Replacment for Note 2

[GotNoRice]

I've had my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 since 2012. The phone has been really good to me and my only real complaint at this point is that it will never see Android 5 (currently on 4.4.2). I use it with a 9300mah Zerolemon battery that can last me a week under most circumstances, and allows me to go on extended drives with the screen on doing GPS the whole time, etc.

I had not really planned to upgrade yet but was told that I can do it for free. I liked my Note 2 so much that the first phone I looked at was the Note 5... Apparently it does not have an SD card slot or a removable battery

So now I'm just looking for recommendations. I'm looking for a phone with a 5.5-6" or larger screen. It must have an SD card slot and a removable battery. I really wish they had not gutted the Note 5, as the Note 4 seems like it had everything I wanted, but would hate to get an "old" phone at this point.

 

[mi7chy]

Which carrier model? If it's global GSM LTE, Verizon or Sprint maybe give the new 11/17/2015 CM12.1 stable snapshot a try. Hopefully, it's better than the previous snapshots so I don't have to keep reverting to stock ROM.

http://download.cyanogenmod.org/?type=snapshot

 

[GotNoRice]

I'm on Verizon, but even if I could make my Note 2 last longer (already happy with it really), I'm not going to turn down the chance at a newer phone for free.

 

[T4rd]

Only phones that have removable batteries now are LGs on the G4 and V10. They both meet all of your requirements for size and specs and have gotten decent reviews, so should be a nice replacement for your Note 2.

Keep in mind that you can still get Zero Lemon battery cases for phones with sealed batteries. And I see no reason why you would be driving/navigating anywhere without using a car charger still. This is now I navigate with my phones so they stay at 100% on long trips while using Waze and streaming music via BT to my car.

I was a bit hesitant to drop the removable battery from my Note 2 to my One M8 last year, but it has never once been an issue. The few times I was away from power for extended periods I had a portable battery pack to charge back up with. I just replaced the internal battery on my M8 too after it was wearing out too, wasn't that hard at all despite iFixit giving it a 2/10 rating in reparability. I was done in 30 mins and it's as good as new. Quick charging helps a lot too on newer phones, they mostly all charge from 0-100% in about an hour, with the last 10% taking 15-20 mins, so it's at about 80% in 30-40 mins.

 

[mi7chy]

How much storage do you use? If you're happy with the Note it makes sense to upgrade to Note 5 64GB and consider using Samsung snap-on wireless battery pack (like the Zerolemon) when it's available and supplement storage with OTG USB or WIFI storage.

OTG USB
http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-connector-Android-Devices--SDDD2-064G-G46/dp/B00RBGYGPG

WIFI
http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Wireless-Smartphones-Computers-SDWS4-032G-G46/dp/B00ZCFYT5K

Wireless battery pack
http://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/galaxy-note5/accessories/

 

[lodingi]

I'm on Verizon, but even if I could make my Note 2 last longer (already happy with it really), I'm not going to turn down the chance at a newer phone for free.

Are you still using contract upgrades? If so, Best Buy has the Galaxy S6 on sale for $1.00, and the Note 5 for $49.99. I have the S6 Edge+ and love it. I too hesitated with getting a phone with out SD storage. I have the 32 gig version and so far, storage hasn't been an issue. If it does become an issue, I will use this product.

 

[buschman31]

i just bought a verizon note 2 from a fellow trader here and can anyone point me in the right direction as to using it with a gsm carrier? from what i understand that its unlocked but when putting my metropcs sim card in nothing. I've been reading up on something that the vpn settings have to be changed. Thanks and gl on getting that new/upgrade phone

 

[mi7chy]

i just bought a verizon note 2 from a fellow trader here and can anyone point me in the right direction as to using it with a gsm carrier? from what i understand that its unlocked but when putting my metropcs sim card in nothing. I've been reading up on something that the vpn settings have to be changed. Thanks and gl on getting that new/upgrade phone

Haven't tried MetroPCS but if it's using T-Mobile infrastructure go into Settings>More settings>Mobile networks>Network mode and select GSM/UMTS to get voice working. For data and MMS do a Google search for MetroPCS APN and create the appropriate entries.

 

[Kueller]

Get the Note 4, just make sure to get one of the versions without a locked bootloader (e.g. T-Mo) so you don't have to rely on the carrier for updates. Removable battery means Zerolemon extended batteries are available, and I just saw a microSD deal the other day, 128GB for $36...I get hives when I think about how much we're ripped off for built-in flash storage upgrades.

 

[Deleted member 245375]

As noted (no pun intended) the Note 4 is still a very nice device even in spite of it now being two generations back, the last of its breed apparently meaning with a proper removable battery and microSD expansion.

At this moment if you truly want something new to the market and current then the LG V10 is basically the only device that matters in terms of matching your main requirements of removable battery and microSD expansion - there's even a bonus deal right now to get a 64GB microSD card + spare battery + discrete charger case for that spare battery free with the purchase of a V10 through December 20th.

No it's not a Note-style device (LG makes the Stylo, however, which is quite damned nice and the stylus for it is awesome too, it's just nowhere near a flagship at this point) but it's quite capable in most every respect that matters, just no stylus - not like you can't get something to serve as a stylus, however.