Best Samsung phone to run GPS app on

[Ghost]

Like the title said, looking to upgrade my phone, would like to start using it as my main GPS, without putting hours upon hours of research, wondering if anyone had any feedback on this.

 

[COlineman78]

Galaxy S7 or newer would be fine; the 9 is about to come out. Beware that the Samsung 'Active' series phones have weaker processors so I would stay away from them.

All that being said, I have the new Google Pixel 2 and it is the best phone I've ever had. None of the crapware that Samsung and your carrier put on. Google also does updates much longer and more often than Samsung, so your phone won't go obsolete as fast. There are no sales on it right now, but I got mine through Verizon/Best Buy for $300 off at xmas. Verizon is the only carrier that sells it directly, for any other carrier you must buy straight from Google. If you aren't a big data user you might research switching to Google Fi as your carrier to save some money (requires a Google phone).

 

[DavePwns]

I've had 0 problems with my 1 plus 3t, there is a new one plus 5t out that is just as fast as most flag ship phones at about half the price. Just Google one plus 5t reviews on YouTube

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

 

[dotman]

Get an IPhone and Gaia app

 

[COlineman78]

Get an IPhone and Gaia app 

It's times like this I wish there was a dislike this post button.

 

[dotman]

It's times like this I wish there was a dislike this post button.

Hahaha

 

[7mmremmag]

Running Onx flawlessly on my S7 Edge. Make sure you get a phone with expandable memory for downloading maps.

 

[Owenst7]

Galaxy S7 or newer would be fine; the 9 is about to come out. Beware that the Samsung 'Active' series phones have weaker processors so I would stay away from them.

All that being said, I have the new Google Pixel 2 and it is the best phone I've ever had. None of the crapware that Samsung and your carrier put on. Google also does updates much longer and more often than Samsung, so your phone won't go obsolete as fast. There are no sales on it right now, but I got mine through Verizon/Best Buy for $300 off at xmas. Verizon is the only carrier that sells it directly, for any other carrier you must buy straight from Google. If you aren't a big data user you might research switching to Google Fi as your carrier to save some money (requires a Google phone).

Link to this? My research on my s8 Active was that it is identical other than the flat screen and a larger battery, plus it's waterproof. Had an s4 Active before this that lasted me like 4 years and took a few swims out camping. I haven't found anything that compares in durability for my use.

 

[Bearded Bowhunter]

Don't be afraid to explore the new moto phones as well. Huge screen, good processor, and crazy battery life (necessary when using onxmaps at times). They also have expandable memory capability.

 

[Downeaster]

Tagging in on this, my old galaxy is currently circling the drain. Removeable batteries are also a big deal to me as swapping out a small phone battery is way more practical than wiring into a portable power source while moving in the back country. Looks like thats a hard feature to come by these days.

 

[COlineman78]

Tagging in on this, my old galaxy is currently circling the drain. Removeable batteries are also a big deal to me as swapping out a small phone battery is way more practical than wiring into a portable power source while moving in the back country. Looks like thats a hard feature to come by these days.

That's because a hell of a lot more people want waterproof than want replaceable batteries. You can only have one or the other without having a lot of bulk, so I'm in the waterproof camp.

 

[COlineman78]

Don't be afraid to explore the new moto phones as well. Huge screen, good processor, and crazy battery life (necessary when using onxmaps at times). They also have expandable memory capability.

I strongly considered the Moto X4 Android One Edition, but based on some reviews the camera sucked. If that doesn't bother you then it's a really good option.

 

[COlineman78]

Link to this? My research on my s8 Active was that it is identical other than the flat screen and a larger battery, plus it's waterproof. Had an s4 Active before this that lasted me like 4 years and took a few swims out camping. I haven't found anything that compares in durability for my use.

It looks like you are right on the S8 Active for the US version. This has not been true of the series in the past and is why I've never considered them, so I assumed it still was. In comparing the specs it appears that the battery, GPS and bluetooth chip are the only differences as well as some software differences (one uses s-voice and the other Bixby). I almost went with Sammy this go around, but my experiences with them in the past and their very poor software practices in abandoning phones after about a year was the deterrent for me.

Compare Samsung Galaxy S8 Active vs. Samsung Galaxy S8 - GSMArena.com

 

[aron]

Running Onx flawlessly on my S7 Edge. Make sure you get a phone with expandable memory for downloading maps.

Unfortunately you can't downoad OnX maps to the expandable memory. I ran into the internal memory issue this past fall.

 

[COlineman78]

Unfortunately you can't downoad OnX maps to the expandable memory. I ran into the internal memory issue this past fall.

Yeah, I have made this complaint several times as a major flaw in the new software. They claim to be fixing it, so hopefully by next fall. The problem is that specific versions of Android make it virtually impossible to access the SD card as a 3rd party app, so the code to make this happen will get complex and the availability of the feature may be dependent on your phone.

 

[aron]

Yeah, I have made this complaint several times as a major flaw in the new software. They claim to be fixing it, so hopefully by next fall. The problem is that specific versions of Android make it virtually impossible to access the SD card as a 3rd party app, so the code to make this happen will get complex and the availability of the feature may be dependent on your phone.

I think a lot of the current issue also involves copy write concerns where I could download maps onto SD cards and then sell the cards. OnX said they were looking into last fall when I spoke with them regarding the issue. Hopefully they resolve this as it would be great to store the large data files on external memory.

 

[7mmremmag]

Tagging in on this, my old galaxy is currently circling the drain. Removeable batteries are also a big deal to me as swapping out a small phone battery is way more practical than wiring into a portable power source while moving in the back country. Looks like thats a hard feature to come by these days.

There are portable sources that are lightweight and support Samsungs fast charge feature. I have been using them without issue while hunting. I keep both in a jacket pocket and a full charge happens in around 35 minutes.

 

[7mmremmag]

Unfortunately you can't downoad OnX maps to the expandable memory. I ran into the internal memory issue this past fall.

Correct, but moving photoss and videos clears up a lot of room. I don't run a ton of apps, but I do take a lot of photos.

 

[Owenst7]

There are portable sources that are lightweight and support Samsungs fast charge feature. I have been using them without issue while hunting. I keep both in a jacket pocket and a full charge happens in around 35 minutes.

This has been my method. Zendure's packs are super durable and around 1,400 mAh/ounce carried and are 80% efficient in my testing. I can do a full charge of my s8 active (5,000mAh) for about 4.5 ounces (I have several different sizes).

For me it's actually more efficient, because I can use it to recharge my camera batteries. I leave them both plugged in overnight every couple days with ~3" USB cables that weigh nothing.

I really like swapping batteries, but I'm willing to accept that this makes the phone more reliably waterproof.

If anyone you hunt with uses a solar panel (I don't have one personally), you pretty much need the battery pack for the panel to be of any use from what I understand.

 

[Downeaster]

Anyone running a LG G5? Removeable battery and storage...