Finally, A New Mobile Phone

I really beat up my mobile phone when I went backpacking back in July. I made sure to get a new one when I got back to civilization after spending only slightly less than a year in a state of indecision. There were a number of features I was using as criteria for the new phone:

1. Waterproof/Dustproof - There are a number of manufacturers making phones that are waterproof. Seeing as I spend a fair amount of time in snowstorms, having a waterproof phone was kind of important to me.
2. 4G LTE - It didn't make sense to have an unlimited smartphone data plan only to not have the fastest speed possible. Ideally, I would also like to have it usable as a mobile hotspot, but not having it was not a deal-breaker.
3. Size - While most people are looking for the largest screen possible, I wasn't. I prefer something that doesn't look like an aircraft carrier stuck to the side of my face.
4. Cost - Nobody wants to pay full price for anything, especially me. I wanted a deal and wasn't going to spend North of $400 for a piece of electronics that could easily fall into the toilet.
5. Android or IOS - In case you haven't figured it out over the past couple of posts, I really hate Windows and refused to buy a Windows phone. There is a huge ecosystem of applications available for both IOS and Android, most of which are not available on Windows phones.
6. Ease of Upgrade - Moving the data from by antique iPhone couldn't be a lengthy process.

Unfortunately I could not find a phone that had all of the features I wanted, as some of them (like waterproof and ease of upgrade) were mutually exclusive. In the end, I had to pick a phone that was a compromise of features. I decided on the iPhone5 after getting one for my wife when her old iPhone died. So far I am happy with my decision. Sure I had to lock myself into my current service provider for the next couple of years to get the price I wanted, but the ease of upgrade made up for that. The size was what I was used to and felt natural.

I'm sure I will find something to complain about in the near future. Until then, I am happy to have a somewhat newer phone that does everything I need it to. I was even able to load some new applications that wouldn't work on my other phone because it was so old.