty much anywhere. Paying with PayPal is your best bet, they are way more pro buyer than seller. I assume Amazon would back up their buyers too. YMMV.

Okay. I tend to buy many of my auto parts (switches and stuff) from Amazon. They usually support their buyers. Didn't know if there were a lot of other "opposite" experiences out there.
And yeah... I try to stick with the "buy it now", although I've bought several sets of "vintage" (i.e. "old") speakers at auction, and been very satisfied.

Thanks again for your - and everyone's - comments. Think I'm good now.

EBay has 2,305,000 NEW S6s listed...not used. I just looked. Just search for New S6 and hundreds of pages pop up...used is even more.

[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 12-25-2017).]

quote Originally posted by rogergarrison: EBay has 2,305,000 NEW S6s listed...not used. I just looked. Just search for New S6 and hundreds of pages pop up...used is even more.

I don't understands
your need to follow me around and think you're right. Go buy one from there. He surely knows what eBay is, it's not some beacon of light you bestowed upon us. I can't justify or recommend paying a premium for what is pushing 3 years old, not in the tech field at least.

quote Originally posted by rbell2915: I haven't personally used swappa as I prefer to buy technology new, but I've heard nothing but good things from them.

Phones are one thing I greatly appreciate buying local. Just switched from my samsung j7 to a zte blade z, this morning the blade z was 100% dead, so I went to town and got a new zte ordered under warranty and they activated the old faithful j7.

I think you will be ahead of the game not going with the bleeding edge phones. If you are not a tech person when it comes to these things it will do everything you want for at least 3-4 years. That's plenty. ROI is accomplished. J7V with screen size, resolution, features seems plenty to the average user.

If you say yes, I'd still probably have to think about this one... but what about an AT&T S3 for a Verizon S3 swap?

If you can wait a couple months, the S9 goes on sale in March. When that happens, the price of all previous models goes down.

quote Originally posted by Doug85GT: If you can wait a couple months, the S9 goes on sale in March. When that happens, the price of all previous models goes down.

Isn't this always the case? I am about half a generation behind right now. I used to always get the newest Note. Now I get the S, then the Note and swap up. Hopefully picking up a Note this weekend. Unlocked is the only way I will buy them anymore for my use. Free tethering!

I ordered a new S7 off of Amazon. It's $385, but it's new. (Fulfilled and backed up by Amazon, as opposed to just a reseller.)
Verizon wanted $200 more for the identical phone. No contract included or even available, with theirs. So I am comparing apples to apples. I'm satisfied.
If it's anything like the S3, it will last me until I retire in four years. By then, they'll probably have invented some new transport technology that doesn't exist yet, so I'll upgrade to the next-to-the-bleeding edge device, again.

FWIW, I do computers the same way. I never buy "bleeding edge", but the previous iteration, instead. I don't need all that computing power.
The last computer I built is a Core2 6600 Quad, and it's still going strong. Does everything I need it to. (Although I've been through a couple of video cards.)
Conversely, I bought a computer from a friend, who buys up "trade ins" and refurbs them. That one's going to my "adopted parents". It's an i5. More powerful than mine.
The guy I bought it from still uses a computer like mine (Core2 Quad) as his "daily", even though he sees lots of more powerful hardware come through his shop. So I don't feel too left out.

Back on topic... pHool suggested an S3-for-S3 swap. That could work, or I probably could have bought one outright for (guessing) about $40, but I just didn't want to buy a phone that old.
I'm not that much of a Luddite - or that much of a miser. (I don't mind paying for newer tech. I just don't want to get bent over. And I despise cell phone carriers. All of them.)
Aside from that, I know someone whose smartphone is dying. My S3 will work just fine on her carrier, so it's going buh-bye. Should last her another 4 years.

Once again, I appreciate everyone's input.

[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 12-27-2017).]

quote Originally posted by Raydar: I ordered a new S7 off of Amazon. It's $385, but it's new. (Fulfilled and backed up by Amazon, as opposed to just a reseller.) Verizon wanted $200 more for the identical phone. No contract included or even available, with theirs. So I am comparing apples to apples. I'm satisfied. If it's anything like the S3, it will last me until I retire in four years. By then, they'll probably have invented some new transport technology that doesn't exist yet, so I'll upgrade to the next-to-the-bleeding edge device, again. FWIW, I do computers the same way. I never buy "bleeding edge", but the previous iteration, instead. I don't need all that computing power. The last computer I built is a Core2 6600 Quad, and it's still going strong. Does everything I need it to. (Although I've been through a couple of video cards.) Conversely, I bought a computer from a friend, who buys up "trade ins" and refurbs them. That one's going to my "adopted parents". It's an i5. More powerful than mine. The guy I bought it from still uses a computer like mine (Core2 Quad) as his "daily", even though he sees lots of more powerful hardware come through his shop. So I don't feel too left out. Back on topic... pHool suggested an S3-for-S3 swap. That could work, or I probably could have bought one outright for (guessing) about $40, but I just didn't want to buy a phone that old. I'm not that much of a Luddite - or that much of a miser. (I don't mind paying for newer tech. I just don't want to get bent over. And I despise cell phone carriers. All of them.) Aside from that, I know someone whose smartphone is dying. My S3 will work just fine on her carrier, so it's going buh-bye. Should last her another 4 years. Once again, I appreciate everyone's input.

