I think that was an extreme circumstance. Think of the volume of phones Samsung puts out and you never hear of the generation-over-generation issues that you hear with some Apple devices or LG, which I experienced with several phones. This was an apparent design issue that wasn’t caught until it affected an extremely limited number of phones, and then the media ran away with it.

I ended up with the Ultra. I’ve never spent this much money on a phone before and although I’m not having buyer’s remorse by any means (I *love* this phone), even with the $550 trade in and the $130 or so I’m going to make on the buds on eBay, I’m still kinda cringing thinking how much I spent for it. But I figured I’ll have it for three years, so I might as well have a phone I love.

You never seem to have any issues with Samsung??? Remember the Note 7 debacle? Maybe you didn’t own the Note 7, but that was a painful event in my life. I still hurt when I think about it. I really need a hug right now. That was the best phone ever! I only wish i had more forethought to find a way to preserve my phone. To that end, as a precautionary measure, I returned my original Note 7 during the initial recall. My original and the subsequent replacement Note 7 never exhibited signs of battery issues or overheating. The few incidents that did occur were overplayed and over-hyped by the media. The issue then became politicized and the government had to find a way to save us from our exploding phones. This resulted in a second recall being issued from Samsung and the Note 7 was canceled. I refused to participate in the second recall which handicapped and then finally killed my phone with OTA updates. The updates reduced and then finally ended the phone’s ability to charge. I continue to own Samsung phones, (Galaxy Note 9, considering Note 20 Ultra), but I dare not forget history. Samsung has been solid aside from the Note 7, but I will not let my guard down.

Yes, no video on Tmo if you dont use their phone … BUT every Android phone got Duo and you can use that. I use FB messenger and Whatspp for Video too.

If you don’t want to add a line, the deals direct from Samsung are usually better. I got a Gear S3 Frontier smartwatch for free with my 512GB Note 9, plus a wireless charger.

Less waiting on updates from T-Mobile. I will say that my only concern is about their name dedicated 5G network (without the need for LTE to set up the 5G connection and provide uploads).

Yeah, I’ve been debating it. REset my S9 to see how zippy it would be again. Still debating. I want it but we will see.

I get your point, but I’m not sure why I’d buy a mid-tier phone when I can get all the features I want in a phone for ~$350 after my trade-in? It seems the only real issue is that I’m “encouraging” Samsung hobbling their phones. :(

On Swappa, the Note 9 is getting about $350. So even if I look at a $700 phone, I don’t know what is out there that ticks all the boxes that the Note 20 does, assuming I buy another Samsung. I’ve bought plenty of other brands of phone over the last decade or so. The only brand that I seem to never have any issues with is Samsung, so I think I’m sticking with them.

I want to get on the 5G bandwagon. It’s rolling out here, and I think the standalone 5G will be useful in areas where I travel and don’t get service now, at least according to what T-Mobile is saying.

Ok I misread it.
Yeah, just gotta keep waiting