S4 Replacement Suggestions? Better value than an S5?

I recently lost my Galaxy S4. The frustrating thing is that it could be somewhere around the house that I moved into recently as it turns out I've moved into a Telstra blackspot in Penshurst (Sydney) so I wasn't able to ring it to find it. Alternatively, it could have been stolen from the car if I accidentally put it down while moving boxes from the unlocked car into the house. Anyway, bottom line is that I'm looking for a replacement and don't want to pay to move back to up to the latest tech, and would like to reduce my loss on resale if my S4 turns up.

I'm thinking that the S5 might be a good compromise, more powerful than I had, but still significantly less than an S6 or the forthcoming S7. Key features are that I want are something with a camera that is at least as good as the S5, both in terms of pixels, but importantly picture quality, ability to handle low light etc. I'm not fussed about TouchWiz as I prefer Nova or Apex.

Does anyone have suggestions for a better value alternative? I would prefer to buy outright, but would consider a plan if the price is right (I use 2-3Gb/month, not a lot of calls).

Comments

  • +1

    If WiFi is on, and battery still has charge you may be able to determine whether it's in the house by creating a WiFi access point that it recognises.
    And then Googling Find my Android.
    And maybe find it using a Hangouts call to make it ring.

    • This is a good idea ^^^

  • +1

    LG G4 is the obvious alternative…
    Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 if you want a cheap option.

  • LG G3 is the obvious an cheaper alternative…

  • +2

    LG G4. Good camera, microSd, battery is removable (I think), and all round great performer.

    Can be bought for $450-$500 during sales.

  • I went from an S4 to a LG G4 last year. It's mostly been an upgrade. My biggest gripe is the locked bootloader (unless you can find an EUR model), so it's harder to root (impossible if you upgrade to Marshmallow) and the dev support isn't as good - fewer custom ROMs, etc.. Otherwise it's been excellent.

  • I'd get the RS5, it looks badass

  • can vouch for redmi note 2, bought off an ozbargain tipoff late last year, using it the past 2 months in sydney, java, singapore, malaysia - aside from average battery life (1 day, from 8am-11pm, usually), it's been superb. This is comparing to previous Sony xperia z2, which was great but had to be retired because of battery problems (kept overheating when partially charged, etc).
    the dual SIM made it easy to use telstra roaming overseas (texting mostly) while using cheap prepaid SIMs.
    haven't yet set up xiaomi account on it, using entirely google apps only.
    critical first step tho when you open the new box: phone needs firmware upgrade to latest xiaomi v.7+ (easily done via xiaomi website), as whatever operating system it comes with can be suspect.

  • If you like the Samsung environment then S5 or Note 3. Both are a great upgrade from S4 and the prices are not that high for a new item.

    Also you still get removable battery and microSD slot :)

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