That is a whole lot of scratch for that phone. I bought Jenny an S8 with box and spent a couple bucks unlocking it for about less than that. You surely with dig that phone. Not sure if you got an unlocked variant. Verizon post paid typically are from the factory, a lot of people prefer unlocked firmware because it opens up free tethering and gets rid of carrier bloat. The S7 has all US versions with the exact same hardware and will "lock" to whatever carrier SIM you put in. Should get all the Verizon apps and such automatically. My wife's S8 was on MetroPCS
(T-Mobile) and her SIM reset it to Cricket (AT&T). This only works if that carrier has official support of the device. Cricket does not on the S8+ so whatever software would just stay, I have the factory unlocked version, so this doesn't affect me and I can tether for free.

Sign up for Samsung Pay. I can refer you if you'd like and we both get bonus points. The S7 has NFC and MST so can be used at virtually any credit terminal even though they will tell you that they can't accept it and the gaywad at the Coach store gets pissy and tells you how you will cost their company money if they even try to do it that way and then you run the card and he still doesn't believe you then his manager just brushes you off because she is a know it all too and your just a guy wearing shorts and flops in 35F weather out of place at a Coach store 2 days before Christmas and by the end of the transaction you don't even want to buy from them, but you have to prove them wrong just on principle so you do and then your wife really doesn't even like the damn thing.
Seriously though. I get $50 without promotions every 5 months with Samsung pay rewards.
QI charger. I LOVE these things. Make sure you get one that is fast. Note you must have a charger with a lightning bolt for the fast to work. I have had non-Samsung ones, this is one of the few instances where I 100% recommend buying legit. Here is a link to a site I use. I don't give it out much as I often buy things when they hit a sale to test then resale them locally for the same money or often times more. This is the best price I have seen on these. I really like the stand option as the S7 will have an AOD and you can use it to see the time easily in the middle of the night.
https://www.a4c.com/product...ging-stand-used.html
FYI they are out of the stand, it is $5 cheaper when they get in stock. This one is either a stand or a pad. Your choice.

OtterBox is the defacto case, since you like Amazon, and can be had for under $20. I ran across another that I was thoroughly impressed with albeit on an older iPhone. Life Proof. It makes them water and dust proof too, which the S7 already is as it is IP67 rated. Not a fan of battery cases, MonkeyMan was asking about them in another thread. These phones are already large and I just haven't found one I can get 100% behind.

I don't bother with screen protectors. The higher end Otter Box Defender typically has this built in.

I really like S-Health too if you want to use your phone as a pedometer. I typically have to charge my phone at some point in the day, so mine can vary greatly if I forget to grab it from my desk when I get up and about.

Wow... lots of info.
I have already ordered a Life Proof case for mine, even though it wasn't necessary. (One of the first things I did with my S3 was drop in into the sink. Fortunately I grabbed it before it got ruined..)
I used Otterbox Defender cases for the S3, but the rubber outer section always seemed to stretch out of shape. "Repaired" them several times by boiling, but ended up getting a warranty replacement, and then just buying a $12 knock-off, when the replacement did the same thing. Strangely enough, the Otterbox knock-off that I bought has held up better than the genuine article.

I'll check out all the other goodies.

quote Originally posted by ls3mach: I don't understands your need to follow me around and think you're right. Go buy one from there. He surely knows what eBay is, it's not some beacon of light you bestowed upon us. I can't justify or recommend paying a premium for what is pushing 3 years old, not in the tech field at least.

I just respond to your stuff while YOU FOLLOW ME around. My first post was about what Id like and where to buy it to the OP...nothing said at all to you. Then like this one, im just responding to your posts that I dont know what im talking about. Im just pointing out your the one who dont know. Happens in every post...sooner or later you show up to tell me im wrong, whether I may be or not.

*** NEWEST definitely does NOT always mean better. S7s exploded or burned up in your pocket. My car preference is still 60s cars with few exceptions. I can fix ANYTHING on an old one at the side of the road with some pliers, screwdrivers and hammer. New ones have any problems and its a tow to the dealer who has a $200,000 comp to figure out whats wrong. I still liked my original flip Motorola, and Casio Boulder better than any other phone...smart or otherwise. My first lawnmower worked flawlessly for over 25 years...lucky now if one lasts 3 seasons (at 5 times the cost btw). I could make a list that would take up 10 pages of the thread.

[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 12-29-2017).]